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Italy : Catania - July 2010

Country Code: Dial for Italy

There’s no better place to be in July than Catania; Sicily’s second-largest city offers a long sandy beach for daytime sizzling and street-side cafés in the old city centre for night-time music, ice creams and people watching. Taormina is also nearby for evening entertainment, courtesy of the Taormina Arte summer festival (taormina-arte.com). Ellen Grady keeps her cool in the city

Getting around

Fontanarossa Airport

Bus: The Alibus shuttle service runs between the airport and the central train station. It’s a 15-minute journey, with buses running from 5am to midnight. Other services are available to all major Sicilian destinations, including Taormina and Palermo. The bus journey into Catania costs €2.
Taxi: Taxis are also available and the journey into Catania shouldn’t cost more than €30. All major car-hire companies are represented at the airport.
Tourist information: The main tourist information office is at 10 Via Cimarosa (, www.turismo.catania.it)

THE CENTRE

Oven-hot by day, cool and scented with jasmine by night, the lava-stone streets all lead to the dramatically baroque Piazza Duomo, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It boasts a lovely cathedral dedicated to St Agatha, the patron saint of the city, with the bustling fish market nearby.

Sleep soundly – A comfortable little hotel based in a smart art nouveau townhouse, the Hotel Novecento (37 Via Ventimiglia, tel. , hotel novecentocatania.it, rooms from €110) is close to the opera house in the part of town where everybody gathers on summer nights for the café-concerts. The Blue Suite has a cute attic bedroom over its own lounge.

Must drink – When the sun rises, enjoy coffee and fresh croissants – or better still, ice cream in a brioche – with the night owls of Catania at the Etoile D’Or (7 Via Dusmet), an old-fashioned café near the fish market.

Shop til you drop – As summer sales kick in, grab fashionable beachwear and accessories from the big stores along the main street Via Etnea, such as Coin (112) or La Rinascente (155).

TAORMINA

Let the evening breeze refresh you in this enchanting hilltop town, just a short bus or train-ride away from Catania, and rub shoulders with the stars strolling along Corso Umberto – they’ll be performing at the Greek Theatre later that evening. In the morning you’ll find them sunbathing on the beach at the foot of the mountain, a corner of paradise.

Sleep soundly – On the lovely beach of Isola Bella, just a short cable-car ride away from the town centre, La Plage Resort (107/A Via Nazionale, , laplageresort.com, rooms from €250) has comfortable little bungalows under the pines and a deluxe suite with its own sitting room, garden and whirlpool. The hotel’s restaurant, Fusion, offers Sicilian dishes with an added twist of Jamaican, Mexican and Japanese.

Culture vultures – From its dizzy mountaintop position, the ancient Greek Theatre (Via del Teatro) commands a stunning panorama over the Straits of Messina and Mount Etna – a perfect setting for the Taormina Festival evening performances. July’s programme will feature Skunk Anansie, the London Royal Covent Garden Ballet and many others – check taormina-arte.com.

Dance the night away – The coolest hot spot in town for all night hip-jiggling is Septimo (50 Via San Pancrazio), which also serves up tasty food and enjoys incredible views.

Shop til you drop – The sales will be in full swing in the boutiques along Taormina’s main street, so pick up a handbag at Furla (43 Corso Umberto) – the marvellous quality and classic designs will never be out of fashion.

SAVOCA

Within easy reach of Catania, and with only 200 inhabitants, you’ll immediately recognise this hilltop city as the film location of Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather. The mobsters may have never found peace, but you will in this idyllic spot.

Sleep soundly – Some of the old houses in the most picturesque part of Savoca have been transformed into an absurdly beautiful small hotel, the Borgo San Rocco Resort (Via San Rocco, , borgosanrocco.com, rooms from €140), with ancient stone façades, relaxing colour schemes, a restaurant, pool and antique furniture in the parquet-floored rooms. Book the Vincenzo Bellini Suite for extra luxuries, including a whirlpool bathtub.

Culture vultures – The Church of Santa Lucia (Via San Nicola) in this little town with a big view is where Michael Corleone marries Apollonia in the film.

Must drink – The Bar Vitelli (7 Piazza Fossia) is a must-visit for its exquisite lemon sorbet, which reputedly kept Coppola and Pacino going during the hot summer days.

Compiled by Ellen Grady