Travel: 12 Hours in Catania, Sicily
Whether you’re doing a quick overnight stay or just passing through, here are three tips for an enjoyable short stay in Catania
Catania is Sicily’s second largest city after Palermo. A port city on the islands’ east coast, Catania has a rich and long history, founded by the Ancient Greeks in 729AC. Fast forward to modern times however, and Catania is known as the home of the quintessential Sicilian dish ‘Pasta alla Norma‘, a plate of maccheroni pasta with a tomato sauce containing fried eggplant, and topped with grated salted ricotta and basil.
Sicilians are well known amongst Italians as serious food lovers, and their cuisine is regarded with much respect. This however, you will be able to see and taste for yourself in and around Catania. One of my favourite memories was seeing a chef cooking outside one evening. He had been tasked with looking after burgers on an open grill. With tongs in one hand and a ‘brush’ fashioned from just rosemary twigs in the other, I noticed him dipping the ‘brush’ in olive oil and lightly gliding it across the burgers. When I asked him why, he said “it was to scent the meat”. For food lovers, it’s details and scenes like this that excite and at the city’s famed market, La Pescheria does just that.
VISIT
La Pescheria – Piazza Alonzo di Benedetto, Catania
Opening Hours: 8am – 2pm Monday to Saturday – Closed Sunday’s (*note hours as per Google)
Catania’s colourful and famous market, La Pescheria is an absolute feast for the eyes and belly.
Although the market is called La Pescheria, which literally translates to ‘the fish store’ in Italian, regular fruit and vegetable vendors and food stalls also add to the culinary chaos. Imagine swirls of fresh fish staring at you front-on or sideways, heavily salted anchovies tenderly offered stuffed with garlic and parsley, butchers dressed in white coats like doctors performing public surgery on joints and carcasses (cigarettes may or may not be poised momentarily on their mouths as they operate). The whole affair is comical, delicious, frightening and exciting all at the same time, not to mention the sounds of the vendors persistently and passionately chanting out ingredients prices, and the odd sarcastic comment. Even more amusing is the equally passionate locals sometimes responding to them.
Charming buildings in the city centre
Preserved anchovies at La Pescheria
A butcher at work at La Pescheria
EAT & DRINK
Uzeta’ Bistro – Via Penninello, 41, Catania, Sicily
If you have 12 hours in Catania Sicily then I highly recommend Uzeta’ Bistro as a pit stop during your travels. This modern space in a rustic, grotto-like setting is the perfect place for a pre- or post-dinner snack and drink. They have an impressive offering of Sicilian beers and wines, and Sicilian tapas. Think polenta fingers, fritters stuffed with anchovies and pine nuts, just delectable and so well put together. The staff are charming and incredibly knowledgable. This was recommended to us by our B&B host, and is one of her favourite local spots.
The breakfast room at B&B Liodoro
STAY
B&B Liodoro – Via Gagliani, 13, Catania, Sicily
A former residence that is now family operated, B&B Liodoro comprises four bedrooms set in a 19th century apartment building. Our room was very comfortable and enormous, comprising an en suite and balcony. The location is right in the middle of the city, and a short walk from Catania’s amazing food market, La Pescheria – mentioned above. The hosts were genuinely friendly and incredibly helpful with tips and recommendations. I highly recommend B&B Liodoro if you’re looking for a generously sized and economical space that’s central.
