A Day in Catania

After another early start we made our way back to the city of Catania. From our hotel on the side here in Taormina, our drive took us down around the 2 dozen switch backs and hard curves down to the shore line before we made our way back east. Hairpins and narrow streets (lots of them ) do not seem to be a problem with our driver. We picked up our all day guide and headed into the city. It has been destroyed many times over the centuries – living in the shadow of Mount Etna but has been rebuilt many times because of it's excellent position along the coast of southern Sicily.

Again the crossroads of the Mediterranean was emphasized. This city has all the trappings of other cities with the Duomo, Plazas and noble built homes. In the main square was an sculptured elephant made of lava carrying an Egyptian oblast. It is the symbol of Catania. Lava is used extensively in the city. Ash from a recent eruption about 2 weeks ago could be seen throughout the city.

A walk through the “fish” market was part of the tour. It is more than just a fish market and we returned there for lunch at a local vendor. We had him make up a sandwich based on salami, cheese, olives and olive oil. We sat and watched the world go by! Again we tried to get the local flavour of the city. After lunch we drove down along the waterfront on our way back to our home base stopping along the way to have a gelato. Excellente!!! The shoreline itself was a result of the lava flows an upheavals that have occurred for centuries . We arrived back at the hotel shortly before 6 and got ready for our Halloween cocktail party. Judy went as the gypsy queen!