Listen to “Captivating Catania – Sicilian City of Charm” on Spreaker.
The stunning island of Sicily has been receiving some justified attention recently, and its second city of Catania should not be overlooked when planning a trip to Sicily. Often in the shadow of her more famous sister Palermo, beautiful Baroque Catania sits at the foot of Mount Etna, overlooking the eastern coast of Sicily. Conveniently positioned as a great base for a trip to Sicily, Catania has a unique vibe and character in its own right.
In this episode, we talk to Sicily expert Karen La Rosa from La Rosa Works Sicily tours and travel. Karen has appeared on the show many times and her depth of knowledge of Sicily, its culture and its people always blows us away. In this episode, we head to somewhere Karen has a very special affinity – the city of Catania. Catania has many treasures and a unique vibe as well as a convenient position for any Sicily trip. We talk volcanic vibes, palazzi, puppets and Catania’s kick-ass lady patron Saint.
If you’re feeling like you just can’t wait to jump on a plane and discover Sicily for yourself, we have Untold Italy Tours of both East and West Sicily with places available in 2023 and 2024. Our small group tours in Sicily (consisting of 10 guests or fewer) take travelers on a journey of discovery through the towns and countryside of this beautiful island – offering surprises around every corner. Our Eastern Sicily Tour departs and ends in Catania while our West Sicily itinerary leaves from Palermo. Each trip is lovingly crafted to ensure you return home with a deep appreciation for the culture and people of Sicily – we can’t wait for you to join us. Visit untolditalytours.com for all the details.
What you’ll learn in this episode
- Sicily is known for being the largest of the islands in the Mediterranean but technically there are actually three seas – the Ionian Sea to the east, the Tyrrhenian Sea to the north, and the Mediterranean Sea to the south
- Catania can be found right in the middle of Sicily’s East Coast, on the side of the Ionian sea
- It is not on the beach like Cefalu, but it’s close to beaches. There is a glorious lava coastline close by where the Sicilians have perfected the art of sunbathing and swimming from the rocks
- Catania is the perfect jumping-off point to visit the North of Sicily, the interior, as well as the south. You’re not more than an hour away from so many great places, and there’s good road access
- There’s also a good bus system. Those living in the area travel by bus as the main public transport, though there are some trains to get your around
- The airport is only 15 minutes from the city
- There are misperceptions about Sicily, as a whole, with it only really being within the last 15 years or so that those have started to lift. Now there are lots of places in Sicily considered hot destinations but Catania has to catch up a little bit on that front
- Taormina was on the grand tour back in the 19th century and it’s been a haven for tourists forever. Ortigia is glorious and Palermo has its own beauty. But Catania was always a place that people just wanted to pass through
- Karen feels it is a great city and really underappreciated. It’s true that on the surface it can seem a little gritty with dark buildings, and lots of graffiti (most of which is professing undying love or is political), but you have to look deeper to understand a bit of the history and understand a little bit about the people
- There are 600,000 people in Catania, which sits in the shadow of an active volcano and it’s been around since 729 BC, so 2,753 years!
- Underneath the surface, there is an energy and a pulse. There’s an entrepreneurial spirit among the young population. In some ways you can liken it to New York City, which is also gritty, has a lot going on under the surface – with a particular vibe
- Part of the young energy feel is because there is a university there. They also have a little tech thing going on there, like a mini Silicon Valley
- The young people on the island (and particularly in Catania) want to combine the old world culture and the images that go with that (nonna in the kitchen for example) with the modern age. They use the skills and education that many of them acquire by studying and working abroad to do things right and carefully but in a modern way
- Karen was recently at a wine panel discussion about another region in Italy that is trying to bring its wines to the forefront and they cited Sicily as a place that has done things right
- In Catania and that area in general there are lots of artisans doing great things with craft beer, craft gin and of course, wine. They’re trying new things but still trying to do it with the things they hold dear and that work well in Sicily
- The Greeks arrived in Catania back in, 729. The same people that settled Naxos but who weren’t strictly Greeks, as there was no Greece then, or Italy – but lots of city-states. Italy itself wasn’t unified until 1861
- They came to Sicily because they wanted to find new land to settle in, taking what they knew from home – to some trade and bringing their culture with them
- When they built, it was with the intention for the great stone buildings to stay there indefinitely
- Fast forward 500 years and the Romans had come along. After that came the whole parade of conquering peoples – Barbarians, Byzantines, Arabs, Normans, Anjouns Swabians, and then the Spanish.
- Mount Edna had a volcanic eruption of major proportions in 1669, and they had a devastating earthquake in 1693 that wiped out half the population
- Living around an active volcano is an important driver of culture. You get the same vibe in Naples – though they live beside a dormant volcano, they still have a sense of urgency about them
- When you’re walking up one of the main streets in Catania – Via Etna, you can see the volcano, and it is constantly emitting smoke
- When you are in Catania, Etna looks really close – like it’s only two blocks away though it is pretty distant. If it erupts it throws plumes of ash into the sky, then it rains black lava ash over Catania. That creates a dark sense in the city where there is sometimes ash on the ground
- They clean up ash like we might clean up snow, but they also use it – in the building material because the ash actually makes the cement sturdier. Many buildings have a pink coloring – ash pink or ash yellow, very beautiful and specific colors
- After Catania was destroyed during the earthquake in 1693, it was rebuilt by the Spanish in a very distinct, Baroque fashion
- The Palazzo Biscari which you can see as you drive through the aqueduct and come into the town, is beautifully ornate
- There’s a street called the Villa Crociferi, on which there are various stunning churches – all different. The Cathedral itself in the Piazza Duomo is amazing too
- It’s a very Instagram-worthy city with these incredible buildings. They have also adopted the use of these colorful umbrellas to shade the streets. It’s lovely to look at these vibrant colors on otherwise dark streets without a lot of trees and it also helps you stay a little cooler because of the shade
- They do have a couple of gardens that have fountains. Karen likes to walk all the way up Via Etna to the Bellini Gardens. There’s a beautiful fountain in there, lots of greenery, and across the street is Savia, which is the best place in Catania and in the area to get arancini
- The botanical gardens are also nearby for a nice, quiet place to walk. It’s not a major destination but nice nonetheless for some quiet and shade
- The Piazza Duomo is the center of things with all roads leading to the main piazza. The Cathedral is on one side and there are two old gorgeous palazzi flanking it that are now government buildings. The famous elephant statue is in the middle with the big fountain
- On the side of one of the buildings just off the Piazza is another gorgeous fountain that sits over what remains of the Amenano River, which ran through the city before the major eruption of 1669 when it was submerged
- The lava, which came down traveled very slowly, so there were very few casualties, but it came down to Catania and literally changed the landscape
- This fountain leads you right into the pescarilla, the fish market. It’s been around for about 900 years and is on six days a week – from dawn until about 1 o’clock. The vendors all have their catch, and they’re all shouting or singing about whatever it is they have today. You have the man walking around selling parsley or lemons. It’s quite a scene and is the perfect place for photography
- The market is in a sunken area and then there’s a mezzanine level. On this mezzanine level, a few years back, a guy Karen knows, Marco opened up a little stand called Scirocco (named after the winds). Here you can buy a cone of fish and a local beer. It’s fun to grab the tasty food and just sit on a stool and watch the people go by
- Marco did a big catered event for Karen in 2012 and is quite the entrepreneur. He’s got another restaurant called Vuciata which has the best muscles has ever had. That is in the streets next to the fish market. It’s wonderful and is underneath some of those umbrellas for added ambiance
- This is not a fish market designed for tourists. It is fish that is caught locally. They have been out at night and they bring it in the morning. They work really hard and that can be seen all over their faces
- Another restaurant nearby, where you can see the Amenano the submerged river, is called A Putia Dell’Ostello. You go downstairs in this restaurant and you’re in a little grotto with the little bits of what is left of the river underground flowing by. Karen has done a couple of wine tastings in there and loves to just sit in there and listen to the water
- Agatha is the patron saint of Catania and she is omnipresent in the city. There are so many statues, motives, icons and images of her all over the city. She was supposed to marry a Roman noble, and it didn’t work out so he decided to torture her for three days until she died. She is also supposedly responsible for stopping the plague in Catania. They could not hold her in higher esteem
- In the first week of February, there’s a big feast to commemorate her. Karen found it to be one of the most amazing things she has ever witnessed. They have all kinds of different things going on – people carrying the gigantic candelabra, the big guilt things that represent all the different trades – decorated and carried by men on their shoulders as they dance back and forth
- The Fercola carries her remains in a silver-encrusted bust and people are swooning in her presence, passing their handkerchiefs up to touch the Saint then bringing it back to you for luck and holding their children up to be blessed. It’s an amazing sight. Catania becomes this whole other city. Everyone participates. They have a part of it where these mostly men, are clad in these white robes with black hats, and they run up and down the street with giant candles on their shoulders
- It’s a tradition and a ritual that is pagan, it’s Christianity, it’s community – a phenomenal thing. Again, if you’re into photography the whole thing is a feast for the eyes and the camera!
- They have various floats in places around the city where they’re parked for the year. Her remains are in the Cathedral, and you can look through the gate and see the bling silver container that holds her
- Sicily also has a beloved tradition for puppets, made popular in the 19th century. People were poor and they entertained them with legends and histories and taught them about good and evil. They presented stories much like we would watch a film today. These people would invest themselves and could identify with these characters, take them on and go home and talk about them and argue about them. It brought real joy to the community
- There is Fratelli Napoli which is a family of real master puppeteers. They’ve made puppets for generations. You can visit their workshop. It’s by appointment and you need a guide or a translator, but it’s just an amazing thing to see – how people dedicated their lives to this. Very passionate and very talented people
- They work in wood and in metal, they paint the scenes, and they do the scripts although in many cases it is ad hoc when they’ll have just a basic outline. For 6 months/a year, they would have a different show every night with these puppets. It’s an amazing history and to go and be in the presence of these people with these 100-year-old puppets hanging on the wall is really something special to do in Catania
- The Circumetnea is the train line that takes you from Catania up Mount Etna first to the Eastern part, and then over the Northern part. It’s a small gauge railroad, usually, it’s two or three cars and is very charming. It’s a great, inexpensive way to go up to Mount Etna. You just sit back and watch the landscape change as you gain altitude
- You buy your ticket and can hop off in Randazzo or hop off in Bronte, have a potter around, and then get on the next train that comes by. It’s also used by a wine tourism company now, and they take you to an area where there are a couple of wineries on the train. You get off, get on a bus, and they take you to a couple of wineries
- In Catania, there are bars around these side streets with people sitting out there watching soccer. They have a great passeggiata (evening stroll) up and down that Via Etnea, which usually ends up in the Piazza Duomo, where there’s often someone singing or performing
- Vinoteca Ostier is a wonderful restaurant and Karen usually does wine tastings there also because Vinoteca means they have great wines available. Tantikkia is another great option and Vinicolo for pizza
- Catania got their first Michelin star a few years ago at Sapio with chef Alessandro, who was pretty young when he got it. Even for Karen who is from New York City and has always had great options for fine dining, this was one of the finest meals she has ever had. She’s eaten there 3 times and it’s consistently good and she can’t recommend it enough if you are after something high-end. Sure you want to eat in local trattorias, and Karen and Katy love to do that but every now and then it is nice to have something special. It is good to mix things up
- Catania is one of the few places where you can see Roman remains. There are two amphitheaters in Catania, the big one and then there’s another one that is behind it, so you can’t see it from the street. They have the Roman baths underneath the Cathedral, which most people don’t even realize is there. It’s on the right side if you’re looking at the Cathedral.
- They also have the Benedictine Monastery, which is part of the university now and is a nice tour to take. They take you through some of the university, the library, and things like that, which are interesting but (Top Tip) if you go on the weekends, the university is closed so they are able to take you into the staff offices
- When you’re in Catania, you’re 45 minutes from Ortigia, about an hour from Etna or Caltagirone, just a little further to Villa Romana in Piazza Armerina and you’re 45 minutes from Taormina. If you go up the Coast towards Etna and Taormina, you’ve got the Aci towns. Aci Trezza, Aci Castello are these very picturesque fishing villages with the lava coastline and flowers. So you’re right in the heart of so many things and it couldn’t be better positioned as a place to set off to other places and with a lot of things to do
- Palermo is a bigger city with about a million people and is in the western part of Sicily, which is still a little under-discovered and there are fewer tourists. Lots of wonderful things to see – lots of farms, vineyards and the largest archeological park of Selinunte, and there is Cefalu a smaller resort town than Taormina, but simply stunning
- Palermo has got a lot more historic buildings. It’s got the Opera House and the Politeama for concerts. They have many churches that have exhibits on. Palermo is a good choice if you’re particularly interested in exploring historical things
- For foodies, Karen would suggest Catania over Palermo
- Accommodation-wise, Palermo has its grand dams – the big old hotels like the Des Palmes and Hotel Wagner and those kinds of historic places
- Catania’s accommodation offerings are a little more intimate and unique. There are a couple of restored palazzi that Karen loves – the Palazzo Marletta and Asmundo di Gisira. Great location and the rooms there are neoclassical, fabulous rooms. The Liberty Hotel is a wonderful boutique hotel near Piazza Stesicoro a good area to base yourself to walk around
- If you’re driving Karen recommends Palazzo Bruca. It’s more of a budget-friendly hotel and has been renovated recently, but it’s got parking which is not common in Catania, which more often has valet parking. The big doors of this giant palace open up and you drive your car straight in and park there
- Driving in Catania is not for the faint-hearted but Karen does it all the time. You can get stuff behind two people who have windows open and they’re chatting like there’s no other car on the road. Or there are people who don’t stop at certain red lights because “well, there’s nobody crossing the street. Why do I need to stop?” Rules are optional. There are a lot of one-way streets and they are usually well-marked. It’s not that bad if you are used to city driving
- They have an electric bus system now which is forward-thinking and of course better for the environment
- Catania’s center is only 15 minutes from the airport and the Catania airport is convenient and a very busy airport with lots of international flights – more than Palermo
- There is a rumor that the nonstop from New York to Palermo, that was stopped during the pandemic, will be re-instated which will be great for visiting Sicily in general
- Sicily is getting lots of visitors right now. In part due to word of mouth, because of podcasts and Instagram, the wine business – because it’s wonderful and also because of the White Lotus TV show which really put Sicily on people’s radar
- Indiana Jones has just been filmed in Sicily and they’re filming The Leopard – a TV series of The Leopard, which Karen actually saw them doing in June in several locations
- Sicily does get incredibly hot in the summer. Right now it is particularly hot – in the 40 degrees centigrade, which is over 110 Fahrenheit. The shoulder seasons in Sicily are wonderful so do consider traveling then
- Typically, most people, particularly Americans did not visit outside of April to October main season but this year Karen has spoken to people who have enjoyed visiting in February and towards the end of November
- Although it is hot in summer if you are on vacation, you are maybe living differently – in the water, at a winery, or somewhere in air conditioning. But April, May and September and October are glorious and better for exploring
- Karen has seen photos of people grilling out at Christmas time. The difference is that you technically it is the rainy season. so it can be drizzly and overcast but with an umbrella, you can get on fine – it usually passes pretty quickly
- The Fall is a beautiful time because you’ve got the harvest with olives dripping off the trees and grapes off the vineyards. Every little town has some Sagre (food festival) dedicated to their local product – be it an artichoke, chestnuts, or honey
- In Spring the hills are just carpeted in flowers and colors
- Karen loves all of Sicily for various reasons and in different ways, and her family ancestry couldn’t be further away from Catana in the Southwest area, but there’s an energy with the proximity to Etna – maybe with all the growing the wine, the lemons etc. She always feels at home there
- The Sicilians talk about Etna like she’s a member of the family. She goes to one winery and they’ll say “We don’t make the wine, she does. We just help it along”. And in some ways that’s true – the fertility that comes from all of her eruptions, each one unique, bringing different minerals and things landing in the soil
- Karen never gets sick of exploring Sicily even after all these years. There’s always a new town she hasn’t been to or a new winery etc. She finds the people in Sicily so warm and wonderful. They surprise her all the time with how generous they are – especially with what historically was so little
- Karen’s website, larosaworks.com has a lot of great information and resources and you can find out more about her tours. You can find her on Instagram and Facebook at @LaRosaWorksSicily where she’s always posting amazing photos
About our guest – Karen La Rosa
Karen is a tour operator and owner of La Rosa Works, specializing in travel to Sicily. For more than 10 years, she has been promoting travel to the island, bringing small to medium-sized groups to join her, and designing and arranging itineraries and tours for independent travelers.
Sicily is Karen’s heritage and her passion. That love evolved into a highly respected boutique travel business. Karen shares the island’s beating heart with her clients – from authentic, historical, and off-the-beaten-path experiences, to the contemporary and entrepreneurial efforts that represent the new paths in present-day Sicily.
Karen’s tours are immersive and fun with expert guides, wine, and food always the protagonists. Karen’s website, her YouTube channel, and social media presence are all aimed at engaging people interested in exploring Sicily’s fascinating history, stunning beauty, warm hospitality and some say, the best food and wine in Italy. Her clients write reviews that are amazing and a true testament to her kindness, generosity, and passion for Sicily.
Karen is an Italian Wine Specialist, speaks Italian, and has visited Sicily countless happy times.
You can ind Karen on these channels:
- Website: www.larosaworks.com
- Facebook: www.fb.com/LaRosaWorksSicily
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/larosaworkssicily
- YouTube: Karen La Rosa
Places mentioned in the show
- Catania – Sicily’s second-largest city
- Ionian Sea – bay of the Mediterranean Sea connected to the Adriatic Sea to the north, with Calabria, Sicily, and the Salento peninsula to the west, western Puglia to the north, and reaches the west coast of Greece
- Cefalù – seaside town you can visit easily from Palermo by train, bus or private transfer
- Taormina – a town on the east coast that has been a tourist destination since the 19th century
- Ortygia – a small island that is at the historical center of the city of Syracuse. The island is also known as the Città Vecchia (Old City)
- Palermo – Sicily’s largest and capital city
- Palazzo Biscari – private palace on Via Museo Biscari
- Piazza del Duomo – main square in Catania
- Piazza Stesicoro – square in great location in Catania for exploring the city on foot
- Bellini Gardens (Giardino Bellini) – the oldest public park in Catania with beautiful gardens
- Savia – restaurant across from the Bellini Gardens that does amazing Arancini
- Scirocco – fried fish stand in the fish market of Piazza del Duomo run by Marco
- Vuciata – restaurant run by Marco not far from the fish market
- A Putia Dell’Ostello – vibrant restaurant with a dining room in a lava cave
- Fratelli Napoli – the puppet show with master puppeteers
- Ostier Vinoteca – great restaurant with amazing wines
- Tantikkia – great restaurant
- Vinicolo – for pizza
- Sapio – Michelin-star restaurant in Catania
- Caltagirone – inland city in Sicily known for pottery
- Randazzo – small town situated at the northern foot of Mount Etna
- Bronte – town on the slopes of Mount Etna in Sicily which grows the best pistachios
- Villa Romana – Roman complex
- Aci Trezza / Aci Castello – fishing villages with the lava coastline
- Selinunte – archaeological site on the southwestern coast
- Grand Hotel Wagner & Des Palmes – grand hotels in Palermo
- Palazzo Marletta, Asmundo di Gisira & Liberty Hotel – hotels Karen recommends in Catania
- Palazzo Bruca – great budget option for accommodation in Catania if you are driving
Resources
- Magna Graecia – the name given by the Romans to the coastal areas of Southern Italy that were mostly populated by Greek settlers (present-day Calabria, Puglia, Basilicata, Campania and Sicily)
- Phoenicians – an ancient, nomadic civilization originating in the eastern Mediterranean
- Agatha of Sicily – Patron saint of Catana and other places int as well as the patron saint of breast cancer patients, bell makers, and bakers
- Festival of Saint Agatha – elaborate festival in Catania in February celebrating Agatha
- circumetnea – train line that goes to Mt Edna
- White Lotus – comedy-drama series set in a tropical resort – it follows the exploits of various guests and employees over the span of a week
- The Leopard – a famous novel set in Sicily that is being turned into a TV series
Resources from Untold Italy
- Join Untold Italy on tour in Sicily – details here
- Read our Sicily guide, reasons to Visit Sicily, the Best places to visit in Sicily, Off the Beaten path Sicilian towns and our favorite Sicilian desserts and our guide to the Best places to stay in Sicily and Things to do in Palermo
- Discover more in Best things to do in Catania and Where to stay in Catania and why June is a great time to visit Sicily
- Listen: to our other podcast episode with Karen in Episode #107 Tastes of Sicily, Episode #69 Discovering Sicily’s Aeolian Islands, Episode #43 Excursions from Palermo, Episode #36 Palermo – not what you expect and Episode #31 Exploring the Val di Noto
- How to plan a trip to Italy – our article takes you step by step through trip planning so you can avoid our mistakes
- Italy Travel Planning – our FREE online community where you can ask questions and get inspiration for planning your trip
- Travel shop where you’ll find items mentioned in the show
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Transcript
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