Catania Things to Do

I'm no Catholic, so I'll watch my mouth.

Cardinal Dusmet's dessicated body is on display at the Cathedral. Apparently he's on his way to Sainthood one of these centuries, but I'm not sure of that. His face is covered by a silver deathmask.

Interesting story regarding il Cardinale, told to me by one of the Cathedral staff: he is attributed with having saved Catania from destruction. One of the regular eruptions on Etna released lava towards the city, and everybody got pretty worried, as they should. Cardinal Dusmet took a veil, supposedly St. Agatha's, and dropped it in the path of the lava. Where it was dropped, the lava stopped, and the veil did not burn. Take this story as you find it.

The final resting place of Catania's beloved and dashing opera composer Vicenzo Bellini. Most famous work is la Norma (and pasta alla norma). The tomb is inscribed with a line of his music and depicts a bas relief of his dashingness being carried up to paradise in the embrace of two very pretty angels.

Bellini's death is shrouded in mystery. He died very young, and there are suggestions of his being poisoned by a jealous rival searching the hand of a certain damsel.

It's a running joke with me and people who care that the Catania tourist bureau guides may disagree on a lot of dates and place names, but they all agree on one thing:

Blond haired, blue-eyed Vincenzo was a total player.

All things Bellini: Teatro Massimo Bellini, Bellini's house and Museum, Statue of Bellini, Piazza Teatro Massimo Bellini, Villa Bellini.

I pescivendoli, the fish merchants, hawk their wares here, making this one of the stinkiest places in Catania, but certainly also a must stop for any discerning culture-buff or seafood fan. I, being Alaskan, peer down my big nose at Sicily's fish out of pride, but don't you be so dumb! To test your true tourist grit try buying a kilo of squid from a toothless, shouting fisherman.

Anyway, the one in Palermo is really famous, and this one is exactly the same, only in a way cooler part of town.

Interesting fact: the pescivendoli's candelora during the festival of St. Agata is my favorite!

Nearby: see piazza duomo

The Duomo of Catania is dedicated to St. Agatha (Agata), and houses her relics. Her festival is by far the most important civic event in the city, as well as one of the biggest and most elaborate Catholic saint's festivals in the entire world.

It is often refered to as a 'Fortress Cathedral', as it played an integral part as watchtower and its southern wall is in fact a part of the city's ancient defensive wall.
It too was rebuilt by Vaccarini after the earthquake of 1693, as the integral centerpiece of the piazza, although remains of the Norman cathedral that preceded it are still visible on the interior (the pointed Norman arches of the transept).

Interesting things inside: the relics of St. Agatha, the Body of Cardinal Dusmet, the Tomb of Vincenzo Bellini.

Interesting things nearby: see Piazza Duomo.

Visit TAORMINA one of the beautifulst CITY of
---- SICILY ----
It is located about 30 kilometers from CATANIA . We have not spent any time in CATANIA - SORRY - , but there are so nice villages that we have decided to go further !! BEST CHOICE :-)))

Try to have a night in Selinunte/Marinella but at least plan to get some hours there as there is so much to see. It is a superb area of Greek remains. On a lovely day in february I only saw about 20 people in the whole area and the wild flowers were wonderful to see and smell.
I htink it was the extent and sense of freedom which gave it much of its appeal. the acropolis area has several ruined temples and sites of streets and houses and the other area includes one brilliantly restored temple and if its naff to enjoy anything restored then I enjoyed being naff. So what?

Go up to Mount Etna! Get as close as you can to the top, that is if the volcano is not erupting!
You can find standing snow on Etna in the winter. I was up there in January of 1988 and had the first full-blown snowball fight I had since leaving home a year earlier. Of course, being from Minnesota, I had an advantage over my Sicilian friends!

The Greek and Roman civilisations have left their mark all over the town but this represents only a part of it's history; Syracuse has been Sicilian, Arab, Roman, Byzatine, Norman, Swabian, Aragonese, Catalan and Borbonic. There are numerous archaeological remains which have withstood the passing of the centuries, national disasters and plunders of the ages.