Wow! This is Mt. Etna three nights ago! Unfortunately, our wet weather is sticking with us and with our desire to not drive in Catania we were unable to visit Siracusa and Taormina. (We visited Taormina in 2013.) The public transport was too Sicilian for us this late in the adventure. So, we spent a couple more days in Catania and recharged our batteries for the final two weeks of our adventure!
A quick couple of words on Italy before we start the adventure.
Before we started traveling, I always thought of Italy as a very old country, you know the Romans and everything!
But in reality, the Italy we know today was only formed in the late 1800’s! The country was united by General Garibaldi. He was from northern Italy. Up until then, every area of Italy had different leadership. In many cases, still lead by Royalty. With the passion of the Italian people you can imagine the Italian parliament in action!
Sicily was the last region conquered and still retains its Sicilian identity!
Ok, TGC says no sitting around reading books! Walking tour time!
We took the bus to explore the waterfront, not much to see!
Let’s walk back says TGC!
Sure says I, what could possibly happen?🫣
After a brisk walk, we are at the Teatro Massimo Bellini.
The photo above is not ours. (There were moving vans setting up for a show blocking the entrance.)
The Italians take coffee to the next level. Delicious coffee…we’re wrecked 🤨
Sicilian style, little heavier crust than Napoleon, and much more preferred by the T’s.
Ok, walking around neighborhoods now, 20,000 steps again, I’m done!
Promises of partly sunny skies tomorrow…to be continued!
Day five, last full day in Catania!
Partly sunny and 60 degrees today!
One last walking tour says TGC! But first, my bro in the bakery 😜
This delicious savory dish is a flaky yeast dough (not sure exactly what it is) that’s wrapped around ham, cheese and shallots. It’s fantastic and costs €1.89 at the local bakery 😉
I wish you could feel the passion, thousands of people, hundreds of vendors, people yelling in Italian. It’s truly amazing! Talk about sensory overload!
Wow, just wow! We’ve been to a lot of markets across the world, this one is truly a sensory overload! I get a little claustrophobic in tight spaces, that was wild!
Ok, that’s enough for today. Back to the Airbnb to pack for tomorrows move to Agrigento, it’s two hours straight across Sicily to the southwestern coastline!
Catania was wild! Beautiful and filthy at the same time, unbelievable food, and with that Sicilian attitude! Surprised by the huge number of tourists here. Especially a large number of Scandinavia tourists with kids.
While we didn’t get to do everything we wanted to, and the weather was iffy, we had a true experience. That’s what we love.
If you are ready for an adventure, come to Catania and Sicily, it’s all of that!
P.S. Only 14,000 steps today, TGC was nice to me😎
Arrivederci!
Trafton’s European Tour 2024-2025 