Catania's Street Market, Catania, Sicily

Advantages: The Volcano, the food, the black beach
Disadvantages: the horse meat stall in the market (don't buy anything from a butchers with a cute photo of a horse outside!_

...and contains a number of curios that make it a worthwhile diversion. The principle shopping street and one of my favourite shopping streets ever actually, is Via Etnea. The reason it is my favourite is not so much the range of shops (although it is certainly better than what Palermo has to offer and has a wide broad avenue which is uncommon in Sicily), but simple because it is a long street with a volcano at the end of it.. and a huffing, puffing smoking volcano at that! There can be fewer more exhilirating sights to take in as you wander in and out of the shops. The patron saint of Catania is Saint Agatha, another native of the city and her dedicated church lies above the prison in which she was incarcerated and is another fine example of the Baroque architecture of the period, but also impressive is the Roman Amphitheatre built out... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: good place
Disadvantages: petty crime

...Catania is the second major city in Sicily after Palermo. There is a common say, that it is easier to do business in catania than Palermo. Although in my experience the 2 cities are very similar under this respect, I would not necessarily disagree with this statement. An interesting place to visit is Castello di Ursino, (Ursino castle). Located in Piazza Federico di Svevia, at the end of Via Auteri between Via Plebiscito and Via Garibaldi, it used to be a coastal fortress. Later, vulcanic eruptions expanded the coastline, and if you go there, you can deem by yourself the extent of this expansion! Another place worth visiting is the cathedral (Duomo), which goes back to 1090. A word of caution for tourists, there are not too many restaurants in the centre of the town. If you have the time, try and go to Taormina... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages: Nice people, good food and wine, weather
Disadvantages: Driving is scary

...or a boat and race across the water. When you arrive in Sicily you realise that the rhyme was in fact wrong and Italy must be a bit of a wuss as it has effectively managed to kick Sicily about 3 km into the sea. To fly to Sicily you have a number of options. We booked using Expedia and were able to select flights (one way) for the grand total of £142 for 2. We flew with Air Malta to Catania and found the experience perfectly satisfactory. If you would like to take your own car to Sicily you could potter through France, go under the mountains and then potter through Italy until you get to the Strait of Messina. Once there you would have to jump on ferry and sail across this narrow bit of water. There is talk of a bridge connecting Sicily to the mainland although it hasn't been started yet. Due to be finished in 2012 the bridge will become... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful