Syracuse (Italy)

Advantages: Beautiful city, lots of things to see and do
Disadvantages: Very hot in the summer

Syracuse lies on the south-eastern tip of Sicily, pointing towards the Mediterranean, almost provocatively. I found myself there, due to a happy marraige of chance and circumstance, and thought it was one of the most pleasant cities that I have ever come across. Like much of Sicily, the influence of the Greeks is very evident in Syracuse, (one of her most famous sons is Archimedes) which is most famous for the Greek Amphitheatre which they left behind. ...
...I was only in Syracuse a day, which wasn't really enough, it would have been nice to have had about 3 or 4 days there at least and if you're in southern Italy, really do give it a shot, I loved it there, not least, because I had had no idea what to expect. The sicilians are a dream as well, very cute and very friendly... but that's another story altogether! ... Read review

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!_

...Catania lies on the eastern coast of Sicily and is, historically and culturally a part of the 'Greek' part of the Island (as opposed to the arabic West of Sicily). The most striking thing about the city is the constantly puffing, and frequently erupting volcano which colours (sometimes quite literally) the city in a magical manner. Some people don't have the temperament for Sicily, the cities here don't have the manicured edges of Tuscany or the Emilian hills, but can provide far more beauty and exhiliration than any other part of Italy. So Catania itself takes a little getting used to. It doesn't have the beauty of Syracuse and Palermo probably has more immediate attractions in it. It has a fine Sicilian Baroque architectural style, best seen around the Piazza del Duomo with it's famous elephant statue - the symbol of the city... Read review

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