Catania

About Catania

With Mount Etna smouldering in the background, Catania is a lively, energetic and youthful city, drawing in a crowd of creatives and foodies. It’s Sicily’s second-largest city, thriving in southern Italian splendour and gritty authenticity, with Baroque monuments, upmarket boutiques, and quirky designer bars and cafés. The perfect place for those seeking hot weather and a cultured city break.

Mount Etna dominates the city, and there are many different guided tours available, whether you want a hardcore hike and trek around the volcano’s craters, landscape and lava flow cave, or you want to ascend by a cable car to see the sights. Or you might want to book a romantic Mount Etna tour, which includes Sicilian delicacies like cantucci biscuits and Zibibbo wine, setting off later in the day so you can see the spectacular sunset.

Back in the city you could watch a performance at Teatro Massimo Bellini, Catania’s lavish opera house, visit the Monastero delle Benedettine, one of Europe’s largest monasteries, or enjoy sultry outdoor film nights at Arena Argentina.

In the Piazza del Duomo you’ll find the smiling Fontana dell’Elefante (Fountain of the Elephant) – this comical and adorable elephant is known locally as Liotru, and according to local folklore it possesses magical powers. Behind the Piazza del Duomo you’ll find La Pescheria, an iconic fish market that pulls in the masses for its raucous atmosphere and theatrics – and surrounding market you’ll find plenty of great seafood restaurants.