After the family trip to Naples, we each split up and explored a different part of Italy. Lucia went to Florence to visit a friend, Dmitri, Mom, and Dad went to explore Rome, and I went to Sicilia! I had no real reason to visit Sicily, other than it sounded foreign and it seemed small enough for a weekend trip. After my short period in Catania, Taormina, and Siracusa, I am inspired to return one day and visit the other side of the island and road trip the coast. I heard once that “Italy becomes more Italian, the further south you travel,” perhaps because there are fewer global tourist attractions south of Rome. I agree with the sentiment; Sicily felt authentically itself compared to other popular Italian sites. Sure, there were tourists and English was everywhere, but the three towns I visited didn’t try to hide the rawness with undo glamour like other European cities.
I caught an early morning flight from Naples to Catania, and I landed in Sicily around 7am on Saturday. I took the bus into the center, checked into my hostel (right on the city square!) and strolled around Catania for a couple hours before catching a bus to Taormina. In Catania, I enjoyed watching the local Sicilians (those awake this early) shopping for the fresh catches of the day at the lively fish market. The fisherman eagerly called out for passerby to peruse their selection, and fish guts and blood were everywhere on the streets. I enjoyed the experience, until my nose could not bear the stench.
Taormina is a beautiful resort town north of Catania. The town is full of boutique hotels and classy restaurants; it felt very upscale compared to Catania. At the base of the cliffside town, there is a islet (Isola Bella) with a public beach reachable by foot or cable car. The beach was my main motivation for visiting Taormina – I was excited for some swimming time! On the bus, I met a German girl my age who was living in Sicily as she wrote her Master’s thesis. Maxi and I spent the day together, and our first stop was for lunch (pistachio, ham, and cheese pizza). We then hiked the long way down to Isola Bella and spent the next couple of hours enjoying the sun and sea.
Once the sun descended on the other side of the cliff, we dried off and walked back up to the town. We strolled through the Public Gardens and then found a place for a coffee and cannoli on the main square. The Duomo towered over most of the buildings, though we couldn’t tour it because of a wedding. We window shopped for another hour, and when it started to rain, we found a bar to wait for the departing bus. The bus ride was an hour long, and I went to sleep soon after arriving at the hostel.
The next day, I woke up bright and early and caught the first bus south to Siracusa. Catania was quiet this Sunday morning, and no one was at the fish market. In Siracusa, I started my day with a pistachio granita, a typical Sicilian slush breakfast drink. On the walk to the city center, I wandered through the tables and tents of the Sicilian Agricultural Exposition (or something similar). There were stalls showcasing Sicilian farming machinery, dairy production, grain mills, and more! I waited in line to sample fresh pomegranate juice and warm, freshly cut mozzarella, and almost missed the start of Mass. Thankfully, Mass began five minutes late; nobody is ever in a rush in southern Italy. I went to the Cathedral because I wanted to pray before the tomb of St. Lucia.
Many shops and museums were closed on Sunday, so I wandered the white cobblestone streets (reminiscent of Croatia) until it was time to try more Sicilian food. I tasted fried rice balls (arancini) and another cannoli flavor. The bakery owner also gave me a salted pistachio cookie. The Sicilians I met were so hospitable and generous!
In the afternoon, I decided to rent a bike to explore the coastline. Unfortunately, the 14km bike path did not live up to the photos I had seen. The trail was relatively far from the cliff, and the path was flat and unexciting. Around the 4km point, it started to rain! I was mentally committed to the trail, and biked the remainder of the 10km soaked, muddy, and sweaty. I couldn’t see the ocean through the rain, and the bike ride was less than pleasant. On the final stretch to the bike shop, I gained speed going downhill. I didn’t slow down enough to make the sharp turn, and I fell off the bike. Three policemen were nearby and came to check on me; I was so embarrassed, I hardly felt the scratches on my knee, haha! Now that I was drenched and disgusting, I could justify shopping for a new wardrobe. After changing into fresh clothes, I relaxed with some wine, made from grapes grown alongside Mt. Etna.
Once I was back in Catania, I showered and met Maxi and her friends for drinks. Each drink was 3 euro, so I happily indulged in one last Aperol spritz. 🙂 I left the bar around midnight, bought myself one last gelato, and fell asleep around 1am. I woke up three hours later to catch my flight back to Austin, Ciao Sicilia!
kira vesta 