Exploring Europe 2023

We sadly bid farewell to Taormina before making our way to Catania for our flight home tomorrow. Even the Taormina train station was stunning with its beautifully painted ceiling and archeological displays. We have absolutely loved our time her in Taormina and it was the perfect place to spend the last few days of our time away. It was hard leaving.

We have been to Catania previously and are looking forward to our last afternoon in Sicily. Our hotel room is lovely with an amazing view of the Duomo and the elephant statue I love so much. Sadly it is being repaired so is surrounded by scaffold etc. I can still see a glimpse of his cute face though.

Our motel room is in the Piazza del Duomo and the view of the Duomo, the Cattedrale di Sant'Agata from our balcony is stunning. The church has been repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt after earthquakes that have occurred over time. The first building dates back to 1086 and was built over baths that date back to Roman times. The original water for the baths is still evident and runs beneath a nearby fountain.

We couldn’t get out of our room fast enough though, ready to soak in the bits of Catania we loved last time. With the fish markets just nearby we wandered through, trying very hard not to get covered in fish juice. From there are the fruit and veg markets and they have changed since we were last here. Now the streets are covered with brightly covered umbrellas and amongst the market stalls are more cafes and restaurants. With the old graffitied buildings surrounding the area, it is quite a contrast of the brightly coloured umbrellas and the gritty streets of Catania below. I’m not sure if they are there to distract from the streets and disguise or want to create a place to be photographed and visit. We certainly took a few photos.En savoir plus