A New Perspective on Catania

When we arrived In Catania yesterday I was feeling a little down. It looks like the dirtiest place I've ever been. Many of the buildings have a gray tinge to them. The city is loud & chaotic. Compared to the beauty we saw in Ortigia I felt like I was in a slum. However, I have learned the gray tinge is not dirt, its "basalt". Mount Etna is a volcano and much of the stone used to build is volcanic rock.. Today we spent the day discovering & exploring what makes Catania unique. We started out in seeing the Cathedral of St. Agatha, the patron saint who protects the city. Next, the fish market, a Roman Ampitheatre, and a tour of the Benedictine Monastery now owned by the University of Cantania. All of that and visiting a bunch of churches interspersed in between. This city is "rough around the edges" but I've learned a lot.Read more