
Bella Siciliy.
Text: Jens Hoffmann
Photos: Annamaria Veszeli
Sicily is called the black island.
The symbiosis with its local volcano, Mount Etna, has shaped the island for more than 3000 years.
Mount Etna generates wonderful grapes, lemons and pistachios grow on the fertile foothills of the volcanic cone.
is a cultural and inspiring place.
It has been influenced by Roman, Greek, Byzantine, Arab, Norman and Spanish conquerors and has long been known for its distinctive cuisine, its medieval churches and its faded baroque buildings.
In recent years, there have been notable developments not only in the culinary field.
The restaurants, pizzerias and bars now serve fine, high-quality Sicilian food everywhere.
The most famous resident of Sicily is the composer Bellini.
His most famous opera, Norma, can be heard everywhere and has found a legendary place of honor on the menus of the island.
Pasta alla Norma with lots of ricotta cheese.
Yummy.
The culture continues.
The palaces are on the list. I particularly like the Palazzo Biscari.
Very decorative and this contemporary style is almost only found in Sicily.
I have never seen so many beautiful historic residences.
All the churches in Catania have glittering, golden mosaics in the Byzantine style on the walls and ceilings.
The Arab-Norman design style of the Sicilian Middle Ages reigns here.
On we go.
A trip to nearby Taormina and a tour of Mount Etna should be on every tourist’s bucket list.
Now for the food, that’s what Catania is all about.
Countless pizzerias and restaurants with tradition can be found here.
I particularly like the pizzas with pistachios and frutti di mare, and the Sicilian “Spaghetti al Vongole” is also delicious, just perfect.
A fine stop for gourmets is the fish market in Catania, which you should visit early or mid-morning. It is wild around the historic vaulted corridors, you walk through fish water and feel like you are in the middle of the action.
Everything the sea has to offer is loudly offered for sale: mussels, octopuses, shrimps and fish of all sizes, from small sprats to meter-long swordfish, which are proudly displayed by the traders.
In the area between the market and the Piazza del Duomo there are numerous tempting restaurants.
Whether it is seafood, pasta with Sicilian ingredients, cotoletti, tartufo and tirami su.
The sweet finale was always right.
You can find many beautiful apartments with roof terraces and there is also a “Leading Hotel of the World” in Taormina.
The German star chef Heinz Beck cooks here when he is not in Rome.
Many elegant residences with a view of the sea, fine palaces surrounded by high walls.
You feel like you are in a museum, Catania is a pedestrian-friendly city, everything is quickly reached and manageable.
You should start with the Roman amphitheater, a round theater from Roman antiquity.
The “small” Colosseum of Catania is a cultural highlight.
The Bellini Art Museum is also exciting.
A walk at sunset is a social ritual in Catania.
A symphony of architectural styles. A stone, sun-drenched square is the Elephant Square.
Eating pistachio ice cream is a must.
Wow.
The mountains are in the background.
The mountains and Mount Etna never sleep, they lull Catania into a false sense of security.
And as if it were blowing its supposed harmlessness into the blue sky, circular clouds rise from the crater.
We are relaxed and eating calamari with lemons and Gamberi rossi di Mazara. There is a carafe of white wine on the table. Try Donnafugata wines.
It’s worth it!
Sicily makes you happy.
Ciao, we’ll be back very soon.