I’ve visited 26 places over the past 12 months. A number I’d argue is a few more than ideal, at least if you want to avoid the sensation of constantly rushing around, and being stuck in a loop of packing and unpacking a toiletries bag.
On that list are some destinations that I can’t quite believe I was able to visit. Antarctica, and the alien landscape of whale graveyard Deception Island, is the clear stand-out on that front. Similarly, watching condors circle overhead while trotting up an Andes mountain in the path of a gaucho will not be quickly forgotten.
Much closer to home, this was the year I finally made it to Lindisfarne in Northumberland, to check out the tidal island that recently provided a key location in Danny Boyle’s zombie flick, 28 Years Later. It is an enchanting place to visit, particularly last midsummer, when the sun was out, the grass teeming with beetles and a choir of seals singing across the bay.
But it’s not any of these places that I’ll be whizzing back to next year, all being well. That destination is Catania.
I made a whirlwind, 12-hour visit to the Sicilian city in August and am now determined to return.
If you’ve been to the Italian island, then there’s a good chance you flew into the significantly bigger and better-known Palermo. The city is, undeniably, an enchanting and charming one, filled with attractions such as a vast botanical garden, the magnificently restored Palazzo Butera and an excellent puppet museum.
Yet, oozing out between those points of intrigue is the feeling that Palermo has catered a little too much to the tourist. Its famous Capo Market has forsaken selling fresh produce in favour of street food, while the daily queue for a baked treat at the former monastery, Santa Caterina, is regularly 100 people deep.
Whereas Catania, situated approximately 200 km from Palermo on the east coast of Sicily, possesses an authenticity and calmness that contrasts with its older sibling city.
While Palermo is big, bold and gritty, Catania is cleaner, more chic and more elegant. The city of 300,000 was founded by the Greeks in the 8th century BC, and has been battered into its current form by centuries of conquest and natural disasters, most notably after the devastating earthquake of 1693.
The city’s reconstruction gave rise to its striking Baroque architecture, now recognised as part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Walking through the historic centre takes you to the Piazza del Duomo, home to the grand Catania Cathedral and the famous Fontana dell’Elefante, a lava-stone elephant statue that has become the city’s symbol. The Via dei Crociferi, lined with ornate churches and monasteries, is often touted as one of the most beautiful streets in Sicily.
One of the most compelling reasons to visit Catania, and why I’m so keen to return, is its incredible setting. The city lies between the Ionian Sea and Mount Etna, Europe’s most active volcano. After returning from an evening slurping spritz and carafes of watery table wine our group clambered onto the apartment block’s roof and looked north. Enblazened on the black sky above us was a blast of orange. Lava was spewing out of the top of Etna.
Colourful buses destined for the volcano regularly depart from Catania, ferrying brave tourists up the volcano and through lava fields, craters, and even vineyards that thrive in the fertile volcanic soil.
For those unmoved by volcanoes and stunning architecture, a week just eating and drinking is arguably just as good. Street food is a major part of daily life there and one with a long history. If arancini balls, cannoli, and granita (a refreshing Sicilian sorbet sometimes served in a warm brioche) don’t originate here, then they certainly have been perfected.
The fun continues over in the La Pescheria market, located near Piazza del Duomo, where Sicilian-speaking stallholders will sell you a cone of deep-fried seafood.
The good news for those, such as myself, planning a trip to Catania is that there are direct flights from London Gatwick, Stansted, Luton, and Manchester airports, with airlines such as British Airways, easyJet, Jet2, and Ryanair offering services. One-way tickets this month cost from just £19.
Possibly too good a deal to miss…