The Grand Tour - Day 19 & 20

Yesterday (17 June) we were pretty tired from two days of driving in high heat so stayed in Stazzo and read our books.  In the afternoon an impressive thunderstorm rolled in from Etna and there was torrential rain so we were glad not to have been caught out in that.

Today I was keen to get to Catania while the fish market was still trading.  This was quite a short drive and took us along the coast past the volcanic rocks sticking out of the sea which the Cyclops was supposed to have thrown at Odysseus to stop him escaping. Sadly, my car received its first scrape today: I blame Polythemus. That is my story and I am sticking to it.

Everything I had read warned not to park or drive in Catania, so we chose to park outside the centre and walk a bit further in.  This did mean we saw a lot more of the city than we otherwise would have done and there were convenient benches all over the place so I could rest as it was too far for my back to hold out otherwise.  

We went past some quite grand architecture on our way in, but also saw evidence of people sleeping rough or in abandoned buildings. 

Fountain of Persephone & Hades, Catania

Beautiful building in Catania

Homeless shelter in Catania

Catania was once a very grand city and still has many beautiful baroque buildings.  Many of these are in a bad state of repair now, and there are an obvious number of homeless people, presumably refugees.

Fish market, Catania

Apparently Rick Stein said that Catania's fish market is the best in the world.  It is stuffed into a small square and surrounding alleys and then merges into a more general sort of market with meat, vegetables, fruit, etc.

There were tiny fish-fry, enormous sword fish and tuna and everything in between: all freshly caught and at very reasonable prices.  While it was busy, it was not claustrophobically so and it was obviously local people and not tourists who made up the crowd.

Drinks stall, Catania market

We stopped for a seltz at a little store right in the middle of the market - the chap gave me permission to take this photo but then hid to the side so you cannot see him.

A selz is a mixture of fruit syrup (we had mandarin), sparkling water and fresh lemon juice squeezed in front of you.  This was ace and also gave us a chance to sit and people watch for a little while.

Prices for all the meat and veg etc seemed really cheap compared to either home or France but we weren't planning on cooking today so did not buy anything.

Cathedral, Catania (to right)

Now, where is that blasted duomo?

Inside the cathedral, Catania

After only a couple of wrong turns, we found the main square and the magnificent cathedral. This is dedicated to Saint Agata who turned down a man and had horrible things done to her as a consequence.  

On the right-hand aisle there was the wonderful smell of frankincense coming from a private side-room and the whole building felt very tranquil and holy.

Fontana dell'Elefante, Catania

In the square outside the duomo, there is a Roman statue of an elephant made from black volcanic rock.  The obelisk on its back is ancient Egyptian and is supposed to have special powers to keep Mount Etna calm.

An accordion player came and played fairly persistently at us as we sat on the steps by the elephant.  In the end I told him his music was annoying and I really didn't like it.  He went away.

Via Crociferi, Catania

We next walked up the lovely Via Crociferi which is rammed full of baroque buildings, mostly crumbling into senility.

At this point my mission was to find lunch - I had spent time checking out restaurants on Trip Advisor and knew where I wanted to eat.

Mussels & clams

We got a table outside at Paranza which is renowned for its fresh seafood.  I started with mussels and clams cooked in garlic, olive oil and black pepper with a little parsley. The dish was easily enough for mains or for a starter for two, but I did my best to do it justice.  If I had mopped up all the juices with the bread provided, I would have been completely stuffed so regrettably left some in the dish.  

Mount Carbonara

Frogge started with parmegiana (baked aubergine and tomato with cheese sauce) then moved onto spaghetti carbonara.  It was a bit scrambled-eggish, but he said it was good and managed to eat a goodly amount.

We had a carafe of the local white wine to wash the meal down and this was very tasty and refreshing.

Partway through eating, the heavens opened but fortunately the owner saved us from being dripped on by placing Jack Daniels tins in strategic places under the awning.

Catch of the day (piranha?)

For my main course I meant to choose swordfish but actually got catch of the day.  My own fault for having poor Italian.  I am not sure what fish this was - it was very fresh and had teeth but Frogge tells me it was neither proto-shark nor piranha.  For pudding I had sweet, ripe strawberries topped with a lemon sorbet and Frogge had a tiny, evil coffee which seemed to do him the power of good.