Catania and around
Benvenuti to our newest post! This post is as fresh as it can be because we returned from Sicily merely one week ago. Which also means that we travelled (again) during the pandemic. Compared to July, everything was more or less the same, we had to wear face masks all the time (no biggie), we tried to socially distance ourselves at the airport and we were asked to get off the plane based on the row numbers (they should keep this one! Nobody was angry and pushing other people. And surprisingly everybody respected the row rule). And compared to July, there also was that one person who did not wear the face mask (and I still cannot understand this - as you could guess I am very pro-face-mask :D).
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| Fountain of Diana - Island of Ortigia |
So when it comes to flight, it was pretty much the ordinary flight, the only thing that was not ordinary were the views. Arriving to/departing Sicily, you get to experience some amazing views - national parks, Croatian islands and, best of all, Stromboli and Etna. When it comes to the best seats for the best views, I am no seat guru, so I cannot vouch for those but I could show you the view we had. I have to admit that we did not get to see Etna directly from our seats, however, we could get a glimpse of Stromboli. The views vary depending on your inbound/outbound route, of course. So explore your flight routes before take-off and select the seats accordingly, it's worth it.
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| Stromboli |
After arriving, all standard procedures, million people in car rental, a hundred thousand people arguing because they had been standing there for more than an hour. And here comes Telchac, with his Preferred account, the only Preferred customer in sight. He came in and came back within five minutes with a car waiting for us. And what a car that was, the car rental company had been kind enough to hook us up with a sleek MB Cabrio which, on one hand, comes handy in a sunny Sicily, but on the other, attracts maybe too much attention everywhere. Well, it was what it was and with a suitcase in the back seat (it did not fit into the trunk), we left.
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| Cathedral of St. Agatha - Catania |
Our destination and home for the next few days was Catania. Our hotel was not in the city centre but we did not mind because we wanted to make little trips every day, so it was not a disadvantage at all. The hotel was fine, nothing special, nothing new and luxurious but that was not the point of this - again, we basically only slept there, we were either at the beach or exploring nearby towns.
I think that, for travellers, there are three main topics when talking about Sicily - driving, food and beaches. We will be talking about food and beaches in separate posts but I will tell you about driving and parking right now! (Happy, aren't you?!) Well, it's bad, but not as bad as you expect if you expect it to be bad. The number of lanes that are painted on the road, seems to be only a suggestion and not a very convincing one. It does not matter that there is a stop sign, nobody stops. It does not matter that there is a give-way sign, they are surprised when you let them go first. If there is a no-overtaking sign, you see them doing exactly that. When I read about this before coming to Sicily, I read somewhere that road signs there are merely used as decorations - and that is exactly right! However, we saw some cops too, so I wouldn't really try my luck when it comes to speed. So the best advice I can give you is to get in their mindset. I am not saying do as Romans - in this case, Sicilians - do but at least try to think like they do.
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| Villa Bellini - Catania |
Anyway, let me tell you (more) about the cops - when we were leaving the airport, barely outside the airport "gates", the cops stopped us. We thought they would ask for the COVID 19 documents that you are supposed to have with you during your stay in Italy (and which we had filled in, signed and ready to show them) but they obviously did not expect they stopped some tourists. I believe they thought they stopped some Italian couple because the discussion went something like this:
Police officer: stopped the car, probably realised we were not Italian, said nothing
Telchac: How can I help you?
Police officer: iPhone?
Telchac: iPhone!
Police office: (stressing every syllable) u from?
Telchac: Slovakia
Police officer: Ok, go.
So far, so good, we thought. :) Why we thought he was asking about the phone, I have no idea. But seeing Telchac reply that to him in total seriousness is a treat one might not get often. :D
Now, let's say you successfully arrived where you were supposed to - without police or other delays - it does not end there! You need to park somewhere. And that's a challenge itself. There are spaces for residents only or spaces for disabled or spaces that you need to pay a parking fee for. But it's not that bad - the main rule is: just stick to the blue lines. That means that:
a) you are parked where it's allowed (inside the blue-lined space)
b) you need to have a ticket proving you paid the fee (and you need to leave it in the car, obviously)
That's all there is. Usually, you do not need to pay on Sundays and in the evenings and maybe around noon but this does not apply generally. So after getting out of the car, find a parking sign explaining the situation (if it says 8 - 13, 16 - 20; it means you do not have to pay between 1pm - 4pm and after 8pm). You can save some money if you go to the city centre on Sunday or if you make your dinner reservations after 8pm. If you, however, need the ticket, you need to find the parking meter or Tabaccheria. Btw the parking is pretty cheap, on average it was about 1 EUR/hour.
Useful tip: use a translator to show them what you want if they do not speak English.
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| Acireale at night and after eating one of the best arancini |
We always chose covered parking if we managed to find one. First of all, it had more shade and secondly, it felt less shady :). And with the number of reviews you read about stolen cars, you really take every precaution possible (especially when you were given MB Cabrio). We did not leave anything in the car and we really chose the parking spots well. It's true we had full coverage but you do not want to be stranded in some city, without a car, when your hotel is somewhere else.
We both made it fine and definitely more fine than expected. Our car can say the same. When we were returning it, I think that even the guy from the car rental did not believe his eyes when he saw that there were no dents or scratches. :D It seemed like that does not happen often in Catania.
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| A postbox in Modica - drop us a comment or a suggestion ;) |
Now, if you're scared - don't be. That was not my point and I promise you, it'll get much much better with the food and beaches (and the driving also gets better after the first few days). Overall, Sicily is an amazing destination with lots to see and try and some seriously amazing beaches. We did not expect it at all to be that good. And considering I am about to tell you about all our favourite spots, you should at least have the decency to come back and read about them. ;) And not overcrowd them! So, keep safe, check our IG and come back in two weeks to read about Sicilian beaches...or food...or trips...or beaches, we'll see. C U then!