Catania and around
Aaaand we're back! With our newest post from the Sicilian adventure that took place in August/September. It's been some time but I can assure you I am full of memories and details ready to share them with you. There have been no bigger trips recently for the reasons well known to all of you. However, that does not mean we stopped travelling! We just stay closer to our home and choose more carefully.
Today you'll find out something about the fabulous Italian food, because who doesn't like Italian?! If you're expecting spaghetti and pizza, you will probably need to wait till our next trip but don't worry, Italians have lots of other must-eat stuff up their sleeves. I have already told you to visit the market in Catania in the last post. It's definitely worth it (doesn't have to be the one in Catania, obviously) because once there it becomes absolutely clear why the Italian food is so great - because of the Italian ingredients! So you definitely need to include a food market in your Sicilian food itinerary.
Now, you might be asking what we ate there if not the famous spaghetti and pizza. The answer is simple: arancini (or arancine, in Sicilian), cannoli and granita! We sourced (Telchac did, I cannot take credit for that) the best spots in 2-hour-drive radius from Catania, then we combined those with the must-see spots (which were found by me) and ta-daaa our itinerary was born.
*Disclaimer: the driving time is an estimate. If you enjoy driving the Italian way, you might get there faster...a lot faster :D. The Arancine / Cannoli / Granita part tells you what we went there for. It's not meant to say what the particular spot offers or does not offer (this goes for pasticcerias mainly, I suppose all of them have cannoli but we might not have tried cannoli there, so I crossed them out).*
Il Rosticcere, Acireale
30-minute drive from Catania
Arancine / Cannoli / Granita
This is one of my absolute favourites! They had about 10 - 15 different arancine and all looked delicious. It was almost impossible to choose only a couple of them. We went for three, not each, but all together and we had a slight problem finishing them. Anyway, they were fresh, delicious, crispy on the outside and risotto-like on the inside and that's what made them just perfect! Other than that, Acireale is a very you-really-want-to-come-back town and this makes it a lot easier if you do come back - you know where you're next dinner will be.
Our rating: Must-try!
La Grotta, Ragusa
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| Left: classic, Right: baked, Both: delicious! |
90-minute drive from Catania
Arancine / Cannoli / Granita
Underground, not at all flashy, not at all in the main square. But so so good! And if you arrive right after they open everything is as fresh as it gets. They make baked arancine here, which is a twist, but a very good twist. It's a less greasy alternative to the classic deep-fried arancine. And if you've already eaten too many arancine, go for a sandwich, it'll be just amazing, I promise.
Our rating: Must-try!
Antica Dolceria Bonajuto, Modica
90-minute drive from Catania
The basic rule that applies everywhere in Sicily is: the best cannoli are the ones you do not see. That means they will fill them when you ask for them and dip the ends in whatever they offer / whatever you ask.
The basic rule absolutely applies here. You can choose the flavour and then just add some local chocolate bars for those at home. I swear you won't regret it. Btw, one cannolo per person would definitely be a huge mistake. You'll end up wanting more :).
Useful tip: if you want some cute IG shots, ask them for a take-away but to eat now, and they will give them to you in cute little open-top boxes that will basically just photograph themselves.
Our rating: Must-try! A touristy and well-known place for superb cannoli.
Pasticceria Basile, Scicli
100-minute drive from Catania
Again, no cannoli to be seen means fresh cannoli to be eaten. This little corner pasticceria in a small "ordinary" town gave us the best cannoli we had eaten during our trip. Their secret? A piece of candied orange does the trick! Also, they have the special iced almond coffee with a house-made almond syrup which definitely deserves your attention. If you're looking to buy some marzipan fruit to take back home, this is a great place to do that!
Our rating: Must-try! A smaller and more homely place for superb cannoli.
Caffe Sicilia, Noto
1-hour drive from Catania
First of all, this one is still closed. They plan to reopen in spring 2021. Second of all, you can still order online and pick it up at the Caffe. And thirdly, this was the biggest disappointment (the fact that they were closed). We were so looking forward to this one, seeing the Chef's Table episode and all that...Well, maybe next time. Anyway, we thought we saw the owner just casually sitting at a different cafe when we were there, so that's something ;).
Our rating: TBD (but our guess is: incredibly good!)
Pasticceria Savia, Catania
We came here on Sunday afternoon which means it was totally full and crowded and for a moment we thought we can just give up and leave. But that would not be Telchac if we did. While I queued for a table (which we did not really want because of the COVID19), he talked our way into two standing-spots right at the bar. Fabulous!
Our plan was to try the granita but after seeing everything they had here, we questioned it for a bit. But you can't just ignore famous Sicilian granita, especially on a hot day like that. With granita, there was less of a problem to choose (compared to arancini) because we knew exactly what we wanted: the classic almond one. But why not stray away from the classics and try the chocolate one?! Well, because it's simply not that good! We know that now, but we needed to find out ourselves.
Our rating: Definitely a must. If they're full, you can go for a take-away, or just order a coffee at the bar (when in Italy, do as the Italians do) and do some people-watching - the busier, the more fun it is.
Bam Bar, Taormina
50-minute drive from Catania
Granita is a breakfast thing in Sicily. You eat it with brioche and maybe some whipped cream on top. Weird, right? But Bam Bar changed my mind. Their granita was the best, maybe it was because I had it with some whipped cream on top or maybe they're just that good. Or maybe it's thanks to their beautifully colourful tables. Either way, it was amazing!
Useful tip: sit at one of the two tables that are in the smaller street not directly in front of the bar. It's much cosier.
Our rating: YOU MUST COME HERE!
Borderi, Syracuse
50-minute drive from Catania
The story of this fantastic dairy shop and how we got there is kind of funny. Before leaving for Sicily, we watched some videos on Youtube to help us decide what's worth trying. We came across this extraordinary shop that was packed with people who were being entertained (while waiting for their sandwich) by the sandwich-maker himself. This by itself is a perfect way to wait for food and when you realise the level of greatness of this sandwich you have to have it. There are probably 10 different fillings, from various meats, cheeses, spreads, oil, spices, veggies, you get the picture, right? The thing is almost 10 cm / 4 inch thick - barely edible. So we came to Ortigia, wandered around, seen all the sights, had some prosecco and went to check out the fish market (I am really not obsessed with fish markets, I swear :D). The fish market was closed but we saw a crowd of people, waiting, leaving with plastic bags full of food, laughing and talking. We looked up and there it was - The Caseificio Borderi. We immediately went there, asking for a sandwich. However, it was 4:30pm and the shop closes at 4pm. We got lucky though because out of nowhere (they probably took pity on us :D) they offered last two sandwiches. No-brainer, right?
Our rating: There is no way, you're leaving there without this sandwich!
Street54, Catania
I don't suppose, this restaurant offers any of the famous Sicilian trio of must-eats. However, we had dinner here and left completely full and completely happy, that's why I've included it here. The tables in the smaller side street are really charming, the menu is just perfect (incredible pasta!) and the wine was to-die-for.
Useful tip: We booked our table on tripadvisor.com and got a 30% discount.
Vino Gambino, Linguaglossa
50-minute drive from Catania
If Rihanna came here to try their wines, who are you not to? :D This was probably the best-organised wine tasting we have ever been to. They spoke good English, they welcomed us with a glass of their wine, they told us about the Gambino brand and their history and then they started pouring the wines. Of course, we left with a bottle (couldn't do more, we had already bought some before that) and of course we enjoyed it all greatly. Highly recommended if you are into these kinds of things!
Have you ever thought about coming to Italy just for food? With your suitcase empty, ready to take all the cheeses, wines and sweets and everything else they make so perfectly. With you belly ready to just be stuffed all day long with the tastiest things possible. Wouldn't it be just a dream come true? Let me tell you, it'd be the best! Our Sicilian adventure was a bit like that but besides food, we also checked out their beaches - it does make it even better, doesn't it?! But the thing is, you'll need to digest a bit and come back for some vitamin sea in two weeks. C U then!
P.S.: there's always our IG to get your much-needed dose of travelling!