Catania Capers

 

We had a few nights in Catania, as we awaited our flight to Spain. Located on the Eastern coast, Catania is the second largest city in Sicily, after Palermo. It is an ancient port city and sits in the shadow of Mt. Etna. While portions of its ancient past can be observed, because of earthquakes and lava eruptions and subsequent rebuilding, there is an abundance of Baroque architecture. Catania is part of the Late Baroque Towns of the Val di Noto (South-Eastern Sicily) UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Since our travel by train to Augusta had been challenging for my shoulder, we decided to hire a transfer to go to Catania. Our driver from the Augusta train station was available. Salvo was super sweet, with a fun adventurous spirit. He gave us lots of good tips throughout our time in Augusta, as well as some tips for Catania. Based on our discussion of family surnames, I feel like Salvo is probably somehow related to John. Another of the many nice people we have met on our Sicilian adventure!

Salvo, and Etna in the distance approaching Catania

Originally we had reserved a B&B for our stay, but there was an overbooking, so the B&B put us up in an apartment in the same building. This apartment is about to go up for rental listing, so everything was new, and it had a nice rooftop balcony (and slippers!). It also came with another tiny Italian elevator. The owner and his family were very nice, and I had a nice long chat with the wife and 12-year-old son, who was learning some English. 

At least we both fit in this elevator!

Sunset on the balcony

Our location was great, just across the street from Piazza Vincenzo Bellini. It was very near most of the sights of the historical city center. We were also near some delicious restaurants and had some great meals. 

Teatro Massimo Bellini detail 

On this piazza we found the best granita of our time in Sicily - the pistacchio!

There was a nice cafe on this square, recommended by our host. I tried the Pasta Alla Norma, which was delicious. I specifically reserved this dish to try in Catania, because it is a specialty here.

Cousins Nelly and Carmelo had to visit Catania during our stay, so we had a bonus of getting to hang out with them! Carmelo works with stone, and he was very knowledgeable of all the types we looked at in the mother church, as well as the various types of architecture as we walked around. It really enhanced our exploration of Catania's sights with his explanations.

The mother church, Cattedrale di Sant'Agata (the patron saint of Catania), has gone through many phases of construction. The original Norman church dates back to about 1100, and parts of it can be seen in the perimeter walls. However, this church was built over Roman thermal baths dating back to the 4th and 5th centuries. Inside the church, one can see evidence of orignal ancient columns and stonework that have been uncovered. Later developments added extensive Baroque features.

Beautiful marble from Taormina

Uncovered original structure

Organ

This was especially interesting. Here at the Altar of Our Lady were the remains of Cardinal Giuseppe Benedetto Dusmet. If you look closely, you can see his mummified hand with ring. His nickname was the 'angel of charity.'

Cattedrale di Sant'Agata faces a large piazza which also contains the good luck and city symbol for Catania, Fontana dell'Elefante. The elephant is constructed from basalt (rock formed from lava). 

We enjoyed hearing the bells!

The elephant had some good sitting spots. I learned from Nelly that he is called Liotru.

Fontane dell'Amenano is found at one of the corners of Piazza Duomo. It has a flowing sheet of water that feeds back into the river, which runs under the city and can be partially viewed at the fountain.

Behind this fountain is Pescheria, an ancient fish market.

What looks like mesh in the first photo is a bunch of very tiny fish!

Also here is the colorful 'umbrella street.'

I love this photo of cousin Nelly!

One of the famous sons of Catania is Vincenzo Bellini. The opera house is named after him, and his tomb is inside Cattedrale di Sant'Agata. 

Teatro Massimo Bellini

Bellini's tomb

There is also a significant monument to the composer in one of the city piazzas.

The monument has 7 steps, representing the musical notes, as well as statues representing Bellini's most famous works. The surrounding gate has lovely detail. It was built in the late 1800s.

A pizza place near our house had its own fun tributes to Bellini! (The pizza was also delicious.)

I had the vegetariano with fresh grilled veggies, while John chose the margarita with polpette di cavallo added on.

Some of the other interesting places we visited in the historical center were:

A portion of the Amphitheatre of Catania, one of the largest of the Roman Empire, which could accommodate 15,000 spectators. Attributed to the second century, the majority remains preserved underneath the historical city center.

Reading ahead, I learned that Catania has several concave fronted churches. We took some time to explore one of these, Basillica Della Collegiata. Built in the mid 1700s, it was bombed in 1943. The reconstruction followed its original design.

Interior elements of Collegiata

We stopped at Piazza dell'Università for a rest on a bench and some people watching. Eavesdropping on a tour guide, we learned that University of Catania, founded in 1434, is the oldest university in Sicily. With the other universities found in the city, 1 in 7 residents is a student. This contributes to the youthful vibe of Catania for certain.

Arco di San Benedetto, circa 1700

San Francesco d'Assisi all'Immacolata was nearby (and downhill), so I popped in for a quick peek. This was the first Franciscan church of Catania, c. 1329, but it was destroyed by an earthquake and rebuilt in the 17th century.

While in Catania, we took the opportunity to take the Il Padrino day tour, which visited two cities that were the location for many scenes from The Godfather trilogy. This allowed us, without a car, to go visit some of the beautiful mountain towns. We visited Savoca and Forza d'Agrò. We also had a brief ride through Taormina, in order to pick up other guests for the tour.

The ever present Etna from Taormina

For those who have seen The Godfather, you know that Vito was from Corleone, Sicily. However, this was not the location that was used in the filming. The cities we visited stood in for Corleone. After a long drive up, up and up the curvy mountain roads, we arrived at our first stop, Savoca. 

The curvy roads

Note that sea views are present in Savoca. Corleone does not have sea views, so Coppola had to be careful with his shooting. 

This is where the famous Bar Vitelli is located. There is a great deal of memorabilia inside, including the chair and table where Michael sat and met Apollonia's father. We had a fun event happen at Bar Vitelli ... a couple on our tour got engaged!

Across the small street we found the town piazza, from which there are panoramic views. This is also a film location, but more on that later.

After enjoying a snack at Bar Vitelli, we began the long walk up to Chiesa di San Nicolò, another important fiming location. Throughout our various walks, our guide Alessio had great stories and bits of trivia about the films. 

Some pretty details and views along the way

Chiesa di San Nicolò

Next we drove up, up, up more curvy roads to Forza d'Agrò. Our first stop was Bar Eden, where many of the cast and crew took breaks during filming. There is memorabilia inside showing various filming locations in the town. 

Drive view

This was an interesting trivia we didn't know: Coppola made a cameo appearance in Godfather 3 as a band member playing at this wedding.

Sicilian kitty

Next we walked to Chiesa Santissima Trinita, passing through the Arco Durazzesco. This was a very long walk and then some steep steps. A nice young man on our tour helped me. I won't lie, this was a tough tour! 

Onward to another church, the mother church of this town, Chiesa della Santissima Annunziata. This spot is especially notable because it was used in all three films.

After, we headed over to an important house in the film. The owner happened to be there, and she told us the story of how she was given the opportunity to purchase the house over Francis Ford Coppola! She had completely gutted and renovated it, and I noticed there was a for sale sign now.

We then walked to a piazza with gorgeous views and returned to Bar Eden for an arancino snack.

Here are six photos from significant filming locations. Can any of you Godfather fans guess what was filmed there?

Savoca main piazza

Chiesa di San Nicolò, Savoca. This is the recently engaged couple, and we asked them to stand there for a specific reason related to the film.

Chiesa della Santissima Annunziata, Forza d'Agrò. This is the hardest to guess. Even John with all his Godfather knowledge didn't completely get it. The exterior of this church was used in all three films of the trilogy.

Chiesa Santissima Trinita. Hint: We are acting out Michael and Kaye in this and the next photo.

Whose house was this?

In Savoca: What is it and why is it important?

How did you do? I'll wait a bit of time, then post the answers in the comments section.