“Sicilia antica dellu mi cori, quanti ricchezzi ch 'a'tteni tu!” - "Ancient Sicily, of my heart, how many riches you possess."
Day 4 – February 24, Saturday
As the last time we gave up going to Palermo and decided to go around Catania. There was a lot to see. A beautiful and colorful city. And very dirty. In Syracuse it was clean, but here the streets were just very dirty. The day before, we passed through the open air market, which is only open until noon. Fish, meat, sausages, cheeses, fruits and vegetables - there was everything. I treated myself to an oyster. We decided to catch a bus, ride around and explore. Danny had thought that we had passed through some nice neighborhoods on the evening of our arrival and wanted us to explore them in the daylight as well. Said, done. Yes, but instead of getting on the 524, again from "Piazza Borsellino", we took the 523. At some point we decided that we were in some kind of ghetto, with blocks smelling of soca. We got off and two guys reassured us that the buses run every 15 minutes. We went across and waited. We returned to "Borsellino" and went for a walk to the already familiar center. We took one street - shops, restaurants, cathedrals and old buildings - beauty. Until the bag in which I was carrying money, passport, etc. broke. We peeked into a few shops - the prices are steaming, literally burning. But luck was apparently on our side and we found discounts. Now I have a new, gray bag in nice leather for 15 euros.
We sat down to eat. I ordered pasta with clams and pizza. The pasta was gorgeous. The pizza was disgusting though. It was the worst €9 spent in my life. Huge, salty and tasteless. We chose an establishment that was both on a main street and somehow separated from the flow of people with small, neat pots. Then we noticed a tourist train in the distance. We ran and after the bend came to some tour buses. Walk along the coast with a talk for 15 euros. We got on. The conversation was recorded in Italian, but for foreigners they gave out headphones and from a device next to your seat you can choose your language: Russian, French, Chinese or English. We passed the station, we were shown several monuments, the remains of a fortress on the shore of the sea, covered with black volcanic stone. Beauty. The walk lasted about an hour. We returned to the center and continued our walk.
Catania was founded in the 8th century BC. The sea city was destroyed as many as seven times by volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. On the territory where the city is located today, people lived as early as the 13th century BC. The local Siculi tribe gave the name of the settlement - Catania. The city is home to the first university in Sicily, founded in 1434 by Alfonso V of Aragon. In 1669, after another eruption of the Etna volcano, Catania was destroyed. The city began to be rebuilt, but in 1693 an earthquake destroyed everything that the townspeople managed to rebuild. In 1736, a fountain with a sculpture of an elephant was erected, which became the symbol and guardian of the city.
Catania owes its entire appearance to Batisto Vaccarini. It is also his work "Fontana del' Elephante", created in 1735. The elephant was carved from volcanic stone brought from Etna, placed on a Byzantine column. The elephant carries on its back an Egyptian obelisk inscribed with hieroglyphs related to the cult of the goddess Isis.
Piazza Duomo is one of the main squares. At its southern end is "Fontana dell'Amenano" – an extremely beautiful facility. It is also very close the fish market, which I mentioned. There were all kinds of fish, vendors on site prepared delicious food and tempting visitors. The market is open until noon every day except Sunday. Catania Cathedral Another must-see landmark is Badia di Sant'Agata. This cathedral is one of the seven in Catania, dedicated to the patron saint of the city, also a work, again by Vaccarini, combining different architectural trends. The castle Castello Ursino – this is the only medieval building that survived the earthquake in 1693. Unfortunately we could not visit it, we only saw it from the outside.
Benedictine Monastery "St. Nicholas" – the third largest in Europe. It is currently an active Faculty of Humanities at the University of Catania. Danny came home after our walk and I walked towards the monastery. I found it easily, but there was about an hour until the last lap. It lasted for an hour and a half. For 10 euros with a tour guide. I sat down on a bench in the yard to rest. I realized I wouldn't be able to visit Castello Ursino, but they said it was open on Sundays too, and I figured we'd have plenty of time before the flight.
A young girl led us, she told interesting and fascinating stories. The group was small, a French family, a couple of Germans, three Asians (I never learned to recognize them: Chinese, Japanese, Koreans - they are the same to me). The monastery inside was imposing, huge and full of history. The combination of age-old stone, books and computers was astonishing. The girl would take us up, then we would go down somewhere underground.
The first nunnery of the Benedictine order under the name «San Benedetto» is documented outside the walls. The founders Ruggieri la Mattina and Alemanna Lumello sponsored its construction in 1334, an institution augmented by the income of Bishop Simone del Pozzo before 1394. In the 15th century the nuns moved to the present site, built where the temple of Aesculapius.
After the Val di Noto earthquake of 1693, the complex was rebuilt between 1704 and 1713. To date, after the bombardment of 1943, which severely damaged the building, the magnificent frescoes have been restored by Armando Dillon. Since April 2013, the monumental complex can be visited as part of a guided tour, which also includes the remains of a Roman domus discovered during recent restoration works, the eighteenth-century salon of the cloister and the Staircase of the Angels. The place has a special spirit. We saw the kitchen where the servants of the monks prepared food with modern equipment for the time. An underground hearth like a huge barbecue, openings like wells through which they moved the food and unique dungeons with niches combined of white stone and volcanic rocks where they stored the food. Behind the monastery was a huge several meter wall of volcanic stones. I went out in the dark and wearily dragged my swollen legs to the lodgings.
During this time, Dani got some sleep and was ready for a walk. We changed. I stretched my body and plugged the phone into the charger and she came out. At some point we heard each other and decided to meet in the square. I was very tired, but sitting in the lodgings on my last night in this fine weather was a sin. The square was full – Saturday night after all. A musician was playing beautifully in front of the baby elephant statue. We listened a bit and went up. On the sidewalk, an artist was painting portraits with graphite for 15 minutes for 5 euros, he was just finishing a woman, and there was another before me. I decided I wouldn't miss it. Danny went upstairs to find a place to sit and I waited my turn. To be honest, I don't look much like myself. He stretched my lips into some semblance of a smile, and if I had a sister I still wouldn't look like the portrait. But it remained a memory. Now I'm looking for a frame for it. We went back to the elephant and sat on the steps in front of the cathedral. We chatted, the weather was wonderful. We started to go home very late.
Day 5 – February 25, Sunday
It's time to go home. Our flight was at 16:15 and this time we got a good night's sleep instead of getting up at 7. We were pleasantly surprised by the fact that it was raining. Danny went out to buy food for the trip and I started packing. A couple of lost hours where we had planned to see Ursino Castle but it wasn't written. At some point we got bored and decided to leave. However, there was no telling when we would catch a bus, the timetables on Google were very confusing. The rain stopped just as we reached Borsellino square and then it started pouring. A man offered to take us by taxi for 5 euros per person, instead of 4 - the price of the ticket. We got on. And we arrived at the airport in just 10 minutes - too early. We landed at terminal C and took off from A. But the two terminals are next to each other, unlike in Sofia. We drank coffee, smoked, hung out, looked for a toilet... finally out of boredom we passed the inspection. They undressed me again and groped me. The airport was full, but we found a place to sit. I bought some sweets for homework and took out my paper book as a substitute for Storytel. Then they opened the counter for passport control, we passed and hop - a meeting with our acquaintances from the first night of arrival. Boom... and I hear the announcement of Weezer's flight to Venice. I shout at Danny "Come on we are" lol. But the vacation was coming to an end. The flight went smoothly, this time my ear almost didn't hurt. We landed at 18:30 our time. The bus took us to Terminal 2 and we walked to the subway. In the underpass we met two other ladies from the same flight, we talked. An old woman caught up with us and asked to walk with us so she wouldn't be alone. She was returning from Germany and traveling to Burgas. From landing the plane, through passport control, moving between terminals, traveling by metro, we reached the bus station in about an hour and a half, to say the least. The flight was so…
We were hungry and everything was closed. Our bus was for 10:30 p.m. There were others hungry like us. Between the train station and the bus station there is a small shop that works until late - it has sandwiches, etc. But Bila's was still open so we opted for 'fresh food from the warm display case'. We ate quickly and it was time to board. From so many checks, I got confused where to show my passport, where to show my boarding pass, and instead of the bus ticket, I went to get my passport. It was time for me to sleep. The trip was a nightmare. Probably because my body was overworked. Over 40 with a back injury… I got more. At 5 a.m. on February 26, I safely returned home. A quick shower and into bed. I slept for a few hours. The alarm went off at 11 a.m. I got up… I was on the second shift at school, and although the students would be glad of my absence, I walked briskly into everyday life. Until the next trip.
© 2024 Iliana Dechkova