“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 a last resort, we gave up on going to Palermo and decided to tour Catania. There was so much to see. A beautiful and colorful city. And very dirty. It was clean in Syracuse, but the streets here were just really dirty. The day before, we passed through the open-air market, which is only open until lunchtime. 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 the city. Dani had made up her mind that the evening we arrived we had passed through nice neighborhoods and wanted us to explore them in daylight. No problem. Yes, but instead of getting on 524, again from Piazza Borsellino, we jumped on 523. At some point we realized that we were lost, as if we were in some kind of ghetto, with blocks reeking of soca. We got off and two guys reassured us that the buses would leave in 15 minutes. We walked across and waited. We returned to Borsellino and went for a walk to the center we already knew. We took a street – shops, restaurants, cathedrals and old buildings – beauty. A young boy was singing and playing the guitar, a little further on a girl – playing the violin. We enjoyed the atmosphere… until my bag, in which I was carrying money, passport, etc., broke. We peeked into a few stores – the prices were sky-high, literally burning. But luck was clearly on our side and we found discounts. Now I have a new, gray bag made of 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 Battisto Vaccarini. His work is also "Fontana del' Elephante", created in 1735. The elephant is 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, the vendors on site prepared delicious food and temptingly lured visitors. The market is open until noon every day except Sunday. Another attraction that you must see is Badia di Sant'Agata. This cathedral is one of seven in Catania, dedicated to the city's patron saint - also the work of Vaccarini, combining different architectural movements. 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. Dani went home after our walk, and I walked to the monastery. I found it easily, but there was about an hour until the last tour. It lasted an hour and a half. For 10 euros with a guide. I sat on a bench in the courtyard to rest. I realized that I would not be able to visit Castello Ursino, but they said that it was open on Sundays and I thought that we would have enough time before the flight.
A young girl led us, she told us interesting and fascinating stories. The group was small, a French family, a German couple, three Asians (I never learned to recognize them: Chinese, Japanese, Koreans – they all look the same to me). The monastery inside was impressive, huge and full of history. The combination of centuries-old stone, books and computers was amazing. The girl took us up, then we went down somewhere underground.
The first nunnery of the Benedictine order, called "San Benedetto", is documented outside the walls. The founders Ruggieri la Mattina and Alemanna Lumello sponsored its construction in 1334. The institution was expanded with the revenues of Bishop Simone del Pozzo before 1394. In the 15th century, the nuns moved to the current site, built on the site of the temple of Aesculapius.
After the Val di Noto earthquake of 1693, the complex was rebuilt between 1704 and 1713. Today, after the bombings of 1943, which caused severe damage to 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 the latest restoration works, the eighteenth-century hall of the monastery with the cloister and the Staircase of the Angels. The place has a special spirit. We saw the kitchen, where the monks' servants prepared food with modern equipment for their time. An underground hearth like a huge barbecue, openings like wells through which they moved food and unique dungeons with niches combined of white stone and volcanic rocks where they stored food. Behind the monastery there was a huge wall of volcanic stones several meters high. I went out in the dark and tiredly walked my swollen feet back to the apartment.
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 was time to go home. Our flight was at 4:15 PM and this time we slept well instead of getting up at 7 AM. We were unpleasantly surprised by the fact that it was raining. Danny went out to buy food for the trip, and I started packing. A few wasted hours in which we had planned to see the Ursino Castle, but it wasn't meant to be. At some point we got bored and decided to leave. After all, we didn't know when we would catch a bus, the schedules on Google were very confusing. The rain stopped just long enough for us to get to Borsellino Square and it started raining again. A man offered to take us in a taxi for 5 euros per person, instead of 4 – the price of the ticket. We got in. And we arrived at the airport in just 10 minutes – too early. On arrival, we landed at Terminal C, while we were going to take 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 security check. They stripped me down and groped me again. The airport was full, but we found a place to sit. I bought some sweets for the family and took out my paper book as a substitute for "Storytel". Then they opened the passport control counter, we passed and, voila – meeting our acquaintances from the first night of arrival. Whoosh… and I hear them announcing a Wizz Air flight to Venice. I shout to Danny, "Come on, we're here," haha. But the vacation was coming to an end. The flight went smoothly, this time my ear hardly hurt. We landed at 6:30 p.m. our time. The bus took us to Terminal 2 and we staggered to the metro. In the underpass, we met two more ladies from the same flight, we chatted. An elderly 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 on the plane, through passport control, moving between terminals, and taking the metro, we arrived at 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 at 10:30 p.m. There were other hungry people like us. Between the train and bus stations in Sofia, there is a small shop that works until late – they have sandwiches, etc. But Bila was still open, so we chose “fresh food from the warm display case”. We ate quickly and it was time to get on. From so many checks, I got confused where to show my passport, where my boarding pass, and instead of my bus ticket, I went to take out my passport. The driver looked at me, looked at me, and then started laughing. I guess it was time for sleep. The trip was a nightmare. Probably because my body was too exhausted. At the age of 40 + with a spinal injury… it was too much for me. At 5 a.m. on February 26, I safely got home. A quick shower and went to bed. I slept for a few hours. The alarm went off at around 11 a.m. I got up... I was on the second shift at school and although the students would be happy about my possible absence, I set off with a cheerful step towards everyday life. Until the next trip.
© 2024 Iliana Dechkova