More City of the Week: Head South to Siracusa for the Day

'Oh, save me! Oh, guide me! And bid the deep hide me, For he grasps me now by the hair!' The loud Ocean heard, To its blue depth stirred, And divided at her prayer; And under the water The Earth's white daughter Fled like a sunny beam; Behind her descended Her billows, unblended With the brackish Dorian stream:-- Like a gloomy stain On the emerald main Alpheus rushed behind,-- As an eagle pursuing A dove to its ruin Down the streams of the cloudy wind.

From "Arethusa" by Percy Bysshe Shelley

On Wednesday we touched on the power and might of Mount Etna. Today, let's take a look at another possible day trip from Catania, this time to the region of Siracusa, the jewel of the Mediterranean and one of the most conquered cities in history.

This morning hop on a bus to Ortygia, to find a freshwater spring that feeds into the Fountain of Arethusa, only feet from the Ionian Sea. This myth, captured in the poem above by Shelley, details the transformation of the nymph Arethusa, into a fountain. The story goes something like this: Arethusa happily comes across a clear stream and begins bathing, not knowing the stream is in fact the river god Alpheus. From there it's your standard river god meets nymph story, with your threats of rape, a long chase, prayers to the goddess Artemis, and eventual answering of prayer by transformation into a stream. It all ends well, with Arethusa flowing to the island of Ortygia and Alpheus finding her there to mingle with her waters for eternity.

Afterward, continue west to the small town of Noto, which represents the pinnacle of Sicily's Baroque period. Where Catania is dark and grim with volcano rock from Etna, the buildings of Noto are built with limestone, giving towers, offices and the cathedral a bright, fairy tale-like feel. Here in Noto find the virgin Saint Lucy, patron saint of the blind.

One story tells that in response to a suitor who admired her beautiful eyes, Saint Lucy cut them out and sent them to him, asking to be left in peace. Later, God restored Lucy's sight. Paintings and statues of Lucy often show her unimpressed, offering a platter carrying her former eyes.

The famous Cathedral in Noto is worth a visit to get a sense of the many cultures who have overtaken and dominated the city. A large, ominous shift in a stone pillar hints at the earthquake that destroyed at the end of the 17th century. The architecture beautifully layers the Greeks temple, Islamic mosque and Catholic cathedral of the conquerors who ruled Siracusa over the centuries.

Finally, make your way to the city of Syracuse to find the Ear of Dionysius (pictured below right). An artificial limestone cave carved out of the Temenites hill, its name comes from its similarity in shape to the human ear.

According to legend, the tyrant Dionysius I of Siracusa used the cave as a prison for political dissidents, using the perfect acoustics to eavesdrop on plans and secrets of his captives, as well as amplify the screams of his victims.

Because of its shape the Ear has extremely good acoustics, and even a small sound resonate throughout the cave.

A short walk through the beautiful otherworldly garden outside will lead you to an ampitheater carved in stone by slaves. The Ear below served as the amp of the stage. From here make your way back two hours to Catania for the night, perhaps stopping at the eastern edge to dip your toes in the sea.

More City of the Week: Mount Etna

If you only had time for one adventure in eastern Sicily, wouldn't you want to make it to the top of an active volcano?

Above: Footage from Etna's eruption in 2007.

Meaning “I burn,” Mount Etna hits more than 10,000 feet, covers more than 600 square miles, and is classified as a "decade volcano." Usually, the only serious problem is ash in the sky, and the Catania airport shuts down. But Etna's lava and ash has destroyed Catania seven times, the worst in 1669 when the entire city was lost, and the lava took 8 years to cool.


Eighteen miles outside of Catania, it'll take about two hours by bus, which runs daily from the city at 8:30 AM. The bus creeps up through the town of Zaffer, where residents still live among the beauty and ash, in houses inherited from their parents and their parents before them. The bus drops you off at Rifugio Sapienza on the south side, and you make a short hike to one of the major craters, past a home that's no longer there. If not for ladybugs perched on lava rock and on your sleeves, you'd think you were on Mars or in some abandoned hell.

Above: House destroyed by lava on the slopes of Etna.

From here, hike the rest of the 1,400 feet, or hop on another bus and then a cable car (cost with no guide is about €26,50). We recommend the cable car, for the chance to float above the alien-like terrain.

Above: Be sure to dress for the cold, even in the hottest months of the year.

Step off the bubble car and onto the top of the world, where the gift shop and bar remind you you're still technically on Earth. Zip up your coat and stand at the peak of this active volcano, look out over the puffy white clouds laid out for you like a blanket high above the Ionian Sea; wait for a visit from Vulcan, the god of fire; listen for one-eyed Cyclopes fashioning lightning bolts below. Stay as long as you want. Finally, return to Catania the way you came, stopping to consider an ash tray or a dusty black lamp along the way. Tonight consider staying at the Una Hotel Palace in the city center of Catania, where you can sip cocktails on the rooftop, take in a view of your volcano lighting up with fire in the night.

For bus travel and touring options, contact:
Azienda Provinciale Turismo Catania
Address: via Cimarosa 10 — 95124 Catania
Tel.: (095) 730 62 11
Web site: www.turismo.catania.it

City of the Week: Catania, Sicily

"The colour of the town is black (...) black is the lava stone which the houses are made of, so that the old palazzos and the convents look as if they were bunkers. Houses made with the flesh of Mongibello, and so he looks at them from afar like property that is legitimately his, left to the people down there only in life tenancy."
-Writer Rodolfo De Mattei, on the city of Catania

This week we take a look at Catania, an ancient college town at the foot of a fiery mountain, locked in time somewhere in the late 17th century, when Europe's most active volcano erupted for 122 straight days. Sicily's second largest city is a gem worthy of a base to explore eastern Sicily, not only for its general quirkiness, but its central location to some of the most intriguing, breath-taking and untarnished historical sites in western Europe. Italy is still very much alive and well and affordable in Eastern Sicily.

Hop on the bus or rent a car and drive in any direction out of Catania and you'll quickly find yourself either at the beach, surrounded by lemon groves, or at the peak of an active volcano, where, three months out of the year, you can ski. Continue a bit farther and you're likely to stumble across history worthy of Odysseus and the Cyclops, a tiny town adorned in eye-popping tile, a hillside home offering fresh ricotta cheese, a long-forgotten villa buried in rubble until only recently.

This week, we'll explore the best day trips from the city, the unique and fresh food (and candy!) of the region, the magic and monstrosity of Mount Etna, the hidden stories behind the ampitheaters and ruins, where to stay and where to play. Stay tuned!