4/8 After a breakfast of a cup of coffee and an orange (we were still stuffed after last night’s meal) we decided to find “La Pescheria” – fish market – which is huge and very famous in Sicily. It was really amazing and the selection of fish was fresh, clean and beautiful and you could tell is was just caught. Never saw so much fish in one place.

There was also an area of fresh fruit and vegetables – another fantastic area of the market. They also served lunch from the different vendors but we decided to come back to that after our hop-on hop-off bus ride around the city.

Sometimes, the most interesting and beautiful experiences just pop up. We didn’t realize there is an Umbrella Sky Project in Catania although we’d seen similar photos from other Italian cities as well as Paris, San Juan, Miami and more. All the sudden, walking back from the fish market maybe one block up, we run into this wonderful, colorful display.

The bus ride was really good because it took us through parts of the city and over to the sea coast which was beautiful. The sea here is so green (emerald, not algae green!) and there was a wonderful walkway where you could walk quite a distance – may try that one Sunday. We need to bus or taxi to the shore since it’s quite a ways from where we are staying and we’d rather walk on the coastline than through the streets to get there. We were able to see Mt. Etna from there and a lot of walls along the sea that are made of lava rock and that was beautiful as well.

On the return drive back to mid-town, we passed several notable facilities and sights including the University of Studies of Catania, the penitentiary where large numbers of the mafiosa have been incarcerated, and the Hall of Justice for the Province of Catania. The guide pointed out that we should note there is a man standing on one hand of Lady Justice and a woman on the other, indicating that justice is equal for men and women as are individual rights. Hmmmm, and this in Sicily?!

After our tour we decided to go back to the fish market for some lunch. We each had a variety which included eggplant, artichokes, roasted peppers, and bruschetta. It was tasty, and a nice light lunch.

After this it was time to search for a panificio (bakery) to buy a cannoli. We found one and I ordered the ricotta-filled cannoli. They don’t stuff the shells until you order your cannoli (and we do not buy them if they are pre-stuffed sitting in a display case!) Typically I cannot eat but one or two bites – not this time! Nope! Homemade ricotta which is very light and topped with powdered sugar and pistachio nuts/dust. OMG DELICIOUS!!! Poor Jim only got two bites. Next time we order two so he can have his own because obviously I don’t share well!

We walked back home to relax for a while. We have discovered that we cannot walk miles and miles and hours and hours like we used to so the breaks are good. Sit on our little tiny balcony and people watch – works for us! After a rest we started out to the Duomo, or Saint Agatha Cathedral, and the Church of the Abbey of St. Agatha. However, as we glanced up via Garibaldi, we noticed the street was lined with renovated buildings and that at the very top of the street, there appeared to be a gate. Off we went. Porta Garibaldi or Garibaldi Gate was at the top. Getting up there took some energy though and Jim found the right solution – gelato.

The Duomo was beautiful. Photos are not allowed inside the cathedral or we’d have captured a few. Hard to see but Joseph, Mary and Baby Jesus are draped in black mesh – Holy Week preparations we suspect. The Abbey was smaller of course but very pretty.

We decided to go to the top of the dome, outside, which overlooks the entire city of Catania. Well we expected an elevator – oh how silly are we 🙂 So we started up the steps with me in the lead. We topped the previous record of 88 steps at the apartment in Palermo: 117 steps here, around and up to the top. Yes, we had to stop for breathing breaks and holy cow, I thought the legs were going to drop right off. Jim kept saying “are we there yet?” Afraid not Jimmy, just keep climbing. When we finally got to the top and catch another breath, we were able to walk all around the top and look out – saw a ton more rooftops, a tiny spot of the sea between a few buildings. I laughed and said ok we just got a boat load of exercise with those steps for this beautiful view of roofs – but even so it was interesting to say the least. You kind of got the lay of the land.

We left this and walked back to the apartment for 49 more steps and sat for a bit. Decided we were going downstairs to the restaurant below for beer and pizza. Great idea – it was delicious! The staff was very friendly and chatted with us so we enjoyed ourselves. Hope you enjoy some of the photos.

Tomorrow is Palm Sunday and yes, we’ll attend Mass in the cathedral. We’ll likely check out one more restaurant and then finish up by packing for the trip down to Syracuse on Monday. Buona notte.