Catania

The last leg and as far south we travelled…so far! Sadly we did have a bit of a terrible encounter at one restaurant [don’t eat where the tourists go!] that lead to one hilarious night!

Antica Trattoria Etna: Norma [eggplant] pizza when you’re starving hits the spot something wonderfully! Thin base with a thick crust, rich sauce, fresh tomatoes, grilled eggplant and finished with grated baked ricotta on top. Chaun indulged in one topped with tuna and mozzarella that also was delicious. Side salad of lettuce, roma tomatoes and radicchio served with big bottles of EVO and balsamic put on the table ready for the salad drenching!

L’iksa, Catania: Based in the famous umbrella lined strees! Stoped for an aperol and people watch but they had a really impressive menu with items such as “polp corn” octopus tentacles in a popcorn crust and smoked prawns with garlic oil, honey mustard and wild fennel.

Prestipino: Aprivito and dessert for dinner, yes please! A limoncello [that was a bit NQR] served with salted chips, Sicilian green olives, rice crackers and some pastries with a slice of sausage on top, very random mix. A delicious casata that contained a wonderful thick sponge and a giant rum baba filled down the middle with fresh cream and fruit. The absolute best spot to watch everyone walking the streets after dinner.

Catania Market: After surviving some bad limoncello and a bar crawl on our walk home, we made our way to the local market. Highlight for me was a stall that sold their red capsicums already roasted, packed in a plastic bag, ready to be peeled when you get home. BRILLIANT! So many fresh fruit and fish stalls everywhere, all yelling out their top produce pricing for the day. We grabbed a big slice of watermelon to cool off with. There was also an entire section of the market that sold clothing, plants and trash and treasure type stalls. We purchased a lovely chilli plant for 3 euro for our absolutely amazing host who made sure we both had breakfast when we were unwell!

Trattoria U Fucularu: You cannot come to Catania and not come here! From the absolutely charming staff to the drool worth food, this find topped everything in this town.
Starter – In house freshly smoked salmon, swordfish and tuna ceviche all topped with extra virgin olive oil. Butterly delicious
Main – Fresh handmade pasta with a pistachio and shrimp sauce. This sauce changed my life, the nuts gave it such a creaminess that cheese normally would [FYI seafood and cheese do not mix in paster ever!]
A very popular dish in Catania is horse. Yes, horse! They did make sausages here that I now wish my stomach was up to trying on the day as this is a delicacy here.