Catania

Catania, Sicily's second-largest city, sits at the foot of Mount Etna on the island's eastern coast — a city rebuilt from volcanic rock after the 1693 earthquake in a dramatic Baroque style, its streets and buildings constructed from the same black basalt that Etna produces. The contrast of black lava stone with white limestone is the defining visual characteristic of Catania. The Piazza del Duomo, the city's central square, is one of Sicily's finest Baroque compositions — the Cathedral, the Archbishop's Palace, the Elephant Fountain (the city's symbol, a lava elephant carrying an Egyptian obelisk) and the ornate 18th-century facades surrounding it form an ensemble of considerable grandeur. The fish market (Pescheria) in the streets behind the cathedral is extraordinarily vivid — the largest and most intense in Sicily, operating every morning except Sunday. The Roman Theatre and Odeon, still being excavated in the city centre, and the Castle of Ursino (a 13th-century Hohenstaufen fortress) are the main historical monuments. Catania's street food culture is exceptional: arancino (rice ball, filled with ragù or butter and mushrooms), granita (the best in Sicily — almond, pistachio, coffee) with brioche for breakfast, and fresh swordfish pasta. The volcanic soil around Etna produces some of Sicily's finest wines — Nerello Mascalese and Carricante. A superb base for Etna hiking and the Syracuse archaeological site.