Sicily - From Messina to Catania
- Tobias Heller
- 25. Okt. 2016
- 5 Min. Lesezeit
Sicily lies just a stone's throw away, from Reggio Calabria the distance can be easily covered by the ferries that run frequently from there over to the city Messina, the first city I am about to see on the Island, packed with my backpack I will only do a day trip and then move straight on to Catania today. Sicily, situated in the Mediterranean sea, is an autonomous region in Italy and houses the tallest active volcano in Europe. Cool, eh?
Sightseeing & City
Messina - A short Meet & Greet
I say goodbye to my couch surfing friend Federico, who so kindly offered me to stay on a last minute request, desperately stuck in Reggio Calabria. He walks with me to harbor and waits until the ferry finally appears from the other side and I enter the wobbling cabin with a crowd of people of various ages, most of them apparently on their way to work or university, which is situated across the sea. In Messina I take a stroll around, soon sweaty with the rising sun and temperature, as since the last days I arrived in Calabria the climate has alternated from warm to unbearably hot and sticky. Messina does not give an overly appealing impression to me, it seems to be a quite industrialized and trafficked city, obviously due to the fact that it serves as the gate for people to flow in from the mainland of Italy. Nevertheless I walk around the center, have a look at the cathedral which had nearly entirely been rebuilt after a devastating earthquake back in earlier years and then walk upwards following small stairs through narrow passages. From up there the view over to Calabria and the port of Messina is nice and the sun is about to set already as I have spent most of the day walking around. I check the time for the train and head on to the train station - next step: Catania.
Sightseeing & City
Catania - To Etna's Feet
Late in the evening I arrive at Catania's train station, where I wait for Valentina, my next host who would even be so kind as to pick me up from the station. We immediately immerse into good conversations, cooks delicious pasta and together we finish a bootle of a tasteful sicilian wine she opens with a smile. I agree with her offer to go to the city center to have some drinks in a bar called Boheme, taking the car down as she lives a bit further outside. When she gets the car parked she fumbles in the darkened back, pulling out a heavy metallic circle, clicks it with a ringing snap around the steering wheel and thereby locks it tightly. Somewhat puzzled as I have never seen a construction like that or at least the necessity for it, she explains in a matter-of fact tone that her car has been stolen several times in Catania, therefore she initiated the habit of locking the car's steering wheel additionally, as do many others here. Together we walk through several streets, which I will see the following days in a different light, explaining some things on the go until we reach a small street with bars distributed on each side. What I vividly remember while thinking about this bar is the barkeeper in his white shirt with waistcoat on top of it, smirking deliberately while fumbling together various ingredients for our cocktails, those recipes he completely makes up out of thin air. He shakes them ferociously, in a wild up an down, his hole body vibrating for what seems to be minutes, until he finally pours the liquid into our somewhat fancy glasses. Valentina and i spend a great evening in that bar, and if it happens that I'd ever return to Catania, surely this bar would be on the list - for nostalgic reasons.
In the morning I wake up with the slight tinge of a headache, which vanishes quickly after I splash my face with fresh water. Valentina takes me down to the center by car on her way to work, dropping me off along the jammed main road. I stroll along a steep steadily declining quite busy road called Via Etna, along the way I find two bigger Parks, the Orto Botanico those entry is for free and therefore worth to look at, and the second one is Giardino Bellini, which is nice and cleanly built with pebble stone pavement that leads around various statues, a pavilion and water fountains
Sightseeing & City
The cathedral & the Center
I keep on following via Etna further down, until the street finally levels out, and the harbor is close by. Here are the main squares, the shopping opportunities and the cathedral, the Cathedral di Sant'Agata, which is one of the main touristic sights to see, disregarding Etna in that case which can be reached by buses from Catania, and which I am going to visit in the following days. Around the church several further things to see are gathered, some churches as well as the main theater, and several ancient buildings that might be worth a visit.
The seaside with it's harbor is also within reach here, it may be nice to stroll around in the loneliness of the harbor, with some fishermen here and there, sitting on a rancid plastic chair patiently waiting for a catch to tear at their fishing line, captured by the hook. It could be due to the current period of the year, which goes towards winter, but it is not one of those busy places with ships arriving here and there, fishermen throwing nets of slippery fresh fish over from the boats, whilst others are busy with maintaining and repairing the old, rusty ships to prepare them for their next journey in the depth of the sea. While walking here over the nearly desolate space with the sun already on it's way down and slightly diminished by a foggy layer in the sky, I am overcome by a soft hint of wistfulness and melancholy. From further outside the tongue that leads into the sea, the black back offers a view onto Catania, with Etna throning there as a massive giant blueish grey in the back, inexplicably despite the peacefulness and tranquility, he appears somewhat menacing to me, as I can only assume what is boiling in it's fathomless dark depths, regarding the damage it has caused in earlier years. In total my impression of Catania is somehow a bit gloomy and grey, despite the parks not very colorful and blooming as other cities I have seen along the way. But this might only be my impression. Thinking about Catania, not necessarily the city itself will come up in my mind, but the good time I enjoyed during those few days with my great host Valentina, and despite moving on, I once more have the feeling that this won't be the last time we have seen each other.
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