august-2011

†PER COUNTRY PER CAPITA
*PRICES QUOTED ARE FOR A RETURN TICKET IN B.LIGHT ECONOMY FROM OR TO BRUSSELS, ALL TAXES AND FEES INCLUDED, IF BOOKED ON BRUSSELSAIRLINES.COM. TICKETS ARE NOT CHANGEABLE, NOR REFUNDABLE. PRICES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT PRIOR NOTICE
ITALY Population 61,016,804 Currency Euro GDP
CATANIA
† €21,555 Dialling code +39
Airport code CTA Flight frequency Five times weekly Average temp (Aug) 25°C
Sicily’s second-largest
city is full of summer
attractions – the Playa
beach for daytime
sizzling, street-side cafés
for music, then ice cream
and people watching in
the cool of the evening.
You’re also close to
sophisticated Taormina,
the beach at Mazzarò and
breezy Castelmola. Ellen
Grady is our city guide
THE CENTRE
Streets in Catania all lead to the
dramatically baroque Piazza Duomo
and its cathedral to St Agatha,
the patron saint of the city. The
bustling fish market is also nearby.
SLEEP Romano Palace (28 Viale Kennedy,
tel. 095 596 7111, romanopalace.it,
rooms from €145) is right on the Playa,
Catania’s 8km sandy beach close to the
airport. This luxurious hotel has colourful
rooms, is surrounded by a large garden
with a pool, and has a superb restaurant.
You can also work off a little of the
holiday excess on a jogging path through
the Playa beach forest. Romano House
(20 Via Giovanni Di Prima, tel. 095 352
0611, romanohouse.com, rooms from
€120) offers more of an elegant, citycentre
atmosphere, and has a fitness
centre on its rooftop terrace. For extra
glamour, ask for a ‘nobile’ room, with
frescoes and huge windows.
EAT The rooftop restaurant at the Una
Hotel Palace (218 Via Etnea, tel. 095
250 5111) has views of Mount Etna,
which guarantees cool dining on those
hot August evenings.
DRINK Etoile d’Or (7 Via Dusmet) is an
old-fashioned café near the fish market
that’s great at all times of the day. At
dawn join the locals for coffee and fresh
croissants; in the afternoon cool off with
an ice cream brioche; then later you can
mingle with the night owls of the city.
INFO
Fontanarossa
Airport is 5km from
the city centre.
Bus The Alibus
shuttle service
runs between the
airport and the
central station.
It’s a 15-minute
journey, with buses
running every 20
minutes from
5am to midnight.
The journey to
Catania costs €2.
Other services are
available to all
major Sicilian
destinations,
including Taormina
and Palermo.
Taxi The journey
from the airport
to the city centre
for up to four
passengers costs
€30, and takes
20-30 minutes
(tel. 095 330966,
24-hour service).
All major car-hire
companies are
represented at
the airport.
Tourist offi ce
The main offi ce is
at 172 Via Vittorio
Emanuele II (tel.
095 742 5573, apt.
catania.it).
Enjoy a private dip in
one the kitsch suites at
the Atlantis Bay hotel
TAORMINA
This enchanting hilltop town is
just a short bus ride away from
Catania. You can window shop
for summer bargains along Corso
Umberto, hop on the cable car
to whizz down to the beach at
Mazzarò or watch an opera at
the Greek Theatre.
EAT Gelatomania (7 Corso Umberto)
has won many awards for its delectable
ice cream. Try the mango flavour, made
with home-grown fruit, or the crunchy
Ferrero Rocher.
CULTURE The Greek Theatre (Via del
Teatro Greco), from its dizzying clifftop
position, offers a stunning panorama
over the Straits of Messina and Mount
Etna. This ancient structure makes the
perfect setting for evening performances
presented by Taormina Arte (taorminaarte.com);
August’s programme features
two operas by Verdi – Nabucco (5, 9
and 13) and Aida (7, 10 and 12) – with
world-class performers.
LATER Septimo (50 Via San Pancrazio)
is the coolest hot spot in town for
after-midnight hip-jiggling. Tasty food
is available and the view is incredible.
MAZZARÒ
A corner of paradise at the foot of
the mountain of Taormina, with
sandy bays, clear blue sea and
incredible views.
SLEEP Atlantis Bay (161 Via Nazionale,
tel. 094 261 8011, atlantisbay.it, rooms
from €296) is a kitsch hotel that was
built in the 1950s for the Hollywood
stars who flocked to local film festivals –
the likes of Hayworth, Grant, Dietrich,
Taylor and Burton. It’s a series of
terraces down to the Baia delle Sirene
(Bay of Sirens). The Suite Atlantide has
his-and-her bathrooms with Jacuzzi, a
round bed with silk sheets, private pool,
and comes with the services of a butler.
EAT Barcaiolo (43 Via Castelluccio,
tel. 094 262 5633) appears rustic, with
a few tables on the beach among the
fishing boats, but the food is sublime.
Feast on local red shrimp, grilled
swordfish or fried fresh anchovies,
accompanied by local wine.
CULTURE Castelluccio is right next to
Atlantis Bay – if you can drag yourself
away from the pool, the ruins of this old
Roman castle are worth exploring.
CASTELMOLA
On a mountaintop soaring above
Taormina is ancient Castelmola, one
of Italy’s most beautiful villages.
LATER Head to Caffé San Giorgio
(Piazza San Antonino) for a glass of vino
alla mandorla (chilled almond wine)
– the drink was invented here. While
you’re there, take a flick through the
visitors’ book: Winston Churchill, Lord
Mountbatten, Somerset Maugham,
Truman Capote and Tennessee Williams
have all stopped by.
TIP Admire the view from the terrace in
front of Castelmola’s cathedral, which
takes in Mount Etna, Taormina and the
east coast of Sicily.
€139 *
FROM JUST
RETURN,
TAXES INCLUDED
Fly to Catania from just
€139* return, taxes included.
brusselsairlines.com
Brussels Airlines b.there! magazine August 2011 77