Delights of Sicily

DAY 3:

On my 3rd day in Sicily, I woke up to catch the train to Catania. The $17 ride was 5 hours long, so it was pretty tiring.

I arrived in Catania at noon, and I took the bus to get to the Movida Inn Hostel, the place where I chose to sleep for $40 a night. It's a pretty nice place as the location is favorable. I rested for a time, and then I set out to explore the city of Catania. I started out at a local market, where I had lunch, before going to the Piazza del Duomo square. The Sant Agata abbey built in Norman style using volcanic rock from Mt.Etna caught my eye, as it's a pretty building. What is even better, is that the dome of its church offers a breathtaking view over the city and Mt Etna. 

After the central square, I headed over to the Roman Theatre to check out some of Sicily's Roman architecture. It's a small complex tucked away behind the houses of Catania, but very beautiful nonetheless. There are a lot of tunnels hidden under the seats, but you need a bit of imagination to perceive what was going on there 2300 years ago. The ticket fee was $7.

My next destination was the Ursino Castle. Surprisingly, it's in a pretty good state, but the information is in Italian. I learned a little about the history of Catania. It's a picturesque place full of history, but it's more about art than militaristic history or anything of the kind. 

In the evening, I had seafood at a small restaurant, and I headed over to a bar to sample some of the Sicilian nightlife.

DAY 4:

On day 4, I packed up my things, as I went on a 6-hour excursion to Mt.Etna. I found the offer on getyourguide.com and the price was of $55.The guide was very knowledgeable and full of professionalism, as there were no hidden fees and he answered all of my questions. I went through many bottles of water, as it was very hot. We observed the craters from a pretty big distance, but the mountain was still spectacular. It was fascinating and even better than described.