Catania

1900m high on the highest active volcano in Europe and a beach where you are closer to planes than to the nearest building... happened... in Catania on Sicily!

I had heard beforehand what I was getting myself into when I flew to Catania in March... that it was the rainy season at that time and most of the storms occur then. It was indeed as I had expected, when I landed on Monday around 6:30 PM. From the airport, you can take the ALIBUS shuttle to the city center, where a ride costs only €4. I did that but still had to walk about 10 minutes to my accommodation. It was not a big deal, but there was heavy rain, a storm, and thunder (great!). However, when I finally arrived alive at the hostel, everything was good.

My accommodation: https://www.booking.com/hotel/it/ostello-degli-elefanti-hostel-catania.de.html?aid=2276337&label=msn-VPPXHSpSTii1mcyWs6K4LQ-80058338156798%3Atikwd-80058490846609%3Aloc-72%3Aneo%3Amte%3Alp131112%3Adec%3Acid578335405%3Aagid1280931527449315&sid=04bea12acec6e0e78a6a727b052d5cdc&dest_id=-114787&dest_type=city&dist=0&group_adults=2&group_children=0&hapos=1&hpos=1&no_rooms=1&req_adults=2&req_children=0&room1=A%2CA&sb_price_type=total&sr_order=popularity&srepoch=1775228879&srpvid=0b746a64776c0746&type=total&ucfs=1&

I can highly recommend this hostel. It is located right in the center of Catania in a market square (Piazza Universita), has a rooftop bar from which you can see the entire city up to the Etna volcano, and every evening, they offer FREE pasta besides all the internal activities... So it’s great for a low-budget trip!

If I had to criticize something, it would be that I found it a bit difficult to find personally since it's located in a sort of backyard, but other than that, it’s a bit old but top-notch.

The next day, I took some time to explore the city after the weather got better. What impressed me most about Catania was that you can walk through the old town and, on a cloudless sky, see the Etna (volcano) in the background with a significant amount of snow on it. The best place for this is the main shopping street 'Via Etnea'. Other places I visited in Catania included:

• Botanical Garden
• Church of the Abbey of Sant`Agata
• Roman Theatre
• Elephant Fountain
• Piazza Stesicoro
• Basilica della Collegiata
• Via Crociferi
• Street Markets

But you end up passing by everything when you walk through the city.

Since a highlight of the city is definitely the Etna, I hiked up there with a small group to about 1900m on Wednesday. We actually wanted to go up to 2400m, but that was not possible due to all the snow and ice on the route. Overall, the volcano is about 3400m high. Unfortunately, it was also heavily overcast that day, so we couldn't see much from up there because it was extremely foggy, which was a bit disappointing for me. Still, it was interesting to participate, and on days with good weather, you can see the city and the beach from up there. We eventually got to see that later too, when we went back down to a viewpoint, and the view from there was a dream (see 4th image above). And as it sometimes happens, just as we arrived there, the sun came out, and we had beautiful weather. So if you are ever in Catania, you shouldn't miss an Etna tour! There are also tours offered where you can hike to the summit, which must surely be great.

Since Catania is also located by the beach, I had to go there as well. And I had no idea that at the beach Spiaggia di Catania, one of the most impressive experiences of my entire trip awaited me, which I really only discovered by chance. This beach is located close to the airport, meaning the planes landing in Catania fly right over you and then land behind you. However, you have to stand at a very specific point and walk about 15 minutes along the beach. To find this spot, I checked the Flightradar, as you can clearly see from which direction the planes are coming and where the runway is. Additionally, I then knew exactly when the next planes would arrive. I would say that this ultimately was truly the highlight of my trip. And the good weather of that day was just enough for me to catch a sunburn. In the evenings, I usually sat at our rooftop bar since the view over the illuminated old town in the dark, with the street musicians playing in the background, felt 100% like Italy to me and was truly beautiful.

In conclusion, I would say that if you can't decide whether to go for a beach holiday, the mountains, or a city trip, Catania is perfect because you have everything in one place. But I wouldn't necessarily recommend doing the trip in March, but rather in May or September for nicer weather, as mine turned into rain again and again hourly.