Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
( 095 250 03 45;
www.ilprincipehotel.com
;
Via Alessi 24; d €109-189, ste €129-209; )
This
newly expanded boutique-style hotel in an 18th-century building features luxurious rooms
and two-level suites on one of Catania's busiest nightlife streets (thank goodness for
double glazing!). Perks include international cable TV and fluffy bathrobes to wear on
your way to the Turkish steam bath. Some rooms have little natural light; check before
booking. Special rates available online.
UNA Hotel Palace
( 095 250 51 11;
www.unahotels.it
; Via Etnea 218; s €99-125, d €125-175, ste €201-329)
This top-
end hotel brings a bit of city slick to Catania. Part of an Italy-wide chain, it's got a gleam-
ing white interior, polished service and good rooms. For icing on the cake, check out the
views of Mt Etna from the rooftop garden bar, where cocktails and aperitifs are served at
sunset. Prices drop significantly in the off-season.
HOTEL
€€
Eating
Popular street snacks in Catania include
arancini
(fried rice balls filled with meat, cheese,
tomatoes and/or peas) and
seltz
(fizzy water with fresh-squeezed lemon juice and natural
fruit syrup). Don't leave town without trying
pasta alla Norma
(pasta with basil, eggplant
and ricotta), a Catania original named after Bellini's opera
Norma
.
Trattoria di De Fiore
( 095 31 62 83; Via Coppola 24/26; meals €15-25; from 1pm Tue-Sun)
This neighbourhood
trattoria is presided over by septuagenarian chef Mamma Rosanna, who uses fresh, local
ingredients to recreate her great-grandmother's recipes, including superb
pasta alla
Norma
and
zeppoline di ricotta
(sweet ricotta fritters dusted with powdered sugar). Ser-
vice can be excruciatingly slow and they don't always open promptly at 1pm, but food
this good is worth the wait.
TRATTORIA
€
Locanda Cerami
PIZZERIA
€
( 095 224 67 82;
www.locandacerami.com
;
Via Crociferi 69; pizza €5.50-11; 7.30-11pm)
On the
atmospheric Via Crociferi, this gorgeous pizzeria has an excellent setting - in the summer
months, the tables are on the steps of one of the many baroque churches - and some of the
