Ionian Coast - Sicily - page 353

( 095 32 00 44; Piazza del Duomo; 8am-noon & 4-7pm) Inside the cool, vaulted interior of this
cathedral, beyond its impressive marble facade sporting two orders of columns taken from
the Roman amphitheatre, lie the relics of the city's patron saint.
The young virgin Agata resisted the advances of the nefarious Quintian (AD 250) and
was horribly mutilated (her breasts were hacked off and her body rolled in hot coals). You
can actually visit the dungeons where these atrocities were committed under the Chiesa di
Sant'Agata al Carcere OFFLINE MAP GOOGLE MAP (Piazza San Carcere; 8.30am-1pm & 3-8pm Tue-Sat) be-
hind the Roman amphitheatre on Piazza Stesicoro. The saint's jewel-drenched effigy is ec-
statically venerated on 5 February in one of Sicily's largest festivals.

Street Markets
Catania's great markets are street theatre at its most thrilling. The best show in town is the
raucous fish market, La Pescheria OFFLINE MAP GOOGLE MAP (Via Pardo; 7am-2pm) , which takes
over the streets behind Piazza del Duomo every workday morning. Tables groan under the
weight of decapitated swordfish, ruby-pink prawns and trays full of clams, mussels, sea
urchins and all manner of mysterious sea life.
Fishmongers gut silvery fish, and high-heeled housewives step daintily over pools of
blood-stained water. It's absolutely riveting. If you fancy a taste of the exotic ware on dis-
play, there are a number of excellent fish restaurants down here.
Carcasses of meat, skinned sheep's heads, strings of sausages, huge wheels of cheese
and mountains of luscious fruit and veg are all rolled together in a few jam-packed alley-
ways.
To get here, go down the steps at the south of Piazza del Duomo near the Fontana
dell'Amenano, a commemoration of the Amenano river on whose banks the Greeks foun-
ded the city of Katane. Alternatively, duck under the adjacent Porta Uzeda OFFLINE MAP
GOOGLE MAP , an impressive 17th-century gate built to connect Via Etnea with the port.
Catania's other great market is known locally as La Fiera OFFLINE MAP GOOGLE MAP (Piazza
Carlo Alberto, off Via Etna; 8am-1pm Mon-Fri, 8am-7pm Sat) . It's a chaotic kasbah selling
everything from fruit and veg to bootleg CDs and knock-off designer bags.

MARKET

Via Etnea
It's not difficult to see how Catania's main shopping street got its name - on a clear day
you can see Mt Etna rising menacingly at the end of it. Via Etnea runs straight from
Piazza del Duomo up to the foothills below Etna. Lined with modern department stores,

STREET