Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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.
HOTEL
€€
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 gleaming 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.
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 ingredi-
ents to recreate her great-grandmother's recipes, including superb
pasta alla Norma
and
zeppoline di ricotta
(sweet ricotta fritters dusted with powdered sugar). Service can be ex-
cruciatingly slow and they don't always open promptly at 1pm, but food this good is
worth the wait.
TRATTORIA
€
Locanda Cerami
MAP
PIZZERIA
€
GOOGLE MAP
( 095 224 67 82;
www.locandacerami.com
; Via Crociferi 69; pizza €5.50-11; 7.30-11pm)
On the atmo-
spheric 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
most innovative pizzas you'll find anywhere on the island, plus an excellent wine list. Try
the
principessa
pizza, with pistachio nuts and aromatic speck.
