The fish market behind the cathedral and the black baroque of lava stone
Catania, at the foot of Etna, has been destroyed many times by lava and earthquakes and rebuilt each time. After the earthquake of 1693 it was reborn as a baroque city of wide streets and palaces in dark lava stone and white limestone, a UNESCO World Heritage Site with the other towns of the Val di Noto.
Just behind Piazza Duomo, the Pescheria, the fish market, is one of the most spectacular in the Mediterranean: every morning except Sunday, in a square below the city walls, fishermen display swordfish, tuna, sea urchins, prawns and anchovies on marble slabs, shouting their prices. Around it, the market extends with stalls of meat, vegetables and street food. Catania is the home of arancini (here called with the masculine form), the granita with brioche and the pasta alla Norma.
Tip: go to the Pescheria around 9 am; for lunch, try the raw fish in the trattorias around the market. Via Etnea, the main street, offers a straight view towards the volcano.
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