A: Up at 4.45 for the 7am ferry to Pozzallo which Alex very kindly offered to take us to- we had to be there one hour beforehand as we had luggage. The previous two nights in our Battery Street flat had been very windy and so the trip across proved a little bumpy and some people got sick. (M: Not we hardy seadogs, though!) The staff were very attentive and the catamaran was otherwise comfortable. A two hour bus trip took us into Catania but dropped us at the dock where there was no taxi in sight so we had quite a walk to find one which then drove us through the narrow crowded streets with the precision and dexterity of experience. Our landlord Carmine Rapisarda (Professore - a high school teacher) met us at Number 6 Via Enrico Pantano and took us up to the flat.

M:

The flat is on the first floor of a block of three. It has a very imposing portone (large door) which lets into a very scruffy looking vestibule and some rather worn stairs. Once we got into our apartment, things started to look up. The flat has three bedrooms, two bathrooms (one with washing machine), a small lounge, a kitchen, and a hallway spread over two levels of different sizes. It is furnished with a variety of old traditional furniture. It is not up to the standard of the Maltese accommodation, but is basically clean, with plenty of linen and all the appliances one could want. The layout is rather eccentric, but with the exception of the laundry, we have no need to go upstairs. The place is called "Amore e Psiche" - Love and the Psyche" because of the extraordinary bedroom ceilings - check the pictures. We overlook a corner, Pantano and Grotte Bianche, the latter of which runs straight down to the markets Anne describes below. This it tends to be a little noisy. The tradional shutters block out quite a bit of the traffic sound at night which is constant rather than disruptive.

A:

Soon after we arrived we went for a walk down to the markets and were careful as several people had warned us of pickpockets, particularly in these markets. The fresh produce looked fantastic- fish, meat, cheese, cold meats, fruit and vegetables and also some clothing and toys. We had a quick lunch which was delicious at a tavola calda - Sicily is famous for its fine cuisine. As we were eating it started to rain so we walked to the local SPAR store for provisions and brought them back to the flat. A short rest and we were off for a walk through this busy and ancient town which has been rebuilt nine times after major disasters including earthquakes and two eruptions of the nearby Mt Etna. (M: We are hoping not to witness the next.)

We had a look through the Duomo- a baroque church dedicated to St Agatha who is the patron saint of Catania and is venerated with much devotion particularly during three days in February. Buried in the same church is the composer Bellini who died in his thirties, but is revered all over Catania.

M:

This church has itself been rebuilt several times, and you can see the pediments of Norman columns beneath floor level at several points in the Church. The veneration of saints is very clear in the Duomo, with a richly ornate shrine to St Agatha, as well as the semi-preserved remains of a Cardinal Dusmet, revered as a great benefactor of the poor who lived a life of poverty himself. The church has a simpler grandeur than, say, St John's in Malta, with gold leaf nowhere to be seen.

A:

There were lots of people about but around 4.45 the shops re-opened after the afternoon break and the place was really busy. We went past the main fish market and then stopped for a drink which I ordered in Italian- my first real attempt and it was not a difficult task. (M: Ha fatto molto bene!) Mick bought some Italian comics (M: Diabolik!) and I managed to find a novel in English as I have found my book so exciting I have nearly finished it.

Back at the flat Mick cooked up a quick pasta and we had a cup of tea and Aunt Guza's treacle and aniseed rings- sorry can't read the Maltese for these pastries which we have enjoyed at home at Easter.(M: Qaghaq tal-ghasel - pronounced aa a Cockney would say At - with a T at the back of the throat, then TAL, then ASSEL - Ah - tal assel )

M:

I hadn't been sleeping very well in Malta - probably the combined effects of cold, cold medication and jet lag - so I headed off a bit after 9 having fallen asleep in the middle of a DVD of an Italian movie which we brought with us. Anne followed suit.