Catania

Catania lives at the foot of Etna, and the volcano never lets it forget: the city is built in black lava stone, and the summit smokes above the rooftops. Piazza del Duomo is the heart of it, pale baroque set against that dark background. The fish market is right beside it, and it is shouted rather than spoken. Food here means pasta with aubergine and salted ricotta, fried rice balls, and granita for breakfast with a brioche. Etna Park is under an hour away by road, and paths circle the Silvestri Craters over black ash that crunches underfoot. The sea is close too: the dark rocks and clear water of Isola Bella, below the Ancient Theatre of Taormina, where the volcano appears between the tiers of seats. Further south lie the lanes of the Island of Ortigia and the coves of the Vendicari Nature Reserve.