Catania comes alive at night... and is the best time for the true "Pirates of the Caribbean" experience. As you can see from these pictures, the buildings in Catania are lit up beautifully - and once you find a parking space, are easy to navigate. The center of the town - housing a big "Duomo" (Church) dedicated to Saint Agatha (the city's patron saint) -- also has a large elephant statue that makes me feel as if we are aptly named. I would love to see Seattle resurrect a large "seahawk" or Buffalo a "bill" and see if it has the same effect.
This building belongs to the University of Catania (I keep calling it UCat but no one seems to be picking up what I'm putting down.) Maybe I'll have a t-shirt made to bring home the point. That being said, the University is spread throughout the city - as opposed to one "central" campus, and the students are very serious about their studies. It seems that the general opinion here is that studying for FIVE years to get a specialized degree might prepare you better for the real world than four years of sleeping in, frat parties, and downloading the test from a friend (also see: Florida State). I beg to differ, but everyone here is definitely well educated.
Above is the Plaza Bellini, not named not after Joey Tomato's Canadian favorite that is essentially an adult slushee, but after a famous Opera writer... and home to Catania's famous opera that bears his name. It is more importantly home to the best gelato the world has ever seen -- see the gelato post coming soon!
~ J. Twice
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