Catania, Sicily cruise port guide

Etna has shaped Catania in every sense. Eruptions and earthquakes destroyed the city repeatedly, and after 1693 it was rebuilt in an exuberant Baroque style using dark volcanic stone, giving its churches and palaces a distinctive gray-and-white look. The volcano still looms on the skyline, often trailing a plume of smoke.

Port days divide between the volcano and the coast. Etna excursions take you up among lava fields and craters, Taormina offers its Greek theater and boutique-lined streets, and Syracuse combines Greek ruins with the island old town of Ortigia. Catania itself rewards a few hours of wandering: Piazza del Duomo, La Pescheria market and Via Etnea. It’s a lively, slightly rough-edged city that food lovers in particular enjoy.

Ships dock in the port right next to the historic center. Depending on the berth, Piazza del Duomo is about a 10–20 minute walk, and a port shuttle sometimes runs to the gate. Etna’s main visitor area at Rifugio Sapienza on the south side is about an hour’s drive. Taormina is about an hour north by road, and Syracuse about an hour south. Allow two to three hours to see central Catania on foot.

Catania’s signature dish is pasta alla Norma, with fried eggplant, tomato and salted ricotta, named after Bellini’s opera. Arancini here are usually cone-shaped and filled with meat ragù or spinach. Pistachios from nearby Bronte flavor everything from pesto to cannoli. Try a granita, perhaps almond or black mulberry, and taste wines grown on Etna’s volcanic slopes, such as those made from Nerello Mascalese.