A Tour of Sicily and Naples – The Catania Fish Market

We previously visited the Catania fish market, but having the opportunity to tour this massive landmark with a guide was irresistible. Agata Vinci, from the Guida Turistica Abilitata, was the perfect choice. She was named after Catania’s patron saint, and was born on February 5, a day when the city holds a festival to celebrate Saint Agata. (Because the letter “h” is never pronounced in Italian, the saint’s name is spelled Agata, not Agatha.)

Agata Vinci

Agata set out to educate us about the market with some interesting, and oftentimes humorous, observations on her city, which she obviously loves. She began by explaining the difference between a fisherman and a fishmonger. Fishermen rise at 3 a.m. and take their boats out to catch fish, which they sell themselves. Because what they sell depends on what they caught, their stands often have a smaller selection. Fishmongers, on the other hand, buy fish from the fishermen. Their stands are filled with a wide variety.

Swordfish

Swordfish is popular, and many stands had on display large, impressive specimens. Shellfish – everything from mussels, clams, cuddle fish, and snails – as well as octopus and squid, and many other tiny sea creatures that were unrecognizable by us, could be found throughout the market. They were, however, being snapped up by the locals.

Arancini

During our tour, we made several stops for food and drinks. First on the menu, was aricini, a popular street food that comes in either a round or cone shape. Agata explained the difference between the ones sold in Catania, versus those sold in Palermo. In Catania, the fried rice snack is called arincino, whereas in western parts of Sicily, the food is called arincina. (Many Americans are familiar with this street food because of the popular Italian series, Montalbano, where the Sicilian detective loved arancini – especially those made by Adelina Cirrinciò, his housekeeper and cook.) “In Palermo, they only make the round version, while here we make both the conic version, if it’s with meat, and the round if it’s with butter and spinach and the aubergines,” Agata said. Because so much of what Catania is about revolves around Mt. Etna, it’s not surprising that the city’s arancini would resemble the volcano. The last food stop of the day was for granita, certainly a welcome treat on a sweltering day.

Siracusa Cathedral

It was time to say goodbye to Catania and board a bus for Siracusa, a city partly on the mainland, and partly on the island of Ortigia, where our hotel was located. After taking a few hours to settle in, we joined a walking tour where the highlight was the piazza duomo, a magnificent square. As with so many buildings in Sicily, the cathedral went through many transformations, depending upon the island’s rulers. Originally an ancient Greek temple, it was converted into a church under Byzantine rule. When the Normans conquered Sicily, they hastily remade it into a church. 

A smaller church nearby is dedicated to Siracusa’s patron saint, Lucia. Similar to Saint Agata’s story, she was reported to be a Christian by a disappointed suitor. Several attempts to kill her failed (wood heaped around her failed to burn), and she ultimately died when she was stabbed by a sword.

Dessert

Our group dinner was held at a Ristorante Regina Lucia, located on the piazza. The five course meal included wines paired with each course. The highlight was a pasta course consisting of ravioli filled with various seafood. Dessert was a gelato roll with a pistachio crust. Lovely end to a wonderful day.

To read Charlene’s other stories from A Tour of Sicily and Naples, go to the Living Around section on Woman Around Town.