Entertainment In Catania

Sicilian cuisine can be traced back to 600 BC and is one of the oldest in existence. The Sicilians even claim to have invented pasta. There's no doubt that food and wine are among Sicily's attractions and its culinary delights are certain to leave you satisfied.

Most people think of Italian food as being just pasta and pizza, but the local cuisine has so much more to offer. Sicily's food has been influenced over the years by numerous invaders including Greeks, Arabs, Normans and the Spanish. It has a unique cultural mix and imaginatively combines fish, vegetables, fruits and nuts with North African and Arabic ingredients.

Try to avoid the restaurants located near hotels or on main streets, especially those that offer tourist menus. Instead, look for some of the charming trattorias and ristoranti on the nearby smaller roads. Street food is abundant throughout the city, with fritters, potato croquettes and rice balls all tantalisingly available.

Local cuisine

Sicily is well known for its seafood such as anchovies, tuna and swordfish, which are easily found at many restaurants. Seafood is often combined with pasta in dishes like spaghetti con le sarde. Meat dishes are also popular and are traditionally made with lamb or goat. The region is also famous for its sweets, like the rich cassata ice cream dish and cannoli tubular crusts with creamy ricotta and sugar filling, rolled in chocolate.

Theatre and music

Catania is a university city and has a reputation for lively nightlife. There is a huge choice of bars and clubs spread around the city and many of them stay open until the small hours. During the summer the commune operates caf concerto periods, when the streets of the old town are closed to traffic between 21:00 and 02:00. Tables and chairs spill out onto the squares and live bands entertain revellers well into the night. There are more sophisticated wine bars a little farther away from the city centre, near the Corso Italia area.

Theatre is also very much part of the local culture and there are around 25 active theatres specialising in different types of shows, the most well known being the Bellini Theatre, which opened in 1890 with the famous opera the Norma by Bellini.

Shopping

Many products by famous Italian designers can be found in the boutiques around Corso Italia. Even if you don't want to buy anything, it's worth popping along to the historical market around Piazza Pardo (near the Cathedral). This food market is a good source of local products as well as the red wine made on the foothills of Mount Etna. Most of the souvenir shops sell craft objects made from lava stone using traditional techniques and the citys famous painted pottery.