Catania at night (and sunset)

Who would have thought, that we would find such a distinctive nightlife in Catania?! We spent hours roaming the streets of various cities at night and even in Rome you really have to have some insider information to find some good locations. But that's different in Catania and it wasn't difficult at all. Beforehand we were warned by different people, that Catania is known for their criminality and therefore we were a bit insecure at first to walk around at night, but that changed quickly and we almost felt saver than in some german cities at the same time of day. The first place we found accidentally after our visit at the museum at Castello Ursino,when we walked back towards the Piazza Duomo. There, near the fishmarket are not only many restaurants, but also some bars and we found some places where you can just join groups of people, who meet in front of those. After a beer or two and some take away fried fish, we then decided to climb up to the dome of the cathedral and enjoyed the view over the illuminated city. After that, we just followed some groups of younger people, who looked like they were ready to go out and they led us to Via Bellini, a street lined with bars and pubs. Even on our way back to the hotel we were super surprised, because we headed into some small, seemingly plain side streets and then right around the corner we ran into groups of people a few times, who gathered in front of some location. So I can't say Catania is missing some nightlife at all.

Catania - Museo Civico Castello Ursino

After walking around the historical center of Catania for a couple of hours, it was already late afternoon and we decided to still visit the Civic Museum at the Castello Ursino, which was also on my Tripadvisor list and nearby. The Museum is situated in the 13th century castle Ursino, which was built for Emperor Frederick II, King of Sicily. At the museum on display are diverse exibits from the castle itself, but mainly from Catania and its surroundings and from artists, who were born in the city, which date back to ancient times. Unfortunatelly the museum seems a bit chaotic or even improvised and there was a lack of information boards in english and in general a main theme. Nevertheless there is a colourful mix of artefacts and you won't get bored. My highlights were some paintings by some local artists for example L'effetto dell'hashish (1875) by Pasquale Liotta or Head of mad Ophelia by Michele Rapisardi.

Nachdem wir durch die Altstadt gewandert waren und es schon später Nachmittag war, entschieden wir uns dann noch in ein Museum zu gehen, was auf meiner Tripadvisor-Liste stand. Da das Museum auch bis 19 Uhr geöffnet war, passte dies perfekt. Das Museum befindet sich im Castello Ursino, welches im Auftrag Kaiser Friedrichs II. im 13. Jahrhundert erbaut wurde. In dem Museum befinden sich diverse Artefakte aus Catania und Umgebung, die bis zurück in die Antike reichen. Leider erscheint das Museum teilweise improvisiert und mir fehlten Erklärungen zu den Ausstellungsstücken und im allgemeinen ein roter Faden. Trotzdem entsteht ein buntes Allerlei und es gibt es einiges Interessantes zu sehen. Meine Highlights waren die Gemälde einiger aus Catania stammender Maler wie z.B. L'effetto dell'hashish (1875) von Pasquale Liotta oder Head of mad Ophelia von Michele Rapisardi.

Outfits - Catania Day1

Technically I ought to show some autumn clothes like normal people, but since we are still in Catania virtually, there is no way of doing that.;) And fortunatelly we had a nice late summer weekend with 26 degrees here in Germany, so this blogpost doesn't seem too ridiculous and out of context. And in one way or another, summer is my favorite season. I just don't like wearing layers of clothes, cause they make me feel constricted and not as light and free when wearing sandals and shorts. And speaking of shorts, my favorite new fashion find is definitely the skort. In fact they are shorts, but look like a skirt from the front. Super practical, if you like the look of a skirt, but want to move normally without too much caution. By the way, here I am wearing one from Stradivarius and a Tshirt by Pull&Bear. Tim is wearing a David Bowie shirt from Asos (which my sister and I are super jealous of) and some shorts by H&M.