First day in Catania

Well, that evening was a great drama and some stress. We were very tired so we went off to bed. In the morning light we looked over our lodgings. I know most of you have heard of Shabby Chic. Well this place was shabby without the chic! No doubt the designer was very clever but there were a lot of deficiencies. If you wish to have a look at the property please go to the web site for Palazzu Stidda. When Tim booked the rooms he noticed that it had a rating of 8.6. However, when we reexamined the photos we found that either they had been photoshopped or the place has really gone downhill. First, however, we will mention the positives. It was very central. The bed was comfy. There was free laundry available. It had a nifty, electric Bialetti for making espresso and there was a fridge. Situated in a very old building with jasmine clinging to it, the place was quaint with a small balcony where we could enjoy our breakfast together.

Now for the problems: the “kitchen” had no sink for washing dishes. There was only one easy chair in the living area, a raised table with two wobbly unsubstantial stools, and very short chairs in the bedroom which we could not use. The electrical system was very talentless jimmied together with a pleasing effect.

The bathroom was a treat. Firstly, part of the floor felt like it was caving in. It was covered with a mat so no problem! The shower door looked like it had been reclaimed from a junk yard, the holes filled with wood filler and … nothing else! It was sort of a barn door but when Marija went in to take a shower she could not open the door to get out. The walls of the showers were lined with mirrors. On the website everything is sparkly clean but in reality there were huge black splotches on the mirrors. But the place was clean. There was a lot of clever decorating going on all through the place with found objects displayed everywhere. Old hats, a plaster bust of a man, random pieces of wood, a suit of armour - coated in dust, the list is endless. Please check out the website. At least we did not need to climb a ladder to get to a bed which was on pieces of wood hung from the ceiling. I hope they didn’t need to get up - in mean down - in the night.

It gets better! At night the Catanian restaurants and bars fill the sidewalks and roads with tables and chairs. Three of those bars were right under our window. Oh, another good thing, they had invested in a brilliant set of patio doors which cut out all the noise. The bars were finally cleaned up at about 2:00 a.m.

After a good night’s sleep we walked down to a cafe for coffee and croissants. Then we explored the cathedral. We bought tickets for a Hop On/Hop Off Bus which drove us down the coast to a quaint village. Then we walked around and found another church which had an owner. Upon climbing to the top we had a spectacular view of the city. A storm was brewing so we headed back to our place. We headed out later for dinner.

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