Wednesday, June 3, 2009

The Catania Downtown Market


Wednesday morning we got up fairly bright and early and decided to go into downtown Catania to try to visit two churches that are seemingly always closed and shop in the Street Market for trinkets.  We found an unmarked, "Parking-Naziless" free space on a side street about five blocks from the Duomo and started our adventure.

Little kids and their balcony playgrounds

Badia di Sant'Agata

No luck here, it was closed again.  So it was on to the Street Market.

Piazza Universitá

I had never really noticed this statue on this building but since it has the two headed eagle crest of the Austrian Hapsburg Dynasty that ruled Sicily from 1720-1734, this must be an old building.

Same building, same crest

The one time Gymnasium of
Catania University

A very Baroque church on Via Etnea

One of the immense Candela that is carried around the streets of Catania during the Sant'Agata Parade.

A seldom seen courtyard on Via Etnea

Marble Craftmanship

Marble "Cloth"

No mystery saint here, it's Padre Pio

The Super Denver toys hit the streets today.

The Street Market is a little over a kilometer away from the Fish Market that we have shown you several times.

We finally arrived at the Street Market where everything, except the pumice stone that Laurie wanted, was for sale.

Can't find a place to park the Scooter?

NO PROBLEM!  Just plow through the crowd of thousands of people, it sounds like a good idea to me.

Super Denver has a weakness. . . NOUGAT!

Sometimes there is bloodshed at
the Street Market

Organs

Pig's Head

Denver poses next to two works of graffiti that sum up the Catania-Palermo rivalry from the Catanese point of view.

Orthodox Church

This was the other church we wanted to visit because it's architecture is so different from the usual Baroque style that dominates Catania's churches.

No luck, closed also.

Can the Ionian Sea get any more blue?

Dinner at the La Timpa Campground

They have a really nice Pizzeria at Paul's campground.  He is spending the week there enjoying the sea and invited us up for dinner.  We had another round of good food, good wine and good friendship.

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