Villa Mater Hotel Catania

... images section on their homepage. I'm stoked!<br><br>But here's the thing I think is coolest. (See photo to the left.) I assumed most of these countries were highlighted because I've been meeting fellow travelers, but then I realized there are some countries here where I haven't met people from. Which means random people in random parts of the ...

... making myself quite at home. My laundry is hanging in the hallway, I have completely taken over the 4-person bedroom and bathroom. And in the morning I was able to wave and say ciao to my friendly bakery neighbors. La vita dolce?<br><br>Today I had plans to go see Mt. Etna (the most active volcano in Europe). But planner-Josie took over and when that happens usually cheapskate-Josie gets involved which leaves real-Josie planless with money in her pocket. In other words I had intended to ...

... Piazza Stesicoro, <br>where you can admire the so-called "Old Catania, remains <br>the fabulous Roman Amphitheater, built probably around the second century <br>AD, second in size only to the Colosseum in Rome. <br><br>The Bed and Breakfast Alba Hotel offers spacious and comfortable rooms to stay <br>quietly and discreetly, characterized by a refined interior and <br>smooth and a manic <br>attention to ...

... condizionata, tutte le comodità per<br>trascorrere durante la permanenza gradevoli e rilassanti momenti,<br>all'interno del cuore di Catania, le nostre stanze, curate nei minimi<br>particolari, rendono perfettamente il nostro concetto di ospitalità,<br>dove pulizia e accuratezza permettono una piacevole permanenza, ed è<br>questo a renderci tra i migliori B&amp;B di questa stupenda città.

... might start having to get used to again) before heading to the park to try and get a view of Mount Etna through the clouds and to eat our purchases from the market. From there we made our way down to the Piazza Del Duomo, a UNESCO World Heritage site. We tried to go to the botanic gardens but this was shut and then sadly for us so was our favourite pastry shop, yes that's right we have been here a day and we already have a favourite pastry shop. With ...

... geschlossen zu halten und die türen zu verriegeln, denn dies sei ein &#8218;very dangerous&#8216; quartier :-), was er als ur-catanier zu genüge wisse.<br><br>Er nahm uns mit bis an die tal-station der ätna-seilbahn, wo alle anderen touris auch mit ihren cars und autos hinfahren konnten. Dort steigen wir zusammen auf einen der seitlichen neben-krater, wo jeder pauschal-tourist raufkraxeln konnte. Ich dachte, dies sei der beginn und wir würden dann wirklich in die h ...

A lovely quaint very old area. Stayed in a lovely hotel with great attentive staff would recommend it to any couple looking for a romantic break or second honeymoon. Just off the main shopping street of Corso Umberto but found that the shopping was over priced so don't go expecting any bargains.

The people from Florence are described as "changeable and moody".<br><br>Mt. Etna is much the same.<br><br>Evolution of the volcano is described as:<br><br>&#8220;destructive periods, collapses, landslides and subsidences alternate with constructive periods (explosive, pyroclastic activity &amp; emission of lava).&#8221;<br><br>Much like us people. J<br><br>Italians ...

... down the stairs after him so I could keep looking away from where the police could see, haha. So I followed and did a little more shopping, I didn't want to leave because I still had his mirror in my hand when he started walking away, I didn't want to steal it, haha. Very funny, but it makes for a good story, and no I didn't end up buying any. That night we ate a few dishes Sicily is renowned for including Frutti di Mare (Fruit of the Sea, pretty much mussels ...

... an eye out for Catania now that I'll have to pay more attention to European football over the next few years. I hope they do well. The main reason to come to Catania is to see Mt Etna so next morning, nursing a mildly sore head, I went to meet the group I'd be going up with but found myself in the middle of a giant fish market instead. Ooooer. Still, it ...