Story and photographs by Christopher J Davies
As an American, as a teenager, I first learned about Sicily by watching the epic movie The Godfather. It was where Michael Corleone escaped from New York and sought refuge in Sicily. Michael traversed with his bodyguards through small villages, trying to avoid being exterminated by the Mafia.
In 2019, I discovered Sicilian wines in Italy. They were sold mainly in grocery stores on the lower shelves, where value-priced, everyday wines could be found. We could buy the average bottle for 4-6 euros. The wines never disappointed us.
The Late, Great Anthony Bourdain featured Sicily twice in his television career:
- No Reservations (Food Network) Season 1, Episode 6
- Parts Unknown (CNN) Season 2, Episode 5
Watching these shows helped me understand that Sicily was uniquely different from Italy. Sicilian cuisine and architecture are influenced by four cultures: Greeks, Romans, Arabs, and the Normans. So admittedly, Sicily has been on our bucket list since before the pandemic raised its ugly head.
In April 2024, Darcy and I visited Verona annually to visit the VinItaly trade show, Italy's most significant annual wine exhibition. We made it a point to visit producers from Sicily, first visiting the collection of wine exhibitors from the Etna DOC. We also made an appointment to meet with the agency representing the Wines of Sicilia.
Darcy and I had the pleasure of visiting Catania, Sicily, in September 2024, right in the middle of harvest 2024. We flew from Denver to Milan via United Airlines and then connected to Catania via the convenient European bargain carrier EasyJet. On our first two days, we stayed at a spectacular, well-positioned, modern, renovated apartment in downtown that we found on Airbnb. The cost was $115 per night. Check it out!
Catania is Sicily's second-most populated city (after the capital city, Palermo), with 1.1 million residents in its metro area. It's an ancient port city located within the shadows of Mount Etna, Europe's largest active volcano. Catania is also known as "the Black City" because many of its buildings are made of black volcanic stone.
Central Catania is loaded with historic churches, restaurants, gelaterias, and an active live market, showcasing the bounties of Sicily throughout the pedestrian-only areas. There are numerous Macelleria (butcher shops) scattered throughout Catania. Several specialize in Carne de Cavallo (Horse meat).
Sicily's king of protein is fresh-caught seafood. The Cantania La Pescheria (Catania Fish Market) is a historic, lively, and colorful market frequented by locals, tourists, and Michelin-starred chefs. The fish market moved to its current location behind Piazza Duomo after the devastating earthquake of 1693. The place smells like the sea and putrid, decaying skin, blended with scents of fresh lemons and herbs. The passionate fishmongers are lively and sometimes entertaining from behind their stalls.
If you visit, go early to nab the freshest, perfect seafood. The fish market opens at 8, when the fish is at its freshest. If you wait past ten, the market is bursting with tour groups and cruise passengers. The market has much more than seafood. You will find fresh produce, fruits, artisanal local cheese, meats, nuts, and Sicily's most precious ingredient, Pistachios. The Bronte Pistachios, grown near Mount Etna, are renowned for their intense flavor and green color.
If you are a fan of fresh seafood, several excellent restaurants are within earshot of the markets' fishmongers, grilling, broiling, and deep-frying spectacular appetizers and entrées. Try the locally caught Swordfish, calamari, Tuna, and Sea urchins.
Uniquely Sicilian: Nebrodi Black Pig
Meat lovers will be pleasantly surprised that Sicily has a unique, indigenous black pig called Nebrodi or Nero. The black pigs were raised for up to two years in the wild in Northeast Sicily near Messina in the protected Nebrodi National Park mountains. Their diet comprises chestnuts, acorns, and tubers (thick underground plant stems). The meat has intense and aromatic flavors. I could call this "pork on steroids." But the meat is all natural with no additives. Sadly, this product is not available in the US. You will find dishes featuring Nebrodi pork in many fine restaurants throughout Catania.
Sicily's largest religious festival, the Feast of St. Agatha, is held annually in Catania from February 3rd to 5th. In 2025, the festival hosted over 1 million people. It features magnificent fireworks displays, historical parades, and religious ceremonies.
Near the Cathedral is the Chiesa (church) Badia di Sant'Agata. It is a much younger church or abbey, built in the 1800s. The church has beautiful white and grey patterned marble floors and simple white stucco on the walls. The big bonus is its rooftop terrace and 360 panorama views of Catania's rooftops and Mount Etna looming in the north. You can gain access to the rooftop (€ 5). If you do not wish to climb the stairs, you can ask to be led to the hidden elevator on the left side of the pew. Either way, to reach the dome at the top, you must climb a challenging metal circular stairway. Bring your camera because the views from the top are breathtaking.
Where To Eat:
Tantikkia Cucina e vino
A great wine bar with indoor or outdoor patio seating, creative cuisine, and a carefully curated wine cellar heavily populated with Sicilian bottles.
The cuisine showcases a fun, creative play on popular Sicilian dishes, emphasizing fresh ingredients. Tantikkia is on a narrow pedestrian-only street with hundreds of colorful open umbrellas suspended by cables above.
What we ate:
- Arancini e Sepia
- Grilled Octopus with creamy potato puree
Paired with:
Filippo Grasso Carrico 68.8 Vino Blanco from Etna (26E)
A delicious, tart, and citrusy wine with hints of stone and minerals.
This was our first encounter with a seventyish Catanesi accordion player with animated facial expressions like BB King made when he was playing the blues. The only thing missing was a monkey passing around a hat.
Tantikkia Cucina e vino
Via Gisira 28, Catania, Italy, 95121
Ristorante ViQlè
This restaurant is just steps away from Catania's fish market. Many locals state that restaurants near the fish market have the highest-quality seafood. It makes total sense, and ViQlè did not disappoint.
We had lunch outside at a great table ideal for people-watching. Our colorful Catanesi accordion player was working this side of town that afternoon and injected himself throughout the packed patio of tourists savoring Catania's bounty of the sea.
What we ate:
- Taglieri e Salumi e Formaggio Nationali € 22
- Focaccia Simplice Homemade € 5
- Spigola Griglia (Grilled Seabass with clams & mussels) €18
- Tagliata di manzo (sliced grilled beef with potato and spinach) €21
Wine: Tenuto Dello Jato Etna Blanco €25
Ristorante ViQlè
Me Cumpari Turiddu
This multi-faceted business is a highly revered farm-to-table restaurant,
a Putia (the shop) and an Enoteca (wine store).
Located in Piazza Turi Ferro, formerly Spirito Santo (Holy Piazza), and down the road from Catania's ancient Roman Amphitheater. The business is the brainchild of Padrona di Casa/ Owner Roberta Capizzi, a former lawyer who practiced in Milan. Roberta made a life-changing decision and returned to Sicily to live a dream of sharing her grandmother's recipes, utilizing fresh vegetables from her family farm, and mostly Sicilian ingredients.
We had the pleasure of dining at Me Cumpari Turiddu for a Wines of Sicily Welcome dinner for our group of twenty. In attendance were our host, Debora Salamone, publicist and project director for Wines of Sicily, two Master Sommeliers, Journalists, and wine buyers.
The décor was eclectic with antique furnishings, tables, and old, dimly lit chandeliers.
The servers, Maître d' and Head Sommelier Giovanni La Rosa, coordinated servings meticulously. At the same time, Roberta explained her philosophy for the restaurant, with back stories about each dish and its locally sourced ingredients.
The restaurant serves rustic, upscale Sicilian cuisine paired with organic and biodynamic wines from Sicily. The plating is not arranged by tweezers but is instead presented like Nonna (Grandma) placing her yummy foods on your plate.
Stanley Tucci visited Me Cumpari Turiddu in 2021 and featured the restaurant on an episode of Searching for Italy. Michelin has awarded the restaurant Bib Gourmand status.
Me Cumpari Turiddu
Piazza Turi Ferro 36, Catania, 95124, Italy
https://www.mecumparituriddu.it/en/
