6 days in Sicily-09/24 - 09/29/2017

Catania-Day 2- Breakfast-09/25/2017

This is our first morning here Catania and we like to start our day with a nice breakfast.

Minh took us to a popular coffee shop close by our apartment.

 Bar Mazzini is a typical Italian bar with lots of characters. The owner was very friendly and very welcoming.

There are very limited seating inside the shop so they gave us a table al fresco.  The weather was just perfect to be seating outside.

 

Sicilian loves to seat outside and watch people passing by...

 

We ordered Americano, Cappuccino, café con latte, and a bunch of pastries.

The coffee is really good, the pastries so so... Nothing like in Paris.

 

Enjoying our first cup of coffee of the day!

 

We ordered a Pain au chocolat,  Saint Agatha nipple (minne di Sant’Agata) this is a Catania specialty, a brioche and croissant so we can each try a bit of everything.

 

This was the only pastry that was decent!

Saint Agatha nipple is Catania specialty made in her honor. They refer to the breasts that were cut during her martyrdom and to which she was subjected and force to renounce her faith.

A' Piscaria Mercato del Pesce -(Fish Market)

The “Pescheria” (Piscaria in Sicilian) is the oldest fish market in Catania located off Piazza Duomo near the cathedral and fountain, between Via Garibaldi and Via Pacini, extending along Via Gemelli Zappalà and some of the nearby streets. The fish market is open daily except on Sundays and is one of the most colorful in all of Sicily.  Even before you actually reach the market you will be hit with a pungent smell and your can hear the bustle an bustle and shouting fishmongers trying to advertise their products.

 The Catania fish market is the biggest and most well-known fish market throughout Sicily.

You will be surprised about the huge offer of fresh fish and about the oddities the sea provides..

 

Very lively place with fishmongers screaming left and right to attract clients.

Minh is in the right corner taking pictures!  We are up above looking down.

 

 Lot of different species of fish are on display.

If you speaks Italian,  the expert merchants will advise you in the choice of the best fish, and perhaps suggest how to best prepare them.

 

Very interesting to watch the dynamic between seller and buyer...

 

Baby shark? Not sure how to cook a baby shark, perhap use for some type of stew?

The seafood on display are really beautiful to look at

 

This fishmonger is handling cuttle fish

Look on top you can see Loan in the back ground.

 

This guy looks just like papa Hemingway.

Nice piece of fish he has to offer to his clients.

 

We are looking down at all the fish on display and watching the fishmonger handling and selling their products.

 

Never a dull moment in this market!   People  are every where.

 

 

This fishmonger was just given a bag with freshlly caught octopus and he dumped them out on a white tray (1st picture).  On the 2nd picture he was just handling the octopus.

 They are still moving around....

 

Now we are walking on the perimeter of the market where there are a lot of stalls.

Fish and more fish.  Lots of varieties that we have never seen before.

 

 

Loan and I talking about all the seafood around us.

Too bad we cannot buy some to make a meal out of it.


Bacalhau (salted cod) from Norwegian

 

If you are hungry you can grab a quick snack for 1 euro- fresh marinated anchovies with fresh herb, some type of seasonings and fresh lime.

 

Freshly caught sword fish.

 

This guys is preparing and cutting the sword fish into small portion.

You can tell he is highly skill and he knows exactly how to cut the fish.

Pretty amazing to see them working on the fish.

 

The fishmongers are really nice!  I think they are used of people taking their pictures.

 They don't have a lot of fish on display probably because they sell the catch of the day.  The fish are fresh and there is no need to put them on ice like we are use to here in the states.

 

Head of a swordfish.  Pretty cool, right?

Boat full of shellfish.

I really think that strolling through the fish market is a special experience that you should not miss when visiting Catania.

 


Next...Fish Market continued

 

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