Mercatini e Biglietti

After a relaxed start to our morning, Joe and I took off for Catania, to go to the Mercatini -- the Christmas Markets! There are six of them; I planned to hit three or four. Most are walking distance from each other.

Parking on via Garibaldi, all we had to do was walk toward the landmark elephant statue, way down the street in the Piazza del Duomo. I grew up in White Bear Lake, Minnesota, where it was almost compulsory to have a concrete white bear sculpture somewhere in your house or yard. In Catania, it's the elephant. They're everywhere, but it all began with this fella.

I feel I can only photograph an elephant from this angle for the next four years, out of disgust for the Republican party.

A little background excerpted from Etna Experience, because I know how much y'all love history:

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“The Elephant” is one of the legends about Etna.

The elephant is the official symbol of the city of Catania, thanks to an old legend. During the Upper Paleolithic Times, a dwarfed elephant lived in Sicily. According to the legend, this elephant protected the first population of Catania from all fierce and dangerous animals. People from Catania erected a statue in honor of this elephant. They called it u Liotru.

The name derives from the indialect of Heliodorus. He was a Catanian scholar of the eighth century who was burned alive in 778 by the Bishop of Catania Saint Leo II the Miracle-Worker. He was killed because he disturbed some sacred ceremonies with his various magic enchantments, one of which supposedly made the stone elephant walk.

Some scientists made different hypotheses to explain the origin and the meaning of the peculiar stone statue. The most authentic one is the assumption made by the twelfth century Arab geographer Idrisi. Between 1145-1154 he described Sicily following the order of Roger II, King of the Normans.
According to Idrisi, the elephant of Catania is a magical statue, a real talisman, that was built during the Byzantine period out of lava stone, in order to protect Catania from the dangers of Etna.

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We saw sidewalk vendors set up to sell Christmas goods, unofficially riding on the coattails of the Christmas markets.

Catania is also getting ready for New Year's Eve, another huge celebration here.

Sidewalk vendor had flowers covering 

one entire block.

Not yet attended sidewalk pop-up

Joe was a few steps ahead of me, not realizing that getting to the markets quicker did not mean I'll be leaving them earlier.

Just because I like the pretty 

facades of Catania

Yes, there are a few of the usual vendors at these things, all across the world, selling more souvenirs than art or homegrown goods. They're here and there amongst the many true artists, selling beautifully crafted things. I like to take my time looking at each stall. The quality pieces are not cheap; I like to compare and shop around.

We were there during the day, since that's when we had time, but the real magic of the Mercatini is at night. The whole place is lit up like, well, a Christmas tree, including the big one in the middle of the square.

First up, Mercato al via Garibaldi, since it's where we found a parking spot.

This tacky red carpet is everywhere, 

around Christmastime.

Squishy candy is not my thing at all, but it's certainly colorful.

The Teste di Mori beckon us in.

These are beautifully made. The boxes are also all handmade.

Glassware stall

At this market, I saw some really nice ceramic pieces, gorgeous matted photographs, jewelry, and a polished lava and white marble hand carved chess set that I really liked, but it was €110. Not a bad price compared to what I've seen on Chess Alley in NYC, but over my budget (for one item, anyway).

Next, the market at University Square. Here were more of what I call "Renaissance Festival" trinkets... handmade soaps, pistachio and almond products that, frankly, I've seen at Decò (same brand), cloth handmade purses that are, in my opinion, ugly; Christmas-themed placemats and tablecloths, and tourist-catchers. The last item includes anything red-pepper themed, or in the shape of Sicily (magnets, earrings, soap) with the word Sicilia emblazened upon them, etc, etc, but at least no one was tacky enough to have Godfather movie aprons and other such junk for sale. 

This market has the most crowds, in which there was a 6-person tour group, apparently from Texas based on their accent. They were obnoxious and I cringed for their guide, who was all but rolling his eyes, as he explained he had a food experience booked that was a 15-minute walk from there; it's a small place with good food, and he recounted the Sicilian specialties they'll sample; urging them to get a move on. I was getting hungry, just listening about the food. The women in the group pointed to a tourist trap restaurant 10 feet away (fitted with a barker standing in front, trying to drum up business), saying, but we're right here, and there's plenty of seating available! What can I say. I tried to look at un-Texan as possible.

Now to the market at via Minoriti. Here there's more of a mix of goods. It's a tiny market at the monestary; lots of leather goods, jewelry, glass pieces. Most of the items were of good quality, with a dish towel or magnet vendor here and there. The market is on a street split in two by the piazza, continuing on either side.

Center of the Piazza Università 

Ugh; that red carpet!

Piazza del Duomo

Minoriti

Down the street on one side of the piazza

The other side

Clever planter box seating in foreground 

Candied apples

Although I had told Joe, who was being very patient while I shopped, that I just wanted to see the Minoriti market, then we can leave, the last stop we made was one that he pointed out himself. Up the stairs, decorated with silly light-up Christmas figures (these are all magical by night, right?) is Piazza Mazzini. Here, there are what I'd call antique crafts. Pretty, but at first I saw only handmade lace, crocheted things, paper products. All beautifully crafted, but too fussy for my style. As we turned to complete the loop around, there were artisan food, perfume, and liqueur vendors. 

Entrance to Piazza Mazzini 

Small corner with a bistro set up.

I fell into a long conversation with a guy who raises bees that feast mainly on saffron. He sells saffron threads, more fragrant than any I've had a whiff of in my entire life. I was curious about the bees, because saffron is from crocus flowers, which are nearly ephemeral with their short growing season. But not true with the croci on Etna. There is a lengthier season on her higher altitudes. I wanted to buy the honey, but opted for the orange marmalade, which has a beautiful flavor, mildly hinting of saffron. 

Joe walked up to us; I told the vendor he's my husband. After sampling the excellent honey he offered, which is heavenly (we bought some), he asked Joe if he were in pensione. Joe explained he still works a little. I added, he's a lawyer--un vecchio avvocato non muore mai. An old lawyer never dies.

The vendor's eyes lit up, saying his wife is a lawyer. I asked why the ending for avvocato stays masculine if the lawyer is a woman. It changes for doctor, professor, artist--what the heck? The artisan perfume vendor woman across the aisle made a tsk sound. Sempre la donna è perso, I said to her over my shoulder. The woman is always forgotten (lost). Eh, davvero, she agreed and shrugged. One of the hardest words to learn in Italian is how the Italian woman says the word "eh". Seriously. It's a craft of its own.

We stopped for a caffè on the way out. I laughed, seeing one of the phrases on the wall, since I had heard our friend Filippo singing it at Butcher Block, his old restaurant, often when someone ordered a cappuccino after dinner or asked for cheese on their scallops. The barista (ok; here's a word that stays feminine, even if a guy is making your caffè!) caught my smirk, so I explained, and asked if it were a phrase from a popular song.

He has a pleasant demeanor and a friendly face. "È una frase di Totò , com'è tutto qua," he said, sweeping his arm to indicate all the walls. Sure enough, there were photos and quotes of the beloved Napolitano actor, Totò, so it makes sense Filippo knows it. And, because he's a man who loves to sing, it also makes sense he put a tune to it.

Friendly barista

And, because I can't stop myself, I ate up more photo storage, consuming bella Catania
all the way back to the car.

See the face?

And more faces...

Pink is beautiful here. It wouldn't translate well in Minnesota, but it's soft and lovely under the Catanian sun.

Fun Mori-ficodindia shop mural

Churches at the end of every street, it seems

Warm colors warm my heart

Pink & Gray & Motorcycle 

"My love, I have my menu in bed," the poetic graffiti artist wrote.

Another church

Store window, balcony 

City balconies 

Storefront shutter detail

Cacti

Pesce e ricci art

And more Catania views on the way home.

Storefront 

From Google: The Porta Ferdinandea is a triumphal arch, built by Stefano Ittar and Francesco Battaglia, to commemorate the wedding between Ferdinand IV, the king of the “Two Sicilies”, and Maria Carolina of Habsburg-Lorena, in 1768. The gate, visible from Piazza Duomo, is located at the end of Via Garibaldi, within a district called, by the citizens, “U Futtinu” (BlockHouse), in memory of an ancient blockhouse built after the Etna’s eruption in 1669. The gate was a beautiful masterwork of XVIII c., with its alternation of white and black lava stone, a big clock, and an eagle. In 1862 its name changed in “Porta Garibaldi”, in Honour of Giuseppe Garibaldi, who stopped the bourbon domination during the Unification of Italy. On the monumental gate, there is a Latin inscription, emblematic for a city like Catania: “Melior de cinere surgo”- “I rise from my ashes more and more flourishing”.

Mama Etna, from the autostrada

We no sooner returned and ate a late lunch, when Ettore arrived to play.  I have a video that's hard to post, but as we're doing a puzzle, he grunted in a scary voice, imitating me: "I can't. Stop. Doing. A puzzle!" (over and over again).

"See? I can join Rachi, coming to Minnesota. 

I fit inside a suitcase."

We hung out for a while, before he did the now-usual departure, but this time I followed him down to Mariella's and joined him, Agnese, and Matteo (and Mariella , as she bustled through here and there) for a while, before returning upstairs. Mariella called Alessandro after I explained I wanted to get those tickets booked today for Rachi.

When Alessandro got home, we joined him and the family in his home office. Since an Unaccompanied Minor must have reservations called in versus booked online, this became a multi-person effort:

Joe, confirming all USTA scores and documentation for tennis tournaments with Rachi (more to do with tennis than the flight, but needed to be done);

Alessandro, looking at rates I found earlier for Travel Tuesday, and pulling them up on his monitor, in case any fee discussed on the phone needed an argument;

Rachi, getting her passport and offering general input;

Maria Teresa, coming up with a credit card that works, along with other important points to consider, such as where will we put the tennis requests now that you booked basic economy, which has no checked bag;

Me, on the phone (speaker), on hold for 23 minutes, then dealing with a Delta rep that, as I explained to Alessandro, non ha l'amore per il suo lavoro-- doesn't love her job. He nodded in agreement, proceeding with a perfect imitation of her very bored intonations.

Finally! Mission accomplished. We will have Rachi with us for a month, in time for the 4th of July festivities!

Alessandro is effusively grateful, and we're excited. Now to actually book our trip. And finalize the Mexico excursion. Tomorrow.

A quick but good supper, pasta alla gricia, since I had some beautiful guanciale and pecorino to use up. A Grillo during and a fresh, pungent fennel and celery salad afterward completed this colorless but incredibly satisfying meal.

A fun, productive, cheerful day!