My Viking Cruise arrived to the port city of Catania, in Sicily, Italy for a few hours and had to…read moreback to ship by 4:30pm to set sail for next ocean port. My walking tour took us around to explore and gave us about 45 minutes to explore and come back. So I decided keep walking and explore further down the long street and I ended up at Piazza Stesicoro which a rectangular city square in the historic center of the city of Catania, in Sicily, Italy. There was a flea market going on on one side of the street and Statue of Vincenzo Bellini there in middle and on the other side is where the ruin theater is with the Chiesa di San Biagio in Sant'Agata alla Fornace Catholic Church overlooks it. The Roman Amphitheater of Catania, was built in the 2nd century AD, was used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles, with a capacity for 15,000-16,000 spectators. Located in the center of modern Catania in Piazza Stesicoro. Most of the amphitheater remains buried beneath the city, with only a small portion visible, revealing its construction from lava stone. It is considered the second-largest Roman amphitheater in Italy after the Colosseum. So this is very important part of history that I just stumbled upon on. Glad I was able to walk and explore this section and took all the photos I could. Eventhough my tour bus took us around this area without stopping it was hard to take photos from the bus. So, I was glad I spent what time I had on foot to walk this area on my own.

We are staying in the Relais Anfitheatro, so you think, where is this theatre. Turns out, you are…read moreliving in it. It must have been huge and the ruins are an impressive reminder of that. However, in itself, maybe not worth the detour.

The cathedral is a nice looking church on a nice square. Inside the cathedral is quite white,…read morewithout too many ceiling decorations. Nevertheless, it has a few very interesting details. Firstly, Bellini is buried here. Secondly, the body of a previous bishop of Catania can be seen behind glass. Quite bizarre. All in all, worth the visit for about 15 minutes.

Naval Air Station Sigonella is beautiful with ammenities to make you feel right at home…read more If you've ever been to Hickam with the quaint architecture of the 1940s and palm trees swaying in the wind. that's what you'll find here. It's a tucked away hidden gem like a small village waiting to be discovered. A snow capped Mt. Etna was the perfect backdrop that framed this lovely "village". Everything is within walking distance. Commissary and Base Exchange are in the same building which is nice when the weather is chilly like today. You will find all the goodies you get back home like high-end cosmetics, designer handbags and in addition local artisan decorative pottery and gourmet foodie gifts and wine. The nice thing is that wine tastings are here daily! Pistachios are very popular here and you will find them in most dishes at all the restaurants. Here you can find pistachio fillings in cakes, cookies, candies, dips and breads. The ITT (ticket office) can be found here too and my goodness what a fabulous calendar of events they have! Come here to sign up for pre-arranged tours and activities. A few I saw were a Sicilian Holiday Cooking Class, Antique Train ride around Mt. Etna, Orange Harvest and lunch, Tour and wine tastings, Nativity Scene and Puppet Show, a Spa Day at Hotel Olimpio, Tours of Castles, Piazzas and churches, Catania City tour and my favorite the Godfather Tour in Palermo! Additional acitivities include a fun run/walk and family hikes of Mt. Etna. A movie theatre is here too with only $4 tickets for adults! Showing the latest releases! Today at 5 p.m. you can see Rise of the Guardians and The Hobbit will be featured here too! Hospital available on premises as well. A family fitness center provides kid friendly excersise machines so the whole family can workout (wow what a concept). The Bowling Alley provides family fun nights. Library here too with cafe. The commissary is small compared to those back home. One thing you will have to know is you must weigh and label your own produce before taking it to the cashier. A shopping cart costs a euro to use. A food court is found adjacent to the commisary where you will find pizza, Burger King and Subway. USO Tour brought American Idol former contestants Diana Degarmo, Ace Young, Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders and Denver Bronco's Peyton Manning. We walk to the base daily so kids can play on the playground and enjoy a treat. We buy our groceries here too and I'm enjoying the simpler quieter time we have instead of driving in traffic like we do back home. Here, we just walk home with groceries in tow enjoying the crisp Sicilian country air!

A small military base with the usual fast food restaurants and facilities. There is a Vodafone,…read moreDunkin Donuts, Etna Grill, Taco Bell, Subway, and Baskin Robin's. You can also shop at the commissary and NEX.

Love it here! Beautiful reserve. Miles of nature trails. Perfect for walking, hiking, biking. Go to…read morethe Long Beach, seim in the beautiful azure sea! Watch the flamingos. Visit the old tuna cannery. There is so much to see and do here. It truly is a very special place.