The Arabs called Catania “the city of the Elephant.” Just look at the Catania coat of arms and this statue in the very center of the main square. What’s with all the elephants?Apparently Sicily used to be home to a species of dwarf elephants that could only be found in Sicily and Sardinia. Although the species died off thousands of years ago, the elephant has remained a part of the Catania identity and folklore.
The Catania soccer team, called Calcio Cataina, also has an elephant as their mascot. The football club was founded in 1908 and plays
Series A football, which is the top of the football pyramid. On Sunday a bunch of us from Aci Trezza drove 20 minutes south to the Catania Stadium to catch some world class football as Catania took on Bologna. European football can get a little rowdy so our friends who have gone to games before recommended that Shannon and I pick up some Catania colors so there won’t be any misunderstandings.
This stadium is smaller than an average American Football stadium with two decks. The Eastern seats have a view of Mt. Etna over the stadium. You may also notice that there is a seating area that has a net over it, this area is for the visiting fans, the net is to protect them. The Catania fans sing songs the whole game, literally the whole game. They have leaders who direct the different sections of seating.Catania Ended up losing the game but it was a fun time.
Afterwards we all headed over to the Canguru Pizzaria (Kangaroo Pizzaria), which is right next door to our apartment. The Americans have established a relationship with the owner of the restaurant and he agreed to let us make our own pizzas.
