The contemporary second-class carriage aboard this inter-city train is comfortable, spick and span.
Carbon emissions
A total of 2.1 kilograms for this rail service compared with 6.2 kilograms if you undertook the same journey by car.
The seat
The seats on this short and swift service are unreserved, so en route to Catania, Sicily’s second largest city after the capital Palermo, try to snare a spot on the right-hand side of the train for views of Mount Etna, should it not be cloud-shrouded. The left-hand side of the carriage also affords views of the Sicilian coastline which the track hugs for all the journey.
Baggage
Sicily itself has an enormous amount of baggage, as evidenced by The Godfather trilogy, and also, more recently, a ban on the sale of mafia-related and perpetuating souvenirs, such as t-shirts, by the mayor of Agrigento in the island’s southwest. But as this is a day trip, your reviewer’s luggage is back at the hotel in Taormina. If you were transferring by train between cities and towns, the newer high-speed trains have luggage storage areas at one end of each carriage, while older trains often have only overhead racks above seats.
Food + drink
One of the most pleasurable aspects of train travel in Sicily is that there are often fully-fledged bars, or cafes, right on the platform where you can buy an espresso, alcoholic or soft drink and snacks like the island’s signature arancini – small golden bread-crumbed and fried rice balls stuffed with a savoury filling, traditionally wrapped in paper and eaten by hand. Unfortunately, the bar at Taormina-Giardini was closed for this journey but the one on the platform at Catania was fully operational.
One more thing
Arrive early to explore the charming station.Credit: Alamy
It’s worth arriving at Taormina-Giardini Station at least half-an-hour or so before your departure so you can properly explore this charming station. However, aside from its excellent platform bar there’s not much to detain you at the much more utilitarian Catania Centrale.
The price
Fares start from €5.80 ($9.64), one way.
The verdict
This breezy journey makes for an enthralling and inexpensive day trip to a grand and gritty Catania from Taormina with the bonus, of course, of a visit to the wonderful The Godfather III railway station. See trenitalia.com
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Our rating out of five
★★★★½
The writer visited Italy as a guest of Albatross Tours’ “Italy the Deep South & Sicily″ escorted journey. See albatrosstours.com.au