Page 310 - The Rough Guide of Sicily

B&B 5 Balconi Via del Plebiscito 133 338 727 2701, 5balconi.it. This clean,
relaxed B&B has artistically decorated rooms with vintage furnishings and plenty of
personality; and as the name implies, it has five balconies. The young Anglo-Sicilian
couple who run it are full of local tips. Bathrooms are shared, and there’s a/c and free
wi-fi. It’s on a busy road, but noise intrusion is minimal. Breakfast includes traditional

Catanese pastries. No credit cards. €55
B&B BaD Via C. Colombo 24 095 346 903, badcatania.com. Four vibrant rooms

and an apartment with cooking facilities and a terrace with a view of Etna, all set in a
funky, self-styled B&B with 1960s and 1970s furniture and walls covered with
psychedelic geometries and optical illusions. It’s conveniently located behind the

Pescheria and Piazza del Duomo. Rooms €80; apartment €100
B&B Bianca Via S. Tomaselli 43 095 989 0989, biancabb.com. B&B behind the
Giardino Bellini, where the young, friendly owners make sure guests are well

informed about what’s going on in Catania. There are two rooms, at present with
shared bathroom. The communal area is a cheerful place to hang out and chat, with
white walls and fittings, scarlet chairs, and a tangerine sofa where you can flop and

watch a DVD. €70
B&B Casa Barbero Via Caronda 209 095 820 6301, casabarbero.it.
Contemporary colours and design in a beautifully restored Liberty-era palazzo with

six quiet rooms set around a courtyard. Breakfast is served either in the courtyard, or
in the elaborately stuccoed and frescoed dining room, at tables elegantly laid with
Japanese-style ceramics and modern pewter. Bikes for guests’ use (free but €100

deposit). €90
Etnea 316 Via Etnea 316 095 250 3076, hoteletnea316.it. Real care has gone into
the maintenance of this charming old B&B, where ten spruced-up rooms retain their

original tile floors and lofty proportions. There’s a pretty lounge and breakfast room,
and a calm air envelops all. €65

Holland International Via Vittorio Emanuele 8 095 533 605, hollandintrooms.it.
Old-fashioned pensione, convenient for the station and charging competitive prices for
rooms on the first floor of an old palazzo with vaulted frescoed ceilings. Rooms come
with and without bathroom and all have a/c, satellite TV and tea- and coffee-making

facilities. There is free wi-fi, and the friendly Dutch owner speaks good English. €60

Hotel Gresi Via Pacini 28 095 322 709, gresihotel.com. Newly refurbished
traditional hotel, with a pleasantly old-fashioned atmosphere, where the spacious
rooms with frescoed ceilings offer exactly what you’d expect of a three-star hotel –
charmless veneer furniture, plain furnishings, phones, fridges and a/c. Good location

between Via Etnea and the bustling Piazza Carlo Alberto market. €70