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Day 8 Β· Thu 03 Sep 2026
Alcantara Gorges, last cannoli, fly home
D8
Thu 03 Sep 2026

Alcantara Gorges, last cannoli, fly home

πŸ“ Catania & Etna ⚑️ Medium closed πŸ›£ 127.7 km πŸ’Ά €239 2 stops

Timeline

How to get there

  1. πŸš— driving 53 min Β· 56.2 km
    Corte dei Medici - Palace, Catania β†’ Gole dell'Alcantara (Alcantara Gorges)
    Corte dei Medici - Palace, Catania to Gole dell'Alcantara (Alcantara Gorges) Open in Google Maps β†’
    Step-by-step
    1. Head west on Via Umberto I toward Via Vanasco 1 min Β· 309 m
    2. Slight right onto Via Etnea 5 min Β· 1.7 km
    3. Via Etnea turns slightly right and becomes Via del Bosco 0 min Β· 67 m
    4. Via del Bosco turns slightly right and becomes Viale Odorico da Pordenone 1 min Β· 528 m
    5. Slight right (signs for Centro/Aeroporto/Tangenziale Ovest/Siracusa) 0 min Β· 161 m
    6. Take the ramp to Centro 0 min Β· 310 m
    7. Slight right onto A18dir 4 min Β· 4.1 km
    8. Take the exit onto A18/E45 toward Messina/Paesi EtneiToll road 22 min Β· 35.7 km
    9. Take exit Giardini Naxos toward Giardini NaxosToll road 1 min Β· 821 m
    10. Slight right 0 min Β· 229 m
    11. Merge onto SS185 9 min Β· 5.8 km
    12. Continue straight onto Via Regina Margherita 1 min Β· 447 m
    13. Slight right onto SS185 7 min Β· 6.0 km
    14. Turn leftRestricted usage road 1 min Β· 35 m
  2. πŸš— driving 7 min Β· 4.9 km
    Gole dell'Alcantara (Alcantara Gorges) β†’ Lunch
    Gole dell'Alcantara (Alcantara Gorges) to Lunch Open in Google Maps β†’
    Step-by-step
    1. Head east toward SS185Restricted usage road 0 min Β· 35 m
    2. Turn left onto SS185 5 min Β· 4.1 km
    3. Turn left onto Via dei Mulini/SS185Continue to follow SS185Destination will be on the right 1 min Β· 729 m
  3. πŸš— driving 59 min Β· 56.4 km
    Lunch β†’ Catania food souvenirs (pistachio, chocolate, cannoli)
    Lunch to Catania food souvenirs (pistachio, chocolate, cannoli) Open in Google Maps β†’
    Step-by-step
    1. Head east on Via Roma/SS185 toward Via StazioneContinue to follow SS185 1 min Β· 729 m
    2. Turn right onto Via Regina Elena/SS185Continue to follow SS185 7 min Β· 6.3 km
    3. Turn right onto Contrada Finaita/SP81 (signs for Mitogio) 1 min Β· 233 m
    4. Turn left onto SP81 10 min Β· 7.5 km
    5. SP81 turns right and becomes Piazza Vittorio Emanuele 0 min Β· 80 m
    6. Continue onto SP1iii 1 min Β· 683 m
    7. Turn right onto Strada Quaderara Castellace 4 min Β· 3.4 km
    8. At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto the E45/A18 ramp to Messina/CataniaToll road 1 min Β· 527 m
    9. Merge onto A18/E45 via the ramp to CataniaToll road 18 min Β· 28.5 km
    10. Take the exit toward Catania Centro 1 min Β· 982 m
    11. Continue onto A18dir 4 min Β· 4.2 km
    12. Continue onto Via Vincenzo Giuffrida 0 min Β· 170 m
    13. Turn right onto Via Luigi Pirandello 1 min Β· 269 m
    14. Continue onto Via Francesco Fusco 1 min Β· 369 m
    15. At the roundabout, take the 3rd exit onto Via Caronda 2 min Β· 672 m
    16. Turn right onto Via Bertuccio 0 min Β· 50 m
    17. Continue onto Piazza Cavour 0 min Β· 81 m
    18. Turn left to stay on Piazza Cavour 1 min Β· 163 m
    19. Continue onto Via Antonino Longo 1 min Β· 338 m
    20. Continue onto Piazza Roma 0 min Β· 78 m
    21. Continue onto Via Salvatore Tomaselli 1 min Β· 437 m
    22. Continue onto Via Santa Maddalena 1 min Β· 121 m
    23. Turn left onto Piazza S. Domenico 0 min Β· 16 m
    24. Turn right to stay on Piazza S. Domenico 0 min Β· 55 m
    25. Continue onto Via Cappuccini 0 min Β· 122 m
    26. Turn right onto P.zza Stesicoro 0 min Β· 66 m
    27. Turn right onto Via Alessandro Manzoni 1 min Β· 175 m
    28. Turn right onto Salita S. Camillo 0 min Β· 70 m
  4. πŸš— driving 21 min Β· 9.3 km
    Corte dei Medici - Palace, Catania β†’ Catania Fontanarossa Airport (CTA)
    Corte dei Medici - Palace, Catania to Catania Fontanarossa Airport (CTA) Open in Google Maps β†’
    Step-by-step
    1. Head west on Via Umberto I toward Via Vanasco 1 min Β· 309 m
    2. Slight right onto Via Etnea 0 min Β· 26 m
    3. Turn left onto Via Argentina 0 min Β· 64 m
    4. Turn left onto Via Sant'Euplio 1 min Β· 177 m
    5. Turn right onto Largo Paisiello/Via Pacini 0 min Β· 70 m
    6. Turn right onto Via Domenico Cimarosa 1 min Β· 165 m
    7. Turn right to stay on Via Domenico Cimarosa 0 min Β· 67 m
    8. Turn left onto Via Santa Maddalena 1 min Β· 213 m
    9. Turn right onto Via Plebiscito 5 min Β· 1.4 km
    10. Turn right onto Via Fortino Vecchio 1 min Β· 231 m
    11. Turn right onto Via Costantino 0 min Β· 33 m
    12. Turn left onto Via Giuseppe Poulet 1 min Β· 416 m
    13. Turn right onto Via della Concordia 0 min Β· 99 m
    14. Turn left onto Viale della Regione 0 min Β· 91 m
    15. Turn right onto Via Acquicella 1 min Β· 510 m
    16. Continue onto Via Zia Lisa 1 min Β· 283 m
    17. Turn left onto Via Fenice 0 min Β· 49 m
    18. Continue onto Via Amerigo Vespucci 1 min Β· 578 m
    19. Turn right toward Via S. Giuseppe Alla Rena 0 min Β· 176 m
    20. Turn right onto Via S. Giuseppe Alla Rena 5 min Β· 3.6 km
    21. Turn right 0 min Β· 198 m
    22. Turn left 1 min Β· 452 m

Landmarks today

Where to eat

Lunch Macelleria Braceria " U PACCIU "

13:15
Restaurant 4.7β˜… (1,593) πŸ’Ά €114

Order: For a family of five adults, order a shared mix of antipasti with meat carpaccio and caponata, plus two or three meat mains split across the table: boiled meat, sausage with onion, and homemade pasta with meat sauce. If the group wants the most-recommended experience from reviewers, lean heavier on the meat dishes and share portions family-style.

The place feels lively, rustic, and a bit theatrical, with a casual braceria vibe that people describe as abundant, fun, and full of local character.

Dinner Spaghetti & Co.

17:30
Italian Restaurant 4.7β˜… (5,358) πŸ’Ά €66

Order: For a family of 5 adults, a strong order is 5 different pastas so everyone can sample: Cacio e Pepe, Norma, Carbonara, Amatriciana, and Catanese. If sharing is welcome, add one extra Norma or Carbonara because those are the safest crowd-pleasers from the menu and review snippets.

The place feels like a lively, casual pasta spot in a prime historic street location, with a friendly, tourist-friendly vibe.

Full schedule

Day 8 β€” Thu 03 Sep β€” Alcantara Gorges, last cannoli, fly home

status: one of draft β†’ proposed β†’ approved β†’ closed. Edit the status: field in the frontmatter above; run vc:close-day N in the CLI when closing to regenerate timeline + directions.

Base: Corte dei Medici - Palace, Catania Theme: Ice-cold basalt gorge in the morning, souvenirs and a last dinner in Catania, then the 22:25 flight Energy target: M

Stops

Time Activity Detail
08:45–09:15 πŸ› Corte dei Medici - Palace, Catania (30m) Check out, leave all bags in hotel luggage storage (we come back for them at 18:45 β€” do NOT load the cars, we want the boots free). Coffee +
09:15–10:15 β†’ driving 53 min Β· 56.2 km
10:15–13:00 πŸ“ Gole dell'Alcantara (Alcantara Gorges) (165m) Β· €39 Last big thing of the trip: a 25m-deep canyon of black basalt columns with the Alcantara river running through it. Water is ~10-12Β°C even in
13:00–13:15 β†’ driving 7 min Β· 4.9 km
13:15–14:45 🍽 Lunch (90m) Β· €114 Lunch in Francavilla di Sicilia, 7 min up the valley from the gorge β€” mountain Sicilian cooking, cheaper than the coast. 9 covers.
14:45–15:50 β†’ driving 59 min Β· 56.4 km
15:50–17:30 πŸ“ Catania food souvenirs (pistachio, chocolate, cannoli) (100m) Back in Catania ~15:50 (about 1h from Francavilla). Via Etnea + the streets behind the Duomo: Bronte pistachio cream, Modica chocolate refil
17:30–17:31 β†’ walking 0 min Β· 0.0 km
17:30–18:40 🍽 Dinner (70m) Β· €66 EARLY last dinner in the centro storico β€” a proper sit-down instead of an airport sandwich. 9 covers, tell them we have a flight.
18:40–18:55 β†’ walking 14 min Β· 1.0 km
18:55–19:15 πŸ› Corte dei Medici - Palace, Catania (20m) Collect the bags from storage, load both cars, drive out to the airport (~15 min).
19:15–19:40 β†’ driving 21 min Β· 9.3 km
19:40–22:25 ✈ Catania Fontanarossa Airport (CTA) (165m) _Locauto drop-off ~19:40 (conf. 739041620, fuel policy per voucher β€” refuel on the ring road before returning). Wizz W4 3152 dep 22:25 β†’ OTP _

Day total: 127.7 km transit Β· €239 spend

Day Map

Day 8 route

Open in OpenStreetMap Β· 5 stops plotted

Weather

β€”

β›… Partly cloudy Β· 22.0–33.6Β°C Β· πŸ’§ 6% (0.0mm) Β· πŸ’¨ 11.4 km/h Β· πŸŒ… 06:25 Β· πŸŒ‡ 19:36

Min Max Precip prob Precip mm Wind max Sunrise Sunset
22.0 33.6 6% 0.0 11.4 06:25 19:36

Open-Meteo forecast Β· fetched 2026-08-20 08:31 UTC Β· T-7d β€”

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Meal Picks

β€”

Dinner pick Β· near (37.506,15.085)

  1. β˜… Spaghetti & Co. β€” β˜… 4.7 (5,358 reviews) Β· 1min walk Β· β‰ˆ €125 Β· πŸ“ Open in Google Maps
  2. L'Antica Pizzeria da Michele Catania β€” β˜… 4.7 (7,220 reviews) Β· 3min walk Β· β‰ˆ €125
  3. Locanda Cerami β€” β˜… 4.4 (2,219 reviews) Β· 1min walk Β· β‰ˆ €125

Lunch pick Β· near (37.9016,15.1349)

  1. β˜… Macelleria Braceria " U PACCIU " β€” β˜… 4.7 (1,593 reviews) Β· 1min walk Β· β‰ˆ €225 Β· πŸ“ Open in Google Maps
  2. Trattoria Rapisardi β€” β˜… 4.7 (564 reviews) Β· 1min walk Β· β‰ˆ €125 β€”

β€”

Cost Breakdown

β€”

Time Item Category Total Per person (3)
08:45 β†’ Fuel 56 km + toll 37 km (A18/E45) transport €9.61 €3.20
10:15 Gole dell'Alcantara (Alcantara Gorges) visit €39.00 €13.00
10:15 β†’ Fuel 5 km (toll-free) transport €0.55 €0.18
13:15 Lunch x3 (est. €38 pp β€” Macelleria Braceria " U PACCIU ") meal €114.00 €38.00
13:15 β†’ Fuel 56 km + toll 29 km (A18/E45) transport €8.97 €2.99
17:30 Dinner x3 (est. €22 pp β€” Spaghetti & Co.) meal €66.00 €22.00
18:55 β†’ Fuel 9 km (toll-free) transport €1.06 €0.35

Day total: €239.19 Β· €79.73 per person (3 travellers)

By category:

Category Spend Per person
meal €180.00 €60.00
visit €39.00 €13.00
transport €20.19 €6.73
β€”

Morning

  • 08:45 β€” Check out, bags into hotel storage (boots stay empty)
  • Water shoes, towels, swimsuits under clothes β€” gorge kit in the cars
  • 10:15 β€” Gole dell'Alcantara: basalt canyon + wade upstream (165min) Β· park entry ~€18pp (€54 for us) or free public stairs

Breakfast

  • At the hotel β€” no stop planned

Midday

  • 13:15 β€” Lunch in Francavilla di Sicilia (90min)

Lunch

  • Case A sit-down β€” see Meal Picks

Afternoon

  • 15:50 β€” Via Etnea: food souvenirs, boxed cannoli (100min)

Evening

  • 17:30 β€” Early last dinner, centro storico (75min)
  • 18:55 β€” Collect bags at the hotel, load cars
  • 19:40 β€” Locauto drop-off (conf. 739041620) Β· refuel first Β· check-in
  • 22:25 β€” Wizz W4 3152 β†’ OTP 01:35

Dinner

  • Case A sit-down β€” see Meal Picks

Notes

Bookings

  • β€”

Checklist

  • β€”

Capture (for film + fotocarte)

  • Hero shot: β€”
  • Family moment: β€”
  • B-roll: β€”
  • Sound to capture: β€”