GOLDCAR Car Rental at Catania Airport

At Catania Airport, the office of Goldcar is less than 200 meters' walk from the terminals. Open from 8.00 am to midnight, the Goldcar Catania Airport office can be contacted on +39 095 341 893 and at info@goldcar.com. Goldcar Catania Airport accepts Visa and Mastercard and offers passengers arriving at southern Sicily's gateway a wide choice of affordable car hire options.

Vittoria is 113 km distance from Catania, and another of Sicily's historic treasures. Founded in 1607, Vittoria takes its name from the town's founder, Vittoria, Countess of Modica.

Located in the province of Ragusa, Vittoria is justly earning a reputation for producing delicious wines. The town's vineyards are gaining recognition from around the world these days, now that the region is abandoning merlot, cabernet sauvignon and chardonnay grapes in favour of local ones, such as the red Frippato di Vittoria, the Albanello bianco, the Zibibbo or Muscat of Alexandria grape or the nerollo Mascalese and nero d'Avola red grape varieties. Several vineyards offer wine tours and tastings.

At its center stands the Basilica of St John the Baptist. Renown for its ornate stuccoes, the basilica with its three naves was rebuilt between 1695 and 1706, following destruction in the 1693 earthquake that hit the town. The interiors of the basilica are richly decorated, and include among its many treasures a Baptismal Font and many fine paintings from Sicilian artists.

Several palazzo's and the lovely 18th century Chiesa Santa Maria delle Grazie at Piazza del Popolo stand out among the town's many architectural treasures.

The ancient town of Comiso is also located in the province of Ragusa. Dating back to the earliest Greek era of Sicily, Comiso was probably founded around 212 BC. Although mostly agricultural in nature, the local economy also relied on the work of stone cutters and sculptors, and there is much evidence in the town just how skilled they were. The Comiso Cathedral Church of Santa Maria delle Stelle in Via S. Biagio, and the Annunziata Church at Corso Emanuele 196, are just two examples. Comiso's stonework is distinct for its intense straw-golden colour and its compact grain, which make it popular with sculptors who work with marble. The Annunziata Church is ancient, probably built before 1125 in its origins, on the ruins of an even earlier church.

Also worth seeing are the Square of the Fountain of Diana, and Piazza delle erbe, which is overlooked by Santa Maria delle Stelle. The square boasts a neo-Classical covered market where the Biblioteca di Bufalino library, which the author Gesualdo Bufalino (The Plague-Sower, 1981) donated to Comiso. He was born in Comiso in 1920, spent his life teaching in the town, and died in Vittoria in 1996. Access to his wonderful library is free.

Dining out in Comiso is not so expensive, as there are plenty of cosy pizzerias and seafood restaurant serving local cuisine that is both tasty and affordable. Shopping is offered mostly outside the historic center though.