Retire Early Lifestyle
Retirement; like your parents, but way cooler

In 1991 Billy and Akaisha Kaderli retired at the age of 38. Now, into their 4th decade of this financially independent lifestyle, they invite you to take advantage of their wisdom and experience.

Our Apartment in Catania, Sicily

Billy and Akaisha Kaderli

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Leaving behind the charming and historical town of Cefalu, we boarded a train towards our rented apartment in Catania.

The scenic journey unfolds surprisingly lush, fertile landscapes showcasing the beauty of Sicily.

Catania, Sicily's second-largest city, has a rich history predating even the Greeks and Romans. Today, it's renowned for its stunning Baroque architecture, offering a glimpse into its fascinating past.

The train to Catania

Our two tickets  from Cefalu to Catania Sicily cost $32.80 Euros.

It took nearly four-hours by train to travel the 162 miles, and it was certainly worth the price!

Photos of our tickets

We changed railroad tracks a few times to get us inland.

And then we witnessed Sicilian grain fields suddenly become dazzling swathes of an intense blood-red color from the poppies thriving in them.

This "Tuscan Poppy" grows in cultivated soil and seeds itself itself profusely during its growing season. This symbiotic relationship has been going on for over 3,000 years, with remains of the plant even being discovered in Egyptian tombs.

I had only seen these poppies painted in scenes by Claude Monet. To see them in person was breathtaking.

Mile after mile, rolling hill after rolling hill.

My mouth was agape with this beauteous view!

View of Sicily's coast from the train window

At the end of our journey, we got on a bus which then dropped us off at the Catania Centrale bus/train station.

That's where Katya, our landlord, met us and drove us through town to our apartment.

The name of our apartment

My first impression of Catania was that it was busy, dirty, with trash everywhere, and even Katya our landlady said getting around was rather challenging.

But as the days passed by, we got to love this city for all of it's character, grit and quirkiness.

Sicilians have colorful personas and it seems one can read the book of their lives just from watching their faces and the way they interact with each other

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The living room, looking towards the kitchen

Our apartment (2 bedroom, 2 bath) was CLEAN and modern.

After we dropped off our gear, Katya then drove us to LIDL grocery store (a wonderful food market chain) where we loaded up with provisions to make gourmet meals at home.

This was on our first time staying in Katya's apartment. On our second visit we knew the local shops very close by that had everything we needed including wine sold by the liter, so she gave us the keys and we were on our own.

The living room looking towards the front door

Our landlady is a lively young mother from Russia who speaks several languages; Russian, English, Italian, Sicilian, French and more.

 She is a travel agent and is friendly, smart and warm-hearted.

We all hit it off well.

The kitchen

This is the kitchen area with the left door opening to the Master Bathroom plus washer and dryer.

Continuing on through, is the Master Bedroom with a window to the alleyway below.

On the right is the hallway to the second bedroom.

This kitchen was well equipped with a cutting board, all silverware, special sharp knives, an espresso machine, dishes and a large refrigerator.

Dining table is to the right, out of this photo.

Second bedroom

This is the second bedroom. It's light and airy but with the ability to close the shutters for complete darkness (and quiet) while sleeping, day or night.

This window looks out onto the busy street below, where a very popular vendor sells grilled horsemeat.

Eating horsemeat in Sicily goes back to 1,000 years BC., and is a popular street food in both Palermo and Catania. While this might be off-putting for some visitors, Anthony Bourdain (a famous FOODIE and Chef/World Traveler) attests to this great local flavor to seek out.

Horsemeat is known to be lean, high in iron, and low in fat, which aligns with some traditional views of healthy eating.

From this bedroom straight ahead - on a clear day - is a perfect view of Mt. Etna, one of the world's most persistently active volcanoes. Eruptions have occurred for at least 500,000 years. In fact, this volcano is so active, that 3 days before we were to arrive here, she blew again, shutting down the airport in Catania!

Second bathroom

The alleyway below this bathroom window empties out onto a busy street with shops, cafes, grocery stores and traffic!

This apartment has a great location. It's not in the busy tourist zone, yet everything you might want or need is within easy walking distance including the historical section, wonderful restaurants both local and upper end, fruit and vegetable stands and bottle stores.

The Master Bedroom

Mattresses were firm in both bedrooms. To the right of the blue chair there is a large closet to hang your clothes.

The Master Bathroom is to the left of the bed, with a sliding door to close it off for privacy.

This bedroom also had shutters that could be closed to keep street noise and light out.

Master Bathroom

The large Master Bathroom has sliding doors both to the kitchen and the Master Bedroom.

There is a walk-in shower, bidet, washer/dryer combination, ironing board and racks to place towels, creams and shampoos.

You can look through the door on the right into the kitchen area and living room.

Second look at Master Bathroom

Here you see the double sinks, the washer/dryer combo, and lots of counter space

The open sliding door shows you the view into the Master Bedroom.

View from our apartment

This was quite a busy corner just about any time of day.

It could be delivery trucks, trash pick ups, motor bikes, cars and pedestrian traffic. It was fascinating to watch the goings-on from this higher view without being detected. There were small balconies from both bedrooms.

The horsemeat grill is just down below this window.

Straight ahead is Mt. Etna. Unfortunately on this day, it is covered in clouds.

Would we recommend this apartment in Catania, Sicily?

Absolutely!

__________

Sikulo

251 Via Plebiscito

95121 Catania, Sicily, Italy

We went through Booking.com to reserve our apartment, but if you want to call direct:

Katya: +39. 392. 505. 8323

Retire Early Lifestyle appeals to a different kind of person – the person who prizes their independence, values their time, and who doesn’t want to mindlessly follow the crowd.

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