Naples vs Catania — Vesuvius versus Etna, pizza versus arancini

Two volcanic cities, two street-food capitals, two completely different islands of chaos.

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Energy

Naples: 3 million metro, massive, intense, overwhelming. The most alive city in Italy. Catania: 300,000, smaller, Sicilian, built on black lava. Same energy, different scale.

Street food

Naples: pizza a portafoglio €1, frittatina €2. Catania: arancini €2.50, granita+brioche €4. Both outstanding. Naples is cheaper; Catania is more unique (the granita breakfast).

Day trips

Naples: Pompeii, Herculaneum, Capri, Amalfi Coast. Catania: Etna, Taormina, Syracuse. Both are extraordinary base cities.

Verdict

Naples: bigger experience, more chaos, pizza, Amalfi gateway. Catania: smaller, more manageable, Etna+Syracuse+Taormina gateway. Do both on a Naples–Sicily route.

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