Europe's 'most dangerous' city less than an hour from pretty town loved by Brits
The European city with strong links to mafia gangs has an unwelcome reputation of being the place where tourists feel most afraid of walking alone at night.
Catania, a city at the foot of the Mount Etna volcano on the island of Sicily, has been named the most dangerous city in Europe. The Italian city, the second biggest on the Sicilian island, landed the unwelcome top spot after tourists rated it as "feeling the most dangerous".
Catania lies just an hour from a favourite British tourist destination, Taormina. This small picturesque town is one of Italy’s most long-established holiday resorts, welcoming figures such as Oscar Wilde and Russia's Tsar Nicholas II. Every year Brits flock to the beautiful medieval hill town. Many would not know they are holidaying so close to a city that has strong ties to mafia gangs.
According to Numbeo, the world's largest database of data about cities, Catania scored highly when tourists were asked how scared they felt walking alone at night and of being robbed, mugged, attacked, or harassed. The ranking was not based on official crime figures or statistics but focused instead on people's perceptions of being in the city.
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The ancient port city still manages to attract a million tourists a year despite its fearsome reputation.
Many tourists come to Catania to see Mount Etna. Catania is also known as Sicily's Black City since many of its buildings often turn black from volcanic soot and ashes that rain down from the volcano.
When the active volcano is not erupting, tourists follow the walking trails leading up to the summit.
It also features magnificent baroque architecture and its main square, Piazza Duomo, is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
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The main dangers afflicting visitors to Catania include car thefts, pickpocketing, and robberies, all of which are on the rise.
The Sicilian travel website Sicily 4 U warns tourists to only park their cars in guarded parking spaces in Catania. It is also not advisable to leave suitcases in the car or anything valuable.
Travel safety site Travelsafe-abroad echoes this warning with similar advice for tourists stopping by Catania: "Don't wear expensive jewellery. Be sure your bags (purse and camera) are slung across your body and do not carry a lot of cash with you.
"Be alert and aware of pickpockets, and motorcycle-riding snatch thieves targeting handbags, wallets, and mobile phones.
“Generally avoid walking at night and take a taxi, like around the train station."
There were two British entries in the top ten most dangerous cities, with Birmingham (3rd) and Coventry (4th) making the list.
Marseille (2nd) in France, Charleroi (5th) in Belgium and Naples (6th) in Italy also featured in the top ten list.
Cities in Italy scored highly in several dangerous criteria, according to another ranking put together by Quotezone, a British insurance comparator.
Rome, Florence, and Milan were the top three cities for pickpocketing during a trip in Europe.
