San Giovanni Li' Cuti is a tiny seaside community that has been overtaken by Catania. It occupies an area of the coast that is rather new, actually, dating back to a 1669 lava flow. The coast is black volcanic rock right up to the sea. The beach, shown above, I believe, is man made, but it has been made with sand from volcanic rock and is jet black. "Li' Cuti" is actually from Sicilian dialect meaning "smooth rocks." ("Li'" is an abbreviation of "liscio", meaning smooth, and "cuti" is the Sicilian word for the large stones that are all along the beach.) It is the closest place to the apartment to go for a swim--about a fifteen minute walk.Weather has cooled down a bit, which is nice. Although it could have been a bit warmer for going for a swim. It is, however, October, so I don't have much to complain about. I was one of about three people I actually saw get in the water. It was a bit on the cold side, but as long as you keep moving you're fine. Got in a few laps and then got out and warmed back up.
