Just Sicily

Description

Day by day detail of this amazing motorcycle tour of Sicily

Day 0 (Saturday): You should reach Palermo by Saturday in order to meet the team at our chosen Hotel in the early afternoon. Our hotel will be within easy reach of the city centre of Palermo. We’ll have an afternoon briefing and finalize the paperwork for the bikes before an exquisite Sicilian dinner in the heart of Palermo.

Day 1 (Sunday): Exiting Palermo early on a Sunday morning is bliss. No traffic! Our first port of call is Monreale to visit its magnificent cathedral.
After the visit we cut through the mountains and reach the very beautiful Natural Reserve of the Zingaro near San Vito lo Capo. This is where we will have lunch by the beach (see above) before riding up to the medieval town of Erice. Erice is on top of a the giant hill overlooking the Egadi islands on one side and the salt plants of Trapani on the other side.
We then ride back down the twisty road and ride along the salt plants to reach Marsala for the night. We stay in a hotel right by a famous winery and can have a worthwhile wine tasting and cellar tour. Dinner nearby will also be in a local restaurant serving the wines of the winery we just visited.

Day 2 (Monday): We leave Marsala and head inland. We ride across the Belice valley and the heart of the wine producing area of Sicily. Before we reach Agrigento, we stop in Gibellina to view an amazing piece of contemporary art, the Cretto di Burri. It’s a controversial monument which was built as a testimonial of what happened here in 1968. We ride to Sciacca and up to Caltabellotta to enjoy an amazing view of the Sicilian coast line. Upon reaching Agrigento we shall visit the amazing UNESCO site of the Valley of Temples. The visit of these ancient Greek temples at sunset is stunning and will remain with you for a very long time.

Day 3 (Tuesday): It will be an intense day of riding all the way to Siracusa. On the way there we shall visit the extraordinary Roman Villa del Casale with its mosaics. We’ll also stop in Caltagirone, the pottery and ceramic capital of Sicily. We then ride the spectacular SS124 from Caltagirone to Siracusa. Some really excellent riding to end the day on the island of Ortigia, the heart of Siracusa.

Day 4 (Wednesday): you can take a well earned rest in Siracusa and visit this incredible town, or take a short loop ride to the 3 baroque gems of Sicily: Ragusa, Modica and Noto. The historical centers of these 3 towns were all rebuilt after the devastating earthquake of 1693 in a perfect Sicilian Baroque. The buildings in limestone offer amazing decorations. The 3 towns are also set in the beautiful Hyblean hills which offer spectacular views and great riding. This area has been recently featured in the “Commissario Montalbano” TV series.

Day 5 (Thursday): we leave Siracusa and head for “Mongibello”. This is how Sicilians call Etna, the largest active volcano in Europe. With its 3300 meters (and growing) summit it’s quite a sight when we approach it. We climb from sea level to 2100 meters on some amazing roads through volcanic lava fields. We then ride around Etna on the East side and reach Taormina by mid afternoon. We’ll have plenty of time for a stroll through town as we’re staying in the historical town center at the top in a beautiful restored villa.

Day 6 (Friday): A late morning start out of Taormina is possible as the route today cuts across the Nebrodi mountains along the SS120, then the SS116 to San Fratello, and along the seafront on the SS113. We reach Cefalù by the late afternoon. We’ll have time to visit the amazing Arab/Norman cathedral in Cefalù, or go for a swim at the beach, if your brave enough to face the spring/autumn temperatures of the sea.

Day 7 (Saturday): Palermo is not far. Some time in Cefalù will be great and then a short ride along the roads of the Targa Florio circuit of the Madonie, and a coffee in Corleone before reaching Palermo in the evening.
This Motorcycle Tour of Sicily comes to an end with a glorious Sicilian dinner in Palermo. “Assabinirica!” as they would say here! God Bless you for the rest of us!

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any questions or doubts about this motorcycle tour feel free to contact Francesco on tours@cimt.it or via whatsapp on +39 335 793 8218