Sicily Baroque Cycle Tour

We welcome you at Catania airport and, after about one hour of transfer, we reach the elegant Villa Trigona Hotel, surrounded by greenery in the Sicilian countryside.

After the bike fitting and a tour explanation, you can go for a short bike ride and discover the enchanting mosaics of Villa Romana del Casale, considered the best-kept Roman mosaics in the world, an absolute must-see place.

You'll have dinner at the hotel. The host Emanuel, the last heir of the noble Trigona family, will introduce you to the amazing local cuisine, as well as tell you about the history of the place, of course.

We leave the lush gardens and orchards of Piazza Armerina to move the most typical landscapes of the interior of Sicily, made of bare hills drawn by fields and dry stone walls. For lunch we stop in the beautiful old town of Caltagirone where we visit the workshop of a local potter, in addition to making a stop on the wonderful staircase of Santa Maria del Monte, with 142 steps fully decorated with the local ceramics. In the afternoon we continue through the countryside of Caltagirone where we spend the night in a cozy rural residence.

The first part of the day is across olive groves and vineyards as far as the eye can see, along an undulating route. After lunch we begin the climb to the Ibleo plateau through the characteristic white limestone walls, with breathtaking views over the surrounding valley. The stage ends in one of the most magical places in Sicily: Ragusa Ibla, a wonderful monumental city known throughout the world, as well as for its beauty, for the quality of its gastronomy, awarded with three-starred restaurants.

Ragusa combines two rather different city centers. Ragusa, the new town, was reconstructed from the ground up, in the new style, after the destructive earthquake occurred in 1693. Here you can make a wonderful itinerary among churches and palaces that are symbols of the late Sicilian Baroque, a renowned UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Ragusa, Modica and Scicli, in one day! These three wonderful baroque cities are declared Unesco world heritage sites, so the day will be like pedaling inside an enormous open space museum. Let's discover together these treasures among enchanting landscapes, ancient culture and unique gastronomy. The route is a continuous up and down between the Ibleo plateau and the karst valleys. During the ride we can choose to delight ourselves between: a dessert prepared by the famous chef Ciccio Sultano in Ragusa, or visit the ancient Bonajuto chocolate shop in Modica, where we will taste the famous chocolate (ciucculatta muricana) still made according to the ancient Atzeca recipe, imported from the Spaniards in the Modica County in the 16th century.

Our ride starts on the Ragusa Countryside. An up and down on tiny roads till Castelluccio Necropolis, with over 200 tombs carved in the steep walls of the nearby quarry. The most monumental is the so-called "grave of the prince" with a statement consisting of four fake pillars. Then a long and gradual descent takes us to the perfumed citrus orchards of Noto Valley, preparing us for the last ascent of the day to the flamboyant baroque of Noto. Its Cathedral is one of the best symbols of baroque architecture in the world.

Today we'll conquer the sea bastions on the island of Ortigia, the ancient Greek settlement originating the most powerful Greek colony in the Mediterranean. Ortigia, in just a square kilometre, boasts a number of impressive buildings and monuments, here stands out the wonderful Cathedral of Syracuse (Cathedral of the Nativity of Mary Most Holy). It was a Greek temple dedicated to Athena, then converted in a church by the Normans. Its Doric columns along the walls closing the side aisles are still very evident both inside and outside. An aperitif on the ancient walls, in front of the sunset over the sea, and a dinner in one of the several good restaurants in town, will close the day through south-western Sicily.

A 1 hr shuttle will take us to the slopes of mount Etna, the highest active Volcano of Europe. Starting from the village of Nicolosi, we’ll climb in this lava brown rock landscape until the first caldera at Rifugio Sapienza. Our way down gives us stunning views over the strait of Messina and the Calabria on Italy mainland.
Our goal is the village of Zafferana Etnea, one of the best preserved villages of the area, miraculously survived to so many eruptions during the centuries.

Optionally, you can have an e-bike for this ride or just jump on the van and enjoy this day in full relax

Sadly today we leave, but we are sure that we will meet again on the roads of the Mediterranean!