From baroque towns to the great capital of ancient Greece
An enjoyable bike tour through the southeast of Sicily, tailored to your own rhythm and your interests. You will pass through the Val di Noto, where most of the towns, after being destroyed during the earthquake of 1693, have been completely rebuilt in unique Sicilian Baroque style, and which has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2003. Along the trip, you will discover beautiful towns like Palazzolo Acreide, Modica, Scicli and Noto, the latter considered the most important baroque town in Sicily, as well as Syracuse, one of the most important ancient Greek settlements. Along the coast, you will see further highlights like the bird and wildlife sanctuary “Oasi di Vendicari”, the fishing village of Marzamemi, and the small island of Capo Passero.
Transfer from Airport Catania to Palazzolo Acreide. Welcome briefing. Dinner at hotel.
After visiting the historical Old Town of Palazzolo Acreide, we will cycle through the beautiful territory of the Monti Iblei, a unique landscape, where rugged and wild areas alternate with pleasant green scenery, characterized by the typical stonewalls. We will have lunch in an Agriturismo. Rolling stage, climb at the end of the stage to Modica. We finish our stage in Modica. Dinner in a typical restaurant in Modica.
Cruising downhill through a beautiful Iblei canyon, you will arrive at Scicli, well worth a stroll through the small alleys, before we continue down to the coast to Pozzallo. Picnic in Pozzallo. We will pass through some typical wetlands, the “Patano Longarini” and “Patano Cuba”, a popular stopover amongst the migratory birds on their trips between Africa and Europe. The stage finishes at San Lorenzo. Possibility for swimming in Pozzallo and at the end of the stage in San Lorenzo. Dinner at the Hotel
Easy and short stage. We cycle on secondary roads between vineyards in the hinterland to the Southernmost point of Sicily, Isola delle Correnti where we can stop for a swim. We continue to Portopalo di Capo Passero and then along the coast to Marzamemi, a picturesque fishing village of Arab origins where we will have a picnic lunch. Early return to our hotel in San Lorenzo, time for relaxing near the pool or the nearby beach of San Lorenzo. Dinner at the Hotel.
On a flat road heading north along the coast, we will reach the entrance to the natural preserve and wildlife sanctuary “Oasi di Vendicari”, a wonderful and uncontaminated coast full of interesting plants and rare birds. Lunch at the Agriturismo Calamosche and possibility for swimming at Vendicari. After lunch we stop for a wine tasting in a winery. After this we continue to the most famous baroque town, Noto. Dinner at the hotel.
Today you can either take a day off from cycling and relax by the pool of the hotel or explore the city of Noto on your own.
Or you can cycle with us this slightly more demanding circular stage: we start uphill to San Corrado and arrive in Noto Antica, on the Monte Alveria. From Noto Antica we continue until we arrive at the vista point of the nature reserve Cava Grande del Cassibile (505 mt.), interesting also for the archaeological remains. The landscape is dominated by one of the deepest European Canyons (300 mt) and its steep walls. After a lunch at an Agriturismo or trattoria we enjoy a beautiful, panoramic descent of 7 km to the coast and then return to the hotel. In the evening transfer to Noto and return for dinner (dinner not included). (Lunch included only for those who participate biking).
Today we follow the coast further up north to Siracusa. Along the way we stop for a refreshing bath in one of the beautiful beaches. Picnic before arriving in Syracuse. In the afternoon return of the bikes and time for individual visit of the Archaeological Park of Syracuse (Greek and the Roman theatre, ecc.) or individual walking tour of Ortigia, historical center of Syracuse (Piazza Duomo, Cathedral, Temple of Apollo and the Aretusa Fountain). Dinner at a typical restaurant in Syracuse.
