To the page for Italy
of the Trento Bike Pages
A trip to Sicily
March 1997
By Andrea Casalotti
andrea@mcmail.com, Sat, 29 Mar 1997 20:19:32 +0000
Introduction
A group of five, three boys and two girls, went to Sicily in the third
week of March 97. We all love cycling but for three of us it was the
first week-long trip. We brought our mountain bikes, but did only two
off-road stretches. The roads are mostly in a very good shape. We did
Agrigento-Catania by train because we were behind schedule, our
original plan was to cycle from Enna to Catania around the North side
of Etna. What makes Sicily an excellent place to cycle is the quality
of the food. We experienced no petty crime. Most hotels had a garage
to keep the bikes overnight. Knowledge of Italian is a big bonus.
Sat
Leaving Palermo's airport we climb out of the autostrada and ride
among lemon groves near the sea. At Terrasini twenty men are playing
cards on a big terrace above the harbour. Their Sicilian is hard to
comprehend, but we manage to follow their instructions to the Museum
of the Carretto (the brightly painted Sicilian cart). It looks
closed. "It's Saturday, 3 o'clock" we are told "They must have gone
home." So we continue with a range of austere mountains on our left
and the blue sea on our right. The main road is deserted and we ride 5
abreast. We follow the wide gulf and the holiday resorts are
overbuilt. At Castellammare we ask the fruit-seller for a B&B. He
makes a call and an apartment is found, conveniently in front a big
pizzeria. It's Saturday night and everyone is out, from the large
group of school girls at the pizzeria, to the cruisers down at the
harbour, driving up and down the sea front. We play some calcetto at
the Vogue bar and enjoy our first ice-cream sitting among the
fishnets.
Sun
The bread is wonderful, with its thick yellow dough and sesame-filled
crust. For breakfast we accompany it with cheese, olives and fig
jam. We follow the coast, rocky now, rich with pines and
eucalyptus. At Scopello's old tuna factory, six girls play the guitar
and sing 'Sapore di Sale', a couple of fishermen crouch on the rocks
and the cactus-topped faraglioni, the turquoise sea, the old buildings
and the rows of rusting anchors give the place a magical air. At the
entrance of the Zingaro Nature Park, officialdom blocks our way, so we
decide to settle in Scopello, savouring ricotta-filled cakes and
ice-creams in the picturesque square, more like a private courtyard
with a grand eucalyptus in the centre. Under it Phil restores his
reputation as a bike mechanic, and we return to Zingaro for a
hike. The slopes are covered with wild fennel and white flowers. We
find a little bay, the jade green water is too tempting and we dive
in. After the sun has dried our bodies, we hike up the slope and
return on the high ridge path in a white sea of flowers and rocks,
with wonderful views of the coast. After relaxing in the square with a
tasty panino, we intertwine our legs around the fire and have a dinner
of pasta con le sarde, spaghetti with sardines and bread-crumbs.
Mon
A warm sun greets us and some pastries fuel us for the first climb. At
the top we stop for bread and cheese, and talk to a shepherd who has
an agreeable smell of sheep's milk, a falcon circling overhead. After
a quick descent we climb a dirt track up a beautiful valley, and then
to the top of the Zingaro ridge. From here the view over S. Vito lo
Capo is spectacular and so is the descent. After an hour through olive
groves and wheat fields, we start the climb to Erice. Switchback
after switchback, we enjoy the view over distant Mt. Cofano, its top
at first clear of clouds, then with a table cover followed by shaving
cream, and by the time we enter a pine forest, clear again. In Erice's
pretty main square we sit at a bar and look up: framed by the medieval
buildings a fantastic show of clouds racing close above the
rooftops. Erice is very pretty and not spoiled by tourist shops, but
lacks the warmth of a lived city. And the wind was positively
cold. The beginning of the descent was through the clouds, then the
view over Trapani, and the Egadi islands opened with the sea
shimmering with sunlight. Bliss. In Trapani our efforts were rewarded
by an excellent meal: antipasti, followed by the local pasta al pesto
trapanese and pasta with anchovies and melanzane, ending with cassata
and cannoli
Tue
Breakfast in Sicily: eating a delicious almond pastry, watching the
beautiful bar girl with the sensuous painted lips. A short train ride
takes us to Segesta. We climb around the verdant hill and suddenly the
temple appears, majestically blending in the countryside. We walk up
the hill among yellow daisies to the theatre. The schoolchildren leave
and we savour the salty cheese, olives bread and oranges on the marble
seats with the vast countryside as a backdrop. The hills are beautiful
and we climb to Salemi, where they have prepared an intricate
construction made of bread for the St. Joseph's celebrations. Ask two
Sicilians for directions and you will get two diametrically opposite
answers. I choose wrong and end up doing some off- road. Then an
exhilarating ride among rolling hills of wheat to reach
Castelvetrano. A dirt track among olive groves takes us to our second
sea, after sunset.
Wed
We get up before sunrise to sneak in the ruins of Selinunte. The
collapsed columns, the heaps of marble, the half standing temples,
vivid symbols of human creativity and destructiveness. We walk down
the beach to the little harbour where the day'' catch is being
auctioned. Marinella is a deserted sea resort and everyone is fixing
things, including the road in front of our room with the view. Maari
has an ear infection and needs evacuation by bus to Agrigento, Phil
nursing her. We ride among fertile coastal plains to Sciacca, where in
the vibrant harbour, people huddle pick-up trucks to buy crates of
fish as they are downloaded from the boats. Action then shifts to
another oncoming boat. We experience the freshness of the catch at
dinner: triglie al cartoccio followed spaghetti alla marinara and
spaghetti alla bottego. Meanwhile our kind pensione landlord was
celebrating Father's day with a feast of 50 fried rice balls.
Thu
The wind mercifully changed direction and it powerfully pushed us
among orange groves or along the tempestuous sea. At Eraclea, after a
quick visit to the Greek theatre, we take a walk on the beach. The
wind is roaring, long surfing waves sweep the beautiful arc of sand
and as I play and run with an Alsatian in the water, the joy of being
alive. We cycle inland and it is a great ride to Agrigento among
wonderful mountains. Maari feels better and we walk to the temples of
old Agrakas. Reunited I appreciate what an ideal group we are, our
differences complementing well, and a sense of joyous fun pervading
our trip. In spite of the heavy carabinieri presence at our hotel, we
manage to sneak in one of us free. We end the day with a good
selection of pastas at a simple trattoria.
Fri
The train leaves the elegant station heading towards the
interior. Soon after Enna, we see Etna, in white splendour. We visit
Catania during siesta time, from the Norman castle, to the baroque
monastery, to the Roman and Greek theatres. After resting, we are
invited for dinner by Angelo, whose girlfriend Stefania has prepared a
very good pasta with tuna and saffron, followed by a rice based
dessert served with hot honey. Our contribution is a delicious
chocolate dove.
Sat
While the girls go and see sword fish being chopped up in the lively
market, the boys join Angelo for the big climb of the week. 40km up
Etna to Rifugio Citelli at 1750m. With the bags left behind, and the
legs by now primed, it turns out to be easier than feared. After a
short rest stop at Zafferana, where we admired a huge display of
mock-fruit marzipan, the climb proper starts in an oak forest. The
weather has changed and we soon reach the level of the clouds. This
adds to the mystery and charm of the landscape as the large lava
fields seem to smoke. We see how a recent lava flow had pierced the
wall of a small chapel. There are no cars, it is just us in this
silent world, our attention focused on our pedal strokes, steadily
climbing. I am piloting a tandem, occasionally Angelo rises from his
seat to push stronger and I feel his breath close to my back. These
are magical moments. We reach the snow line and suddenly the clouds
clear, we see the sun and the white slope of the mountain. But it is a
fleeting moment: at the top the rifugio is closed, and the descent is
very very cold as heavy rain starts to fall. We restore our
circulation 15 km down with a plate of pasta alla Norma. We continue
the descent, the tandem feels like a bobsleigh, Phil and Ramzi chasing
each other on the wet tarmac. After a hot shower we have an excellent
pizza alla rucola.
Sun
A light rain is falling and we abandon our plans to cycle to Aci
Reale. We walk in the centre, watching church-goers buying interwoven
palm leaves (it's Palm Sunday) and enjoying our last pastries and ice-
creams.