Every day, we are elated to ride on an island flush with well-maintained (for the most part) twisty and bendy roads, passing through scenic landscapes and quaint small towns. And all of this without the crushing traffic that plagues this country in the high tourist season.

Day 4: Palermo to Agrigento, 180 Km

Out of Palermo, we proceeded inland and south on secondary roads toward Corleone, which has gained notoriety through The Godfather films and books. Although fictional, The Godfather character Vito Corleone is based on real organized crime figures from Corleone, who were among the island’s most ruthless and violent mafiosi in the 1980s and 1990s.

Group photo in famous Corleone.

After stopping for a group photo at the city’s edge, we headed in for a morning coffee break at the small central piazza. We are grateful the locals have not made a big deal of their town’s dubious history, and so we don’t encounter large tourist buses and guides hawking Godfather tours.

“Best riding so far”

The ride before and after our visit to Corleone went through much drier landscapes, with mostly barren, sun-bleached stone outcroppings at the higher elevations alternating with rocky soil valleys. The arid conditions are perfect for growing prickly pear cactuses, and we ride past cultivated fields of the plant. It’s not indigenous to Sicily, and is technically an invasive species. But the Sicilians have take the plant to heart — and into the kitchen — and we are enjoying the many creative ways they use the fruit in salads, jams, and even fried or pickled. The riding was mostly climbing up and over these large outcroppings, where after navigating through one sweeping curve, you were blissfully thrown right into the next one. Several of us commented that this was some of the best riding of the tour so far.

Sicily Interior - great riding.

Valley of the Temples

We visit the renowned “Valley of the Temples” Unesco World Heritage site, which boast some of the largest and best-preserved ancient Greek buildings and temples. It was hard to take a bad photo of these magnificent and mostly intact structures; they fill up a photo frame and the late afternoon sun made their red limestone facades absolutely glow.

Valley of Temples.

After being wowed by the many impressive temples — escorted by an excellent private guide hired by AMT — we rode just a few more kilometers and arrived at our night’s hotel, a beautifully restored 13th century country villa. The Hotel Baglio della Luna was surrounded by a peaceful and lush botanical garden that supplied both the flowers decorating our dining tables and much of the fresh vegetables and herbs we had at our dinner.

Hotel Baglio della Luna near Agrigento.

Day 5: Agrigento to Syracuse, 280 Km

Our riding day began when we headed northeast from Agrigento toward Enna, Sicily’s highest major city at nearly 1,000 meters. 

Enna from the main road.

The hairpin turns we took to reach Enna were made even more difficult by dense fog, which unfortunately, kept us from getting a glimpse of the Castello di Lombardìa. The castle once had 20 imposing towers — now only six remain — but we couldn’t see any of them!

Fiat 500, a perfect car for the narrow streets of Enna, and most of the little Sicilian villages.

Our second stop on our ride to Syracuse was the attractive hilltop town of Notto, famous for having a single, cohesive architectural style. All its major buildings were rebuilt in the elaborate Baroque style after a major earthquake destroyed the town in 1693.

Notto Cathedral, an amazing example of a baroque style of architecture.

We had time to take in the town’s magnificent gateway, the Porta Reale, walk some of the old narrow streets, and eventually arrive at the town’s central piazza surrounded on two sides with the striking Grand Cathedral (Il Duomo) and the ornate Palazzo Ducezio.

Day 6: A rest day in Syracuse

We had a welcome day of rest in Syracuse, an old city that also boasts some ancient ruins, albeit less grandiose and much less intact than those in the Valley of the Temples. Still, the Greek amphitheater is impressive, and within walking distance of our 5-star hotel facing the marina and alongside a tree-lined seaside promenade.

Greek Theatre Syracuse.

Syracuse seaside front.

We had on-and-off light rain throughout the day, making sightseeing less than ideal. However, two of the riders in our group, Kim and Janice, escaped the rain by touring the city in a covered tuk tuk.

Sightseeing on a rainy day in Syracuse via tuk tuk.