Savor the richness of Sicily.
This is Siciclando’s most popular bike tour and best showcases the diversity and richness of Sicily – seaside bike routes, ancient towering temples, charming towns, and the power of the volcanoes. You’ll begin this tour in Sicily’s capital, Palermo, where you will explore its layers of history and beauty on a guided tour. We will transport you to western Sicily where you will taste the popular Marsala wines and discover the beautiful village of Mazara del Vallo and its treasure, the bronze statue of The Dancing Satyr, discovered 40 kilometers off the shores of neighboring Tunisia in the 1990’s.
Siciclando’s beautiful bike routes will take you to three of western Sicily’s most important archaeological sites: Segesta, Selinunte, and Cave di Cusa. Bike to these parks and step back in time thousands of years ago. Spectacular!
The next three days will be spent biking and hiking the stunning and powerful Aeolian Islands, a volcanic archipelago listed as an UNESCO World Heritage Site. Salina provides a lovely green background for your bike tour. Lipari offers spectacular views of the other islands and the coast of Sicily. A visit to the island of Vulcano allows you to take a 40-minute hike of a volcano for the most fascinating view of the Aeolian Islands.
Vulcano is a wonderful place to begin a general study of volcanoes. It was considered by the Greeks as an island sacred to Efesto (God of Fire) and the crater of Vulcano was considered his workshop. The Romans later changed the name of the island to reflect the name for their God of Fire, Vulcano – which contributed to the word volcano used by most modern languages today. From here, enjoy the view of the island of Stromboli, another active volcano that explodes every 15-20 minutes; explosions which are sometimes visible. This volcanic activity is known as Strombolian and is used to characterize other volcanoes around the world with regular eruptions.
The tour takes us back to Sicily where you will spend two nights in charming Taormina, one of the pearls of Sicily with its ancient Greco-Roman theater and shop-lined streets.
You may also choose the optional hike of Mt. Etna, the highest active volcano in Europe and a fantastic day trip.
This Taste of Sicily will leave you wanting more!
- Cost
- € 2480 – € 2880 ($) see PRICING details below
- Duration
- 9 days/8 nights
- Start/End
- Palermo – Mazara del Vallo/Taormina
- 2012 Start Dates
- April 13, April 27, May 11, May 25, September 2, September 16, September 30, October 13, October 23
Highlights of the Taste of Sicily bike tour
- Discover the rich history and mix of cultures found on the largest island in the Mediterranean
- Explore Palermo, the capital city of Sicily, on a guided tour — beautiful architecture, excellent cuisine, and a lively market will make this an exciting part of your experience
- Enjoy the charm of Mazara del Vallo and its mysterious bronze treasure – The Dancing Satyr.
- See the beauty of ancient Selinunte and Segesta – powerful, mysterious, peaceful
- Picnic in the serenity of Cava di Cusa – ancient quarries that are now like a sanctuary
- Taste two of the region’s most famous wines, Marsala and Malvasia
- Experience three of the Aeolian Islands by bike or hike
- Visit one of Sicily’s pearls, Taormina, with its spectacular ancient Greco- Roman Theater
- Optional hike Mt. Etna, the tallest active volcano in Europe – an addition to the tour
- Discover Sicily’s unique and amazing array of foods, developed overtime with the influence of many cultures. Fresh seafood, handmade pasta, arrancini (rice balls), pasta with sardines, and caponata (stewed eggplant, olives, tomatoes, and capers). Devine!
- See Video Highlights from the October 2009 Taste of Sicily Trip.
Day 1 – Welcome to Sicily!
Arrive Palermo by coordinated shuttle from Palermo Falcone – Borsellino Airport and enjoy a guided tour of the city the first afternoon (3:00 p.m.). Palermo has so much to see – beautiful churches, lively food markets, and amazing architecture. Dinner is on your own tonight.
Day 2 – Transfer to western Sicily with a stop at a Marsala winery. (8.8 miles/14.7 km)
From Palermo, a private shuttle will transfer you near the town of Mazara del Vallo, where you will stay in a comfortable 5 star hotel. Along the way we’ll stop in the beautiful, little town of Marsala and then enjoy a guided tour of a winery for a taste of the popular Marsala wines. Upon our arrival at the hotel that afternoon, we will review the itinerary of the bike tour in more detail and enjoy a gentle warm-up ride to get comfortable with your bicycle. Tonight, dinner will be included.
Day 3 – Tour of Mazara del Vallo, The Dancing Satyre, Cave di Cusa and Selinunte (30.1 miles/48.4 km)
Today, before biking, we will tour the beautiful harbor town of Mazara del Vallo. This is the home of the mysterious bronze treasure – The Dancing Satyr. You will enjoy a guided tour of the town and the museum housing the statue. From here we will bike on a lovely ride to the peaceful archaeological site of Cave di Cusa where we will enjoy a guided walk and picnic. These were quarries used for more than 150 years in the 6th Century BC. They were the main source of stone for the temples of Selinunte. We will then bike to the ancient Greek town of Selinunte, one of the most important Greek colonies in Sicily at that time. Here you will be guided through the remains of an acropolis and five temple sites, one of which has been re-erected. You will be transferred back to the hotel by shuttle. Dinner is on your own tonight.
Day 4 – Ancient Segesta and the Aeolian Islands (25.7 miles/42.9 km)
We leave the main island to get to the volcanic archipelago, the Aeolian Islands.
We’ll first cycle to Segesta, once the political center of the Elymians, one of three ancient inhabitants of Sicily. After a guided visit of the site and lunch, we’ll shuttle to Milazzo and then take a hydrofoil to Lipari, the largest island of the archipelago. We’ll stay in another comfortable 5 star hotel. Dinner is on your own tonight.
Day 5 – Lipari loop ride (16.3 miles/27.1 km)
Enjoy a loop ride on the island, giving us an opportunity to understand more
about the place and the archipelago. The views are outstanding and we expect that you will enjoy your bike tour of Lipari…and perhaps a granita (flavored ice) at our favorite place. This afternoon we are excited to offer a cooking class – a great way to learn and enjoy Sicilian-Aeolian Cooking and, then, dinner together.
Day 6 – Salina loop ride (13.7 miles/22.8 km)
We’ll take a ferry to the island Salina where we’ll take an amazing loop ride on our bikes. The first stop is small fishing village, Lingua, located along the Roman salt marsh. Here we will stop for a granita or coffee and perhaps a tour of the local museum. We’ll bike on, enjoying the breathtaking views, as we head to a private house to enjoy a glass of home made Malvasia wine and a light lunch. Dinner is on your own tonight.
Day 7 – Walking on the Vulcano’s volcano and back to the main island of Sicily
After breakfast, we’ll take the hydrofoil to Vulcano Island for a hike to the crater of the
volcano with our volcanologist. After lunch, we’ll transfer to Sicily to the beautiful town of Taormina. There will be a guided tour of the magnificent Greco-Roman amphitheatre – from here you will get a fantastic view of the Ionian Coast, Mt. Etna, and the city. The rest of the day is free to explore the city. Take a relaxing walk along the Corso Umberto with its classical music cafés, pastry shops, art galleries and clothing boutiques. Dinner is on your own.
Day 8 – Biking to Randazzo and to the Alcantara Gorge (28.4 miles/47.3 km)
After breakfast, a shuttle will take us to the starting point of the bike ride at Linguaglossa. This ride gently rolls along the north side of Mt. Etna volcano, which is amazing in the spring with the wild flowers covering the low sides of the volcano and spectacular in fall because of the rich brown colors of the vineyards. The scenery is accented with old ruins and lava stone walls outlining the fields and vineyards. We bike to the charming village of Randazzo, where we will have lunch at one of our favorite sandwich shops. After lunch enjoy a gentle downhill into the Alcantara Gorge – a beautiful end to the route and to our tour. A bus shuttle will take us back to our hotel in Taormina. We will enjoy a final dinner together tonight.
Day 9 – Departure Day or optional extension Hiking Mt. Etna
After breakfast, departure and end of our services. Ciao!
If you choose the Etna excursion you’ll be shuttled to the southeast side of the volcano for a walking tour.
Actual tour itinerary may vary slightly due to unforeseen circumstances.
Siciclando carefully chooses every aspect of a tour, including the accommodations.
Our choices are based on comfort and quality. We often choose hotels that are family-owned and operated because they provide a richer experience and because it is important to us to support the efforts of these individuals. We have developed relationships with many wonderful hotel operators. Here is a sample of the hotels on this tour.
Tour accommodations will be based on availability and the time of year. Once you have made your final payment for the tour, we will send you a confirmation letter that includes daily accommodations and contact information.
- Level of difficulty: Easy to moderate
- Sicily is a hilly island, as is the Aeolian archipelago. For this reason we rate the tour between easy and moderate. The most difficult parts of the tour are in some stretches on the two loops in the Aeolian Islands (Lipari and Salina), which can be avoided by taking a van shuttle.The other moderate part of the tour is the hiking on Etna on day 8, which is an optional activity, a chance to discover the contrast between the forest and the lunar landscape of the volcano.The tour allows you to have a very good overview of Sicily from several points of view, in terms ofhistory, archaeology, and nature. You’ll also learn about the volcanic activity of the Mediterranean and its different aspects, in visiting the volcanoes of the Aeolian archipelago and Mount Etna.
- Travel notes
- Guests arrive by air in Palermo (see Italian airlines or international airlines) and depart from Catania.
- Books
-
- Salvatore Quasimodo, poet and writer: Ed è subito sera, Giorno dopo giorno, Dare e avere. Modica
- Gesualdo Bufalino, novelist Diceria dell’untore (the plague sower), Le menzogne della notte (Night’s lies). Comiso
- Jacopo da Lentini (sec XIII), poet. Lentini
- Vitaliano Brancati, novelist: Don Giovanni in Sicilia, Il Bell’Antonio, Paolo il caldo. Pachino
- Movies
-
- Divorce, italian style 1961, film director: Pietro Germi. This movie It won the Academy Award for Best Writing, Story and Screenplay.
- Anni difficili 1948, film director Luigi Zampa, from the novel of Vitaliano Brancati, “II vecchio con gli stivali”
- Gente di rispetto 1975, film director Luigi Zampa, from the homonymous novel of Giuseppe Fava
- Kaos 1984, Paolo and Vittorio Taviani, from several novels of Luigi Pirandello
- The star maker or best known as L’Uomo delle stelle 1995, Giuseppe Tornatore
- Group tour price
-
- 4-5 people € 2880 per person
- 6-7 people € 2630 per person
- 8+ people € 2480 per person
- Additional options and fees
-
- Private room – € 390
- Road Bike rental – € 175
- Hiking on Mount Etna – € 90 per person
- Transfer from Palermo ARP to Palermo center on the arrival day
- Extention of the tour (pre and post trip)
- Transfer rates per person (two person minimum):
- Palermo airport to Palermo center – € 40
- Taormina to Catania airport – € 90
- Included
-
- 9 days trip
- 8 nights in 3, 4 and 5 star Hotels
- 8 breakfasts
- 1 picnic lunch
- 3 dinners
- Hybrid bike rental
- D2: Coordinated transfer from Palermo to hotel near Mazara del Vallo
- D2: guided visit and wine tasting in Marsala
- D3: Admission to Selinunte archaeological site
- D3: private guide for Selinunte archaeological site
- D3: private guide for Cave di Cusa archaeological site
- D4: Admission to Segesta archaeological site
- D4: private guide for Segesta archaeological site
- D4: bus transfer from Segesta to Milazzo
- D4: hydrofoil transfer from Milazzo to Lipari island
- D5: cooking class in Lipari Island
- D6: professional guide for the Vulcano hiking
- D6: ferry transfer from Lipari to Salina
- D7: bus transfer from Milazzo to Taormina
- D8: guided walking tour with a private guide in Taormina
- D8: bus transfer from Taormina and Randazzo loop
- D7: hydrofoil from Lipari to Vulcano for hiking and then to Milazzo
- Detailed road book and maps
- 1 English speaking tour leader for all the tour (4 – 7 people) – 2 English speaking tour leaders all the tour (minimum 8 people)
- Van support all the tour
- Not included
-
- Flights and public transportation
- Travel insurance
- Admissions and entrance fees (when not agreed with tour operator)
- Transport of bike case (for guests who bring their own bike)
- Gratuity to Tour Leader/s
- Expense of personal nature such as drinks, phone calls, etc.
- Any items that has not been mentioned in the price inclusions above
- Self-guided option
- This tour is not available as a self-guided option.
- Tour code
- SI
