The Bicycle Adventure Club - Come Ride With Us!

Sicily 2024

September 26th to October 9th

Ride Coordinator: Clarice Sackett
Report by: Ronald Youngash

The BAC 2024 Sicily tour was a combination of rides, walks and swims. Our group of 20 had opportunity to ride on 13 consecutive days but there was also opportunity to rest on three of those days. Highlights of the riding in western Sicily included Mount Erice with a medieval Italian town on its summit or the alternative of exploring the offshore Islands. We toured through the western wheat fields which are fallow at this time of the year but presented an bucolic rural scene. We had the opportunity to see thrilling kitesurfing at the lagoon near Marsala.  We saw a fascinating museum of the Dancing Satyr. A two night stay at a modern Michelin Star country hotel provided opportunity for independent adventures. A bus transfer connected us to the Southeast portion. The riding was considerably hillier but everyone was feeling pretty fit by then. The roads tended to be quite quiet with the bulk of the traffic using the newer highways. A tip on managing the urban segments was to enter the towns during the afternoon business closures. Traffic was  noticeably quieter. 

The Southeast is the Baroque area of Sicily. The architectural style was dominant at the time of the rebuilding after a severe earthquake. The tour provided guided walks of the Roman ruins at Selinunte, Ragusa Old Town, a world famous chocolate maker in Modica and Syracuse Old Town. These were educational walks but there were many other places where people did independent touring of the charming old Italian towns. 

The hotels were quite varied and all bicycle friendly. They varied from quite rural to new urban and very old urban. We stayed in a hotel next to a salt farm and a country Castle. Hotel staff were universally warm and hospitable. In somel towns the group was in a couple of different hotels. Many of the hotels had welcoming swimming pools. There were also several opportunities to swim in the sea. 

The Sicilian version of Italian food is delicious. The four part Italian meal is standard and would challenge even a cyclist's appetite. Long meals are standard and that gives lots of opportunity to meet your fellow group members. Fresh seafood is widely available. There are local variations in the spicing of the pastas and the antipasta. As a pastry lover I was in heaven. The Sicilian patisseries are to die for. My wine reporter rated the Sicilian local wines as excellent. 

There were many opportunities for education in the language and culture of Sicily. The history is complex with the influences of the various cultures that have occupied Sicily over the centuries from the Greeks to the Romans to the Spanish.

            In summary, a tour of Sicily has much to offer!