Rome to Sicily RTS1303

The Rome to Sicily tour is over Thank you for a wonderful tour! What a great group, people from the USA, Brazil, Germany, Switzerland, England... all together creating always a very nice atmosphere. We hope to see you soon again on another Edelweiss tour, keep in touch! Your guides, Alan, Domenico and Florian Day 9, Agrigento - Catania The last riding day has finally arrived and unfortunately it's time to reach Catania and to give back the bikes! We left Agrigento in a sunny morning and could take a nice look over the Greek Temples before heading to Piazza Armerina, famous for its Roman Villa, built in the 4th century and containing the richest collection of Roman Mosaics in the world (around 3000 square metres!). After lunch we continued our itinerary towards Catania, the second biggest town of Sicily, located on the sea at the feet of Mount Etna, nice to see this giant volcano again! Shira on her new scooter Coffee Break in Sommantino The Roman Mosaics in the Villa del Casale, incredibly beautiful! When was bikini invented??? The historical centre of Piazza Armerina Day 8, Cefalù - Agrigento Today we crossed Sicily from North to South... but of course it was not a straight line! We went from the crowded coast near Palermo to the inland and incredibly after a few kilometers we were in a very rural area. We had a picnic in Godrano in a very nice wood and then, after a picture stop in Corleone, very famous (or infamous!) for being the birthplace of many mafia bosses, we headed to Agrigento, where we'll spend the night. This town is very well known for its "Valle dei Templi" (Valley of the Temples), an archeological area where there are some very well preserved ancient greek temples, all in doric style. Of course this area is listed in the Unesco World Heritage sites!   Dane Picnic ready! Kamila Shira and Brian view over Corleone "indian fig" The Brazilian Mafia :) Great roads! Picture stop In the "Valle dei Templi" of Agrigento Sunset from our hotel Day 7, Taormina - Cefalù One of the best riding days started leaving the Jonian coast and going towards the inland, Mount Etna on our left side and the Peloritani Mountains on the other! And, before reaching Cefalù, other two mountain ranges (the Nebrodi and Madonie mountains) made our itinerary a real dream for all bikers! We stopped in Sperlinga to see the famous Norman castle, carved into a giant rock formation and then, after lunch and of course after many many curves, we reached Cefalù, a wonderful little town on the northern coast with a charming historical centre and an impressive Cathedral whose construction begun in the 12th century! Picture stop on an old lava flow Paradise for motorcyclists! Nancy in Sperlinga Olives Alberto View from the castle of Sperlinga Jochen Gangi Riding... Day 6, ride on Mount Etna Rest day in Taormina, but the most of us did not resist the charme of Mount Etna, the biggest volcano in Europe and as well one of the biggest and most active in the world! The ride on its slopes was really fantastic, the environment suddenly changed many times and we rode through pine forests and lava fields before finally reaching the "Etna South" basecamp. There the Edelweiss van was waiting for us and Florian had prepared a delicious picnic! The cable car for the excursion on the main crater was just a few steps away, so we also took the chance to reach the top (almost!) of this huge volcano, it was a very impressive visit... but what a strong wind!!! Coffee break Lava, trees and sky Riding on the Etna Picnic at Rifugio Sapienza (Etna South) On the main crater, at a height of 3000 metres (9800 ft) above sea level Doesn't it look like the moon? :) Snow covered by ashes The border of the crater that erupted in 1992 Jeff Jochen... looking almost like an astronaut! Day 5 Tropea - Taormina Today we finally entered Sicily, the biggest island of the Mediterranean. Goethe, the famous german writer, said: "To have seen Italy without having seen Sicily is not to have seen Italy at all, for Sicily is the clue to everything". After leaving the hotel we followed the coast until Scilla, a nice little town at the entrance (or at the exit!) of the strait of Messina, where we had lunch near the beach. Then we reached the ferry to cross the strait and, once in Sicily, some chose to do a longer route over the Peloritani mountains (a very nice curvy road!) and some to go straight to the hotel following the coast of the island direction south. Dane & Stephanie Adriana, Fabio, Roger, Hans, Magali and Alberto Christopher and Jeff Scilla  Our bikes parked during lunch break Johnn and Nancy on the ferry to Sicily Roger, Hans and Domenico Nancy and Shira We are in Sicily! Perfect ride on the Peloritani Mountain range Coffee Break in Francavilla di Sicilia Giada The small canyon of the river Alcantara, just a "few" steps from the road! :) Testing the boots, are they really waterproof? Well... Yes!!! :) Day 4, Maratea - Tropea Today we had a beautiful ride along the coast to reach our next destination, the beautiful old town of Tropea, built on stiff cliffs by the sea and nowadays a very well known tourist destination for its beautiful beaches and crystal clear water. The coast of Calabria Lunch stop in Amantea Tropea Day 3, rest day Maratea Our first rest day! Today some of us chose to spend the day in Maratea, this very nice town on the coast is really worth a visit! The weather forecast was not very good, but a group of brave riders chose to take the ride inside the Pollino National Park, hundreds of curves (and not always a very good asphalt...) and, despite of some rain, we had a very nice day! Our beautiful Hotel The coast of Maratea View over the little village of Papasidero in the Pollino National Park Brian and Mr. Happy Christopher and Kenneth Walter Coffee break in Mormanno we felt a good smell coming from the service door... and we could not resist trying some very fresh pastry! Riding day 2, Pompei - Maratea We can not leave Pompei without first visiting the world famous archeological area. This town was completely buried by ash and pumice during the eruprion of Mount Vesuvius in the year 79 and was forgotten for centuries! We could walk on old roman streets, enter the houses and the shops... and our local guide gave us an idea of what was life back in that times. After that we took our bikes and headed to the Amalfi Coast, a wonderful stretch of coastline listed as UNESCO World Heritage site, where we also stopped for lunch. What a beautiful ride, mountains on one side and blue sea on the other one! Pity we had to go, but Maratea is waiting for us and the landscape there is not less beautiful!!! The roman Amphiteatre of Pompeii Brian Porta Nolana, one of the old gates of the town Mount Vesuvius surrounded by clouds, still impressive! Walking through Pompeii An ancient fast food In the Forum, this was the main square of Pompeii Florian, great photoreporter! This was a thermal bath, so richly decorated! view over Sorrento Alberto, Jochen, Magali, Adriana and Fabio Positano Very colorful ceramic, one of the trademarks of this area Very colorful plates as well! So tasty these "spaghetti con frutti di mare"! Riding on the Amalfi Coast Paestum, in this town there are some very well preserved greek temples! Riding day 1, Rome - Pompei The Rome to Sicily tour is starting! We will leave Rome and head south, to discover this part of the country that for many people is the real Italy! On our first riding day we left the millenary city of Rome and rode to Pompei, a town near Naples that is very well known for its archeological area. Our first stop was in Castel Gandolfo, not far from Rome, the place where the Pope has his summer residence. After a nice coffee on the main square, we rode towards the mountains where some rain was waiting for us! Lunch stop was in Sperlonga, a nice resort town by the sea and then we continued to Pompei. Daily briefing with Alan Castel Gandolfo The Pope's Palace Rain... Rain Gear on! Dinner in Pompei