| Distance: |
Map
|
| 2.000km |
|
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| Highlights: |
Ceramics,
roman monuments, Taormina, Etna volcano, Siracusa,
Gennargentu mounts, Sta Teresa Gallura |
Tour
description may change due to ferry sailing times.
Day
1: Leaving Saint-Raphaël by the coastal road,
the tour rides through Cannes, Monaco before reaching
the Italian border. It is then a fast ride to Genova
where the ferry awaits for a one day cruise to Sicily.
Day
2: The cruise takes the ferry to Palermo in
the evening. A Good rest in Palermo will get you
ready for the next days.
Day
3: In Palermo the Sicilian leg starts. Cutting
south through the island, the road rides by the
village of Corleone. This name should ring a bell!
This is the town the Marlon Brando "Godfather" character
came from. Right after here comes Prizzi (should
also ring a bell!). Agrigento where stands the "Valle
dei Templi" and its Greek ruins is the end of the
days ride.
Day
4: Back inland here comes Caltanissetta and
the Badia Di Santo Spirito abbey. Riding onwards
the north east to reach Enna and its two major fortresses.
Right after Piazza Armerina offers its Villa del
Casale one of the most marvelous architectural treasures
of Sicily. The tour will then ride through Caltagirone,
belonging to the Unesco World Heritage and renowned
for its ceramics. The day will end in Ragusa, also
part of the Unesco world heritage.
Day
5 : A short ride today. Starting with Scili
(one more town part of the Unesco world heritage),
here comes a bit of coast before going north to
Noto a superb example of Baroque architecture, thanks
to the 1693 earthquake. Arriving early in Syracuse,
on the Ionian Sea coast; will allow time to visit
the many monuments like the Greek theatre.
Day
6 : Again a short ride to enjoy a bit more of
Syracuse in the morning. The road north through
Catania will take the group to Taormina and its
monuments.
Day
7 : Taormina being at the feet of the Etna volcano,
it is worth going for a ride along it! Some more
kilometers inland and here comes the Tyrrhenian
Sea coast. Before arriving in Palermo it is worth
having a break in Cefalù. In Palermo it is time
to say bye bye to Sicily as now the time has come
to sail to Sardinia.
Day
8 : In the morning the ferry arrives in Cagliari
from where the tour will ride north inland and along
the Monti di Gennargentu mountain to Nuoro. On the
way we will ride through a place famous for its
bandit stories.
Day
9 : More mountain riding until the tour gets
to Olbia from where it will go along the Costa Smeralda
to Santa Teresa Gallura, right in front of Corsica.
Time permitting it will be worth having a swim in
the Mediterranean Sea from one of the pink sand
beaches.
Day
10 : The ride along the Asinara gulf is a perfect
end to the Italian islands. In Porto Torres the
ferry to go back to France is awaiting.
Day
11 : The early morning arrival in Marseille
will give you plenty of time to ride back to Saint-Raphaël
and enjoy some more Provence roads to finish the
tour.
