Sicily & Malta
Sicily by Bike
S
Steve Evans2013
Touring Sicily and Malta just got easier. Still hot and hilly but easier to organise because the two islands have combined to launch a network of over 1000km of routes.
Touring Sicily and Malta just got easier. Still hot and hilly but easier to organise because the two islands have combined to launch a network of over 1,000 km of routes through 5 southern Sicilian provinces and the Maltese Islands, linked to appointed "BikeHotels" with parking and maintenance facilities. It's called SIBIT — Sustainable Interregional Bike Tourism — and has been in development since 2007.
You can combine cycling on empty country roads and paths, stiff climbs to hilltop towns, and well-preserved ancient and medieval culture with superb Mediterranean food. I joined the route in central Sicily in the ancient town of Caltanissetta having been driven from Palermo Airport. But at 1pm on a weekday, it was bad timing. Siesta lasts 5 hours. Everything is closed, streets deserted apart from small groups of old men hanging around in the squares or playing cards in the park.
I stayed at one of the designated BikeHotels which provide secure storage areas and maintenance facilities including tools. If you are planning an early start, the Hotel Plaza in the centre of Caltanissetta is the hotel for you. Lots of marble floors and loud Sicilian voices mean you won't need an alarm call.
My first ride was mainly downhill since Caltanissetta, like most old Sicilian towns, is built on a hill for defensive purposes. A local bike guide promptly took us off course entirely and into a National Park — the Monte Capodarso e Valle dell'Imera Meridionale. First though we had to visit the local museum: a fantastic new building with exhibits dating back 6,000 years. The surrounding rugged mountain area has been occupied since 12,000 BC. It hadn't changed much. The advantage of riding park trails in April was the abundance of colourful flowering wild plants — something you just don't get in the UK's over-developed, pesticide-treated rural landscape anymore.
Back onto the main route into Ragusa province: Ragusa, Modica, and Scicli are World Heritage sites because of their profusion of baroque architecture. Settlements around Scicli date back to 15,000 BC. Off the official route, up a steep 900m climb, is the small hilltop town of Chiaramonte Gulfi with panoramic views over the valley, the Med to the south and Mount Etna to the north.
Ragusa itself is split into the new town and the old town, partly destroyed in the 1693 earthquake. You can ride down through some of the catacombs below the town, now used in summer for cooling off and theatre performances. Whichever route you take through the narrow old streets, you'll end up suddenly emerging, unexpected, into one of the wide plazas in front of an impressive baroque church.
From Ragusa it was a mostly downhill route towards the coastal plain. Rejoining the main SIBIT route means you're never far from an old coastal town or a beach — ideal after a long hot ride. Heading into Syracuse province, the baroque city of Noto is rebuilt to a grand plan after the 1693 earthquake. Or, if you're all Baroqued out by now, pick a route closer to the coast and visit the stunning Vendicari Nature Reserve for beaches, lagoons, rocky coves and flamingos.
North of here, Syracuse — a Greek city formed 2,700 years ago — was one of the most important ancient cities in the world. Greek and Roman amphitheatres, medieval buildings, and the natural harbour where the locals trapped and destroyed the Athenian navy by blocking it with chains. It was like touring the set of an epic Hollywood epic.
You can then jump on the ferry to Malta — a fast modern service from Pozzallo taking about 2 hours, bringing you into Valletta past impressive port fortifications. Malta is more manageable and the route signage is far better. The 2 SIBIT routes take you to more rural areas with historical and geographical attractions and fantastic views from the clifftops. Hagar Qim — ancient temples overlooking the sea predating Stonehenge — are a must.
Gozo is surprisingly different to Malta: more rugged, more vegetation, less traffic. There is spectacular coastal riding north of Marsalforn Bay through soft rock cliffs shaped by wind and sand into a lunar landscape, with Roman salt pans spread out along the path, some still in use today.
PRACTICAL INFO: Beer 2–4 Euros. Weather: Hot. Rainfall: Zero. Road signs: Malta some, Sicily sparse. Best bike: Hybrid or mountain bike — road bikes are limited especially in Malta and Gozo. Hiring is straightforward with many suppliers.
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You can combine cycling on empty country roads and paths, stiff climbs to hilltop towns, and well-preserved ancient and medieval culture with superb Mediterranean food. I joined the route in central Sicily in the ancient town of Caltanissetta having been driven from Palermo Airport. But at 1pm on a weekday, it was bad timing. Siesta lasts 5 hours. Everything is closed, streets deserted apart from small groups of old men hanging around in the squares or playing cards in the park.
I stayed at one of the designated BikeHotels which provide secure storage areas and maintenance facilities including tools. If you are planning an early start, the Hotel Plaza in the centre of Caltanissetta is the hotel for you. Lots of marble floors and loud Sicilian voices mean you won't need an alarm call.
My first ride was mainly downhill since Caltanissetta, like most old Sicilian towns, is built on a hill for defensive purposes. A local bike guide promptly took us off course entirely and into a National Park — the Monte Capodarso e Valle dell'Imera Meridionale. First though we had to visit the local museum: a fantastic new building with exhibits dating back 6,000 years. The surrounding rugged mountain area has been occupied since 12,000 BC. It hadn't changed much. The advantage of riding park trails in April was the abundance of colourful flowering wild plants — something you just don't get in the UK's over-developed, pesticide-treated rural landscape anymore.
Back onto the main route into Ragusa province: Ragusa, Modica, and Scicli are World Heritage sites because of their profusion of baroque architecture. Settlements around Scicli date back to 15,000 BC. Off the official route, up a steep 900m climb, is the small hilltop town of Chiaramonte Gulfi with panoramic views over the valley, the Med to the south and Mount Etna to the north.
Ragusa itself is split into the new town and the old town, partly destroyed in the 1693 earthquake. You can ride down through some of the catacombs below the town, now used in summer for cooling off and theatre performances. Whichever route you take through the narrow old streets, you'll end up suddenly emerging, unexpected, into one of the wide plazas in front of an impressive baroque church.
From Ragusa it was a mostly downhill route towards the coastal plain. Rejoining the main SIBIT route means you're never far from an old coastal town or a beach — ideal after a long hot ride. Heading into Syracuse province, the baroque city of Noto is rebuilt to a grand plan after the 1693 earthquake. Or, if you're all Baroqued out by now, pick a route closer to the coast and visit the stunning Vendicari Nature Reserve for beaches, lagoons, rocky coves and flamingos.
North of here, Syracuse — a Greek city formed 2,700 years ago — was one of the most important ancient cities in the world. Greek and Roman amphitheatres, medieval buildings, and the natural harbour where the locals trapped and destroyed the Athenian navy by blocking it with chains. It was like touring the set of an epic Hollywood epic.
You can then jump on the ferry to Malta — a fast modern service from Pozzallo taking about 2 hours, bringing you into Valletta past impressive port fortifications. Malta is more manageable and the route signage is far better. The 2 SIBIT routes take you to more rural areas with historical and geographical attractions and fantastic views from the clifftops. Hagar Qim — ancient temples overlooking the sea predating Stonehenge — are a must.
Gozo is surprisingly different to Malta: more rugged, more vegetation, less traffic. There is spectacular coastal riding north of Marsalforn Bay through soft rock cliffs shaped by wind and sand into a lunar landscape, with Roman salt pans spread out along the path, some still in use today.
PRACTICAL INFO: Beer 2–4 Euros. Weather: Hot. Rainfall: Zero. Road signs: Malta some, Sicily sparse. Best bike: Hybrid or mountain bike — road bikes are limited especially in Malta and Gozo. Hiring is straightforward with many suppliers.
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