San Vito - Trapani - Marsala -Sciacca - Agrigento - Madonie - Cefalù.
My husband and I decided to go for a long-overdue very long weekend to Sicily on our motor bike. So we boarded the ferry from Civitavecchia just an hour away from our home in Rome and arrived in Palermo 12 hours later. The crossing was very uneventful and comfortable since we had opted for a double room with en suite bathroom. We arrived refreshed on a beautiful sunny Friday morning and drove straight off towards Monreale since we have been to Palermo recently and wanted to get moving quickly. On two wheels we were told the best route to head west is Monreale- Alcamo- Castellamare del Golfo and this what we did. The road was beautiful with gentle curves and absolutely no traffic. We stopped for a coffee in the seaside town of Castellamare and then on to San Vito di Capo. This is the one place I would definitely return to for a beach holiday. The sea and beach were as stunning as Boracay in the Philippines where we have been recently – but so much closer to home! We spent a good few hours lazing around, had a good lunch and swim then off again to our first overnight destination Trapani. What a surprise – a beautiful city with a gorgeous historic centre, recently restored and full of “centri pedonali” ie car free zones. We fell in love with the city and its people who noticed our delighted expressions and kept chatting to us. We stayed at B&B Ai Lumi right on the corso. While there was nothing special about the accommodation their restaurant is excellent and we had delicious meal.
Next morning we got up bright and early and set off for Marsala via the salt route. This is also delightful and picturesque with all the windmills and heaps of salt. Marsala is interesting with some fine buildings and a Garibaldi-loving people! From there we moved on to Mazara del Vallo which we did not particularly like. Busy, lots of traffic. A beautiful main square turned into a car park.
It was now time to meet our friends at Selinunte where we spent a good part of the afternoon admiring the temples and the view. There is a convenient electric train which will take you the roughly 3km from one temple to the next giving you time to explore at your leisure without being too exhausted. A well spent 6 euros I thought.
After Selinunte we headed off to Sciacca to stay in the B&B Sotto Le Palme. This is a family run establishment with 3 nicely done up rooms in a separate building from the main house. There is a pleasant garden and breakfast area but we were very disappointed with the pool being closed as it was very hot. In the evening we went to Sciacca which was a big let dowm. Rather than being the charming fishing village we imagined it was big and ugly with a lot of traffic and a seemingly abandoned port with few restaurants none of which looked very appealing. Pazienza!
The next day we decided to go for a swim and the guide books led us to Eraclea Minoa which has a nice beach and a great little restaurant right on the water’s edge where the 4 of us stuffed ourselves for 53 euros!
We said goodbye to our friends here and proceeded to the Valle dei Templi. Not much to add to the masses of literature on the subject except that there were no crowds, no electric cars so it was pretty exhausting in the heat and nowhere to leave our helmets, jackets, bags etc Luckily the Sicilians seem a pretty honest bunch so we just left all our gear by the bike and hoped for the best. It didn’t make for a very relaxing walk but better than carrying everything around. Nothing was missing when we got back.
By this time it was about 5 pm and time for our next overnight stop. We had booked at Mandranova a Masseria near Palma di Montechiaro. Apart from getting lost for an hour and nobody answering the phone, this was an excellent choice. We were welcomed as part of the family, given delicious food and wine and the privilege of staying in a lovingly restored property still used as a farm but with modern amenities like swimming pool, beautiful bedrooms and everything a guest could wish for. Expensive but worth it.
The next day we set off for the most boring bit of our drive in order to reach the Madonie National Park. We hit Canicattì (ugly) and Caltanisetta (ok) before entering the hilly landscape of the park. We reached our next stop sooner than expected. Donalegge is another masseria or hacienda near the pretty town of Polizzi Generosa. Once again a very beautifully restored property run by the owners and with some very original touches. We decided however not to stay for dinner but to drive around the park and visit the two Petralias (Soprana and Sottana) . I think this is a scarcely visited part of Sicily and so maintains a lot of charm and untouched natural beauty. For motor bike riders nothing can be more beautiful than driving in these mountains which reach up to 2000 meters but with a vegetation difficult to find further north. The road sides were covered in sweet smelling flowers and there was not a car in sight.
We had dinner at Nuova Itria , a restaurant recommended by the Slow Food guide. We were not disappointed.
Next morning, as this was our last day, we headed straight to Cefalu along a very picturesque road. Unfortunately the temperature rose dramatically with a strong scirocco wind blowing and several fires started up along our route. Cefalù was boiling but still a very pretty town with a cathedral which alone is worth the trip. We ate very well by the sea at Il Porticciolo and went swimming though the wind was so strong the sea was quite rough.
On the way to Palermo to catch our ferry the motorway had to be closed down because of the fires and there was chaos. It took 2 hours to drive 60km and this was on the bike! It made us think about the terrible fires that raged in Sicily last Summer and what a tragedy this is each year. Fortunately the winter and spring has been wet and there is no shortage of water yet.
This was my first proper trip to Sicily except for Palermo and I can’t wait to go back. I think timing wise we didn’t try to do too much but got it just right. I am glad we didn’t attempt Piazza Armerina as this would have added another 100km and it’s a perfect excuse to go back soon!

How wonderful ! A dream trip, I would love to ride around Sicily on a motor bike. Thank you for sharing, I am keeping this report for notes!

Thanks for the report - sounds like a great trip. Nice to see another surprised fan of Trapani and the Ai Lumi!

Forgot to mention Erice. It is worth the trip though I found it a little too geared for the tourists and wouldn't have liked to stay overnight. We did buy a beautiful rug from the Parisi family, apparently the only 2 women left in Erice actually making the traditional carpets from cotton scraps. They showed me their looms and how they work. It seemed so sad that it is dying out and most of the small rugs on sale are made elsewhere by machine!

I spent two nights in Erice and could have stayed longer. It's very easy to avoid the tourists - just a couple of steps off the main street will do it - and since most are day trippers, it's even easier at night.

You brought back many memories for me when I took my trip to Sicily. Would love to go back. You made me feel I was on the motorbike with you.

I didn't know you could take a ferry to Sicily from Rome. My friend and I are planning on staying a month in Rome in November/December or next spring and would definitly do this.

Mary

I meant we would go to Sicily via ferry from Rome, not ride a motorbike...we are two 65 year young ladies and we need a bit more comfort!!

Mary

I think it's quite a recent addition to the ferry service. Civitavecchia is an hour away from central Rome. Good timing too: 8pm to 8am. If yiou have a whole month in Rome why not!