Sicily's Baroque towns | Palazzolo Acreide - Siracusa

Individual arrival at Palazzolo Acreide, handover of the bikes and the roadbook and maps with all the information you will need.

Before you start cycling today, we suggest visiting the historical Old Town of Palazzolo Acreide, with its many baroque building and the churches San Sebastiano and San Paolo, two wonderful examples of Sicilian Baroque. Then you will cycle through the beautiful territory of the Monti Iblei, a unique landscape, where rugged and wild areas alternate with pleasant green scenery, characterized by the typical stonewalls. The stage stops in Ragusa Ibla, one of the most beautiful baroque towns of the "Val di Noto", picturesquely located on a hilltop, and ends in Modica, another baroque jewel of our tour. Do not miss to visit the church of San Giorgio.

Before you leave Modica you should taste the famous chocolate, e.g. spiced with hot chilli peppers. The recipe has been brought from the Aztecs by the Spaniards to Sicily. Cruising downhill through a beautiful Iblei canyon, you will arrive at Scicli, another city of the "Val di Noto" and well worth a stroll through the small alleys, before you continue down to the coast to Pozzallo with its long sandy beaches. The perfect opportunity to finish the stage with a refreshing bath in the sea.

This day the road will be completely flat. You will pass through some typical wetlands, the "Pantano Longarini" and "Pantano Cuba", a popular stopover amongst the migratory birds on their trips between Africa and Europe. Cycling along the shore you will reach the southernmost point of Sicily, the island "Isola delle Correnti", which lies on the same latitude as Tunis and marks the watershed between the Ionian and the Mediterranean Sea. Continuing through Portopalo di Capo Passero and Marzamemi, an ancient fishing village, you will finish your ride in San Lorenzo.

On a flat road heading north along the coast, you will reach the entrance of the nature reserve and wildlife sanctuary "Oasi di Vendicari", a wonderful and uncontaminated coast full of interesting plants and migratory birds like flamingos and kingfishers. You will then continue to the inland, through vineyards to Noto. Noto is the capital of Sicilian Baroque with numerous magnificent palazzi and churches.

Today you have two options. Either following the coast further up north. Or a detour through the inland to the vista point of the Cavagrande del Cassible gorge and then a spectacular downhill with hairpins to the coast. Along the coast, you continue to Siracusa, the metropolis of ancient Greece, where you certainly will want to visit the stunning archaeological park with one of the biggest Greek theatres of the Magna Graecia. You should finish the day with a stroll through the picturesque historical centre, the Island Ortigia.

End of tour and individual departure or extension with additional days. We recommend visiting the fascinating Ortigia island, the historical and cultural centre of the city. The Old Town of Siracusa captivates immediately with more than 3000 years of history and archaeological evidence of practically all great civilizations of the Mediterranean. Also in Ortigia is the lively Fishmarket of Syracuse.