Sicily's west sporty

Arrival in Castellammare del Golfo, a beautiful portal town whose history goes back to the Classic antique era when it was the harbor of the towns of Segesta and Erice. Handover of the bikes and the tour information.

The ride of this stage will allow you to explore the hinterland of the Sicilian countryside where olive trees and vineyards are in abundance. 25 kilometers into this landscape, alternating ascents to flat parts, you will reach the archaeological site of Segesta, an ancient city founded by the Elymians more than 2500 years ago. From here, following secondary country roads, you will finally arrive in Trapani, known in Sicily as the city of Salt.

Extension Erice 18,8 km: Once you have reached the final destination of this stage, Trapani, you may decide to visit Erice, an old medieval village perched onto its homonym hill rising 750 meters asl, which you can reach either by cable car or cycling. After visting the town, you can cycle downhill back to the hotel.

Today’s itinerary is completely flat as you will skirt the beautiful coastline the whole time. Windmills, salt pans and mounds of freshly extracted salt will be the backdrop to an unmatchable landscape. You will also have the chance to visit Mothia island, the ancient cradle of Phoenician-Punic civilization which can be reached by motorboat from the lagoon within few minutes.

Today’s stage ends in Marsala, a city famous for its homonym wine and for the landing of Garibaldi with his expedition of the Thousand.

Today’s stage continues along the enchanting Tyrrhenian coastline until it winds inland through the typical countryside of this parts of Sicily with its numerous vineyards and bagli (old centers of farming activities). It will end in Mazara del Vallo, seat of the most important fishing fleet of Italy. The Arab influence is so dominant as you stroll through the narrow alleyways of the Kasbah (Arabic quarter) with its bright colors and powerful scents, that you will be reminded of the African continent just across the sea.

After leaving Mazara, you will continue along a road which runs only a kilometer in parallel to the coast. Immersed in a valley, a series of small lakes of karstic origins will appear without warning. Anyone passionate about watching fauna and flora typical of a swampy habitat, will find this rewarding. 

Riding on a hilly road in direction of Campobello di Mazara, you pass by Cave di Cusa, famous because from here all the material necessary to the building of the temples of Selinunte, was extracted. Further down the road you will have the opportunity to visit the archaeological site of Selinunte, the ancient Greek city which will take you back few thousand years. Relax and swim at Selinunte’s beaches.

Today we leave the coast behind and continue on to the Belice Valley. This hilly area was already inhabited in prehistoric times as numerous archaeological sites testify. We start on a slight climb to Partanna, a small town that, like many other in this area, was heavily damaged by the earthquake of 1968. During a visit of the town you can still see enormous damage to several civil and religious building. Next stop is Santa Margherita del Belice, city in which part of the world-famous novel “Il Gattopardo” and the film adaptation was set. The last part of this stage is rolling and mostly downhill. The stage ends in Sambuca di Sicilia, a small town of arab origins.

Sambuca di Sicilia was founded by the Arabs in 830 AD and still conserves an Islamic atmosphere because of its Arab quarter. The town also had an important role in the following centuries, during the Norman, Swabian, Renaissance and Baroque era. Today's stage is rolling and will guide you through a typical landscape of the Belice Valley until you arrive in Corleone. This mountain hamlet is nestled in a hill called “Rocca ri Maschi”. Near the center of the town is the waterfall of the “due rocche”, a beautiful unspoiled corner of great natural beauty.
The long version of this stages allows you to visit the picturesque small town of Palazzo Adriano, famous for being the setting of the Oscar winning film “Nuovo Cinema Paradiso” by Giuseppe Tornatore.

Starting from Corleone we will cycle into the inland, reaching the natural reserve of Bosco della Ficuzza. Here you will find the Royal Palace of Ferdinando I. Later we will reach Piana degli Albanesi, a small town founded in the late 15th century by a large group of Albanian refugees coming from the Balkans during the conquest of the latter by the Ottoman Empire.

The route ends in Monreale which origins are from an arab village along the slopes of Monte Caputo, 310 m.a.s.l. The Monreale cathedral, being built by William II between the 1174, is one of the best example of norman-arab architecture part of UNESCO Heritage site since 2015.

Breakfast and individual departure.