Sicily Part 2 VBT (Vermont Bike Tour) 2018
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Summary of Part 2
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This is a continuation of the detailed description of
our VBT ten day tour of Sicily that occurred from June 10
to June 20, 2018. This covers events from 15 June to 20 June 2018.
It will emphasize the bike riding portions of these days.
There are many movies that are somewhat extensive. I still wanted
to include them because they give a more complete picture
of the terrain we saw on the rides.
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Detailed Daily discussions with photos and films
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Jun 15 Thu: Morning Bonus Ride to Modica / Chocolate Factory/
Ride to start point/ Stop @ Organic Farm Lunch / Ricotta Demo/
Ride to Kallikoros interrupted by rainstorm
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This was the last day we were in Scicli, so we had to pack and get all our
suitcases ready for transfer. The room and the environs of Borgo Hedone Hotel
were so special that I had to make a movie of our departure walk:
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MOVIES (mp4) Note: you must download the file to your computer and then
play the file on an mp4 compatible player
Movie Morning Panorama from Scicli Hotel Borgo Hedone:
Panorama from Hotel Borgo Hedone Movie
Movie Departure Walk from Scicli Hotel Borgo Hedone to Garage.
This video is long but displays the vertical nature of the City and Hotel.
I did not take the total 110 steps coming down but rather went right
and walked down a small street. This is a long video but it illustrates
the varying landscape of Scicli.
Scicli Hotel to Garage Walk Movie
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I decided to do the Bonus ride to Modica.
It was only about 9 miles but it was mainly uphill with about 1200 ft
of climbing. Richard J. and I were the only adventurous riders. We were
escorted by Lea in the van.
Note that this also includes the segment from Modica to the start
of the AM ride at outskirts of Modica, which I did after the
chocolate tasting.
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Link to RideWithGPS Map of optional Scicli-Modica ride:
Scicli-Modica Ride Map
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I made a two segment movie of the ride. It was highlighted by our passage
under one of the tallest overpasses (part 2) I have ever seen.
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Movie Departure from Scicli towards Modica Part 1
This shows the nature of roads in Scicli and the transition
to country roads.
Scicli-Modica Ride Movie part 1
This second movie is the most interesting to me with the huge overpass,
and our arrival in Modica having to stop for the Green Tourist "Train"
making a U turn in front of us. Part 2
Scicli-Modica Ride Movie part 2
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Our arrival into Modica was confused by the traffic and activity but
Angelo hailed us down and we then walked our bikes to a nearby church
and locked them to a fence. Then we went into the Chocolate Factory
Antica Dolceria Bonajuto.
Photo of the Bonus Ride Riders Richard & Max:
Here are some of the chocolate tasters in appropriate dress:
Chocolate Taster's Tray:
After the chocolate tasting, I decided to ride thru Modica and ride
up to the outskirts of Modica for the start of the AM portion of
the ride. The AM segment was to finish near San Giacomo at Nella's
Organic Farm.
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Link to RideWithGPS Map of Modica-San Giacomo Ride:
Modica-San Giacomo Ride Map
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Fresh Ricotta being spooned onto serving plate at farm.
Rosemary eating fresh ricotta with with the wind pushing her
headscarf up to the vertical position.
During lunch we had periods of wind and rain and for a
while I was hesitant to go on the PM ride from here,
San Giacomo to Kallikoros. After a while the rain seemed
to stop so I decided to go on the PM ride:
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Link to RideWithGPS Map of San Giacomo-Kallikoros Ride:
San Giacomo-Kallikoros Ride Map
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The ride began well but then dark clouds formed and it began
to rain. Luckily we found a place to stop when it really poured.
Intermediate stop during rainstorm. Waited for rain to abate.
Thankfully, I had a rainjacket. When the rain
abated, we continued the ride on wet roads all the way to Kallikoros.
The ride ended with a good climb to the hotel. I was completely soaked
with a black streak on my backside.
Arrival of Adrienne at Kallikoros riding on wet roads, being
greeted by 2 dogs:
In the evening we all were invited to a demo by the cook to prepare
an eggplant dish as well as the making of ricotta cannoli.
Dinner was held on a 2nd floor outdoor dining area.
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Jun 16 Sat: AM ride to Villa Tellaro with Mosaics/ Ride to Marzamemi Beach /
Continue to ride into town of Pachino for Lunch
Return to Kallikoros against strong winds from Pachino
Shuttle to Noto for evening dinner at Liberty Restaurant
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Link to RideWithGPS Map of AM Ride Kallikoros-Marzamemi Ride:
Kallikoros-Marzamemi Ride Map
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The bikes had to be cleaned from the previous day's rain by Angelo and Lea.
The morning breakfast was again sumptuous with way too much food to consume.
Had to restrict my intake even though there were many other things I wanted
to eat.
I left the hotel and I rode with Rosemary on her E bike.
Here is a sequence of movies taken during our ride:
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MOVIE(S) (mp4) Note: you must download the file to your computer and then
play the file on an mp4 compatible player
Movie: Departure from Kallikoros
Movie: Group Riding 1
Movie: Group Riding 2
Movie: Group Riding 3
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The first intermediate stop was Villa Tellaro with many floor mosaics
that reminded me of similar villas in Ephesus.
We continued the ride and arrived at Marzamemi beach. It was crowded with
Saturday beachgoers of all types. We were only going to stop for 1 hour and
I got a little upset when we were run out of seats under beach umbrellas
because we did not buy special tickets. We walked over to an open beach
area and I did go for a swim. Very warm sun, very clear salty water.
I had trouble getting dressed because I had to put on my compression socks.
We got riding again and caught the group just before getting into Pachino,
a quaint little town. We found Angelo and the bus in a big parking lot and
locked up the bikes and then went into town.
We found a corner meat grocer and got a freshly made prosciutto panino and
we sat outside in the shade to eat the panini slowly. We then walked to
the main square and looked at the mural art by restaurants and the shore
sea walls.
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Link to RideWithGPS Map of PM Ride Pachino-Kallikoros Ride:
Pachino-Kallikoros Ride Map
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The return ride from the quaint beach town of Pachino was a challenge.
Most people decided to take the bus back. The Rizza couple left early.
I waited and then left with Lea and Adrienne and Tom. It was brutal coming
back against a strong wind and there were significant hills. Lea and I went
ahead but we stopped twice and waited for other riders to catch up.
I then decided to go ahead at my pace and rode solo to Kallikoros. Got there
around 1600. There were some good hills and several tricky turns but
the Garmin worked well.
On the way I stopped to take a good photo of the Radio Astronomy Antenna.
I then did a cool-down swim at the spacious pool. It threatened to rain
and dark clouds formed but it did not rain.
Here is a sequence of photos taken from our room to the pool
and the view from the pool.
I have to include a photo of the super smart young gray cat
that greeted me. I saw this cat being chased by some of the dogs
and it always outsmarted them and never got touched.
In the evening we took a shuttle bus in the town of Noto and arrived
as the sun was setting. We walked thru the main archway and down
the main thoroughfare.
Street Photo Shoot:
We were turned away by a sold out restaurant on Saturday night that was
our first choice. We finally found the Liberty restaurant and had one of
the best evening meals of the trip. The entrees were not excessive but were
of excellent quality.
The Liberty Restaurant Meal sequence:
On the return walk we stopped along a street and wished we could
get a ride on a stylish horse carriage outside a restaurant.
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Jun 17 Sun: AM ride to Agri Milo Farm that had a variety of Livestock/
Had one of the best lunches ever at an outdoor restaurant on
the Farm / Did not go see any of the animals / Had difficulty
getting started for the PM ride (one of the most scenic) down
a canyon that overlooked Siracusa and we were delayed by a flock
of sheep on the road on the way to finishing at Borgo
Pantano among the citrus groves. Great locale. Excellent evening
meal.
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Link to RideWithGPS Map of AM Ride: Testa Del'Aqua to Agri Milo (Farm) Ride:
Testa Del'Aqua - Agri Milo Map
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This day was a Sunday and after another great breakfast we had
our daily morning meeting where Angelo and Lea talked about the
ride and the history related to our route.
We then boarded a large bus for the transfer to Testa Del'Aqua,
our departure point for the morning ride,
which was a 5 km climb from Kallikoros. In retrospect, I should
have asked if I could have left early and ridden it, but perhaps
it was a wise decision not to ride it. There were many Sunday
cyclists on the roads we took.
Here is a photo of two agressive weekend riders who were
drafting a tractor towing rolled hay bales!
Once we got to our departure point we all got on our bikes
and left for the ride to Agri Milo, a Agriturismo Farm that
had a variety of animals in a farm setting as well as a garden
and a restaurant.
The arrival to the dining area was on a demanding gravel road.
It was also a hot sunny day. Here is Rosemary arriving:
Our group sat at a long table in the enclosed restaurant area
that was bordered by a garden
The meal was very special and deserving of full documentation.
It began with the best bread I have tasted in Sicily bar none.
It was freshly baked out of the oven, brown on the outside and
yellow on the inside probably due to the semolina flour that was
used.
First there were amazing antipasto plates:
Then we had freshly cooked snails that we had to use toothpicks
to take them out of their shells:
Rosemary eating Snails:
Other Entrees that were served, all being good:
Do not forget the fresh ricotta:
And then there was a variety of pastas served - Note the heart shaped
ravioli:
Fresh citrus fruits were served at the end of the meal.
I had to drink an espresso just to get me going again.
Here is the dining area:
One of the Milo brothers, Angelo and Lea.
I was barely able to get back on my bike to begin the
afternoon portion of the ride. This segment was thru a
series of canyons that headed towards Siracusa. It was
one of the most scenic rides we experienced.
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Link to RideWithGPS Map of PM Ride: Agri Milo (Farm) to Borgo Pantano Ride:
Agri Milo-Borgo Pantano Map
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The ride began with a slight climb then a descent to a high bridge
over a deep canyon:
On the other side of the bridge there were some unusual wind
vanes. I did not know whether these were just there to show
the wind direction:
The remaining portion of the descent was exhilarating with
views of the canyon, switchbacks and a distant view of Siracusa
with the iconic "Teardrop" Church (Madonna delle Lacrime) in
the distance.
Near the mouth of the canyon was a historic marker where
a battle took place where the Siracusans and the Spartans
defeated the Athenians. The marker denotes where a defensive wall
was built at the bottom of the canyon.
We continued our ride down into the valley and were surprised
by seeing a herd of sheep on the road in front of us!
We actually got some experience herding sheep with our bikes!
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Movie Riding with Sheep:
Herding Sheep Movie
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I spoke with the shepherd and he told me these sheep were
raised for their milk production, not for their wool.
The sheep were all over the road eating plants on the edges
of the road and completely blocked a car and irritated the
motorist enough to make them use the horn:
We finally arrived at our destination, Borgo Pantano, which
was an impressive compound and pristinely manicured grounds.
We arrived and got our room assignments. I was very tired
and wanted to watch a World Cup match so I did not attend
the stretching class that was being given by the pool.
The evening meal was held on a second floor balcony under
large umbrellas as the sun was setting. We again were treated
to an excellent meal:
A view of the sunset to conclude a memorable day:
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Jun 18 Mon: Unbelievable Breakfast served by Borgo Pantano!
AM ride first went to an intermediate stop at rocky Ognina Beach/
Then we rode to the Gulino
winery for a tour and an excellent lunch and wine tasting of 3
wines/ Again had difficulty getting started for the PM ride and
we went to a distinctive lighthouse and then back
to Borgo Pantano on a road that went around the Bay of Siracusa.
Returned to Borgo Pantano. Did not do bonus ride to Floridia.
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Link to RideWithGPS Map of AM Ride: Borgo Pantano-Ognina Bch-Gulino Winery Ride:
Borgo Pantano-Ognina-Gulino Winery Map
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The next morning we were treated to the most sumptuous breakfast that
one could have imagined. I was just disappointed that I could not sample
more of the entrees. Just beyond description.
I will do a full documentation of all the entrees later on the blog.
We then went to the morning briefing on the grounds under tents:
The early part of the ride took us to town of Cassibile that was very
busy and had a place where we could park our bikes. Cassibile is
the town where Italy signed the WWII armistice with the Allies.
We got back on the road and I saw an interesting "Cactus Farm"
to the left of the road and so I briefly rode into the grounds
and made a brief movie:
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MOVIE(S) (mp4) Note: you must download the file to your computer and then
play the file on an mp4 compatible player
Movie: Cactus Farm
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We then biked to rocky Ognina beach. It was interesting to
see all the rocks, hidden bays and crystal clear water.
There were people wind surfing, kayaking and there were even
reports of some mermaids swimming in the clear waters.
There was also a sighting of a "Heart" shaped outcropping:
We then continued biking and rode amongst the citrus groves
and vineyards to the Gulino winery founded in 1793.
It was a typical hot Sicilian summer day and we parked
our bikes by entrance:
We were then given a tour of vineyards and winery.
Things noted during the tour: They periodically replant
the vines every 20 years. They spray minimally and only sulfur
copper sulfate. They have a variety of wines several whites
and of course the red Nero D'Avola. They also make a passito.
They age their wines in French Oak barrels.
A sampling of the lunch accompanied by a tasting
of three wines. A white Albanello, a red Nero D'Avola and
a Moscato di Siracusa wine.
A small plaque with a good proverb:
There were several cats seen in the winery area including
these two cute kittens:
With much groaning and moaning we got on our bikes
again rode in the afternoon heat back to Borgo Pantano.
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Link to RideWithGPS Map of PM Ride: Gulino Winery to Borgo Pantano Ride:
Gulino Winery-Borgo Pantano Map
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On the afternoon ride we stopped and walked around a distinctive Lighthouse
with the the strange name "Faro di Capo Murro di Porco" on a rocky
outcropping of the bay:
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MOVIE(S) (mp4) Note: you must download the file to your computer and then
play the file on an mp4 compatible player
Movie: Ride to Lighthouse
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We continued the ride that went around the south side of the
bay by Siracusa. We again saw the distinctive Madonna delle
Lacrime Santuario (Madonna of the Tears Sanctuary 1966).
This modern building simulates a tear from the Madonna.
We continued along the edge of the bay and passed the usual beach
dwellings and restaurants. Across the bay we could see the island
of Ortigia, the old town portion of Siracusa. The bay was interesting
due to the mussels and clam nurseries organized in the water:
We kept going and went by countless citrus groves, vineyards
and flowery bushes on the side of the roads back to Borgo
Pantano. We also took a little side trip to a nearby villa.
We arrived and pressed the button to open the gate
and enter the grounds.
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MOVIE(S) (mp4) Note: you must download the file to your computer and then
play the file on an mp4 compatible player
Movie: Borgo Pantano Grounds
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Since this was the last time we would
ride the bikes, I took several photos of the Fuji E bike that
Rosemary rode and really liked (I looked it up on the Performance
catalog and it retails around $ 2,500)
Borgo Pantano is a special resort that is worthy of several photos:
There were areas on the grounds that had these large plastic globes
that reminded me of balloons in the 1968 TV series "The Prisoner"
starring Patrick McGoohan, a spy being held in a strange compound
and when the "balloon" would show up he would be captured and returned
to the "prison" :
In the evening we had our final group dinner and this was
a coffee proverb that was posted on the way to the dining room:
"In order to have good Coffee, it should be:
Black like the Night
Sweet like Love
Hot like Hell"
Before dinner we took a group photo by flowering oleanders
Final impressive sunset:
In the evening, with the help of Lea and Angelo, I packed my
bike in my bike case and prepared it for the return trip.
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Jun 19 Tue: Transfer to Siracusa Hotel Livingston / Morning walk thruout
Ortigia /Afternoon rest/ Went to Greek tragedy "Heracles"
staged by an all woman cast.
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The next morning we again had a sumptuous breakfast. Again, I was
amazed by the amount and quality of the food made available. This is
a full documentation:
The great of assortment of freshly squeezed juices:
We then loaded all our luggage for the transfer to Siracusa and the
Hotel Livingston located on the island of Ortigia, which constitutes
the "old town" segment of Siracusa.
The drive to Siracusa was short and without issues. We went
into the city and then took one of the bridges into
the old city, the island of Ortigia. We checked into the
Hotel Livingston that was right next to the seawall on the
southeast side of the island.
For the rest of the morning we walked all through
the Old Town, first going to the Fountain of Diana,
We then walked thru all the streets and eventually found
the Duomo Square. The Church incorporates Greek columns
from the ancient temple of Athena.
Main Altar and Cupola:
Altar with remains of Santa Lucia:
We then walked to the south towards the harbour. Rosemary
was searching for small store with paintings on papyrus.
I walked down to the Fountain Arethusa overlooking the harbour.
We then walked back north and stopped by the Church of
Santa Lucia with the painting of the Saint by Caravaggio.
Next we kept walking north and found the ancient ruins of
the Temple of Apollo:
Next we walked to the nearby outdoor market and saw the
impressive fish market.
We searched for a place to have lunch and finally found
a popular Salumeria Cassia that was very popular with local
residents. We got two large freshly made sandwiches
and ate them on the green benches outside in the shade.
We then walked back to the Hotel and we were so tired that
we decided to not attend the guided walking tour that was
scheduled for most of the afternoon. So we rested for the
remainder of the afternoon, then we prepared to go to the
Greek Theatre and see the Greek Tragedy "Eracles" (Hercules)
performed in Italian by an all woman cast. We decided just to
take a cab to the theater.
We first got our tickets and then walked into the grounds and
went to a small food kiosk and got some food and beers to
get us thru the performance.
The walk to the arena was in itself impressive, going by several
huge caves in the nearby hills.
The performance was riveting. It was very dramatic
and focused the audience's attention.
There was also the unscheduled appearance (three times) of a
black cat in the front walkway by the floor lighting.
Here is a sequence of photos depicting the major points of the
tragedy:
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MOVIE(S) (mp4) Note: you must download the file to your computer and then
play the file on an mp4 compatible player
Movie Eracles Dance Scene
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MOVIE(S) (mp4) Note: you must download the file to your computer and then
play the file on an mp4 compatible player
Movie: Eracles Funeral Scene
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We elatedly applauded the performance. It was a fitting
climax to the our visit to Sicily that summed up the varied
history and cultures of the Jewel of the Mediterranean: Sicilia.
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Jun 20 Wed: Transfer to Catania Airport / Return flight to USA /
Catania/ Munich/ Washington (IAD)
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The return trip to the US was standard. It did rain in Munich and Washington.
The bike case went thru without any problems and we got our luggage.
The most notable occurrence was that a man coughed during the whole flight from
Munich to Washington and claimed he did not have a cold.
I ended up being sick for a week when I returned.
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Return to Part 1 of Sicily VBT blog
Sicily_VBT_2018 Part 1
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Updated Dynamic 2018 /
Copyright © 2018, Max Prola