Elymian Route

ELYMIAN ROUTE

Map

Included
Hire of 24 speed Hybrid cycles and equipment.
B&B accommodation in hotels, guest houses & farm holidays in twin/double rooms with shower/wc.
2 evening dinners
Tour information including maps and routes
Luggage transport
Emergency Support
Transfer from Palermo airport to Scopello on Day 1.

Excluded
Cycle Helmets
Lunches & 5 dinners

Extras
Single rooms

Transfer from Valderice to Erice on Day 2.

Access: by air to Palermo airport
Public transport from Monreale to Palermo airport or private transfer available

Duration: 7 Nights/8 Days

Start: any day March to mid July and September to November

Level 3

Tour Code SER

Price £820 per person
Single Supplement
£140 or £220 if one person travelling alone.

Transfer Monreale to Palermo airport €65

Fixed departures every Tuesday tour reduction of £65 per person

Day 1. Arrive SCOPELLO
Transfer from Palermo airport to the charming small fishing village of Scopello: briefing and cycle provision. Spend a relaxing day by the sea or walking in the Zingaro Nature Reserve. It is one of the most unspoilt and charning areas in Sicily and is best explored by foot.

Day 2. SCOPELLO - NUBIA 40ml(64km)
Take the quiet scenic country road across the peninsula to the archaeological site of Segesta, which dates back to 600 BC. Words cannot explain beauty of this site with the golden stone of the temple shining in the sun and the peace of the landscape of soft hills. Enjoy the wonderful sea views and explore the two castles and the Gothic church.

Day 3. NUBIA - MARSALA 38ml(61km)
An easy ride today first downhill from Erice, on to the Marsala's salt mining reserve and then to Mozia - 'Mothya'. This tiny unspoilt island has a unique museum providing visitors with a rare unspoiled glimpse into Sicily's Phoenician past. At Marsala visit the "Pellegrino" wine farm for a wine tasting.

Day 4. MARSALA - SELINUNTE 42ml(67km)
Leaving the flat vineyards around Marsala you will cycle inland across a series of gently undulating hills and then downhill to reach Cave di Cusa, a fascinating quarry used in the Greek period to carve out building materials out of the rock, including the columns of the temples in Selinunte. Our cycling stage ends at the coastal town of Selinunte, an abandoned ancient Greek city, with the ruins of an acropolis and numerous temples. The city was founded in the seventh century BC and effectively destroyed in 409 BC by the warring Carthaginians. Overnight Selinunte.

Day 5. SELINUNTE - CONTESSA ENTILLINA 40ml(65km)

A challenging cycle awaits us today as we leave the coast and make our way along the mountain ridges to enter the secluded heart of the island. Mythical names and stunning scenery await us today. We head northwards to the ghost town of Poggioreale, totally destroyed in the earthquake of 1968. Our destination for today is the small town of Contessa Entellina nestling in the rolling hills in an area of farming and agriculture. Dinner is included at our accommodation tonight.

Day 6. CONTESSA ENTILLINA - PIANA DEGLI ALBANESI 40ml(65km)

Another cycling day in the interior countryside of west Sicily. We will cycle close to Corleone, an old town famous around the world because of its role in recent history of the Mafia and the famous cinematic trilogy, The Godfather. After some steep slopes we’ll reach a comfortable 4-star farm near Piana degli Albanesi. Piana degli Albanesi was founded in the 15th century by Albanians fleeing from the prosecution of the Ottoman Turks, and today maintains its ethnic-linguistic and religious identity. A well deserved dinner is included at our delightful 4 star farm guest house. Dinner is included at our accommodation tonight.

Day 7. PIANA DEGLI ALBANESI - MONREALE 20ml(32km)

A shorter cyle ride today following the cycle track of a old railway line riding through the Conca d’Oro - ‘Golden Valley’ named from the boundless orange and lemon groves of
the Arabic period, finally arriving at Monreale. Monreale is world-renowned for its Cathedral 'Santa Maria la Nuova' a dazzling mixture of Arab, Byzantine and Norman artistic styles framed by traditional Romanesque architecture. The beautiful mosaics in the Cathedral of Monreale are said to be one of the world's largest realisations, covering 6,340 square meters of the interior surface. Perhaps visit the splendid cloister at Benedictine Abbey, with its 228 columns enclosing the cloister, some have mosaic inlays, others with meticulously-carved stone capitals.