Post-tour Reflections: La Bella Sicilia

CC Tour Leaders Gabriel Del Rossi and Giuseppe (Peppe) Esposto recently finished the last La Bella Sicilia trip of our 2016 season. Here are a few of their trip reflections, favorite ‘wow’ moments and highlights. Sicily never ceases to amaze us all in her relentless glory and astonishing beauty!

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Gabe: Sicily holds a very special place in my heart. One of the first trips I ever led as a professional guide was Ciclismo Classico’s La Bella Sicilia tour in 1997. Focusing on the rich cultural and culinary heritage of the Eastern side of the island. It was on that trip that I met my wife.  We married 16 years later. So it’s no surprise to hear our guests exclaim, “I had no idea this island was so beautiful,” as we shuttle from the chaotic frenzy of Catania’s black lava-rock center to the arid dryness of the calatino of Caltagirone. The city itself is named from the old Arabic for ceramic castle and to this day boasts some of the most extraordinary displays of faience. The 140 steps of the Scalinata di Santa Maria connects the old city to the new, by way of a fantastic polychrome display of tiles depicting the centuries of ceramic making. And our warm-up ride hasn’t even started yet…

Peppe: I was born and raised in Sicily but consider myself a citizen of the the world. La Bella Sicilia is an amazing trip that can give you an assaggio of Eastern Sicily. Sicily in the biggest island in the Mediterranean and it’s a place where you can find evidence of human presence from the Neolithic to the WWII. Treasures around every corner…

THE RIDE

Gabe: As surprising as Sicily is in her rich heritage, so she is in her landscape. From Caltagirone we head down toward the valley of Niscemi past ancient olive trees and terraced hills. For mid-October the weather is warm and inviting, and the days are still long enough to get a challenging 20 kilometers before our aperitif. Up and down, and then up again to Caltagirone. An exhilarating way to shake off the jet-lag and get the appetite whet for tomorrow’s ride.

Peppe: History is all around us. On the way to Ragusa, our first regroup is at the hexagonal Piazza of Granmichele; a majestic town rebuilt after the 1693 earthquake by the Prince Carlo Maria Carafa Branciforti and the consulting of Fra Michele da Ferla. The superb scenography of the hexagonal piazza is enriched by some pretty cool modern statues: one represents the wise Prince on marble steps, and the other is a big giant bearing a sundial that still indicating “time” to the local people. Granmichele’s inhabitants are always friendly especially when we go to drink a caffè at the main bar of the town with local people. Great fun!

A LASTING IMPRESSION

Peppe recounts the afternoon ride leading up to the incredible evening that follows: Lunch break in Villasmundo in local panificio where we can try the local scaccia and all its different varieties. Leaving the small town we fly down to Brucoli ending the ride in front of the Spanish castle facing Etna. Brucoli is a small fisherman village with a natural rocky harbor. Once in the hotel, we celebrate with prosecco  and review the next day’s hiking on Etna. Later that eve: the music show of Sikelia.

Gabe: The highlight of the trip is by far Cettina and the theatre troupe Sikilia. On the evening we arrive at the foot of Mount Etna, we organize an evening of song and dance prepared by a group of talented artists. Sikilia give new birth to the ancient songs of this island, explaining in great details the intricacies and nuances of the Sicilian language. Their costumes are all made by hand and we all dance and sing well into the evening. It is a great opportunity for our guests to get to understand the Sicilian people through song, but also to have informal conversations with Cettina and her friends.

My favorite trip moment:

Gabe: My favorite moment is when my wife and daughter join us at I Banchi in Ragusa. The two nights we spend in Ibla gives me the opportunity to see my family and introduce them to our groups in one of Ragusa’s premier restaurants–featuring amazing food by Michelin starred chef Ciccio Sultano.

Peppe: In the ancient part of Siracusa (called Ortigia) we take an afternoon walking tour with Enzo discovering the history of the oldest city of Sicily. The highlight of the tour is the Cathedral built on top of a former Greek temple where you can read the entire history of Sicilian religion and domination. Leaving Enzo at Apollo’s temple we walk a spectacular restaurant where we enjoy the greatest fresh fish dinner of the tour!

THE END

Peppe: One of the most  spectacular experiences of the week is meeting the great Venero and his father, two local fisherman. Arriving in the old town of Didimi, Greek name of Salina, we cross the island stopping for a cucunci Slow Food tasting.  We then ride down to the port and transfer by boat for the amazing Pani Cunzato lunch and granita tasting. All in the same day…

Gabe: Our trip ends on Lipari: a small island on the Aeolian archipelago. Here we eat fresh cavetti pasta dishes with local cucunci. Capers and cucunci are prolific on the islands, as are quiet roads up to splendid panoramic views of Stromboli, Panerea and Alicudi. We jet around in a private boat after lunch, finding quiet hideaway coves to get our afternoon swims around the island. There is no better trip that gives you the history, flavors (not to mention all the local CC family) in Sicily better than our La Bella Sicilia trip.