More than just Mount Etna and big lemons, The Bear shows us how to tour Sicily, Italy the easy way on a motorcycle. Check out where Peter has been zipping around... Words: The Bear.
One of the things I like about organised motorcycle tours is that they can take you to places you would not otherwise even consider. I mean, seriously, Sicily? What’s there, anyway, and how do you even get there? Can you rent a bike? Turns out it’s easier than I thought…
Sicily, who even knew you could book a motorcycle tour here? The roads may not be in terrific condition, but they are still highly enjoyable. The Bear shows us everything you need to know about touring here…
Stay up to date with The Bear’s travels here…
Well, getting there is no problem once you workout that rather than trying to book a “direct” flight, you can just fly to Rome and then take a $100 connecting flight with one of the local airlines; in my case, that was to Catania. Yes, you can rent a bike there. The selection is a little thin, but you don’t need to bother if you go on a tour. As for “what’s there”, the Sicily that Edelweiss Bike Tours showed me is well worth the journey. The bikes on this ride were a mixture of BMW GSs and Ducati Multistradas.
Think of the Roman two-faced god Janus again. One face shows the carefully curated antique treasures like the Villa Romana del Casale and Valley of the Temples, while the other face shows the neglected, poverty-stricken villages of the centre of the island. The multi-lane highways and spectacular tunnels on the one hand, with the outrageous corners and, well, mixed quality surface of the old roads. What it amounts to is that no matter what kind of riding you enjoy, Sicily is there for you. It helps a lot to have the organising ability of Edelweiss to find the best roads, although the island does not have many dud patches.
“No matter what kind of riding you enjoy, Sicily is there for you. It helps a lot to have the organising ability of Edelweiss to find the best roads…”
Over some excellent, tight back roads we reached the Villa Romana del Casale, one of the most amazing sights of the trip. This Roman country house from the 4th Century CE has 3,500 square metres of spectacular floor mosaics including paintings of ten Roman girls – in bikinis. This was followed up by the Valley of the Temples near Agrigento, which showed off Greek columns against the green countryside. Our hotel there was a last-minute addition because the original one had gone broke, and it was the best of the entire tour. I spent half an hour soaking in the outdoor jacuzzi.
We got a full load of Sicily’s mountain roads the next day as we crossed from south to north. I think the ranges to the immediate north of Agrigento were probably the most spectacular and the best ride of the trip. I can always tell when the riding has been great, because I don’t have any photos…
There are some “modern” castles – one from 1316 and the other, carved from a solid mountain, from Norman times.
All the way north past the Mafia-tainted small towns of Prizzi and Corleone to Cefalu on the north coast we had varied quality but never less than exciting roads. And so it went on for nearly a week. The next day’s ride from Cefalu to Taormina was even better as it tackled range after range including the Madonie e Nebrodi, the tallest in Sicily. We also got a look at a couple of relatively “modern” castles – one from 1316 and the other, carved from a solid mountain, from Norman times. I tell you what, you had to have strong legs to manage all of the stairways!
“Thomas, our other guide, leads the pack out of yet another Sicilian village on the BMW GS.”
On our way back east, we got closer to Taormina and Mount Etna began to take over the skyline. We rode up along Etna’s flanks the next, theoretically “free” day – but nobody wanted to miss a look at this huge, active volcano. The roads were terrific, but there is not really much to see from the top parking lot. Certainly no lava, which everyone found disappointing.
“The ranges to the north of Agrigento were probably the most spectacular and the best ride of the trip. I can always tell when the riding has been great, because I don’t have any photos…”
Our hotel in Taormina was a true classic, right next to the old town. This is a tourist attraction, but it was actually rather interesting to walk around in the evening after a hard day punting my BMW F 750 GS (it’s a good ideas to choose the same bike on tour that you ride at home) around the narrow, curvy local roads. I tried to find a restaurant at with local and maybe different cuisine, but they were all the same: Italian tourist food is pretty much the same thing you’d get in an Italian restaurant back in Oz. Still, the prices are good and the wine is both good and cheap.
The Corleone service station doesn’t look like much: as long as it has fuel! It’s an epic riding experience…
We caught the ferry across to the Italian mainland the next day, and continued up the boot’s shin to Rome. I’ll cover that stretch another time.
Want to book this trip? Head here to check it out…
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The Author
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June 17, 2023
I have done the exact same trip with Edelweiss and have just come back from their Pearls of the Adriatic tour. 100 percent recommend this company. I have never had a bad experience.
Planning the next one !