Why this ride
A 284 km round trip from Palazzolo Acreide - roughly 4 h in the saddle. It goes by way of Ragusa, Militello Val di Catania, Caltagirone and back through Militello Val di Catania. The line favours views over speed.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Palazzolo Acreide and Caltagirone
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 284 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 5 h 41
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Palazzolo Acreide
Long before the Baroque churches, there were the Greeks. In the seventh century BC, settlers from Syracuse founded a hilltop outpost here called Akrai, controlling the routes into the interior of Sicily. The remains of their town lie on the hill above modern Palazzolo Acreide: a small, beautifully preserved Greek theatre with views over the hills, stone quarries turned into burial chambers, and the Santoni, a series of rock-cut figures of the goddess Cybele, carved into a cliff face, weathered but still powerful.
Read the complete Palazzolo Acreide write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Palazzolo Acreide is where the day begins. Next is Ragusa.
2. Ragusa
In 1693 a terrible earthquake destroyed much of south-eastern Sicily, and the towns of the Val di Noto were rebuilt in the baroque style of the time, creating a group of towns of extraordinary beauty, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Ragusa is one of them, a town divided into two parts: Ragusa Superiore, the newer town on the ridge, built after the earthquake, and Ragusa Ibla, the old town on a lower hill, rebuilt on its medieval street plan.
Read the complete Ragusa write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Ragusa comes up about 37 km into the recorded legs. Next is Militello Val di Catania.
3. Militello Val di Catania
Militello in Val di Catania is a small town in the hills south-west of Catania, in eastern Sicily, surrounded by orange groves and olive trees, with Mount Etna visible on the horizon. Like many towns in this part of Sicily, it was devastated by the earthquake of 1693, which destroyed much of the south-east of the island, and was rebuilt in the Baroque style. Its churches and palaces are part of the UNESCO-listed Late Baroque Towns of the Val di Noto, inscribed in 2002, together with Noto, Ragusa, Modica, Caltagirone and others.
Read the complete Militello Val di Catania write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 96 km into the recorded legs you reach Militello Val di Catania. Next is Caltagirone.
4. Caltagirone
Caltagirone is a city built on ceramics. Perched on a ridge in the hills of south-east Sicily, it has been making pottery since ancient times, and the tradition is everywhere: majolica tiles on balconies, bridges and church domes, pottery shops lining the streets and a museum devoted to the craft. Its most famous sight is the Scalinata di Santa Maria del Monte, a staircase of well over a hundred steps climbing from the lower town to a church at the top, each riser decorated with hand-painted tiles in different patterns and colours. In late July, for the feast of Saint James, the staircase is lit with thousands of oil lamps arranged in designs, a magical sight.
Read the complete Caltagirone write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Caltagirone, about halfway. Next is back through Militello Val di Catania.
5. back through Militello Val di Catania
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Militello Val di Catania write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Militello Val di Catania sits at 155 km, about halfway. Next is back through Ragusa.
6. back through Ragusa
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Ragusa write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Ragusa comes up about 246 km into the recorded legs. Next is Palazzolo Acreide.
7. Palazzolo Acreide
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Palazzolo Acreide write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Palazzolo Acreide closes the day.
Leg by leg
Palazzolo Acreide to Ragusa
Palazzolo Acreide → Ragusa is 37 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Ragusa to Militello Val di Catania
Ragusa → Militello Val di Catania is 59 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Militello Val di Catania to Caltagirone
Militello Val di Catania → Caltagirone is 45 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Caltagirone to back through Militello Val di Catania
Caltagirone → back through Militello Val di Catania is 45 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Militello Val di Catania to back through Ragusa
back through Militello Val di Catania → back through Ragusa is 60 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Ragusa to Palazzolo Acreide
back through Ragusa → Palazzolo Acreide is 38 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.