Why this ride
A 161 km round trip from Piazza Armerina - roughly 3 h 04 in the saddle. On the way it passes Caltagirone, Militello Val di Catania and back through Caltagirone. It was put together for the scenery rather than the shortest line.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Villa Romana del Casale and Militello Val di Catania
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 161 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 3 h 04
- 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. Villa Romana del Casale
Somewhere in the fourth century AD, a very rich Roman, perhaps a senator or an imperial official, built a country villa in the hills of central Sicily and covered its floors with mosaics. The Villa Romana del Casale, just outside Piazza Armerina, has some of the finest and most extensive Roman floor mosaics anywhere, around 3,500 square metres, inscribed on the UNESCO list in 1997. Buried by a landslide in the Middle Ages, the villa was rediscovered and excavated mainly in the twentieth century, and the mosaics were preserved remarkably well.
Read the complete Villa Romana del Casale write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Villa Romana del Casale is where the day begins. Next is Caltagirone.
2. 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 comes up about 36 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 81 km into the recorded legs you reach Militello Val di Catania. Next is back through Caltagirone.
4. back through Caltagirone
Return visit. Read the place description above.
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
back through Caltagirone, late in the day. Next is Villa Romana del Casale.
5. Villa Romana del Casale
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Villa Romana del Casale write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Villa Romana del Casale. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Villa Romana del Casale to Caltagirone
Villa Romana del Casale → Caltagirone is 36 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Caltagirone to Militello Val di Catania
Caltagirone → Militello Val di Catania is 45 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Militello Val di Catania to back through Caltagirone
Militello Val di Catania → back through Caltagirone is 45 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Caltagirone to Villa Romana del Casale
back through Caltagirone → Villa Romana del Casale is 35 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.