Wobbling Winos: Day 11. Ortigia to Catania.

Sicily Day 11. Ortigia to Catania 79 km.

We had an early start out of Syracusa stopping at a small cafe/ bar for a cup of coffee and cornetta for breakfast. The bar was frequented by men having their first cigarette and coffee for the morning. The way was bumpy on a road paved with large paving stones cut from the larva that has been quarried in the surrounding areas that were covered in larva from the various eruptions of Mt Etna.

We followed the signs past Belvedere towards Augusta, while trying to find our way to Priolo Gargallo. Garmin took us on a wild goose chase once again, leading us into the residential area. We passed a young guy on his bike twice and the second time we passed him he asked us where we were heading. He offered to ride with us to show us the way as he was off to the beach. He showed us the way to a quieter road that ran parallel to the busy E45 which was fantastic until we got to the next big intersection when there were about four options.

Luckily a bunch of cyclist came past gave us the directions. All was good for about 10km when Garmin sent us off on a small dirt road. After spending about 15 minutes cycling up and down and trying all possible options, we spotted a road cyclist from a bridge on the opposite side of the road. We followed him onto the the SS114 which was the same way as to the Autostrada but peeled off onto the less busy SS114 200m before reaching it. The area around Augusta was peppered with Oil refineries, we even spotted a sign that showed directions to SASOL Sicily. Not a pretty sight.

Once on the SS114 we had a straight run without any significant hills into Catania. On the outskirts of Catania we must have passed about 20 different beaches. This section was a bit of a nightmare with cars trying to park. It was Sunday and the beaches were packed to capacity.

There was heavy traffic going into the centre of Catania, but this time Garmin came up trumps and got us into Piazza del Duomo, the Main Square.

We had finished a wonderful 11 days of cycling around this beautiful island and we had experienced it warts and all. 750 km of adventure under the Sicilian sun on our bicycles!!

We celebrated with a beer and a Pasta Norma, which is one of the regional specialities from the area. A thin slice of beautifully grilled Melanzan wrapped around a bunch of spaghetti in a pomodoro sauce and baked in the oven. Simply delicious.

Our accommodation was an air B&B in the student quarter. I must say I had my reservations when we cycled up a very narrow road though some rather run down buildings. It turned out to be comfortable and with beautiful white linen.

Our host recommended the wonderful restuarant Trattoria da Antonnio in Via Castello Ursino where we had a delicious meal. I had a Orecchiette with clams and shrimps in a cream of pumpkin sauce and Ian had Papredelle Farmer which had a spicy Sicilian sausage and tomato sauce.

As we closed the door to our apartment we were left with a feeling of elation tinged with a sense of sadness. Sad that we would not be saddling our trusty iron steads for a day in the saddle again. All we had left to do was cycle to the station in Catania for our trip to Palermo and then from Palermo to Terrasini both short distances and happy that we were able to experience this beautiful island and view it from the seats of our bikes in slow motion. The best way to see a country.