There wasn’t a lot of sleep last night. What sounded like a marching band would strike up every twenty minutes – super loud. The last one I heard was at about midnight. At 4am, I think they started pouring concrete nearby, with trucks, pumps and people barking orders. Not exactly restful, but there wasn’t much I could do about it, so I had some breakfast and left.
I was expecting a fairly easy ride until the final ascent to Taormina. It was like a stage of the TdF. It wasn’t hard, but it definitely wasn’t easy.
There was a bike path out of Catania. It was well painted but had drains every 50 metres or so. The drains were well below the level of the path, so if you ran over one, you knew about it. They almost stretched the width of the lane, so half the path was useless to me. Someone must have been partying last night (the marching band ?) because there was plenty of broken glass lying around. At least the coastal scenery was nice.
It wasn’t a warm day but it was still a great day for cycling and a great day to be outdoors in a fantastic part of the world.
After I left the centre of Catania, I stopped to check directions and an older cyclist rode past me. After I got going again, I went past him and said hi. The process repeated the next time I stopped for a photo and I got a big smile, a wave and a Buongiorno as I went past again. I came to a castle on top of some rocks and stopped again. This time, he came up and said – Norman, Norman !
I said – nice to meet you Norman. He said – no, no Castillo Norman !!! It was a Norman Castle built atop the rocks. D’Oh !! My new friend, not called Norman, then turned around and went back towards Catania still shaking his head.
The castle is interesting. The lava from an eruption of Mt. Etna filled in the gap between the rocks and the mainland. It was also affected by the 1693 earthquake, so I think this castle is here to stay.
The day continued, generally along the coast or not too far from it. At Acireale, I stopped for a coffee and a cornetto which is a filled croissant. You can get cream, jam, chocolate, pistachio cream etc. For me, it’s either jam or plain – normaaaal.
These cafes in small towns or really, any town off the tourist trail, can be really inexpensive. It was three euros fifty for a couple of machiatos and a croissant. The guy running the cafe was fantastic. He had no english at all. He checked over my bike and came inside to tell me the rear light was still flashing. Being a mime expert, I could tell exactly what he was trying to say 😁
Acireale is pretty big. The road in, climbs steadily and I realised I’d stopped on the outskirts. It’s got the usual lovely town square and great coastal views.
The next part went through rural areas but always within sight of the coast. I sat on a wall near a cemetery and had lunch, and it began to feel colder. The clouds had rolled in and the wind had strengthened.
I rejoined the coastline and the road petered out to become a dirt road with puddles completely across it in part. I rode through some great wild camping areas where a few van-lifers had set up.
Unfortunately, my route finished in scrub near the river. I wasn’t far from a bridge but there was no way through. I’d been Komooted and it’s been a while since that happened.
No problem, I retraced my steps for a couple of kms and went back to the secondary road. I was wary of any extra effort because the last few kilometres would be up a crazy hill to Taormina. I knew it was crazy because I could see it since the half way point.
I went through the last village before the climb and couldn’t believe how a road could ascend so high so quickly. It did though. It was steep and unforgiving. Although I am walked up the worst bits (20% etc), I was pleased with my effort and the views on the way up.
I reached the top and followed the Komoot directions not realising that it was wanting me to ascend a lot of steps in this steep little place. I worked out a better way but still had to carry the bike up to the BnB. It was worth every step – there’s an amazing view across the Mediterranean and to the south. I can’t wait until the morning when the lighting will be perfect.
I did the usual – checked in, cleaned up and had a look around town. Wow.
I noticed ‘Taormina Panorama’ on the map and walked quite a way downhill to go there. It wasn’t worth it. The panorama wasn’t as good as any of the other places I’d been. The problem was that I had a very steep uphill to get back to the hotel.
I looked for a shortcut back to town and saw a long set of stairs behind the carpark. So I went up to the carpark guys and asked how to get back to town. They told me to catch the bus. I said, no, I’d like to walk and the two guys both looked at me and said – no sir, just catch the bus please. I took the hint and was back in town in a few minutes, and very pleased that I took their advice.
Later, I had a disappointing Pizza but made up for that with some cannolis on the way home.
What a day
