Baroque tour by bike

Starting from Syracuse you start by visiting the island of Ortigia, the historic center of the city. Here you will have the opportunity to admire the temple of Apollo, the oldest Greek temple in Sicily dating back to the sixth century BC, the Piazza Duomo, and its beautiful cathedral, a magnificent representative of an incredible crossroads of peoples and cultures. Leave Ortigia and head south until you reach the famous beach of Fontane Bianche, where you can take a refreshing bath. After that, you pass by Avola and then arrive in Noto, the capital of the late Sicilian Baroque, full of churches and palaces of the eighth century. Continue to descend south along the nature reserve of Vendicari to get to a typical and ancient fishing village where time seems to have stopped: Marzamemi. From here you go southwest to reach the south coast of the island and get to Pozzallo, one of the most famous seaside resorts in the province of Ragusa, also known for the Torre Cabrera a suggestive tower of coastal defense, dating back to the fifteenth century.

The second stage is shorter in terms of kilometers but still challenging because of the differences in altitude, is also one of the richest stages in terms of history, culture and landscape. Leaving the village of Pozzallo, follow the coast to the west to arrive at another charming seaside village: Sampieri.
From here you start to go towards the Iblei mountains and uphill you get to Scicli, a magnificent town nestled in the hills, also famous for its baroque architecture and for being the set of many scenes of “Inspector Montalbano” the famous TV series. After visiting Scicli we head towards Modica, rich in old churches and monuments, but known especially for the production of chocolate of Aztec origin. Here we suggest a stop to taste the local delicacies.
Finally continuing along the valley of the river Irminio you get to Ragusa Ibla, located on a hill. This village dominates the surrounding valley with its houses and narrow streets which reigns the majestic Cathedral of St. George, the highest expression of Iblean Baroque.

Leaving Ragusa Ibla we head towards Syracuse where we will close the loop. Thus, following a low-traffic and scenic State road, passing by the lake of S. Rosalia, you reach the village of Giarratana. This is the smallest town in the province of Ragusa, famous for the production of large white onions, excellent if cooked in the oven. Passing Giarratana you go towards the province of Syracuse where, in the heart of the Iblean mountains, we find the picturesque town of Palazzolo acreide. From here the itinerary almost ends, heading west in fact along a path mainly downhill, you get back to Syracuse ending these three days rich in culture, history and nature.