Sicily - Sunflower Books

Sicily, the largest island in the Mediterranean and long a Mecca for culture freaks, also rewards the countryside lover with its magnificent landscapes. Peter Amann knows the island intimately; he leads walking groups on Sicily and works for the preservation of its monuments. There is enough material in this book for several holidays. For those touring Sicily by car, the eight car tours (mostly circular and covering 2000 km) follow little-used secondary roads wherever possible. If you’re walking in Sicily, the routes are as varied in length and grade as the landscape itself — a distillation of the best on the island.

The best months for walking in Sicily are March to June and September to November.

Area covered: the entire island except for the far southwest corner.

8 car tours, 70 long and short walks, 27 picnic suggestions.


TOURING
AROUND MOUNT ETNA (TOUR 1) 18
Catania (centre) · Nicolosi · Rifugio Sapienza · Piano Provenzana · Bronte · Adrano · Catania (ring road)

TAORMINA, THE PELORITANI MOUNTAINS AND THE AEOLIAN ISLANDS (TOUR 2) 22
Taormina · (Forza d’Agrò · Alì) · Messina · Milazzo · (Lipari · Vulcano) · Milazzo · Novara di Sicilia · Castiglione di Sicilia · Linguaglossa · Fiumefreddo · Taormina

THE NEBRODI MOUNTAINS (TOUR 3) 25
San Fratello · Portella Femmina Morta · Cesarò · Castello Maniace · Randazzo · Floresta · Galati Mamertino · Alcara li Fusi · Sant’Agata di Militello

CEFALÙ AND THE MADONIE MOUNTAINS (TOUR 4) 28
Cefalù · Gibilmanna · Castelbuono · Geraci Siculo · Gangi · Petralia Soprana · Petralia Sottana · Polizzi Generosa · Piano Battaglia · Isnello · Cefalù

PALERMO AND THE WEST (TOUR 5) 31
Palermo · Monreale · Segesta · Scopello · Erice · Trapani · Marsala · Selinunte · S. Giuseppe Iato · Palermo

BETWEEN PALERMO AND AGRIGENTO (TOUR 6) 36
Palermo · Piana degli Albanesi · Ficuzza · Corleone · Prizzi · Palazzo Adriano · Caltabelotta · Sciacca · Eraclea Minoa · Agrigento · Sant’Angelo Muxaro · Cammarata · Caccamo · Solunto · Palermo

CENTRAL SICILY (TOUR 7) 42
Agrigento · Caltanissetta · Enna · Aidone · Morgantina · Piazza Armerina · Villa del Casale · S. Michele di Ganzaria · Caltagirone · Ragusa

SOUTHEASTERN SICILY AND THE MONTI IBLEI (TOUR 8) 44
Syracuse · Penisola della Maddalena · Noto · Portopalo di Capo Passero · Ispica · Modica · Scicli · Donnafugata · Ragusa · Vizzini · Palazzolo Acreide · Pantalica · Syracuse


THE WALKS

AROUND MOUNT ETNA
1 Monti Rossi 60
2 Schiena dell’Asino and the Valle del Bove 62
3 Monte Fontana and the Valle del Bove 66
4 Monti Sartorius 68
5 Serra delle Concazze and the Pizzi Deneri 70
6 Monte Nero and the Grotta del Gelo 73
7 Monte Spagnolo and the Cisternazza 77
8 Monte Ruvolo, Monti Tre Frati and Monte Minardo 80

TAORMINA, THE PELORITANI MOUNTAINS AND THE AEOLIAN ISLANDS
9 Monte Venere 83
10 Forza d’Agrò 85
11 Monte Scuderi 87
12 The Gran Cratere on Vulcano 89
13 Western Lipari 90
14 Rocca Novara 93

THE NEBRODI MOUNTAINS
15 Monte Soro and Lago Biviere 95
16 Cascata del Catafurco 98
17 Bosco di Mangalaviti and Lago Biviere 100
18 Rocche del Crasto 103

CEFALÙ AND THE MADONIE MOUNTAINS
19 The castle rock of Cefalù 105
20 Giant hollies on the Piano Pomo 108
21 Vallone Madonna degli Angeli 110
22 Pizzo Carbonara 113
23 Gangivecchio and Monte Zimmara 116

PALERMO AND THE WEST
24 Monte Pellegrino, Palermo’s holy mountain 118
25 The Castellaccio on Pizzo del Corvo 121
26 Monte Còfano 122
27 The Zingaro Nature Reserve 125
28 Stone Age paintings on Levanzo 128

BETWEEN PALERMO AND AGRIGENTO
29 Portella della Ginestra and Serre della Pizzuta 131
30 Valle del Fanuso and Cozzo Fanuso 134
31 Rocca Busambra and the Bosco della Ficuzza 137
32 Monti di Palazzo Adriano 116
33 Torre Salsa and Eraclea Minoa 142
34 Sant’Angelo Muxaro and Monte Castello 145
35 Caccamo and Monte S. Calogero 122

SOUTHEASTERN SICILY AND THE MONTI IBLEI
36 Papyrus along the Ciane 150
37 Noto Antica and the Cava del Carosello 151
38 The Vendicari nature reserve 154
39 Scicli and the Colle di San Matteo 157
40 Ragusa Ibla and the Cava della Misericordia 158
41 Pantalica 161