Criss-crossing Sicily
Just to the South of the Italian mainland lies the football to the boot of Italy, the supposed source of the football prowess of the country … Driving and travel enthusiast Sudhir Matai recently explored the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea by road.
Italy is high up on the travel bucket list of many, with countless famous landmarks – from the Vatican, Colosseum, and Trevi Fountain in Rome to otherworldly cities such as Venice and Florence. Even if you have never visited the country, it is likely you can name at least one Italian city.
However, I am quite certain very few will be able to name any town on the island of Sicily. Despite its size, Sicily falls under the control of and is consider a region of Italy. Only the narrow Strait of Messina separates the two land masses and if you are in no hurry, you can “drive” from Italy to Sicily. Three port cities offer ferry services to the island, the closest (from Messina) only 3 kilometres away.
If you cannot afford the time, you can fly to the capital city Palermo from just about any Italian city, or directly from Dubai. The Falcone Borsellino Airport outside Palermo is based on the very edge of the island and one gets the impression that if the pilot were to misjudge his approach, you would be fumbling for your life jacket ...
Luckily, our landing was smooth and soon I was standing in front of the rental car counters. A word to the wise, book in advance …. I did not, and as a result I had to wait for quite some time before I could secure a car. As it was Summer in Europe, there still was plenty of daylight left, and I set course for my overnight destination, about a 90-minute drive due South.
The road to Sciacca
To navigate Sicily, I highly recommend using Waze, with Google Maps as a backup. For reasons unknown Google took me off the autostrada and sent me down several byways, thankfully all of them tarred. Eventually, it took me back to the same motorway … This added an extra hour to my travels but finally I ended up at my Sicilian base, the town of Sciacca (pronounced Sharkka).
The next day I started to explore the countryside, travelling inland from the Southern coast. In places the stunning countryside reminded me of South Africa. Rolling hills covered with terraced crops dominated the countryside. While the rural landscapes were not dissimilar to Italy, judging from infrastructure I sensed that Sicily is far poorer than its mainland cousin.
I also noted a marked contrast in road conditions. In places the blacktop was pristine, yet as you head into the mountains, of which there are several, road conditions deteriorated quite badly. My main stop for the day was Autodromo di Pergusa (as this is what petrol heads do on vacation).
The circuit used to play host to a nonchampionship round of Formula 1 known as the Mediterranean Grand Prix and incidentally, the track is named after the lake that it encircles. The track, if you were wondering, is characterised by flat out sections punctuated by chicanes, not all of which are properly marked. I saw upwards of 275 km/h at some points of the circuit in the Ferrari 488 Pista I scored a shotgun ride in ...
On the road back to Sciacca I noticed a trait that would make its presence felt many times over the following days: variable weather conditions. One moment you would be travelling down an arterial road baked in sunshine; a few corners later you needed to slow to a crawl to negotiate a torrential downpour to almost as quickly re-emerge into sunshine and clear skies.
Searching for The Godfather
Most of the following day I was headed North again, this time with two missions: to see the Targa Florio Museum and to find the birthplace of Vito Andolini, the real Godfather … The seminal character in the famous trilogy of Francis Ford Coppola was Vito Andolini, but the surname of the young Sicilian was lost in translation with American harbour officials – leading to him inadvertently being rechristened Vito Corleone; the latter the name of his birthplace.
After enjoying verdant landscapes and mountain passes with countless corners, I eventually found the hometown of the most (in)famous son of Sicily. On the way to the racing museum I traversed some of the roads used in the famous Targo Florio – one of the oldest road races in the world. It started in 1906 and was discontinued in 1977 for safety reasons.
Drivers from all over the world would contest this, now, ludicrous event where they would do 11 laps of a 72 km course on public roads. The museum, manned by an affable and excitable curator, showcased some highlights of the event and has a great display of classic road and race cars. I highly recommend a visit if you are a motorsport fan.
After drinking in the atmosphere of old race cars, I spent the afternoon winding my way along the Northern coast before eventually turning inland. Traversing this countryside should be done without a clock or time limit. There is so much to see and so many towns to stop in that the hours seem to fly by. I made my overnight stop in time to catch the incredible sunset that marked the end of another memorable day.
The following day I explored the Southern coastline and the town of Agrigento. Smaller towns seem to have fallen into a state of disrepair; a pity, really, as they have the potential to become attractive tourist destinations. I then made my way to Catania, the second largest city, as I had to fly from there the next day. On my final day I again watched the sun rise over the Mediterranean before heading towards Caltanissetta and Catania.
Rural roads along vineyards and fruit-tree orchards eventually gave way to the elevated A19 autostrada – the major artery linking Palermo and Catania. It is in pristine condition and we made quick progress. But one final visual delight remained … On the outskirts of Catania, I noticed a peak with unusual cloud formations – Mount Etna, at 3,300 metres the tallest active volcano in Europe.
As I watched the volcano, the metropolis of Catania, and the Sicilian coastline disappear from the view of my window seat on my Dubai-bound flight, I realised that one day I will have to return to explore all 1,500 km of it …