ESSENTIALS

Getting there & around

Ryanair flies non-stop between Stansted and Palermo. Other airlines, including British Airways, ITA and Swiss serve Sicily seasonally or fly via their European hubs. ryanair.com ba.com itaspa.com swiss.com

Average flight time: 2h50m.

Hourly trains run between Palermo and Agrigento with a journey time of 2h. thetrainline.com

When to go

The Magna Via Francigena is accessible year-round. Winter detours take hikers above floodplains, but spring is by far the best time to travel, when the route is rich with wildflowers and storms are scant. Temperatures vary with altitude. As a guide, Sutera — one of the highest points on the route — ranges from around 9C in January to 30C in July.

Places mentioned

Archeology museum, Prizzi. comune.prizzi.pa.it/turismo/il-museo Cidma. cidmacorleone.it

Sikanamente. sikanamente.org

Casale Margherita. casalemargherita.eu La Bicicletta Rossa. instagram.com/labiciclettarossacorleone Grotte mural project. labiddina.wixsite.com/website

Access to Sutera’s pilgrim bells must be booked in advance. facebook.com/ museoetnoantropologicosutera

More info

Sicily Tourism. visitsicily.info

The Magna Via Francigena Trail: Sicily on Foot, From Coast to Coast, by Davide Comunale (Terre). €16 (£13) Sicilian Uncles, by Leonardo Sciascia (Granta). £8.99

How to do it

UTRACKS offers self-guided tours of the Magna Via Francigena. Eight days costs £870 per person, including seven nights’ B&B in three-star hotels, B&Bs and an agriturismo. It also includes a road book, maps, navigational app, luggage transfers, emergency hotline and SMS alert and pilgrims passport. utracks.com