BIKING FROM RAGUSA - DAY 4

On our first full day of biking we left from our hotel and rode through the quiet countryside.

When I got near the top of the first hill this mare and her colt gave me a good reason to stop.

The scenery was lovely with green meadows filled with yellow flowers.

Stone walls lined the road, bordered with a variety of wild flowers.

These stone fences were everywhere with never a drop of mortar to hold them together, a great job of fitting the rocks together.

Off in the distance were buildings also built of the same stone which was plentiful everywhere.

But best of all, at the crest of the hill sat the VBT Van with our guides and an assortment of snacks.  Most welcome!!

Back on our bikes, much refreshed, we rode to the Donnafugata Castle, not a real medieval castle but a late 19th century noble palace belonging to a wealthy  Sicilian family.

The castle is surrounded by a large park which has more than 1500 plant species and various
"distractions" to entertain and amuse the guests.

Lunch at the castle was both light and delicious.  A welcome change from all of the big meals.

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Our ride after lunch was downhill to the water and it was great to be peddling by the sea.  We met the bus there and got a ride back to our hotel to change.

In the evening we were given a ride to Ragusa Ibla, the ancient heart of Ragusa lying on top of the hill overlooking the valley.  The town is one of the best examples of Sicilian Baroque and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  The town was entirely rebuilt after the terrible earthquake of 1693, which devastated the Val di Noto.  It seemed funny to see a car and motorcycle parked on the "ancient" street up the hill.

It seemed to be a time for brides as we walked up the hill with our guide to see the San Giorgio Church.  This groom was posing by a bicycle which seems quite appropriate in Sicily.

The Church was lit by lights and was a pretty sight against the darkening sky.

And returning down the hill, looking for a restaurant for supper I spotted another bride and groom.

The restaurant we chose was empty when we entered but filled up rapidly with locals.  The meal was delicious.

As we walked back towards our waiting bus we spied this cat that had found a place for itself on the church steps.

Our last view was this old church at the foot of the town where it meets the highway. A fitting end.

SCICLI AND MODICA - DAY 5

This morning we woke up to a cold drizzling rain, and still dealing with a cough, and being saddle sore from yesterday's long uphill rides, I decided not to bike.

But a wonderful breakfast spread awaited us all in the dining room.

 The younger members of our group all decided to bike and went over the directions with the guides.
It is always a fun and informative time.

From the van I grabbed a few photos of the countryside as we traveled up the hill.  Some areas were
lush green with the new rain.

 Some of the hills were covered with rocks and stone walls.

 We slowed as the van caught up with the riders - the rain had diminished and I snapped this shot of Cindy on her bike.

 From the top of the hill we could see Scicli, one of the towns in the Val di Noto listed since 2002 as UNESCO Wold Heritage site for the extraordinary importance and beauty of their late-baroque architecture, developed after the 1693 earthquake which devastated Sicily.

 While waiting for the bikers to arrive we had a chance to briefly visit the mausoleum cemetery. .                                                                        

                                                                

      

As  Mauro, our guide prepared snacks on the back of the van for the bikers.

 

Our next stop was Modica, another World Heritage town and home of Antica Dalceria Juto, the oldest

chocolate maker in Modica and one of the most famous in Italy.  Its ancient traditions go back to 1880 when they started processing cocoa seeds according to the old Aztecan techniques imported by the Spanish more than 400 years ago.

        We dressed in "cover-ups and toured the    kitchen, and got to sample some of the sweets.                     
                                            

Arriving back at our hotel where the late afternoon view from our room is below -

We were given a tour of the grounds before dinner. The Kallikoros Spa & Camp Resort is a restored small village set in fertile land which includes large areas of orchards, vineyards, olive and carob.  Because of its cleanliness and brightness of the sky it has been chosen by the National Astrophysics Institute for Astronomical studies.  And the lemon blossoms smell wonderful!!

KALLIKOROS TO VENDICARI BAY - DAY 6

We awakened to beautiful weather, and after another great breakfast went out to see the view.

Looking out over the fields and orchards we could see clouds in the distance but the temperatures were mild and the day promised to be a good one.

We gathered on the patio for our daily briefing and entertainment because our guides Sandro, Marco and Mauro, besides being great bikers were comedians too. The morning ride was mostly downhill to a natural reserve by the sea where we to spent some time exploring.

Being the oldest and slowest of the group by far, we took off early so I could grab some shots of some flowers I had seen the day before.  This was the first opportunity I had to photograph poppies.

The country roads were lovely and free of traffic - my kind of biking.

We reached the Vendicari Park and Bay and Sandro, who was already there with the van gave us directions to this blind looking out over the marsh lakes, already alive with birds.

Walking along the boardwalk to the sea we saw many flowers and lizards.

At the upper edge of the beach were these curious brown balls which we thought were seed pods, but found out they came from the Mediterranean - a form of algae that washes up on the beach when dead.

From the beach we could see the ruins of an old tuna fishing and packing factory that closed after WWII.

We walked to it and spent some time exploring the ruins, and enjoying the flowers there.

                   Ruins of the Tonnara (fish factory)

We continued our walk along the beach enjoying the sea and the vegetation on land.

The ride back to our hotel in the afternoon was of course a lot of up-hill, and I was glad to reach it.


The two younger couples from Boston wanted a photo of themselves in their biking shirts from the Wilson Farm ( owned by Jim and Cindy on the left).  We hope  to visit them there this summer.

That evening at out hotel, the Kalliloros, a cooking demonstration was planned.  Aubergine       Parmesan  appetizers were compiled by Peggy under the watchful eye of the chef.

                          

Cindy shows off her successful creation, and Dave works on eggplant parmigiana rolls.

                                                 The results were beautiful and delicious.

After dinner we all enjoyed the "Cannolo Sicillanos" for dessert, which we stuffed earlier.

And I couldn't resist snapping a photo of our guides Mauro, Marco and Sandro who also had a good time.