Sicily: Trans-Sicily – A View of the World from Horseback

SICILY

This trail is a truly fantastic adventure, crossing Sicily from the west to the east, from the famous town of Corleone to the slopes of Mount Etna, We travel through incredibly varied and beautiful scenery, passing through arable land, historic sites, picturesque villages and cross five natural parks (Ficuzza, Madonie, Nebrodi, Alcantara and Etna).

The ride is done in two stages with a rest day in-between

Departure & Return Location

Arrive Palermo – Depart Catania

Date and Rates

TBA

Price Includes

Airport transfers from/to the nearest airport.
15 nights in agriturismi, B&B and good quality hotels
12 days full days of riding
All meals from dinner on the day of arrival to breakfast on the day of departure
Luggage transfer by support vehicle each day

Price Excludes

All flights
Items of a personal nature
tips

What to Expect

The ride is done in two stages with a rest day in-between. It is possible to only participate in one stage if the number of participants allow for this.

1. Corleone to Cefalu :

This ride takes you across some of the lesser known areas of the island, from the famous town of Corleone to the coastal resort town of Cefalù, passing through a rich variety of landscapes, from dense forests to striking mountain views and endless fields of wheat and hay. The days in the saddle are slightly shorter than the second week.

Rest day in-between also possible to transfer in and out if participating for 1 week

2. Cefalu to Mt Etna :

This epic trail crosses the greenest and wildest part of Sicily, the so-called Val Demone, passing through the four natural parks of Madonie, Nebrodi, Alcantara and Etna. The days in the saddle are longer and more adventurous than the first week.Between six and eight hours in the saddle per day. You must be comfortable at all three paces (walk, trot and canter) and physically fit. This programme is aimed at intermediate and advanced riders and it is not suitable for beginners or riders with only limited experience. The terrain is varied and there may be long trots and gallops along the way.

Comfortable at all three paces (walk, trot and canter), with experience of hacking out in the open
Ten people maximum
Between six and eight hours in the saddle per day. You must be comfortable at all three paces (walk, trot and canter) and physically fit
This programme is aimed at intermediate and advanced riders and it is not suitable for beginners or riders with only limited experience. The terrain is varied and there may be long trots and gallops along the way
It is possible to hire riding hats and chaps on site
The following items are essential: waterproofs, layers (it can be cold at altitude), boots and chaps, and sun cream
Agriturismi, B&B or good quality hotels.
Evening meals consist of authentic Sicilian cuisine prepared with local produce. A typical evening meal will include: a variety of starters, a pasta course, a meat/main course, dessert, wine, water and a digestif. Picnic lunches are provided by support vehicle (together with tables, chairs and cutlery) and include: fresh bread, salads, cheeses, olives, charcuterie, Sicilian specialities, wine or other drinks on request, coffee or tea
Comfortable English saddles, with a sheepskin cover, or Western saddles on request. Guests are not required to groom or tack up the horses

Itinerary

Day 1 ARRIVAL

After the transfer from the airport, you will arrive at Agriturismo Ridocco, a typical farmstead of the Corleone area, set amongst wheat fields and olive groves. Dinner and overnight.

Day 2 Agriturismo Ridocco - Gorgo del Drago (hours of riding: 7)

After breakfast we will set off from Corleone at around 8.30 in the morning. We will begin by crossing endless fields of wheat and hay, which remain the principal agricultural products of the island – the island has been considered an immense granary from as early as the Roman times. After about three hours, we will arrive at the reserve of the Ficuzza Wood, established by the Bourbon King Ferdinand in 1799 as his personal hunting reserve, and which, extending across almost 7400 hectares, is one of Sicily’s largest and best preserved natural woodlands. Here we will stop for a picnic lunch, beneath the imposing Rocca Busambra, which, measuring 1602 metres, is the highest peak in western Sicily. In the afternoon, we will continue through the reserve, which is home to a great variety of indigenous plants, including red oak, holm oak, ash and pine trees. We will then ride through the village of Ficuzza, where we will stop for a short break and you can admire the nineteenth century Royal Palace of King Ferdinand and enjoy some refreshments from a local bar. Late in the afternoon, we will arrive at the Agriturismo Gorgo del Drago on the northern edge of the reserve, where we will have dinner and spend the night.

Day 3 Gorgo del Drago - Villa Dafne (hours of riding: 8)

We will have breakfast and leave Gorgo del Drago at around 8.00 in the morning. We will pass through the village of Godrano, famous for producing cheese, before continuing on towards Cefala Diana, famous for its castle of Arab origin, followed by Villafrati and then Ciminna, where the landscape is characterised by rock formations made of gypsum crystals. We will stop here for a picnic lunch. In the afternoon, we will continue on towards Roccapalumba, nicknamed “the town of the stars”, before arriving at Villa Dafne, where we will have dinner and stay overnight. (8 hours riding)

Day 4 Villa Dafne - Mandragiumenta (hours of riding: 5)

After breakfast we will leave Villa Dafne at around 8.30 in the morning, passing through arable land along royal “trazzere” (paths established during the Bourbon period and still used today by herds moving from the north to the south, and leaving the coast to move inland, with the changing seasons). We will then pass below the town of Alia and arrive at the caves of Gurfa, home of the tomb of Minos, the king of Crete who came to Sicily in search of Daedalus and was killed by the trickery of the daughters of the Sicanian King Kokalo. The caves were used as a temple during the classical era, as grain stores during Roman times, as luxury lodgings during the Arab period, and as stables until 1997. Today they form part of the cultural heritage of the town of Alia. We will stop here for a picnic lunch, before continuing along the “trazzere” in the afternoon to the agricultural town of Valledolmo. We will then arrive at Agriturismo Mandragiumenta, with a swimming pool, where we will have dinner and spend the night.

Day 5 Mandragiumenta - Le Campanelle (hours of riding: 7)

We will have breakfast and set off at about 8.30 in the morning, riding through fields to reach the typical village of Caltavuturo, perched beneath its imposing rocky mountain (the Rock of Sciara). We will then ride down into the valley of the Northern Imera River, which we follow for several kilometres before climbing the western slopes of the Madonie Mountains to the territory of the medieval town of Collesano, where we will stop for a picnic lunch. In the afternoon, we will continue towards the farmhouse Le Campanelle, in the territory of Lascari, equipped with a swimming pool with panoramic views of the Tyrrhenian Sea. Here we will have dinner and spend the night.

Day 6 Le Campanelle - Gole di Tiberio (hours of riding: 7)

After breakfast we will set off at around 8.30 in the morning. We will leave the farmhouse and ride through the surrounding countryside to reach a beautiful mediterranean forest, dominated by cork, green oak and red oak trees. Having crossed the forest, we will continue to climb towards the typical village of Gratteri, nestled between rocky outcrops. We will ride on through the northern Madonie Mountains and stop for a picnic lunch at a very panoramic spot, before passing close to the town of Castelbuono and arriving in the enchanting valley of the River Pollina. We will have dinner and spend the night at agricampeggio Gole di Tiberio.

Day 7 Gole di Tiberio - Casalvecchio (hours of riding: 7)

We will have breakfast and set off at around 8.30 in the morning. On this day of the trail we will ride up the valley of the River Pollina, one of the most fascinating, wild, panoramic and least known areas of Sicily, between the territories of Castelbuono, San Mauro Castelverde and Geraci Siculo. We will ride along enchanting and forgotten pathways to reach our base: Agriturismo Casalvecchio. Our guests will spend the night here and enjoy a delicious dinner prepared with produce straight from the farm.

Day 8 Rest Day

Enjoy a rest day and a guided tour of the nearby hilltop town of Gangi.

Day 9 Casalvecchio – Monte Soprano (hours of riding: 7)

After breakfast we will set off at around 9.00 in the morning. From our base we will ride along a very panoramic ancient pathway (a “trazzera”) which passes the boundary between the three provinces of Palermo, Enna and Messina, reaching an altitude of about 1200m, before passing below the great turbines of a wind farm. We then descend into the forests of the Sambughetti-Campanito reserve, where we will stop for a picnic lunch. In the afternoon, we will continue on to the territory of Nicosia, followed by Cerami, before arriving at the agriturismo Monte Soprano, a beautiful farmhouse with a swimming pool set on the slopes of the Nebrodi Mountains, where we will have dinner and spend the night.

Day 10 Monte Soprano – Villa Miraglia (hours of riding: 7)

On this day of the trail we will ride through the heart of the Nebrodi Natural Park, along the famous “Dorsale” (the Nebrodi Ridge), a long dirt track (about 100 kilometres long) which passes through forests and high mountain pastures. This is a place full of charm, with extraordinary views: the Tyrrhenian Seaand the Aeolian Islands to the north, and the island’s hinterland to the south – Enna, Caltanissetta, Agrigento, Siracusa, Catania, and Etna towering above everything else. We will enter the Nebrodi Natural Park through beech woods in the territory of San Fratello, famous for its sanfratellani horses, a native breed which is very strong and hardy, with a very large head, and which you may catch a glimpse of grazing in the wild. We will stop for a picnic lunch in a shaded spot beneath centuries-old trees. In the afternoon, we will arrive at the Relais Villa Miraglia, where we will have a delicious dinner made with local Nebrodi products and spend the night.

Day 11 Villa Miraglia – Monte Colla (hours of riding: 8)

This is probably the most beautiful day of the trail, riding for more than 40 kilometres along the “Dorsale” through mountains, woods and lakes, in the midst of a strikingly beautiful landscape. First we will come to the Maulazzo Lake, dominated by Monte Soro, the highest peak in the Nebrodi mountain range (at 1847 metres) and covered in magnificent beech woods. We will then reach the famous lake Biviere di Cesarò, which is a resting place for migrating birds. We will continue along the “Dorsale”, with lush forests giving way to clearings with panoramic views, with the Aeolian Islands to the north and the majestic peak of Mount Etna to the south. In the evening we will arrive tired but satisfied at Monte Colla, the most isolated hotel on the island, housed in an eighteenth century aristocratic home at around 1400 metres above sea level in the territory of Randazzo. Here we will enjoy a delicious dinner prepared with local produce and spend the night.

Day 12 Monte Colla – Malvagna (hours of riding: 8)

After breakfast, we will set off at about 8.00 in the morning. After leaving the hotel and its cherry orchards, we will enter the surrounding woods once again and descend the valley where the source of the Alcantara River is found. We will then climb up towards the town of Floresta (the highest commune on the island at 1273m), before following the crest of the nearby mountains to reach the megalithic site of Argimusco (recently added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites), where we will stop for a picnic lunch. In the afternoon, we will ride down through the centuries old wood of Malabotta to reach the typical village of Malvagna, which looks out towards Etna. We will have dinner and spend the night at the B&B Arco dei Sogni.

Day 13 Malvagna – Etna North (hours of riding: 7)

We will set off at 8.00 and ride through the village of Malvagna before descending into the valley of the Alcantara River, which we cross near the little gorges of Malvagna, before beginning the climb up the northern slopes of Mount Etna. We will stop for a picnic lunch on Mount Etna and continue to climb up through woods and lava flows until we reach the Rifugio Timpa Rossa (at 1844m). Depending on the season and the conditions, we will continue to climb up to the craters from the last major eruption of 2002. We will have dinner and spend the night at Rifugio Ragabo, immersed in a majestic forest of larix pines.

Day 14 Etna North - Castiglione di Sicilia (hours of riding: 6)

After breakfast we will set off at around 9.00 in the morning. We will ride down through lava flows from various older and more recent eruptions and beautiful forests of pine, oak and chestnut, enjoying breathtaking views of the mountains of Sicily, until we reach the banks of the Alcantara River. There we will visit the Gorges of Castiglione and the Cuba Bizantina (a place of worship built in an unusual quadrangular shape and dating from around the seventh or eighth century AD), before riding on to the medieval town of Castiglione di Sicilia. We will have dinner in the town and spend the night at Cento Tarì Guesthouse with the beautiful memories of the trail etched in our minds for a long time to come.