Western Sicily from Palermo to Selinunte

Day 1: Palermo
Individual arrival in Palermo, hotel accommodation, delivery of informational materials, and bicycles (if rented). Palermo is a vibrant place full of history, culture, and cuisine. With its historical monuments, lively streets, and breathtaking beaches, Palermo is a city capable of exciting you. Discover the hidden treasures of the city, savor the local cuisine and immerse yourself in the unique atmosphere of this Mediterranean city.

Day 2: Palermo – Scopello – Castellammare del Golfo (15 km)
After breakfast, a minivan transfer will take you to Scopello, where your self-guided bike tour will begin. From Scopello, after a brief visit to its ancient Baglio, you will head towards the Zingaro Nature Reserve, which you can visit on foot following the well-marked coastal path (7 km). You will find yourself immersed in an area of great natural value, among examples of Mediterranean flora, such as the Dwarf Palm, and a sea with a thousand shades of blue, where you can dive from one of the coves you will encounter along the way. After enjoying the beauty and tranquility of this natural oasis, take your bicycle towards Castellammare del Golfo. After less than 2 kilometers, you will find the Tonnara di Scopello along the road, a set for some scenes from the movie Ocean’s Twelve and the TV series Il Commissario Montalbano, which with its stacks constitutes a corner of incomparable natural charm. Upon reaching Castellammare del Golfo, after check-in and room accommodation at the selected tourist facility, you can enjoy a walk through the historic center of Castellammare with its beautiful marina.

Day 3: Castellammare del Golfo – Segesta – Trapani (60 km)
After breakfast, you will continue on secondary roads set in the Sicilian countryside. You will reach, after a brief optional stop at the natural and picturesque Hot Waters of Segesta, the Archaeological Park of Segesta, where you can visit two of the pearls of ancient Sicilian history: the Doric Style Temple and the Theater, partly excavated in the hill, both set in a natural scenario of immense beauty. Subsequently, crossing the typical rural landscapes of Western Sicily, on secondary roads where you can stop to refresh yourself at some local farm or winery, you will first reach Dattilo, a famous village where you can taste the famous giant cannoli, and finally Trapani, where the selected accommodation will provide for your room accommodation.

Day 4: Trapani – Erice – Trapani (50 km) or Trapani – Favignana – Trapani (10 km)
Today you can choose between two itinerary options. The first option involves the ascent to Erice, a medieval village of Elima origin located at 750 meters above sea level above the city of Trapani, reachable at your choice either directly by bicycle with a challenging climb of 7.5 km (+1280 m) or by cable car, bringing your bike with you. In Erice, you can cycle through the medieval alleys and discover the enchanting corners and the suggestive views over the Egadi archipelago. After visiting this splendid jewel set on Mount San Giuliano, overlooking all the western coast of Sicily, you will face the descent towards Trapani, able to admire along the route the marvelous scenarios on the Tyrrhenian Sea, the Egadi archipelago and the coasts of the province of Trapani. You will then reach Custonaci with its marble quarries, the suggestive “Grotta Mangiapane”, used as a location for the live nativity scene during Christmas holidays and finally the Natural Reserve of Pizzo Cofano and Cornino, where you can enjoy a break with a beautiful refreshing dip. From here, following a mostly closed to vehicle traffic coastal road, you will reach the Tonnara di Bonagia before returning to Trapani. Arrived in Trapani after a suggestive tour through the historic center of the city with its alleys, streets, and monumental buildings, return to the hotel. Alternatively, you can choose to have a relaxing day in Favignana. By bike, you will head towards the port where, after validating your vouchers at the ticket office, you will embark on the ferry to Favignana, which you will reach after about 45 minutes of navigation. If you manage to have time available before embarking, you can make an interesting visit to the fishing port of Trapani where, with a bit of luck, you can witness the classic “abbanniata”, the screams with which the auction for the sale of fish directly from the fishing boat just returned is made. Once in Favignana, you can tour the island, allowing you to appreciate the natural beauty (coves and crystal clear sea, tufa quarries), and at the same time enjoy a relaxing day at sea; before embarking on the ferry to return to Trapani, you can visit the Museum of the Tonnara, with its testimonies of past fishing.

Day 5: Trapani – Marsala (42 km)
After a last look at the beauties of the city of Trapani, you will head towards the Natural Reserve of the Saline of Trapani and Paceco, where you can observe the splendid colors of the surrounding landscape, characterized by mountains of harvested salt, sea and typical Mediterranean vegetation, mills once used for salt processing. If you are lucky, you will come across some species of Mediterranean migratory birds present in the ponds of the reserve, where among other things the Salt Museum is located. The itinerary continues along the Trapani coast, with splendid views on the Egadi islands up to the jetty for the island of Motya, reachable by boat (possibility on the island to visit the Whitaker Museum). You will finally reach the city of Marsala, famous for Garibaldi's landing and the Thousand and for the production of the homonymous Marsala wine. After an easy tour of its historic center and a possible visit to one of its historic cellars (possibility of a guided tour and tasting of wines and local products) and/or to the Baglio Anselmi Museum, where the find of a Punic ship is preserved.

Day 6: Marsala – Mazara del Vallo (27 km)
After breakfast, cycle departure towards Mazara del Vallo along a coastal road that will give you the opportunity to enjoy wonderful scenarios on the beaches and the sea of the western end of Sicily. Once in Mazara del Vallo, after appreciating the port with its fishing fleet (third in size for fishing boats in Europe) you can reach the selected hotel. After settling into the assigned rooms, you can enjoy a free bike or foot tour of the peculiar and interesting historic center, with its alleys of Arab origin. You will have the feeling of immersing yourself in the kasbah of an Arab city, but you can also visit the Norman-era churches and the Dancing Satyr, a unique work of Hellenistic origin, hauled up in the Sicily channel by a Mazarese fishing boat.

Day 7: Mazara del Vallo – Selinunte (49 km)
After breakfast, bike departure for the last stage. After a coffee stop at the promontory of Capo Granitola, cycling on secondary roads immersed among the olive groves, you will first reach the Cusa quarries, used for the construction of columns for the temples of the contiguous archaeological area, and subsequently Selinunte, famous for its archaeological area, its wild beaches, and its clear sea waters, where the selected hotel will welcome you for room accommodation.

Day 8: Selinunte
After breakfast, end of services and individual departure. Possibility to extend the stay in Palermo or Selinunte.