Sunflower Books: Landscapes of SICILY: WALKS AND CAR TOURS

Sicily, 3rd edition (2009) ; updated 05/04/2011

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Updates for walks and car tours (drives) on Sicily given below supplement those provided in the guidebook. It is vital that this Update is read in conjunction with the text of the book, but note that the Update applies only to the edition stated and not to any earlier editions. (If you have an older edition of this book and want to "upgrade" to the latest edition at half price, click here.)

Information has been forwarded to us by users of the book, and Sunflower Books offers the data in good faith but cannot be held responsible for any misleading or inaccurate content in the Update. Unless indicated otherwise, what appears here has not been verified by the author or publisher, so please allow due caution when new or amended routes are suggested. Each piece of information is dated; bear in mind that some of the older observations may have since been overtaken by events or further changes. If, during your holiday, you are using the current edition of the guide and are able to provide any additional updating to add to this page, we will be pleased to hear from you. Please send information, preferably in hard copy, by post, to Sunflower Books, PO Box 115, Exeter EX2 6YU (or if you prefer, by e-mail to mail@sunflowerbooks.co.uk).

GPS TRACKS: Nine GPS tracks are now included in the authors website www.walksicily.de. If you click on "Wandern", then on the individual areas, you will see that some walks include "Track auf Google Maps" - for example, under Ätna there is a track for Monte Ruvolo.

Car tour 5 says Segesta -- Walk 26, when in fact Walk 26 is Monte Cofano, quite a few miles from Segesta. Otherwise the book is brill. (User, 1/11)

Walk 1: Difficult to follow directions given but there are plenty of well marked paths so you can do the gist of the walk without getting lost. (User, 4/11)

Walk 3 : One can park on either side of the road near the bend signs. From the bend, descend to the right and after about 75m, take the right-hand track, cobbled initially. Do NOT rely on red/white flashes (we saw only 1, but saw a few red dots). Where path narrows, follow green painted poles. At 1h15min, the track [sic] is NOT stepped, but a few steps are encountered later in the descent. The path is easily passable but has fallen trees + branches on it. The descent to saddle is IMPOSSIBLE. We tried without success as area is heavily overgrown (in May) & gave up as slope became dangerous. Retraced steps to start . (User, 7/09)
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Walk 6: At the start, there was no sign of the STAR office. Timing is a little ambitious: the fork at 45min is very easy to miss. You will have just passed a tall lone pine on the left, and the fork is by a cairn with 2 sticks at the top of an ascent. No sign of any yellow painted posts. At approx. 1h 25 mins, ignore a track to the right in the woods. (User, 7/09)
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Walk 7: Excellent for flowers in May. The access road is at least 4km long. Even if a barrier is up at start, do NOT go through to park beyond as later the barrier will be found to be down & locked. Between the 1h15min and 1h50min-points, the timing is inaccurate - it took us almost twice as long (including time taken to check map, route and compass). But It does not take as long as 20min to descend to Rifugio Saletti (2h10mins to 2h30min). There is NO available drinking water here - the only tap has clear notice to that effect. We thought this walk nearer to 17 or 18km than 13km long. (User, 7/09)
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Walk 8: Information for the start is wrong. The supermarket is much further north (approx. 200m).There is NO sign for Hotel Parco dell'Etna. One should turn into a road "SP Villa Etrusca etc" (it has a bar on the corner) & keep straight on at a junction to pass a small garage with a Renault sign... At the 48min-point, there is NO signpost, but you will pass a shrine on the left about a minute after turning. Approaching Case Zampini, there is a small shrine on the left about 5 mins before the house. It was not easy to find the mule track, but it is just before an L-shaped wooden seat and has red dot on the end of the fence; the mentioned gate is much further along the descending grass /lava track. (User, 7/09) + Previous correspondence indicates that the directions to the starting point are incorrect. Would agree, the turning is about 300 meteres past Eurospin (not level with it as indicated in the book) down the hill then turn left at big yellow signpost Villa Etrusia, which you drive past. The pick up previous correspondents directions past Renualt garage etc. The road eventually comes to a barrier near a new looking building which is presumbably a park office. This is an excellent walk with good views of Etna and clearly defined paths. We shortened the main walk by carrying straight on at the 55 min point (signposted Grotte de Neve); this path leads back to the 15 min point. (User, 4/11)

Walks 21, 22, accommodation: The hotel/albergo Madonie has closed. Instead I would the following, both in or near Polizzi Generosa:
Ai Templari, Piazza Castello 7, tel/fax 0921 688173, mobile 340 5272933, www.ristoranteaitemplari.it. Five cosy rooms with heating in an old castle in the middle of the old town of Polizzi Generosa, great cuisine (restaurant closed on Mondays)
Agriturismo Giardino Donna Lavia, Contrada Donna Laura, tel/fax 0921 551104, www.giardinodonnalavia.com, about 5 km from Polizzi Generosa on the SS 643 in direction Scillato, turn-off at km 8,900. Former summer retreat of monks, now a secluded farmhouse with very nice rooms and excellent cuisine. (Author, 12/09)

Walks 20, 21, 26: We have just come back from western Sicily and followed these three walks without trouble and they gave us fantastic scenery. (User, 10/09)

Walk 23, accommodation and Shorter walk: The shorter walk has to be abandoned, because the Tenuta Gangivecchio went bankrupt, and Charles and Shirley Saccamano are going to move away. The hotel/restaurant is going to stay open till summer 2010. The new buyers want to revamp everything, but it will take time. In the meantime I can recommend Casale Villa Rainò, 3km northwest of Gangi, a nice farmhouse with rooms and good cuisine: Contrada Rainò, tel/fax 0921 644680, www.villaraino.it. (Author, 12/09)

Walk 25: "To return, walk a short way north from the castle (with the car park on your left), until you meet the partly overgrown, old cobbled trail." We didn't find the old, cobbled trail for the descent, but with the car park on our left found ourselves following a track (?just about suitable for a vehicle) that then took us down - probably too far east - so that we eventually reached the road to Portella San Martino, and had quite a long road walk back to the car. The error was probably all of our own making !!, but I wonder whether the start of "the old ,cobbled trail" could have a mark on it, or perhaps the Guide could WARN walkers NOT to follow down from the car park, assuming the old trail still exists. Not too happy about "to return, walk a short way north " - is this the correct direction ? Having said the above, it's a very pleasant walk. Thank you. (User, 5/11)

Walk 36: Couldn't find the starting point described put the reserve is well signposted if following the road directions. The road is eventually blocked off by a barrier and there is a nearby sign for the reserve. There is also a well marked trail which takes you past plenty of papyrus and you can also see the eucalyptus line ditch but we couldn't see the path as described. (User, 4/11)

Walk 37: It was difficult to find the trail at the 20 min point but if you follow the sign from the 15 min point behind the shrine to St Mary (SP Cava Del Carosello) the path will take you into the gorge to the 40 min point. At the 1 hour point there is a sign for the footpath after you have ascended past the old mill (the text in the book says dont miss the turn to the right but this has the signpost). (User, 4/11)

Walk 38: Our first day on Sicily and off to bird-watch ! However, to judge from our experience "stout shoes" were not what was required in April and I think footwear could be a problem at any time before summer really gets going. We had sopping wet feet despite good, waterproof walking boots : we followed the trail to the south, and found that in places it was very wet indeed, to some depth, impossible to use without getting feet soaked. The trail starts off very well as it's been given boardwalk, but once that runs out it's very wet - as we should have expected, perhaps, at a wetland reserve. But we hadn't packed wellies in our suitcases !!
"The outflow of the Pantano Roveto" was surprisingly dry, but after crossing there we were unable to find the way south-west before the "path branches off right". We were in unpleasant scrub, but did eventually find the signed path that let us get up to the necropoli and the old church. A clear path marker at Pantano Roveto would have been appreciated. Anyway, we had our lunch near the church and returned - via the shore - to our starting point. We'd intended to take the northerly path at that stage to Torre di Vendicari etc., but we gave up as that path also was too wet for passage. But all was not lost, as we followed your advice and visited the Villa Romana del Tellaro. Wow ! Those few mosaics are so beautiful, and it was very difficult to tear oneself away from them. As a Classicist I thank you for that find - a lovely Odysseus and Achilles - and my husband is enchanted with the tiger ! (User, 5/11)