(3/12 – 3/26/2026)
Our Sicily trip includes a week of hiking Magna Via Francigena followed by another week of sightseeing. This is now our favorite travel mode.
Day 1: To Palermo, Sicily
Our flight to Rome was one hour late. Fortunately, we had a very long connection time. Rome airport was bustling with travellers and activities. There was a food sampling event, where Rei got to try free Italian ham and red wine!
The flight to Palermo was only a short 1+ hours one. It was around 6:30pm when we arrived. After retrieving our luggage, we walked out to find the Prestia e Comande bus stop. The trip cost 6 euros per person.
According to my information, we should get off at Politeama (Piazza Ruggero Settimo). However, Rei looked at Google map and told me there’s no such station. Then he found out that the airport bus didn’t follow the route on his Google map! It turned out that my information was correct.
Originally, I was concerned about walking after dark; however, the place we got down was a busy commercial area full of stores, restaurants and people. There was also a very impressive Politeama Theater.
Hotel Tonic was only several minutes walk from the bus stop. After we checked in and stored the luggage, we went out to dinner. We were told by the receptionist at the hotel that the restaurant next door was good, so we walked there.
Lato B Restaurant & Cocktail’s was fully booked, but we could still eat at the patio. The weather was nice, though a bit cold; we agreed to have a table at the patio. The place was lit with strings of light and was quite romantic. Rei had salmon tataki, and I had tomato pasta. The food was delicious.
“Palermo seems to be a nice city,” commented Rei.
Afterwards, we simply returned to the hotel to wash up and to got to bed.
Day 2: Palermo and Monreale
We had an extra day in Palermo before the hike, so we decided to go to Monreale for sightseeing.
Hotel Tonic had an impressive breakfast buffet with eggs, ham, various pastries and drinks. Rei and I both ate a lot and really enjoyed the food.
The bus stop to Monreale was at Piazza Independenza (Independence Plaza), which was about 2 miles away from our hotel, so we would do some sightseeing on the way.
We left the hotel shortly before 9am. The first stop was Teatro Massimo, which we only took photos from outside. There were many birds in the city.
We also walked past Capo Market. There were many vendors selling seafood, fruit and souvenirs. Apparently it’s a popular place for tourists. We met a Gate 1 tour there.
We arrived at Palermo Cathedral around 9:30am, right at the opening time. This was a large and beautiful cathedral. It was also a stamp point of Magna Via Francigena. We had to ask around to find out where to get stamps — it was behind a closed door under St. Paul on the right side. An employee happened to come out from the door, and he stamped our passports.
The interior of Palermo Cathedral was ornate but elegant. There were also several royal tombs inside the cathedral.
Afterwards, we walked to the bus station. Bus 389 was already there waiting when we reached the bus stop across the street from Piazza Independenza. The ticket cost 1.8 Euros per person. The bus was pretty empty, and we had no problem finding seats. It was a great relief because we were warned that the bus was overcrowded with pickpockets!
Then, when the bus reached the next stop, we found out that there were many people waiting to get on the bus! We were lucky to board in the previous stop.
Monreale Cathedral was about 10 minutes walk from the bus stop. There were two signs pointing to the cathedral: one pointing right, and the other pointing left. Rei said the left side with a wider road was for cars, and the right side narrow road was for pedestrians, so we should go right. It turned out that the right side was for cars going uphill, and we had to walk on very narrow sidewalks with cars passing by!
We arrived at Monreale Cathedral around 11:15am. The cathedral was free, but we decided to purchase the 12 euros per person ticket with complete access.
The cathedral was famous for the mosaics depicting Genesis, Old Testament and Life of Jesus Christ. (Check here for more detailed description of the mosaics.) There were many tour groups inside the cathedral, with some guides using laser pointers to point out particular artwork.
Rei asked about the Magna Via Francigena (MVF) passport stamps, and was told that he should go to the ticket office outside to get the stamps. So he went out to get stamps for both of us.
Our complete tickets including access for 4 other sites. We first went to the museum, where there were many religious artworks and treasures. Then we entered the very ornate chapel. Rei said since we paid extra, we should take many photos to get our money’s worth.
When we arrived at the entrance to the roof, the lady there told us that the roof access would be closed in 15 minutes for the noon closure, so we quickly entered. It’s great to go up to the roof right before the closing time, because there were only a few other tourists, and it’s easier to take photos. We could see the elegant cloister and beautiful ocean views from the rooftop.
We had lunch at a nearby small bar-restaurant Le Barrique. I had Caprese salad and Rei had a beef burger. The portion was quiet large and the food tasted good.
We went to visit the cloister (8 euros per person) after lunch. The place did not have a noontime closure. The cloister was a UNESCO site with many impressive columns. Each column was unique, and some with very colorful mosaics or intricate carvings. The place also had a small museum showing modern mosaic artworks.
Afterwards, we decided to skip the last cathedral site, which wouldn’t open for another 20 minutes, and just return to Palermo instead. This time we walked the wider road down to the bus stop. The sidewalks were broader with great ocean views.
When Rei tried to purchase bus tickets from the driver, he was told “no tickets.” Passengers after us didn’t purchase tickets either, so we all got free ride back to Palermo.
Rei wanted to check out the larger Vucciria Market. This time we walked past Quattro Canti and Fountain of Shame. The fountain got its name due to its many naked statues. The area was bustling with many tourists. Vucciria Market covered a larger area but was similar to Capo Market otherwise.
We still had time, so we decided to go to Teatro Massimo to see whether we could join a guided tour (12 euros per person). The 4pm tour was already full, but we were told that there would be another tour in 10 minutes.
Our tour was a combined Italian-English tour. The lady guide spoke both languages fluently. She switched the description in two languages. We could go around taking photos when she explained to the Italian group. The tour was very organized and efficiently conducted.
Teatro Massimo was the largest opera house in Italy and the 3rd largest in Europe (behind the opera houses in Paris and Vienna). Its stage was the second largest in the world. When Aida was played, they could show a real elephant on the stage! We also had a quick visit to the royal box.
The last room we visited was the Echo Room. We all took turns to stand in the middle of the room to try the echo effect. Rei was the first in the group to try. The guide told us that Echo Room has 14 doors, but 8 of them were false doors!
Overall, it’s a very interesting tour. We were glad that we joined the tour. Highly recommended!
After the tour, we returned to the hotel to rest. Rei found out from the internet that there’s a “rainbow” water fountain near the port, which was about 20 minutes walk from our hotel. The fountain would light up after 7pm, and he wished to check it out. Therefore, we left the hotel again around 7pm toward the fountain. It’s a “dancing” fountain with a great show, but it had only one color. Many people were there taking photos and videos, including two young ladies in floor-length gowns! We also took some photos and videos.
Day 3: To Corleone (26.5km)
A driver came this morning to take us to Santa Cristina Gela and to tranfer our luggage to tonight’s hotel in Corleone. The road to Santa Cristina Gela was a narrow and twisting uphill mountain road, with panoramic view as the driver keeping telling us.
We were dropped at a bar in Santa Cristina Gela so that we could purchase food, get a stamp, and use the restroom. It started to rain, so we both put on rain jacket and backpack cover. I also wore my rain pants. Rei claimed that he didn’t know where his rain pants were.
We walked to the official trailhead to take a photo. It started to rain harder and with thunders booming. So, we also put on our ponchos. The mountain trail was wet and very muddy, and I found out that my hiking boots weren’t really waterproof!
We could see wildflowers along the trail, but they were mostly closed in the rain. We could also see a large lake on our right. The view would have been amazing on a sunny day.
Soon, we reached a grassy area, and the trail wasn’t muddy though it’s still very wet. After a while, we arrived at an “Itinerarium Rosaliae” sign and started to walk downhills. After about 2 hours hike, we reached Sant’Agata, where we could have asked the driver for this alternative drop-off point!
Internet connection became spotty, and Rei was very annoyed, because we relied on an app for guidance. The trail turned into another narrow wet and muddy path, and then the trail ended at a torrent! We couldn’t find a crossing point, and we didn’t want to ford the muddy torrent with unknown depth 😦
I suggested that we return to walk on the wide car road instead. If the driver could deliver our luggage to Corleone, there must be a good, albeit longer, road. So, we backtracked to find the car road. This road wasn’t muddy and was definately easier to navigate. Then we reached a fork. I wanted to check the map, but Rei said to just continue forward.
After about half a mile, Rei checked the map and told me that we were on the wrong road, and we had to backtrack! The thunderstorm stopped, but now we had steady rain. This was one of those moments that I wondered: “What were I thinking booking this trek?” This was our first day of Magna Via Francigena hike, and we really had a bad beginning!
After we backtracked and turned to the right track, we were back to Magna Via Francigena again. Now we were in a remote area without any restaurants, bars or restrooms. We had to find “wildness toilets” behind a ruin or tall trees. There were also no covered places for us to hide from the rain, so we couldn’t eat either.
Finally we arrived at Santuario Maria S.S. del Rosalio di Tagliavia at 3pm. The church was closed, but Rei found an unlocked storage room where we could eat our lunch.
We were still 10+km from Corleone. Rei was definitely not interested in continuing. He tried to call Uber, but it didn’t work. We heard some local people talking outside of the church. Rei went to them to negotiate a hired ride. A guy drove Rei and I to tonight’s hotel. Rei gave him 50 euros (Uber’s estimate was 47 euros.), and he was very pleased, so it’s a win-win for both parties!
On our way to Corleone, we saw four hikers walking along the highway in the rain. Rei said the official route involved crossing a river in this section, which apparently wasn’t possible in the bad weather. Therefore, hikers would have to walk on the highway as an alternate route.
We checked into Hotel Leon d’Oro around 4pm, and immediately took a hot water shower. Rei estimated that we walked about 13 miles today.
Rei wanted to have dinner at 6pm, but the hotel restaurant only started at 7pm. We went to the restaurant to share a pizza after it opened.
Day 4: To Prizzi (19km)
When we went to breakfast, we met another couple who were also walking Magna Via Francigena. They said “Bon Camino” to us.
We checked out around 8:30am. Just after we left, I realized that I forgot my hiking poles, which were hidden behind the room door. We had to return to retrieve the hiking poles, and Rei was very pissed off.
The weather was great this morning. We decided to stop by Waterfall of Two Rocks; the information showed that the waterfall was only about 10 minutes out of town. We walked through the Corleone town center and did a bit of sightseeing on the way.
It took us about half an hour to reach the said 10-minutes-away waterfall. It was a beautiful waterfall, but I didn’t think it justified the detour, because the waterfall was not on the walking route, and we had to backtrack.
On the way back, we passed the famous Godfather’s House Museum. The museum was closed. Moreover, we wouldn’t have time for an inside visit. Rei did ask for a photo outside of the museum.
Today’s hiking started with a climb that offered an excellent view of Corleone. Then we had to walk on a very muddy trail. It’s very annoying to have mud sticking on the hiking boots, making them heavier! We had to find a less muddy bypass and constantly removed mud from the hiking boots. This seriously slowed us down.
Rei said there’s a restaurant ahead, where we could take a break. However, it turned out that the restaurant only opened at night. The weather was sunny this morning, but now we could see gray clouds on the horizon, so we used the restaurant ground to put on our rain jackets and rain pants.
It was already past 11am, and Rei said we had to walk faster. However, the next section was a uphill climb, and we couldn’t speed up. We found a nice area (Abbeveratoio Spolentino) to have our lunch of energy bars and coffee before finally reaching the first pass at 12:35pm.
The downhill section was on a mostly paved road with only short muddy sections, so we were able to power walk. Then there was a confusing section that was also super muddy! The trail passed Lago di Prizzi, a serene and beautiful lake, though there was fog around the lake.
The last stretch to reach Prizzi involved a steady climb of 1000+ ft. The light rain already started, and it was very windy, so this part was not an easy hike. Fortunately, the road wasn’t muddy here. About 2km from Prizzi, a kind driver stopped his car and offered to give us a ride. Rei was overjoyed. We were so close, so I wanted to continue the walk. Rei had to thank the driver and continued walking with me.
We were staying in La Casa di Kokalo, an AirB&B lodging, tonight. We had difficulty finding the place since there was no sign on the building and Google Map wasn’t useful. A nice local lady offered her help. She located the place and used a key on the outside to open the front door. We immediately saw our luggage inside the room, which was a relief! We have found that people in Sicily were all very kind and willing to provide their help! Soon the owner arrived to help too.
We needed to do laundry today. Web information showed that Lavanderia del Corso was nearby and it opened until 8:30pm. When we braved the rain to the place around 7pm, it was closed! So we gave up doing laundry and went to dinner instead.
Day 5: To Castronovo di Sicilia 24km), then to Cammarata
The breakfast was at a nearby bar, Trattoria del Corso, where we had dinner last night. The place won’t be open until 8am, so we packed our luggage first and then went there after 8am. We had omelette, croissant, coffee and juice. The breakfast was great!
The owner’s son, who spoke English, was our waiter again this morning. He already informed us last night that his brother would tranport us from Castronovo to Cammarata after today’s hike, and he would also bring our luggage.
We started today’s hike around 9am. The weather was foggy, but at least it didn’t rain. We walked past a local school. Some students spotted us and waved enthusiastically:
“Buon Giorno!!“
We waved back before continuing walking.
We walked through open fields and farm lands. There were many olive trees. The trail here was wet and muddy again. There was an inundated area that we needed to take off socks and boots to cross. After we crossed, Rei checked his phone and said there was an alternate route that didn’t require fording. Since we already forded, there’s no point backtracking to find the alternate route, so we continued.
I saw a sign indicating that Castronovo was 18km ahead. After walking a while, there was another sign saying 19+km to Castronovo! There were multiple different signs giving different information on this route, with some signs even pointing to the opposite direction! (More later…)
Then we entered woodlands and continued climbing up. There was a sheep enclosure with two guarding dogs. The dogs kept barking at us. Rei decided to bark back. One dog was offended and went out on the trail continuing barking at us! (Some people just didn’t have common sense!)
It was a long climb. At some point, it started to rain. We already wore rain jackets and rain pants, now we put on our hiking ponchos too. After more climbing, we reached a rifugio by a shallow lake. The building was closed, but we could still use the outside patio. The patio was covered, though the rain already stopped. We had our lunch (energy bars and coffee again) there.
It’s already past noon. Rei told me that we had to hurry up. The next section was downhill on a decent road, so we made good progress until we reached another uphill section. My left leg hurt, so I was limping along.
There was a church ruin sitting on the hill crest. We’re now about half way of today’s hike. Then I saw a sign with Prizzi pointing forward and Castronovo pointing backward! I informed Rei, and he said that’s not right. The next sign indeed showed that we were actually going to Castronovo. Later we saw more of those incorrect signs; they were lower stone or concrete signs. Those signs probably should have been placed on the other side of the trail.
Then it was a long stretch of downhill walking, until we reached highway SS 188. We had to walk along the highway on its very narrow shoulder; it felt dangerous. Soon we turned into SP 36, a minor highway. Rei complained that I walked too slow (my left leg still hurt even after I took Tylenol). He was concerned that we would miss tonight’s included dinner. (Many mountain huts in the Alps or Dolomite we’ve stayed served dinner at 6pm.) I reminded him that Sicilians dined late. It’s unlikely that the hotel would serve dinner before 7pm, so there’s no need to worry.
The trail turned into woodlands again. There was a rest area, and the restroom there had flush toilets! This was a pleasant surprise though there’s no toilet paper, which was not a problem since we always carried tissue paper on “adventure travels.”
Now we’re only 6+km away from Castronovo. The sun came out, and we had a glimpse of blue sky.
We trudged on. There was a stretch of steep, zigzag downhill trail in the woods before we reached a highway again. We finally arrived at the pickup point 5 minutes after the supposed 5pm arrival time. So, we survived the 3rd day of Magna Via Francigena hike!
The driver was very skilled. He drove very fast, and his car was a stick shift one! In Sicily, stop-signs were treated as “for reference only” — they were more like yield-signs. We arrived at Casale Margherita around 5:40pm. The first thing after checking-in was to take a hot water shower! Dinner time wouldn’t start until 7:30pm as I’ve predicted.
Day 6: To Sutera (20km?)
The distance from Cammarata to Sutera was 20km. We were pleasantly surprised to find out that Casale Margherita was several kilometers south of Cammarata, and therefore we only needed to walk 14km today!
We could start later today, but we still needed to take out the luggage before 8:30am. Therefore, we packed first before going to breakfast. Sicilians ate lots of sweets. Every breakfast buffet we had in Sicily included several choices of cakes and tarts. Even plain croissants (called “empty croissants” here) were sprinkled with powdered sugar!
We didn’t start walking until 9:20am. This morning was glorious with bright sunshine. The verdant hills and fields were covered with colorful wildflowers. It was amazing!
Even though it wasn’t raining, we still put on rain pants for mud protection, which was a great decision because the trail was muddy. I thought we would have an easier walk today. Wrong! Soon we reached a wide river without a bridge. Rei said we could backtrack to find an alternate route. However, the underpass under the railroad was flooded too! We had to go a lot farther to find another crossing point. Moreover, even if we could find an alternate route, we would end up walking along a busy highway with fast moving cars. We were very close to last night’s hotel now. Rei said we should return to the hotel and hire a taxi to the next town Acquaviva Platani and then continue from there.
So, we returned to the hotel 1.5 hours after we started this morning! The nice lady at the front desk told us that the hotel had free shuttle service to take us to Acquaviva. We were overjoyed. A driver soon took us to Acquaviva, and Rei tipped him 10 euros.
We had a quick coffee and restroom stop at a bar; we got a stamp there too. Now we were back to Magna Via Francigena to continue walking to Sutera, and the ride saved us some climbing.
We reached today’s first pass only after a short climb. There was a small shrine on the top with two long benches outside. It’s already noon, so we sat on a bench to eat our lunch (cookies, energy bars and water) and enjoy the splendid panoramic view. We could see a small city far away, which we guessed was Sutera.
The downhill walk was on a mostly paved road. In addition to wildflowers, we also saw citrus trees and olive trees. This section of hike was very enjoyable. Then the trail left the paved road to enter a narrow and very muddy dirt road!
This next stretch was the most horrible road we had on this trip. The very sticky mud caked on our boots, which added a lot of extra weight. A golf-sized mud ball caked on the tip of each hiking pole. Our rain pants were very muddy too. I never knew so much mud could stick to boots or hiking poles! It’s a losing battle trying to remove the mud, because soon there was even more mud.
Rei commented that the hike would have been splendid if the trail wasn’t so muddy. Would I recommend Magna Via Francigena to others? At this point, it would be a resounding no!
After much suffering, we reached a junction to a highway, and both of us preferred the dangerous highway to the super muddy trail. We arrived at Piazza B&B after 3pm. The first thing I did was using the outdoor hose to wash the mud off our hiking boots and rain pants. Rei immediately took a hot water shower.
Even though we stopped at a Sicilian town every night, we never got to do any sightseeing — it was always too dark, too wet, too cold, or too tired. Sutera was a charming little town, and it was only shortly after 4pm, so we decided to go out for some sightseeing.
Sutera had a famous Ethno Anthropological Museum, which was our first destination. When we arrived, we didn’t see anyone there, and the museum display was behind an iron gate. Rei said the museum was closed, so we walked out. A young man outside confirmed that the museum was open, so we reentered. This time Rei tried the iron gate to find out that it’s not locked.
In a few minutes, two museum guides approached us. A lady guide knew some English, so she gave us a guided tour. We saw a traditional room, furniture, clothes and tools. There were also religious images and information about gatherings and rituals. The last room was dedicated to World War I, and the lady guide explicitly pointed out real hand grenades to us!
We next went to Sant’Agata Church, but it was closed. On our way back, we stopped by to see an old ruin.
Our B&B hostess recommended Pizzeria La Pineta. We walked there to have dinner after 7pm. On the way, a La Pineta employee gave us a ride. We had a margherita pizza and a spinach, mushroom and shrimp pizza. Both pizzas were excellent!
It started to rain when we were ready to return to the B&B. We didn’t bring our umbrellas nor headlights. Fortunately, the same employee came to the rescue. He also took a selfie with us when he dropped us off 🙂
Day 7: To Raclamuto (27km)
The “regular” route to Raclamuto involved fording a river and was only 21km. We were informed by the Piazza B&B hostess that the river was high, and we should instead take the winter route, which was longer but there’s a bridge.
The B&B only provided a continential breakfast. Rei complained to me that there’s no protein, but it took less time to finish. Since we would have a long hike today, we started earlier at 8am.
We left Sutera and walked on SP 24, a minor car road. The road was narrow, and we had to step aside when there’s a car passing. Moreover, there were several sections with mudslide. The B&B hostess and two guys we met yesterday in Acquanova all told us that it’s unusual to rain so much at this time of the year.
This morning’s breakfast wasn’t substantial enough, so we snacked on the way. We reached Campofranco in about an hour. Rei wanted to find a bar or cafe, but there was nothing, so we continued to walk to Milena. The weather was good again today, and we had a very pleasant hike. The fields were verdant. There were a lot of colorful wildflowers, citrus and olive trees and the ubiquitous cacti. In addition, the scenary was fantastic. We could see the great Mount San Paolino and the town of Sutera. This was certainly a superior walk to yesterday’s muddy trail!
After about 3 hours of walking, we finally saw a Welcome to Milena sign with a “selfie point” indication! A lady drove by. When she saw us, she stopped her car to inform us that there’s a church activity today at the town center, and we could have free local food.
When we arrived, the ceremony was about to start. The church priest led a prayer and gave his blessing to the town people, then the party started. We could smell the delicious soup and saw many plump bread loaves. However, the VIPs needed to be served before the general public and it took time.
We were invited to join, but we still had a long walk, and we didn’t have time to wait. So Rei and I simply went into a bakery and bar Palumbo at the plaza. We ordered cappuccinos, cannoli and a crispy pastry with orange-colored cream. I don’t know what kind of pastry it was, but I liked it better than the cannoli. We also got a stamp (timbro). (P.S. This bakery turned out to be the best one on this Sicily trip.)
We left Milena around 1:30pm, and merged back to the “regular” route to walk to Raclamuto. On the way, we found a place to have lunch (energy bars and coffee again). Rei told me that we still needed to walk about 11km. I knew by now that I had to take Rei’s trekking instructions with a grain of salt. I checked Google Map to find out that tonight’s lodging in Raclamuto was only 5+km away. Rei checked Google to find out that I was right. His walking app and AllTrails walk were going to a destination farther than Raclamuto. Argh!
There were various MVF (Magna Via Francigena) signs on the way. The most interesting sign group was humorous (“Are we there yet?“), philosophical (“Not all those who wander are lost.”) as well as pragmatic (“If you are hot, get hydrated.“)
The last section of the trail was wet and muddy again. Fortunately, the surface was drier and the mud wasn’t very sticky. There was a long climb to reach Raclamuto. There seemed to be some celebration today. We saw a lot of local polices near the church. There were also street vendors. Rei purchased a torrone bar and an almond bar from a vendor; each cost 4 euros. (He complained to me that they were pricy, but it turned out that they were a lot cheaper than similar products in Taormina and Catania and tasted better too!)
Raclamuto was the hometown of Leonardo Sciascia, a famous Sicilian writer (though I’ve never heard of him before). We saw his statue on a sidewalk when we were looking for tonight’s lodging. It was already 4:30pm when we checked into the lodging. We had a hot water shower first, but we would have to wait for the restaurants to open to have dinner. Rei found a steakhouse and pizzeria (interesting combination), Il Carretto, located 2 minutes away that would open at 6:30pm, so he made a dinner reservation there.
Rei ordered mixed grill and grilled vegetables, while I ordered pasta. We could hear a band playing outside on the plaza. The band was still playing when we returned to our room after dinner.
Day 8: To Aragona (8km), then train to Agrigento
We only had a short walk to Aragona, then we would take a train ride to Agrigento. (Yay!)
The breakfast only included 2 croissants, 2 twisted donuts, yogurt, juice and coffee. We finished in less than 20 minutes, and started today’s hike before 8:30am.
We arrived at Grotte after an hour’s walk. Rei needed to use toilet, so we went to a small bar to have some coffee and got another stamp.
We only needed to walk to the Aragona train station, which was outside of Aragona, so we didn’t even need to reach the town. This morning’s highlight was Rocca Petra, a tall limestone crag on MVF which was impossible to miss. The rock was an archaeological site with ancient tombs. We didn’t spend extra time to explore but only took some photos.
The information we had showed the distance to Aragona train station was 11km, but we reached the train station only after walking 8km (couldn’t figure out why, but walking to the cathedral and the museum to get the certificates from Agrigento train station would add another 2km). We arrived exactly one hour before the next train to Agrigento. It gave us plenty of time to figure out how to purchase train tickets from a machine (3.3 euros each) and how to validate the tickets. We even had time to have lunch (energy bars, chocolate and coffee) while waiting for the train.
We arrived in Agrigento before 1pm and went immediately to the bus station to purchase tomorrow’s bus tickets to Catania (13.1 euros each). Afterwards, we walked to the Agrigento Cathedral to find out how to get our MVF certificates. However, the cathedral was closed until 4pm.
I suggested that we go to Valley of the Temples for sightseeing. Though there were many taxis at the train station, there was none at the cathedral. After checking Google Map, we realized that tonight’s hotel Hotel della Valle was located on the way to Valley of the Temples, so we walked to the hotel first. We walked past a downtown shopping area with many high-end stores, but the stores were all closed in the afternoon as well. Only a few cafes were open for business.
We checked into Hotel della Valle. It’s a 4-star hotel, and our room had ocean view! After some hot tea in the room, we walked to Valley of the Temples. Some temples were visible from the road, and they looked impressive!
We only planned to buy Valley & Museum combo tickets, but the person at the ticket office convinced us to buy a complete package with 3 additional sites including the cathedral.
“We need to go to the cathedral anyway,” said Rei.
The first temple we saw was Temple of Juno (Tempio di Giunone). The temple was only partially standing, but it looked magnificent nonetheless. Then we walked past a section of ancient walls with great ocean views.
Temple of Concordia (Tempio della Concordia) was one of the best preserved Greek temples in the world! I thought the temple was a reconstruction, but I later found out that it only went through minor restoration work.
We walk past a few other sites to reach Temple of Olympian Zeus. The entire site was in a ruined state, but a restoration of a stone giant (called Telamon) onsite looked really impressive!
We also wanted to visit Pietro Griffo Archaeological Museum, which would close at 7pm. Therefore, we only spent about 1.5 hours in the valley before power walking to the museum.
The museum was also on the same archaeological compound. There was an ancient agora ruin outside of the museum building. The museum itself was relatively small, but it had impressive collections.
There were many beautiful Greek vases in pristine conditions. We also loved intricate and colorful mosaic works. The Triskeles Bowl showed a representation of the Trinacria, the famous 3-legged symbol of Sicily.
There’s another Telamon figure inside the museum. A model of Temple of Olympian Zeus showed how the temple would have looked like in its ancient glory. I wanted to spend more time in the museum, but Rei was tired, so we ended up only spending 30 minutes there.
We were both exhausted by then. So, we grabbed a to-go pizza on our way back to the hotel for dinner.
Day 9: Agrigento, then bus to Catania
Hotel della Valle had an extensive breakfast buffet. There were scrambled eggs, hard boiled eggs, bacons, sausages, croissants, many different kind of cakes, cereals, fruits and drinks. Rei and I both enjoyed the food. However, since we’re taking a 12:00 noon bus to Catania, and we wanted to do some sightseeing, we couldn’t linger.
Our complete passes included visits to the cathedral, a church and a museum. The cathedral wouldn’t open until 9:30am, but Santa Maria dei Greci church opened at 8:30am, so we would go there first. I considered taking a taxi, but Rei said it’s not far, and we could walk. So, we started today’s whirlwind sightseeing.
We first walked past a park. I spotted a pair of blue, yellow and white Eurasian Blue Tits. They were the most beautiful birds I had seen on this trip. Though we saw a lot of birds in Sicily, they were just common doves, pigeons, hooded crows, yellowed-billed choughs, sparrows and magpies.
On the way to the church, we climbed through a section of colorful stairs. When we arrived at the church, it was only 9am. We saw that the gate was open, and there were already several visitors inside, so we entered too.
Though the small church was elegant, the most interesting aspect was its history. Santa Maria dei Greci was built upon an ancient Greek temple of Athena. There were many glass panels on the church floor, revealing the temple ruins below.
We were surprised that no one checked our tickets. When we were ready to leave, we realized that the “exit” was actually the entrance! The lady there scanned our tickets and regaled us with a brief history of the place.
We walked to the cathedral, and had to wait a few minutes for it to open. Two Canadians and we were the earliest visitors. We climbed the first tower, which wasn’t very high. When we reached the top, we were rewarded with a magnificent view of the cathedral interior and its beautiful wooden ceiling.
The second tower offered a closer view of the bell tower, but it wasn’t anything special.
The church altar and side chapels were ornate and opulent! We took many photos. There’s also an entrance to see some sarcophagi.
The main purpose for us to visit the cathedral was to get MVF certificares (testimonium). We were told that for that we had to go to the museum a few doors down. Rei and I went to the museum to show our pilgrim passports with stamps and paid 5 euros each to get the certificates. Then we realized that the testimonium would award us free entrances to the cathedral, church and museum. We didn’t need to purchase the complete tickets!
When we were about to leave, an Italian couple entered to get their certificates. We met the couple a few times on the way. Besides two German hikers we met the first day, the Italian couple were basically the only other walkers we had met on MVF. Either MVF wasn’t a popular route, or we were still too early in the season.
We walked back to the hotel, and saw another statue that looked like Sciascia. But that turned out to be Andrea Camilleri, another famous writer that I didn’t know.
The hotel arranged a taxi to take us and our luggage to the bus station. We thought we were going on a Sais bus parking in front of the ticket office. It ended up that we had to wait at an open space in front of Cine Astor. There were already some people waiting there for the bus.
The bus wasn’t full. It’s a 3-hour ride to Catania. After 1pm, passengers all started eating their lunch. I only had energy bars and snacks. Other passengers had more substantial meals. A young lady sitting across the aisle took out a giant submarine sandwich and finished it! Rei slept most of the way.
I saw similar verdant hillsides and open fields from my seat. The bus passed through many tunnels on the way. Most tunnels were short, but there were a few really long one. When arriving in Catania, the bus first stopped at the airport, and most of the passengers disembarked. We were confused, but they informed us to stay on the bus. Catania Centro would be the last stop.
We were staying in an apartment, BlueSkyHouse Centro Catania, tonight. The owner came to meet us and showed us around. The place was very neat. There were a living area, a dining area, a kitchen and, most importantly, a washing machine! The bedroom, bathroom and closet were upstairs. The place was tastefully decorated and very comfortable.
The restaurant Rei wanted to go wouldn’t open until 7:30pm, so we went to a nearby supermarket Lidl to buy breakfast items, apples and bottled water first. When we entered L’oste Pazzo, a Sicilian cuisine restaurant, we were surprised to find out we weren’t the first guests.
I wanted to order fixed fish menu, but Rei said he’s ordering that and asked me to ordered something else. I ended up ordering fixed meat menu with chicken. We could also choose a pasta dish. I had regular tomato pasta, while Rei ordered squid ink pasta. My chicken cutlets were good, but the grilled vegetables had too much olive oil on it.
We would stay in Catania for the next few days and do day trips. It’s a lot easier because we wouldn’t need to move our luggage and change lodgings.
Day 10: Taormina
Taormina is about a little more than an hour away by bus or train from Catania. Bus is more convenient, because Taormina train station is farther away from the center. Interbus/Etna has a bus about every 30 minutes.
We made our own breakfast (croissants, eggs, potato fritas, apples and coffee) and ate in the apartment. The bus station was about 10 minutes away. We arrived at 8:40am and were able to get on the 9am bus (10.20 euros for two). Even though many people were on the same bus, the bus still had a lot of empty seats. There were more people boarded the bus at other stops, but there were still enough seats for all. We were in the low season now. I was not sure whether there would be a lot more tourists in the high season.
The lady in front of us talked loudly on her phone. We were worried that she would be on the phone all the way. She stopped her phone conversation in about 15 minutes, then she was chatting loudly with her husband. The passengers behind us also spoke loudly. This seemed to be the norm in Sicily!
The bus followed a route close to the coast. After we passed the Taormina train station, the bus moved along the coast, and the view was splendid! Rei informed me that White Lotus season 2 was filmed in Taormina, and he was searching for the filming location excitedly.
The most famous attraction of Taormina was its amphitheater, Teatro Antico. Almost everyone got off the bus walked towards the amphitheater, so we simply followed the crowd.
It was only around 10:30am, and there was basically no line in front of the ticket office. We paid 16 euros each to enter. There were already several tour groups there.
The amphitheater was magnificent! We took many photos there. The best view of the theater was from the top row, and that’s also where most tourists gathered.
The amphitheater started as a Greek theater, and then became a Roman theater with an orchestra section and a low wall to protect the spectators. It was said that the place also provided an excellent view of Mount Etna, but the weather was cloudy today. However, we could still see two nearby attractions, Madonna of the Rock and a castle. Both places looked far away and sat on top of tall mountains; we didn’t plan to visit them.
There’s an onsite cafe, where we ordered an arancine (the famous Sicilian fried rice ball), an apple tart and coffee. Taormina is a resort town and tourist attraction, so the prices are high. It rained a little while we ate, but the light rain shortly stopped.
We spent more than an hour here. When we left around noon, we could see that the ticket line became very long. Fortunately, we arrived early.
Then it was time for the downtown sightseeing. We first entered Porta Messina. There was a church on the right, which was built upon an ancient theater Odeon with the ancient ruins still partially visible. We met a Gate 1 tour in front of the church.
We walked a while on a high-end shopping street, but decided to detour to the public garden. The verdant garden was sitting on a cliffside with fantastic ocean views. There were many tourists there taking photos. We found out that tourists to Taormina all enjoyed taking photos. They didn’t just take one or two photos but taking multiple photos in the same location with different poses and angles, sometimes even blocking the traffic!
We returned to the busy shopping street to continue walking towards Porta Catania. There was a large plaza with splendid ocean views and a public restroom (1 euro each).
There’s a beautiful fountain in front of Taormina Cathedral. The center piece of the fountain had a minotaur, the emblem of Taormina. There were also mythical horse statues around the fountain. It’s very interesting. The inside of the cathedral was also magnificent with a “last supper” sculpture in front of an altar.
There was a sign on the left (facing the cathedral) pointing to an old mosaic piece on the floor. It’s a very well preserved Greek mosaic locked inside an enclosure.
We finally reached Porta Catania and then walked back to the bus station. We were about time to catch the 2:45pm bus back to Catania. The bus was again not full. The bus reached Catania Centro first before continuing to the airport. Fortunately, we figured out just in time to get off the bus!
Day 11: Mount Etna
It’s complicated and time consuming to rely on public transportation to go to Mount Etna, so I booked a tour with Go-Etna. I’d like to join a tour that would climb to the top of Mount Etna, but I was told that it’s too early in the season, and the top of Mount Etna was still full of snow. There was only a shorter tour that would climb a lower crater. Since that’s our only choice, I paid 160 euros for the two of us to join.
We were picked up around 8:30am, together with a few other tourists. We first went to a meeting area in Giarre to meet with 2 other vans from the same company. The place had a small cafe and restrooms. I bought an apricot croissant (1.50 euro), which was fresh and surprisingly tasty.
Then we were heading to Mount Etna. The first stop was an old lava area. Our guide Francesco explained the geology and the geography of Sicily to us. There were many trees/bushes in the area. When I asked, Francesco said those were brooms — they were made into brooms to sweep the floors.
We were given time to explore and to take pictures before going to the second destination, a cave, which was actually a lava tube. There were many such caves in the Mount Etna area, where ice was found and harvested. The cave we went called Grotta delle Nevi (Snow Grotto).
The weather was cloudy today, and it started to snow before we reached the cave. The ground was also covered with snow. We had to take turns to descend into the cave with the help of a thick rope tied by the guide. Francesco also placed red lights in the cave to create the “lava effect,” which was very interesting.
We were all required to wear a hard hat because the cave ceiling was very low. This was only a short lava tube. We quickly exited through another opening by pulling ourselves up using another rope there. This was a fun experience.
The last activity was to climb up to a crater rim. Francesco parked at a place signed Monti Sartorius, then we started the short climb. We had to walk on the snow and ice before reaching lava sand. The weather was pretty foggy.
We did see the crater, but we couldn’t see clearly the surrounding area. Francesco offered to take a photo of Rei and me, then he took a selfie of the 3 of us! When others saw this, they also wanted to have a selfie with Francesco.
The descending was more challenging, because the trail was slippery. I lent a hiking pole to another tourist in the group who had difficulty going down. Rei and I had a lot of experience hiking on the snow and ice, so this was not a problem.
Afterwards, we were taken to Chalet Clan dei Ragazzi to have food and drink, and to use the restroom. Rei ordered a cappuccino, and I order a hot chocolate. The hot chocolate was very thick; its density was closer to mud than to water.
It rained very hard on our way back, but when we were dropped off after 3:40pm, the rain had stopped. Since it was still early, Rei and I decided to explore Catania a bit and to buy some desserts.
There were many mural paintings on the way. My favorite one was a cute little girl with a cute cat.
We walked past a Roman amphitheater ruin, which was already closed for the day. We would visit the ruin later.
There were also several churches and a cathedral. This seemed to be a popular shopping area with many stores, cafes, cake and ice cream shops. We didn’t stay long. We would have another day to explore Catania.
Day 12: Siracusa
The weather was sunny and bright this morning. We took the 8:30am Interbus to Siracuse (19.20 euros for two, round-trip). The ride was longer than to Taormina. When we arrived, it was already 10am.
We walked to the Neapolis Archaeological Park first. We saw a large group of young people gathering, and were concerned that the ticket line would be long. It turned out that those were students on a field trip, and there was no one waiting at the ticket office. The ticket was 14 euros per adult.
There was a cockatiel perching inside the hood of a student’s jacket. People were all excitingly taking photos. I also took a few. The student joked that we should pay 10 euros to take photos 🙂
There was only minimal information inside the park. We didn’t rent an audio guide and couldn’t find a park map, so we simply walked around. (Later we realized that we would have to go inside the store to ask for a map.) We first visited Grotta dei Cordari (Cave of the Ropemakers), where artisans used to make ropes. The place had marvelous rock formations and was photogenic.
Next to it was the famous Orecchio di Dionisio (Ear of Dionysius), a cave with excellent acoustic effects. It was very dark inside, with only a tiny opening on the top. Many people were shouting inside to try the sound effects.
There was construction work going on at the Greek Theater, probably in preparation for an upcoming event. The result was an underwhelming and only partially visible amphitheater. The highlight of the site was actually a cave above the theater with waterfalls inside.
There was no information about the Tomb of Archimede, so we completely missed it. When we asked later, we were told that the place was closed.
There was a Greek altar, which was said to be one of the largest altars known. The altar was in an enclosure, and we could only take photos from the outside.
The park also had a Roman Amphitheater. Rei commented that it actually looked more impressive than the partially covered Greek Theater!
Even though it’s an interesting visit, we didn’t get much information. So, if you want to gain more insight of the archaeological park, either rent the audio guide or join a guided tour.
We decided to skip the museum to spend more time in Ortigia. After we walked across a bridge to arrive at Ortigia, we first saw the Apollo Temple ruin, an important ancient Greek monument. Some huge Doric columns were still standing.
You probably noticed that we didn’t have many fancy dinners on this trip; we mostly ate pizzas. This was because Sicilians dined late. Good restaurants wouldn’t open for dinner until 7 or 7:30pm, and Rei was already ready for bed by then. So, we decided to have good sit-down late lunch instead.
We picked a seafood restaurant, il pesce azzurro osteria, on the way. Rei and I shared a Mixed Grill Seafood and a Prawn Penne. The food was delicious, especially the grilled squid! For dessert, Rei bought a huge freshly filled pistachio cannoli to share with me.
The cathedral was under an exterior restoration, but the inside was still open. We paid 2 euros each to enter. The cathedral was incorporated into the old Temple of Athena. The huge Doric columns were visible and well preserved. It’s so unusual to see a cathedral with Greek columns. There were also intricate and colorful mosaic works. The polychrome marble floor of the cathedral was amazing too.
We also went to Santa Lucia alla Badia church to see a Caravaggio painting. However, a sign inside the church informed us that the painting has been moved to a different church about 1 mile away!
We continued walking south to check out Fonte Aretusa. It was a small pond with lush plants. There were amazing amount of fish swimming in the water too.
Castello Maniace was located at the south tip of Ortigia Island. We decided not to pay the 6-euro per person entrance fee and only take photos from outside.
We were done with Ortigia sightseeing, but our returning bus was at 4:30pm, so we had time for additional sightseeing. I suggested that we either go visit the super modern Madonna delle Lacrime (Madonna of Tears) or go see the Caravaggio painting. Rei voted for the former. On the way, he bought a pistachio gelato from Ocean Bar to share with me; it was very good.
When I wanted to check Google Map, Rei always told me to just follow him. So I followed him to walk for about half an hour to reach … the bus station! I was very surprised. He told me that he wanted to make sure we knew how to return to the bus station. Besides, he had no idea where we’re going next!
So, we power walked to The Sanctuary Madonna delle Lacrime, an ultra-modern conical structure. The sanctuary got the name because of a miracle of a weeping effigy. The inside was very spacious with many wooden benches.
The returning bus was full of passengers, but everyone still got a seat. By the way, the bus went past Madonna delle Lacrime, so you could save a trip if you just want a photo from the outside. It was a long ride returning to Catania. When we were approaching Catania Centro, I saw Mount Etna from the bus window and pointed out to Rei. He was very excited. However, we didn’t manage to take a photo. We would try that tomorrow; the weather was said to be sunny.
Day 13: Catania
Today would be the last sightseeing day of this trip. We planned to spend the entire day in Catania.
Rei wanted to check out the local market first, so we left the apartment around 8:30 after breakfast. The weather was splendid! The first area of market was clothing stalls, which we were not interested.
Then we reached an area selling fish, vegetables and fruits. I asked Rei whether we should buy some fruit; he said no. But when we were about to leave, he bought a small bunch of bananas for 2 euros. You probably recognized a pattern by now: When I asked Rei anything, his first reaction was always to say no, then he would change his mind 🙂
Afterwards we walked to the Duomo Plaza to start the sightseeing. A lady at the ticket office suggested that we buy a complete ticket covering 7 sites for 18 euros per person.
We first visited Museo d’Arte Sacra, where the ticket office was located. The most prominent feature of the museum was its rooftop terrace, which provided a panoramic view of Catania, as well as a splendid view of Mount Etna! If you come on a clear day, the amazing view of Mount Etna alone will justify the entire ticket price. Despite a wisp of cloud, we had a fantastic view of Mount Etna, and we took many pictures. It’s lucky that we came early, because Mount Etna was later covered by more cloud.
I didn’t have a high expection of the museum, but it turned out to be a beautiful museum with many exquisite collections. Our ticket came with a small guidebook and a map, so we at least had some idea what we were looking.
We arrived at the cathedral next door at 10am, but we were not allowed to enter because there’s a mass going on. So, we instead went down to visit Terme Achilliane, a underground bathing compound with the entrance right at the cathedral yard.
Terme Achilliane turned out to be very interesting too. There were many signs in both Italian and English explaining the history and various features of the place. This was really great, because in many places we visited, there was information in Italian only.
We couldn’t entered the cathedral until 11am, so we popped into the nearby Chiesa della Badia di Sant’Agata, which required a ticket only for those who wished to climb the dome. Then we visited the another included site, Basilica Collegiata. The church was ornate like many other churches we had visited. The ceiling was decorated with spectacular paintings too.
There’s a large “candelora,” a gilded structure with votive candles. To light the candles, one would need to insert one euro. Of course Rei said no initially, then he changed his mind and inserted one euro. We took many photos of the lighted candelora to get our money’s worth!
University of Catania had a few buildings in the area. We also took a quick look before returning to the cathedral.
The cathedral was spacious and elegant but not opulent. It had beautiful marble floors. The cathedral was also built on top of a Greek temple, like many other Sicilian churches.
There were 3 Saint Agatha churches on the list. They were all close together, and were not far from the Roman Amphitheater ruin that I wished to visit. So, we went to the amphitheater first. The sign said 4 euros per adult, but the lady at the ticket office only charged us 6 euros in total.
There was a large area of the amphitheater underground that we could visit. The place was poorly lit and with minimal signs. We felt like walking inside a labyrinth, but it was an interesting experience. There was dripping water in some parts too.
Saint Agatha is the patron saint of Catania. She was originally the daughter of a rich family. The 3 Saint Agatha themed churches were where she was imprisoned, judged and martyred after she refused to marry a strong man. In the old days, women didn’t have free will. If a girl refused a marriage, men could get offended and found an excuse to murder her!
We were done with the whirlwind sightseeing around 1pm, and went to Pasticceria Savia to have fried rice balls, cannoli, cassatella and coffee. The place had 13.8k online reviews, and the food was very good. Rei commented that the rice balls were better than the one he ate previously.
Villa Bellini, a public garden, was only across the street, so we went there next. The garden was full of people. There was a very talented musician playing the electronic piano at the center of the park. The upper level of the park offered Mount Etna view too, but the mountain was covered by more cloud.
We then returned to the apartment for Rei to take a nap and for me to work on the blog. After more than an hour of nap, Rei felt refreshed and ready to explore more.
Our last destination was Museo Storico dello Sbarco in Sicilia 1943, a historical museum dedicated to the 1943 allied invasion of Sicily. In July 1943, US-UK combined force invaded Sicily from the south. They managed to drive Italian and German military forces out of Sicily in less than 2 months.
The exhibition started with a quote by Pope Pio XII saying nothing is lost with peace, but everything can be lost with war. There was an interactive display showing the timeline of US and UK driving Italian and German forces out of Sicily. It was pretty cool.
There were also displays of military uniforms and weapons of each participating country. In addition, there was also detailed information of how each US or UK division advanced. UK 5th division took Siracusa and Catania, while US 3rd division followed many sections of Magna Via Francigena to advance from Agrigento to Palermo.
Many precious lives were lost in the war. Italy lost nearly 5,000 souls, and Germany lost more than 4,000. Even the winning side US and UK each lost close to 3,000 lives! It’s a real tragedy.
The exhibition ended with a quote from Pope Giovanni XXIII saying that peace is the supreme best, forgetting it would be a real folly.
This was a somber one-hour visit. We left the museum around 6pm to return to our apartment. The museum was inside a compound with additional museums such as a film museum and an instrument museum. I felt Catania was an underrated city. It was more run-down than its glamorous cousin, Palermo, and was overlooked by many tour companies. However, there’re enough attractions in Catania to keep you busy. Moreover, it’s a great base for day trips to other places such as Taormina and Siracusa.
Since Rei took a nap in the afternoon, he didn’t need to go to bed at 7pm tonight. We went to the fish restaurant next door to have dinner. Rei and I shared a grilled sea bass and a grilled squid. Both dishes tasted good, but it required skills to eat a whole fish with bones.
This ended our Sicily trip. We are going home tomorrow.
Afterthoughts
Rei and I both enjoyed this trip very much despite experiencing inclement weather in some days. Sicilians were very friendly and helpful. The island wasn’t overrun by tourists (yet). Therefore, tourists were welcome and even treasured.
Magna Via Francigena (MVF) wasn’t a very well-known trail. We were basically by ourselves on the trail during the entire hike. People we met in town were all locals. Not many people spoke English, and we relied on basic English and Italian words, Google Translate, pantomime and even guessing for communications.
Food in small towns was cheap but delicious. The best pastries and snacks we had were actually from the small towns. Rei got sticker shock when we arrived in larger cities like Taormina and Catania, but the prices were still lower compared with the Bay Area.
Rei didn’t think Magna Via Francigena offered extraordinary scenery (he preferred snowcapped mountains), but found small towns and villages on the route charming. I thought the wildflowers in the spring on the route splendid, but I really hated hiking on very muddy trails.
Overall, it’s a great experience, and we recommend Sicily wholeheartedly.
Practical Information for Hiking Magna Via Francigena (MVF)
We booked with Wild Rover Travel for the Magna Via Francigena (MVF) hike. They arranged lodging, luggage transfer and 2 local transfers for us. I also booked an extra night in Palermo before the hike. I paid 1,980 euros for the two of us, including credit card surcharge. We were very satisfied with the service. Whenever I had a question, Niall, Cecilie and Maria replied my email promptly. For MVF, Wild Rover worked with a partner company S-Cape.
We were provided with Guibo app for route guidance. However, Rei found that Guibo lacked zoom-in capability. He also used AllTrails as an alternative. Sometimes, I used Google Map to find out our location too. Google Map is a powerful tool, but we found it lacking in less popular places outside of the United States.
This was a serene hike. We hardly ever met any other hikers. It was mainly Rei and me most of the time. It was a contrast to the bustling Portugal Coastal Camino Walk.
Since MVF was not a popular hike, there wasn’t a lot of information regarding this walk on the internet. I am sharing my experience here.
Santa Cristina Gela to Corleone (26.5km)
MVF starts with the longest section, which really isn’t ideal. One can ask to be dropped off in Sant’Agata to save 7.5km. However, the hike between Santa Cristina Gela to Sant’Agata was actually very scenic.
After reaching Sant’Agata, we reached a wider road and turned left. Very soon, there’s a not-so-conspicuous MVF sign pointing to a narrow dirt trail on the right. If the weather isn’t good or the trail is very wet and muddy, then I will suggest to keep on the wide road instead. We walked on the muddy road to reach an impassable torrent and had to turn back. Continuing on the wide road, and it will eventually lead to a road (to your right) to return you to MVF to reach Santuario Maria S.S. del Rosalio di Tagliavia.
If the weather remains bad and/or the trail is wet and muddy, then one will have to walk on the shoulder of a highway to eventually reaching Corleone. We were lucky to be able to find a ride.
There were no bars, restaurants or restrooms the entire way. One will have to bring enough food and water and to use “wildness restrooms” all the way.
MVF signs are either a (can be ruined) wooden sign or simply a white bar on top of a red bar. Sometimes it can also be a red bar, a white bar, then another red bar.
Corleone to Prizzy (19km)
It is possible to visit Waterfall of Two Rocks after leaving Corleone. However, for us, the detour took an extra hour. Though the waterfall is pretty, it’s nothing special.
This section is again in a remote area with no bars, restaurants or restrooms.
When you reach Prizzy (or other bigger towns), the sign will be a Magna Via Francigena square sign on the pavement or on a wall.
Prizzy to Castronovo (24km)
We had to wade through muddy water early on, but it wasn’t difficult. If you don’t want to ford the water, look for the alternate route. It’s also possible to ask to be dropped off past the initial section (though I don’t know the detail).
Signs are confusing in this section. Read “Day 5” above for more detail.
This section is again in a remote area with no bars, restaurants or restrooms.
If you book through a tour company, they will arrange transportation for you to reach Cammarata from Castronovo.
Cammarata to Sutera (20km)
We encountered an impassable river and had to return to find a ride to reach Acquaviva. Therefore, I will suggest to first find out the trail condition, and then decide whether you will have to walk along a highway or find a transport to Acquaviva.
The scenery between Acquaviva and Sutera is splendid, if you are lucky enough not needing to walk on very muddy trails.
Sutera to Raclamata (21 or 27km)
This section involves crossing a river. When the water is high, you will need to walk the winter route instead, which is 27km (versus 21km on regular route).
Reclamata to Aragona (8 to 11km)
This is an easy walk. After reaching Aragona Caldare train station, you can buy tickets to Agrigento from a machine. Remember to validate your train tickets.
Passports, Stamps and Certificates
You can stamp your way through MVF just like the camino. When we checked into Hotel Tonic in Palermo, we received a package from S-Cape that included 2 luggage tags and 2 passports.
In Palermo, get a stamp (called timbro) from the cathedral. The office is on your right when facing the main altar under San Paul. Ask around if you cannot find it.
In Monreale, get a stamp from the ticket office.
In other places, get stamps from a local lodging, bar or restaurant.
When you reach Agrigento, you can get your certificates from Museo Diocesan Agrigento (5 euros fee). Check the operation time. In winter the place closes at 1pm.
General Advices
- The first 3 days of hikes are in remote areas. Pack enough food and water, and prepare to use “wildness restrooms.”
- You are on your own, therefore, always bring a first-aid kit.
- Prepare for the rain. We brought rain jackets, rain pants and hiking ponchos, and ended up using all of them. Rain pants are also great for mud protection. It’s a lot easier to wash the mud off rain pants than hiking pants.
- Bring your hiking poles. We wouldn’t have survived this hike without our hiking poles.
- Also bring headlights. They are useful in towns after dark.
- We couldn’t find any laundry facilities on MVF. Either bring enough changing clothes or invest in some high-quality quick-dry clothes.
- In all the places we stayed, they only provided a bottle of liquid in the bathroom for hair and body wash. So, bring your own conditioner and lotion. If you are picky, bring your own shampoo and body wash/soap too.
- Bring toilet paper. Restrooms in bars often did not have toilet paper.
- We also brought sunscreen. However, we mostly had rainy or cloudy days, and we only needed to apply sunscreen occasionally.
- A couple of hosts used WhatsApp for communication. I didn’t have WhatsApp, but, fortunately, Rei did. So, you may want to considering getting WhatsApp.
Amy 'n Rei 
