Magna Via Francigena - Conclusions

The last day is fully uneventful, I take the transfer from the Birgi Vecchi hotel to the Trapani-Birgi airport and return home.

Approaching Sutera

In conclusion, I really enjoyed this hike. It was a really good fit for what I wanted this trip to be:

• Really friendly, genuinely hospitable local Sicilian people in the small towns.
• Amazing food - I especially enjoyed the pasta and fish dishes.
• The right difficulty level, with the gentle hilly terrain being easy on the knees.
• Great opportunities to practice my limited, but gradually improving, Italian.
• Lovely scenery of hilly, agricultural landscape.
• Good trail condition and marking, except for some rubbish being strewn on the sides of the trail near towns and industrial areas.
• A few other walkers, enough to have somebody to talk to from time to time, not so many as to feel crowded.
• Convenient, reasonably priced accommodation.
• Pretty good weather in early April, though the latter half of the week was a bit too hot.

My packing selection at 5.8 kg total, 3.3 kg non-consumable and 2.3 kg base weight was also working well this time.

Magna Via Francigena - Sutera to Campofranco to Agrigento to Birgi Vecchi

I walk down from Sutera. A pleasant morning turns into a hot day.

Nice espresso and ice cream at Campofranco town, but the train station is five more kilometers away.

On the way from Campofranco to Campofranco station I finally leave Magna Via Francigena and run into a muddy stream that I have to ford.

I try a misguided, unsuccessful detour to look for another crossing, but it is through a rough, uncut field and I don't make much progress. If I wasn't in a rush, I could find a better detour.

I even sprain my ankle a slight bit, but it seems fine later.

I don't have time, the train is leaving at 10:16 and I have to make it, as the next one is only in the late afternoon!

So I change into water socks and ford the stream. The water socks are too short, so I end up having water in both the water socks and shoes afterwards. It is hot though, so it's only a minor annoyance.

I walk through a dirty industrial area and reach Campofranco station which is completely lifeless.

I solve the puzzle about which platform to take (the one with the shiniest rails!).

The train comes and takes me to Agrigento.

9 km walked so far to get from Sutera to the station.

Campofranco station

I arrive at Agrigento and it is now hot, 27C.

It seems the buses to the temples won't come any time soon, so I walk there, downhill.

The temple area is large, and it seems nearly everyone arrives by car.

I walk and walk looking for the right entrance. Finally I find it.

It is so hot and there are lots of people and I have walked so much that the temples don't seem that interesting to me any more.

In retrospect, I should have visited the archeological museum instead. Another time.

I buy a traditional graniti (frozen lemon juice slushy) and it is really nice.

Temple of Concordia

I leave the temple are at an entrance that had a bus stop and find that the next one just goes to another - main - entrance and will arrive in 50 mins...

OK, well, I walked down there, may as well walk back up.

I have to get back to the bus stop by 15:00... The taxi driver at Agrigento station quoted me 200 EUR for a ride to Trapani-Birgi and the 12 EUR for the bus seems a much better deal.

Walking uphill takes time and by the time I am in town, I don't have time for a proper meal. I have an espresso in the station bar instead.

11 km walked in Agrigento. I did not enjoy it much, even though the temples are objectively impressive. Too many cars and people, too hot, too crowded, too dirty.

Valley of the Temples, Agrigento

The bus takes me to Trapani-Birgi airport. My plan to ask to stop closer to my hotel fails, he approached from the East and Trapani-Birgi is the closest point. He would not have stopped anyway at a non-designated stop.

There are no taxis at the bus stop, they are instead at arrivals, and I don't feel like dealing with them, I have often had bad experiences with taxi drivers who try to overcharge me.

I have time, I have legs and I feel like walking to the hotel.

It turns out to be less fun than I had hoped, as there are more cars than I expected and it is annoying.

I reach the seaside and there is no nice seaside path, just a narrow road with way too many cars.

I am not quite sure why there are so many. It is Sunday evening though... Have they all been kiting and are returning to the larger towns?

Also, I am not sure why I thought it will be 3 km, it turns out to be 6 km.

Birgi Vecchi beach

But I check in, arrange a transfer for tomorrow morning for 20 EUR (I don't want to walk back to the airport), and have an amazing "pasta con pesto alla trapanese" at the hotel restaurant "Santa Maria".

Strangely, despite 26 km, my feet feel reasonably OK, and I don't even feel that tired.

Magna Via Francigena - San Giovanni Gemini to Sutera

I miss having eggs for breakfast, so I have prepared well last night - I have one large onion and three eggs!

I make coffee using the mocha pot system, it works rather well.

I try the pecorino cheese, and try frying it, which, in my opinion, much improves it.

I slept late, and making and eating breakfast took time, so I leave only around 10:00.

Feels like a long walk (21 km with ~650m ascent/descent), and it is quite hot.

The locals are genuinely friendly, often striking up a conversation, asking where I am from, where I am going to, commenting on the heat, etc

It seems in this section 50% of people I saw did so, and the remaining 50% said a friendly "buongiorno".

The following picture shows the Sutera hill, that looks like a hat. I have to get there today.

I have a cold water and espresso at Acquaviva Platani, but the town is largely closed for siesta.

A senior citizen strikes a conversation with me from the balcony (seen in the following picture), but then admits he is hard of hearing and cannot really hear my responses.

I finally run into barking dogs that seem somewhat unfriendly and they aren't behind a fence - as the other barking dogs had been previously!

But the trick of seemingly - or actually - picking up stones works, and they cease blocking the junction, so I can proceed.

I finally reach Sutera and it is quite nice. Very hilly town!

I visit the local town museum and the young woman in charge is very thorough and diligent in giving me a tour. I understand about a half of it, and it has interesting moments, such as about Sicilians wanting an independent Sicily during WW2.

I finish the day on a high note by having a really nice meal at "Sambriglia".

Sutera is really amazing and has a nice atmosphere. 

Magna Via Francigena - Castronovo di Sicilia to San Giovanni Gemini

Should have been an easy day in theory - ended up 15.5 km with 500m ascent and descent, but some of it was within San Giovanni Gemini. However, it was hot, the route was hilly, so it was still a bit of a slog.

Castronovo di Sicilia city hall

A church in Castronovo di Sicilia

The route had some interesting cliff formations along the way.

I meet a British hiker going the opposite direction, she has had a bad experience with a pack of aggressive dogs near Sutera. She wasn't bitten, but thought she came close, and had to find a stick and throw rocks to deal with them.

Cammarata

My B&B, Cortile Suez, is really nice, and the proprietress kindly offers me some food to cook when I arrive during the afternoon when everything seems closed. I decline though, I will take a nap first and then look for a supermarket and a restaurant.

I have so far met many nice locals here in these small towns, both in shops, and just along the way - many stop to have a bit of a conversation, ask how I am doing and where I'm going in a kind, non-inquisitive way.

At Castronovo, I tried to buy one apple for breakfast at a fruit shop, and the lady refused to take any money and insisted it is "un regalo".

B&B in San Giovanni Gemini

San Giovanni Gemini

I have a nice swordfish for dinner at "Ohana", and the freshly baked bread with local olive oil to accompany it is a fantastic combination.

Magna Via Francigena - Prizzi to Castronovo di Sicilia

Long day again, especially towards the end. 26 km, 540m ascent, 840m descent.

Chiesa Madre S.S. Trinità

The B&B "Le Camere dell’Emiro" is very nice though and I went to dinner to a nice traditional place "Bar Della Piazza", with a jolly chef who only presented a "spoken menu".

Met both the Danish gentleman and the German couple there, so we had dinner together. It was very nice, both the company and the food.

Magna Via Francigena - Corleone to Prizzi

I walk all day with the Danish gentleman, about 23 km with 760m ascent and 460m descent.

We reroute a bit in one spot where a dog is guarding cows, and barking.

We meet a lot of barking dogs behind fences, and a few friendly ones who follow us a few meters.

Chillier day than yesterday, 12C and windy. No rain though.

A small church near Corleone

We also meet a cat family.

We arrive Prizzi, and part ways as we have different B&Bs.

I visit the archaeological museum, and it is closed! Disappointing, I was really interested in it and the schedule on the Internet seemed to indicate that it should be open!

I have a really nice swordfish at the local tavern Trattoria Del Corso! I'm hungry, so I order too much food - I want to try both the fish, and the lentil stew, and the stewed mushrooms. I still manage to eat all of it.

I check the museum again and it is open, and free! Great success! I get a guided tour. Fully in Italian, but I understand a fair amount. It had been a Greek town on the neighbouring hill which the Romans destroyed, and has now been largely excavated and the artifacts found placed in this museum.

I go to the B&B on the outskirts and go to sleep very early.

I have a limited food supply, but the shops are closed, and tomorrow I will depart away from the town, so probably won't visit any shops.

Magna Via Francigena - Santa Cristina Gela to Corleone

Breakfast is one arancino (a Sicilian traditional deep fried rice ball with something - this time minced meat and peas - inside) with one coffee and it's included in the B&B price.

Arancino - deep fried rice ball with something - this time minced meat and peas - inside

It seems like a long day of walking, 26 km total, and two German hikers catch up to me. I walk with them for the rest of the way.

We speak only German, though I am sure they speak great English and my German is quite limited. But I appreciate the practice and they are very nice about it.

They are walking pretty fast though, since they are from Bodensee, and evidently have had plenty of practice.

It is a nice, long, hilly walk with some steep slopes.

We pass a religious building Santuario Madonna di Tagliavia which should, per some route descriptions, have water and coffee, but it is closed, despite the sign "24h" on one of the doors.

Santuario Madonna di Tagliavia

I finally reach my B&B "La bicicletta Rossa", and the proprietress there is genuinely nice and makes us feel very welcome. I also meet a Danish hiker and two Italian hikers there.