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.

Magna Via Francigena - Trapani-Birgi to Palermo to Santa Cristina Gela

I wake up at 3:45 and get to the airport for the uneventful 5:45 flight to Trapani-Birgi.

We land 20 minutes early. The airport at Trapani-Birgi is very small. Seemingly, just one cafe and a large number of car rental desks.

I have a bus booked for 10:30, and I think I cannot make it to the earlier one - and I have not planned for it, so I don't even know when it leaves, but I walk to the bus stop anyway.

The bus is there! Leaving in a few minutes!

I already have a ticket bought online for the 10:30 bus, and instead of buying another one, I decide to just try to board. I get a non-committal "bene, bene" from the driver! I think it might be common that later tickets work for earlier times on the same day.

I arrive at Palermo early!

Arches near Palermo cathedral

I walk to the hostel to get the credential (the document to collect stamps on for the MVF), then to outdoors shop to buy hiking poles (closed), then to various churches and other prominent buildings, then to bus stop to buy tickets to Santa Cristina Gela, then again a long loop to more prominent buildings and a market.

Quattro Canti

I stop at a small cafe for an espresso. The lady working the counter is singing along to Eros Ramazzotti's "Più bella cosa" and the tune gets stuck in my head for much of the remaining week.

Palermo cathedral

I have lunch at a nice place called "Trattoria no zu Totó e niputi", "pasta con sarde", pasta with sardines and anchovies. It is objectively good,  and I would rate it as "interesting", but I will probably not take it again, it just wasn't my cup of tea.

Palermo cathedral entrance

I visit a small mafia museum "No Mafia Memorial" which is interesting, and reminds me of reading books about Don Camillo and Peppone as a child.

I walk back and take the bus to Santa Cristina Gela.

Overall, Palermo is nice and I enjoyed my day there, but I am keen to get on the MVF and start walking in the Sicilian countryside.

Villa Bonanno park

In theory, the Day 1 of the MVF is actually walking from Palermo to Santa Cristina Gela, but the route seems to be on roads, through suburbs and not that pleasant, and I have woken up really early, and walked 13 km already, so I decide to skip it.

Street market in Palermo

I reach the B&B in Santa Cristina Gela and get checked in successfully. The room is fine and I sleep well.

Magna Via Francigena, Sicily, Italy, April 2024

In April 2024, I did a one week's hike along the Magna Via Francigena (henceforth - MVF) long distance trail in Sicily, Italy.

Leaving Sutera

It wasn't the whole MVF, which nominally runs from Palermo to Agrigento across the Western part of Sicily, as described on the very useful official website. The other recommended resource is the Facebook group.

To adapt the MVF for the time I had available, I skipped the first section from Palermo to Santa Cristina Gela (as it seemed to mostly go on roads), I walked "normally" to Sutera (skipping the Santo Stefano Quisquina detour), and then went from Sutera to the closest railway station at Campofranco:

High level overview, in the context of Sicily

For me, the MVF ticked a lot of boxes, as:

• I really enjoy travelling in Italy, especially in the country-side. Welcoming people, excellent food and great scenery.
• The weather forecast for the week I had available for a vacation was good - warm and sunny.
• I could easily get there with a direct flight to Trapani-Birgi (IATA: TPS).
• I could plan the route in a way where I could get to the start and end points using public transport.

I have split the description up into shorter write-ups, and linked to all of them here:

• Day 1 - Arrival day - Trapani-Birgi to Palermo to Santa Cristina Gela
• Day 2 - Santa Cristina Gela to Corleone
• Day 3 - Corleone to Prizzi
• Day 4 - Prizzi to Castronovo di Sicilia
• Day 5 - Castronovo di Sicilia to San Giovanni Gemini
• Day 6 - San Giovanni Gemini to Sutera
• Day 7 - Sutera to Campofranco to Agrigento to Birgi Vecchi
• Day 8 - Conclusions