With the dollar’s recent decline versus the Euro, there are few travel values left in Western Europe. For adventure travelers willing to go on their own, a self-guided bicycle tour of Sicily is still a bargain – and a wonderful adventure.

Why Sicily?

Sicily offers a rare and wonderful combination of history, incredible views, warm hospitality and some of the best food on earth. And, if you are enterprising enough to go on your own, a self-guided bicycle tour of Sicily can be a rewarding and affordable adventure.

If you enjoy history

Over the past 2,000 years every major Western civilization visited and occupied Sicily. Those influences remain and are evident from a bicycle. Greek temples, Roman cities, Norman and Arabian churches— the vestiges of previous cultures are well preserved and accessible.

Incredible views

A bicycle tour offers sweeping views of the Sicilian countryside, including hill towns, coastal villages, vineyards, olive orchards, medieval cities, and mosaic cathedrals. Sicily is a land of many cultures and contrasts and the closer one gets the more it can be absorbed. A bicycle offers a front row seat.

People who appreciate you

Sicilians are naturally gracious: a tendency that extends to treatment of their guests, including American tourists. People in smaller towns are especially friendly and helpful. Few small town Sicilians are fluent in English, but they have little difficulty understanding and satisfying your needs.

As we cycled through the towns and villages of Sicily, we were greeted by old men who were sitting on benches, sharing gossip and opinions and waving at the occasional bicyclists who glided by.