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Sicily Magnifica in Your Own Words

Beppe Salerno
Posted by Beppe Salerno on May 24, 2017 9:30:02 PM

We created the concept of the Tourissimo Experience to deliver authentic and meaningful moments during our tours. This idea is described here on our website. In this blog article, read guests' reflections on their Sicily West bike tour Magnifica edition.

Cannoli in Sicily


The Tourissimo Experience has to translate into feelings and sensations. Below, our Sicily Magnifica bike tour guests describe it in their own words. 

"As for Sicily itself, it genuinely pained me to have to get on that plane in Palermo and say goodby. The cities and towns, the countryside, the FOOD, and, most of all, the warmth of the people is not something I’ll soon forget. There are so many moments during this past week worth noting, but a few that really stood out for me; the first night wandering around Palermo taking it all in [...] the sadness and horror contained in the anti-Mafia museum in Corleone, the earthquake “ghost towns,” the many places we had incredible lunches and amazing dinners, all those cannolis, the Scirocco winds, finally feeling in shape and tackling Mt. Erice..."

 

Sicily Bike Tour Break

 

"We are so thankful for this opportunity to experience Sicily and spend a week with such a wonderful group of people. This was our first ever bike tour. I had the misguided notion that I wasn't interested in bike vacations - we've only ever rented bikes for a couple of days on our travels. I thought my body and mind wouldn't want to bike every day and I wouldn't get to do much besides bike.

I was so wrong— we are hooked! What made this trip extra special for me was the personal experiences: meeting a real-life Principessa and seeing her palace; private dinner in Palermo; having lunch with Giuseppe's friends (such delicious bread, caponata and cannollo!) and meeting his charming Dad....I suspect we wouldn't get this with any other tour. Of course, cycling through the Sicilian countryside was beautiful. We loved Erice and the climb to get there - and the treasure (pottery) we carefully carried home is still in one piece and looks lovely."

 

Bike Tour Sicily

 
"We both were completely unprepared for the natural beauty. We had traveled around Tuscany (which was beautiful), but for some reason we found Sicily even more so.
Everybody on the tour -- the supreme leader (Beppe), his more than capable and hard-working assistants, and all the cyclists -- were great company. 
 
The palace tour was something out of the ordinary - I would never have guessed I would be in a tour of a palace by a princess!
The lunches on the road were fantastic. Especially the one on the first day. Fresh produce well prepared."
 
 
Cycling in Sicily
 
 
"I totally agree with my friends about the great group, fantastic scenery, and wonderful guides.  But the other thing I liked about the tour was the ability to see some of Sicily as it is, not just the tourist parts. During some of the planned routes, as well as some of my unplanned ones, I passed quite a bit of heavy industry on the coast.  It was hard to tell, but it seemed that a lot of it is no longer operating, just as we have those issues here in New England. Given the high unemployment in Sicily, that's a shame [...] But I think the most interesting is the contrast between our wonderful visit to Palazzo Gangi, and visiting other historic sites..."
 
 Sicily Countryside
 

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"What an awesome dream-come-true experience this was. You are all a great group of people and I, too, enjoyed the comaraderie and friendship of the group.

In addition, the opportunity to spend 10 days in a land where strip malls, chain restaurants, and fast food chains have not caught on yet, where herding goats through a village is normal, and eating seafood caught earlier that day is just part of daily life and not a Disney created show is exceptional…..Bravo!

In addition to Beppe, Federica, and Giuseppe who accommodated our every need……Saluto to all of you— you who rolled with the punches and did not complain about every little thing and appreciated every moment of the ride…. Truly exceptional!

I do not think I have ever been on a tour with so much offered and such a high level of service. The type of service where the owner of the company actually gets up  at 4:30 in the morning to make sure your taxi shows up on time".

 

Bianchi Bike Sicily

 
"This was a GREAT trip (and that is said after having flight, luggage and stomach problems)!  Tom (and chance) put together a great group of riders and Beppe, Federica, and Giuseppe kept us on point, educated, safe, and entertained. 
 
Western Sicily is truly beautiful, and, of course, the food was amazing. Just the thought of the seafood and produce in the markets make me long to back......and, of course, the gelato. 
 
I need to give a special shoutout to John and Sheldon for keeping me company on the climbs but the whole group was great [...] I hope to return to Sicily some day and to ride again with such a great group.....or the same group in such a pretty location 

You can read a full account of this tour and see more pictures in Tom's journal. 

Want more Sicily? Check out our Eastern Sicily Magnifica tour, Chef Bike Tour of Sicily, Volcanoes of Southern Italy.

 

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Topics: Destinations, Guest Posts/In the News, Tourissimo Tours

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