Ancient Pantalica and the Giarranauti woods on e-bikes
An enchanted area and fabulous routes behind an old extinct volcano, Monte Santa Venere. The beauty of Pantalica area through the path of the Giarranauti and the Baroque of Ferla.
We start the ride from Sortino towards Ferla, through the Giarranauti forest which is on the upper part of the Pantalica plateau. The area, besides having a beautiful pine forest, is also rich in evidence of the past, in particular from the Byzantine era. We will cycle along gentle slopes and on white roads bordered by the characteristic old, dry-stone walls of the Iblei mountains. These walls were built to delimit the pasturelands and property boundaries in the past.
Upon leaving the Giarranauti forest, we will arrive in Ferla, a spectacular, small town in the Iblei mountains. Although less well-known than the more famous town of Noto, you will see beautiful examples of baroque churches here too.
After a short stop in Ferla, we will cycle back towards Sortino for a short visit to the old city centre. Before ending this fantastic excursion, a stop at the local bar for good beer will be a just reward for the day’s hard work!
Time: 4-5 hours
Distance: 50 km
Level: medium (on e-bikes)
Meeting point: Sortino, Province of Syracuse.
Season: all-year round.
Price includes the following:
- E-Bike MTB rental (professional bikes with disk brakes, tubeless wheelset, air suspension fork, Shimano groupset)
- Bike accessories (helmet, water bottle, repair kit)
- Qualified MTB guide (Italian and English)
What to wear and bring with you:
- A small backpack/rucksack for your personal items (you can leave this in the van if you don’t want to take it with you during the excursion).
- Comfortable clothes suitable for biking (bike gloves, padded shorts, etc), a rain/wind jacket
- A change of clothes in case it rains
- Closed shoes e.g. trainers or biking shoes (no flip-flops or sandals)
- Sunglasses & sun cream
- A camera or smartphone if you want to take photos
- A spirit of fun and adventure
