An introduction: Why, why, why?

January 10, 2016

Why are we going to Sicily now? Why haven't we gone there already? Why are we spending a whole month on a single island?

Because it's there, as Mallory said; but much easier to tour by bicycle than Mount Everest would be.

Because we've only been back from San Diego for a week, but are already tired of the cold and rain here in Portland.

A little of this goes a long way with us. Sicily, here we come!

Because it's the largest island in the Mediterranean, and for many reasons we love island loops.

Because for whatever reason we've been uncertain about Sicily before now - it looked too rugged, and we suspected it might be too congested for good cycling. Our experiences in the Alps and Pyrenees in the last few years increased our self confidence though and there is starting to be a wealth of information about what to expect cycling there.

Because over the years we've been seduced by the great Inspector Montalbano detective series, by Andrea Camelleri.

Because if Sean Penn is not afraid of El Chapo, why should we be afraid of the mafia?

Because spring looks like a wonderful time to be there - probably the best, because the flowers will be in bloom and Mount Etna should still be blanketed with snow.

Because I've taken a recent interest in volcanoes, and Mount Etna looks like one of the best to approach by bicycle.

Because I'm turning 70 this year, and we still have our health and resources. If not now, when?

Because it has some of the best Greek, Roman, Norman and Baroque ruins and architecture in the world.

Because even a month won't be enough to cover all that we'd like to see there. Originally we thought we'd make this a one way traverse and continue across the boot to Puglia, but the longer we looked the more there was to tempt us to just stay here.

Because a month straight of Italian meals is reason enough.

The Doric temple at Segesta (downloaded from the net). This photo excites us as much for the spring floral display we hope to see as for the ruins.

The great Norman cathedral at Cefalu (downloaded from the net)

The Church of Santa Maria, Ragusa (downloaded from the net)

Gangi and Mount Etna, from Petralia (downloaded from the net). This photo really caught my imagination, because Petralia is halfway across the island from Etna. I hadn't thought before of how dominating it will be on the horizon for much of our tour.

We aren't apt to be lucky (unlucky?) enough to see anything like this, but it's such an amazing photograph that I wanted to hang on to it. Mount Etna is the largest and most active volcano in Euope, with eruptions occurring frequently (in 12 of the last 15 years), some lasting for weeks or months. This photo is from the eruption in December (last month), the largest one in over a decade.

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