"La Bella Italia" Stage 1 Palermo - Santo Stefano Quisquina

This first stage crossed from the north western side of Sicily into the central rural area of the island. The region is Mafia heartland and passing through the town on Corleone reminded us of the history of Mafia influence in Sicily. Garmin Connect link here La Bella Italia Stage 1 YouTube link here LBI Stage 1

Azzolini "Palm Beach" Hotel

"La Bella Italia 2013" Group

near Corleone

Prizzi

wild poppies as far as the eye can see

Hotel Pigno D'Oro - view from our window

"La Bella Italia" Palermo

In May and June 2013 my wife Kathren and I undertook the challenge of "La Bella Italia", a cycling tour of Italy run by Dutch company "Bike-Dreams". After 3000kms and over 40,000 metres of elevation gain pedalling like crazy we have survived our journey on the "strada" of Itay from Palermo to Como. A great adventure for us and filled with many memories. Biking through this country of many contrasts; physically and culturally, gave us a unique insight into the Italian "way of life". From the olive and citrus groves of Sicily, the poorer rural areas in the south, the beautiful hotels and resorts of the Amalfi Coast, the antiquities and breathtaking architecture of the famous cities (Naples/Pompeii, Rome, Florence, Venice) to the awesome profile of the towering peaks of the Dolomites; we were treated to a truly memorable experience. We probably will never undertake another journey on this scale, but we are pleased we did it, despite the effort and saddle sores! Losing over 10kgs in weight between us is evidence of the calories required to spin those pedals over 100kms every day for 5 weeks! In this blog I will share some of the photographs and impressions of our journey, along with details of the GPS course and elevation profile of each of the 28 stages.

I this the first page of the series, I have posted a number of pics taken during our first few days in Cinisi (near Palermo) before the departure of the tour on May 11. There are two links provided here for rides we did during this time - Piano Margi - Capo Rama

Milan

Milan Duomo Square

Milan Duomo Square