No Mafia Cycling Tour in Palermo
No Mafia Cycling Tour in Palermo
a bicycle tour in Palermo to remember the heroes of the anti-mafia fight
Palermo is a city with two hearts, one of light and one of darkness. On the one hand there is an active citizenry who lives and works honestly, on the other a series of shady characters who do business with the underworld. Evil, however, is opposed by the good pursued by some people who fought against the mafia until their last breath. All the heroes of the anti-mafia fight who sacrificed their lives for the faith in legality are portrayed in a series of murals that make the most difficult and dangerous neighborhoods of the city brighter.
Cycling in Palermo
A city of a million inhabitants can be a little difficult to navigate on a bicycle due to the cheery, honking traffic of a city that never rests. However, some cycle paths and the spectacular anti-mafia murals make the NO MAFIA TOUR by bike an opportunity to discover a little-known side of Palermo and some of the most interesting itineraries in the city. The murals were created in the belief that culture and beauty can be a cure for the mafia and the ugliness of the phenomena it generates. The cycling itinerary in Palermo that we suggest is designed to avoid the busiest roads as much as possible and touches all the most beautiful murals in the city.
Bike Hire in Palermo
Are You looking for a Bike rental in Palermo?
Palermo is the provincial capital of Sicily, therefore it can only be reached by plane, train or ship. This means that, if you have decided to go on a cycling holiday, you must transport your bicycle, risking finding it irreversibly damaged. This, of course, translates into a ruined cycling holiday and the urgent need to find a new bike. If you want to avoid
Biking Tour in Palermo
Do you want to do a cycling tour in Palermo?
Cycle tourism in Palermo is a phenomenon that is developing especially in recent years. Usually, those who decide to cycle in Palermo and its surroundings know that there are many cycling itineraries to follow with different levels of difficulty and commitment. All itineraries begin by climbing over the chain of mountains around the city. Once these heights have been overcome, the beauty of Sicily will show itself for all cyclists.
No Mafia Cycling TOur in Palermo
The No Mafia Tour is the tour of the most important murals commemorating the heroes of the anti-mafia. This tour is not only intended to show everyone how important the activity of magistrates, PS agents and ordinary citizens is who have performed heroic deeds or their duty in the fight against the mafia phenomenon. In fact, this tour also allows you to cross some of the most difficult neighborhoods of the city where gigantic murals and outdoor art works help young people to hope for a better future for their city and for their families.
If you have your own bicycle, you can use this map to take a bike tour of Palermo and discover these places that are so important for the urban and cultural regeneration of a city like Palermo. If, on the other hand, you don’t have your own bicycle or want to take a guided tour of these places, you can contact us by email, phone or whatsapp and ask for information about bike rental in Palermo and the No Mafia Tour with a guide who will tell you the history of the mafia in the city and the anecdotes that only Palermitans know.
More tips about biking in Palermo
With around one million inhabitants, Palermo is a chaotic city. The Palermitan has a cheerful and somewhat unscrupulous guide but very empathetic towards cyclists, especially when they are in “travel mode”. The average motorist from Palermo, in fact, considers the cyclist as someone who cannot afford a car and therefore, more often than not, feels sympathy towards him. This phenomenon becomes all the more evident the further one moves away from the city center and moves towards the coast or towards the rural areas around the city. The super strategic position of Palermo guarantees its presence as a starting point, stage, or simple point of passage, of some of the most famous cycling itineraries in Sicily. The Magna Via Francigena by bike, for example, starts right from Palermo as well as Sicily Divide. As far as the Grand Cycling Tour of Sicily is concerned, however, it has its point of origin and end right in Palermo.
The Stage 1 of the Grand Cycling TOur of Sicily
This is the first stage of the Circumnavigation of Sicily by bicycle and goes from Palermo to Terrasini. We start from the center of Palermo and go along the entire coast up to Terrasini where we can have a nice meal of fish and enjoy one of the coasts with the most beautiful active cliffs in Sicily. The itinerary plans to cover a lot of the SS113 state road which is one of the quietest and most scenic.
The Stage 21 of the Grand Cycling TOur of Sicily
Stage 21 of the Circumnavigation of Sicily by bicycle, the last, includes the itinerary from Cefalù to Palermo along the coast among small seaside villages, cliffs and abandoned observation towers. The last stage of a walking or cycling itinerary is always the saddest because it means that the adventure is over and you are back to everyday life. Palermo, however, still has a lot to give, especially in the evenings of nightlife along the alleys of the center between a bite of street food and a sip of good wine.
A Ride in Palermo: the climb of Mount Pellegrino
The acchianata di Monte Pellegrino, i.e. the ascent by bicycle to the sacred mountain of Palermo, is one of the great classics of cycle tourism in Palermo and its surroundings. With its 460 meters of total difference in altitude on a panoramic road, quiet and full of hairpin bends, this cycling route is the playground of cyclists from Palermo and, obviously, of all the cycling tourists who happen to pass through Palermo. this route can easily be integrated with that of Mondello by bicycle since this locality is located just below Monte Pellegrino.
What is the best bicycle for pedaling in and around Palermo?
As previously specified in this article, there is no best bicycle for pedaling in Palermo. Rather, it is possible to choose different types of bicycles depending on the type of itinerary you want to travel. If we want to climb the mountains of Palermo on asphalt we will need a light racing bike given the significant elevations and the differences in height that accumulate. If, on the other hand, we decide to cycle around the avenues of the Parco della Favorita or on the dirt roads of Pizzo Manolfo and Monte Pellegrino, we will need a good gravel or mountain bike. Choose the itinerary and then decide on the type of bike to rent or to take with you.
gravel Biking in Palermo
The Palermo area is very heterogeneous and a gravel bike is probably the best solution for having fun on a bike in all its facets. From the uneven “balate” (basole) in the centre, up to the paths of the Parco della Favorita, passing through the pavé hairpin bends of Monte Pellegrino, this all-rounder bike is the best possible choice for a quick but not too fast bike tour in Palermo , smooth but not too much, relaxing but not too much.
Mountain biking in Palermo
The historic center of Palermo has many ancient streets made of uneven paving stones and also several short stairways; the Parco della Favorita which surrounds Palermo is crossed by a dense network of paths and single tracks; the old road that allows you to climb Monte Pellegrino is made of pebbles. Do you need any further reason to rent a MTB in Palermo?
Road biking in Palermo
The mountains surrounding Palermo are high and to climb them you need breath, legs and a light racing bike suitable for climbing. For this we have chosen the Trek Emonda and Domane which are the spearheads of the famous American brand for racing bikes for endurance and climbers. The effort is considerable but the view of the city and the sea from above is worth a harder ride than usual. What better reason to rent a racing bike in Palermo and take some of the most beautiful photos of the city and its panorama?
Touring BIke in Palermo
The city of Palermo is the starting and finishing point of some of the most famous cycling itineraries in all of Sicily. Sicily Divide, Circumnavigation of Sicily by bike and the Magna Via Francigena are just some of the most famous bike routes in Sicily. With the rental of a hybrid travel bike you can explore Palermo and its surroundings like never before.
E-bike in Palermo
A bike trip in Sicily can be tiring but if you can have the help of an electric motor everything is different. If you are looking for total relaxation, cycling fun or you simply don’t feel like breaking a sweat, you can rent an electric pedal assisted e-bike in Palermo and enjoy the road without the hassle of fatigue.
Can I ask for further information on itineraries and bike rental in Palermo?
If you want to do the No Mafia Tour or other tours in Palermo and its surroundings or in Sicily, call us and we will give you all the information you need regarding the tour and bike rental in Palermo. You can find us in our headquarters in Palermo where we will be very happy to give you all the info you may want to ask us.