21st May - To Agrigento

It will be a long drive - 215k - 4 hours - Google suggests an average speed of 50kph - clearly the roads will not all be freeways! - how will we go?

The Uber app delivers an IT Taxi - the taxi charges back to Uber - smooth - seamless - we pick up the little Yaris and we are off. 

On the freeway south - The lack of traffic and the quality of the roads continue to surprise. The country bordered by rugged hills. 

We pass orange groves and orange groves - we pass along long lengths of pretty and narrow median strip - it's flowers are out in full bloom - broom - bougainvillea - oleander in all it's colors.

We past the turn off to Noto

The country is green over a rugged, rocky base - plenty of trees - many orange trees - large broom plants in full glorious bright yellow - I wonder what it will look like in full summer?

Through a tunnel into the next valley.

We smile as "Hell of Hurry Harry", his friends, neighbors and family all roar pass - we smile as we encounter "couldn't care less Kevin" dwardling along - we smile as Harry and Kevin both progress stradling the white lines that divide the roadway into lanes!

As we pass through cuttings the banks host white Oleander and yellow broom.

The country flattens as we past Rosolini and pass more flowered medians populated by olenander and broom and other wild flowers. Past verges populated with pink combolis?

We pass more orange trees and plastic covered temporary greenhouse structures. 

We start to encounter olives, we pass through tunnels and continue to be impressed by the road.

The environment is drier - less green - the verges are starting to dry off.

We pass Ispica and the freeway ends.

We head towards Ragusca and add fuel to the little Yaris.

We pass over a large bridge and look down on a large town with its medium height apartment buildings set on the floor of a deep ravine like valley below. 

We continue on through green, rocky, harsh countryside

Narrower road - still ok - more traffic 

We encounter plenty of hay rolls, some stone terraces, country that is becoming less green though wild flowers still populate the road embankment with gorse replacing the broom and joining the oleander

We pass tiny plots cut for hay and wonder why we see so little livestock.

We continue climbing towards Ragusca and plateau. Still the olenander - gorse - wildflower thrive on the roadsides while the fields are large and relatively open.

Into Ragusa - narrow streets - apartment after apartment - the way of living!

We head out of town - pleased to be doing so - towards Gela - the roads pretty average - we are on the road less traveled - we are struck by the rubbish bags beside the road. 

We encounter "Hell of a Hurry Harry's" sworn enemy Kevin! - Kevin is definitely not in a hurry!

Rubbish bags by the road detract from the solid beautiful terain - where does all this rubbish come from?

We are looking for a break - we pull into a little a side lane - a narrow paved surface in a shallow, cutting - potentially beautifully - scarred by the dumped rubbish - the wild flowers superb - we move on from the rubbish - sad! 

We push on past small stone fenced blocks cut for rolled hay - "I could live here" says Bernie.

The patches of rubbish continue to disappoint as we look down across a broad plain towards the sea

There are hectare after hectare of covered crop - tomatoes? - then even more covered crop - flowers tomatoes - vines.

Past old Olives, Oranges and more dumped rubbish as we approach Vittoria.

We follow the sea as we approach Gella - covered crop after covered crop - we have never seen so much intensive protected horticulture!

Bougainvillea decorates farm buildings and tall Papyrus occupies the verges

We see Cactus as a crop, olives, vines, covered crop and rubbish!

 We enter Gella - it is Industrial on entry - Looks big - the usual Apartment blocks dominate the horizom - the approach is tatty - unkempt - industrial.

We get out of town quickly - the country continues to get a little drier.

Look up a lane - low and behold - another dump of rubbish!

As we pass more gum trees Hell of a Hurry Harry's aggressive young brother passes us.

Onwards through the coastal plane - largish paddocks with views of the sea - Vines under cover - Tomatoes under cover.

Wild flowers going but not gone!

While the road is hard work, the sea is pretty.

As we pass it is clear to us that cactus like the area and the people like Bougainvillea and palm trees.

The road straightens - we are 40k from Agrigento with paddocks rich in gorse - No livestock - Where do the locals get there meat from? 

Rugged hills on our right - the sea out of sight on our left

"No passing lanes" says Bernie - "they just pass" - Mike nods!

The hills meet the sea - we wander through the rugged foothills - the white oleander returns to line the roads as we climb.

We could be in Australia - in the Tallangatta valley - we past past gum trees and green country side.

Olive trees - Wind farm - covered vines - more covered intensive horticulture set against dry rugged hills -  "This land is worked hard" says Bernie

Another tunnel then back to gum trees.

17k to Agrigento - vines - olives - cactus - orchards of pomegranate in flower.

We climb and we climb up switch backs. The Yaris roars.

We reach Agrigento - medium rise apartment blocks next to medium rise apartment blocks - narrow roads - steep slopes - the accommodation at the Oneira Suites is ready - a ground floor room in Siscily - we think we are in heaven!!!

Mike heads out on reconnaissance - 120 steps up to the main part of town - there is no way Bernie is walking to dinner! - we trust that Uber actually delivers a vehicle otherwise we will go hungry! - Uber does not deliver - an apple - a banana from the breakfast room has to suffice! 

A long day - interesting - challenging!