Day 123 - Adrano, Sicily

Point of departure: Palermo

Point of arrival : Adrano

Accommodation: Le Cisterne (Agriturismo) www.lecisterne.com

Km travelled today: 317 km Cum: 22 306km (gravel 0km cum 4 649km)

Countries so far: 12/16

Where to next? Taormina

Today, we literally crossed Sicily from west to east, via Agrigento in the south.

Agrigento (known as Akragas to the Greeks) dates back to 581 BC, with its Valle dei Templi (Valley of the Temples) up on the hill looking down towards the Mediterranean on the one side and the town on the other.Tempio della Concordia is one of the best preserved temples in the world - with all of its 34 columns still standing.Tempio di Giunone has a commanding view of the valley below.We decided to visit Agrigento as it was recommended by fellow travellers as well as the guide book and the international 1000 Places to see before you die. It is also a Unesco World Heritage Site.

The route today took us from Agrigento, east to Caltanisetta and Paterno.The scenery was a combination of beautiful coastal valleys, often interspersed with "galleria" (tunnels) for the road, lovely seaviews, and the inland plain at about 100m above sea level. This all changed as we approached Adrano with Mt Etna (blanketed in snow) now dominating the landscape and a climb up to about 1000m above sea level as we approached our "hotel" for the night.John specifically wanted to be close to Etna and Marina organised the itinerary to ensure this - Le Cisterne is literally on the slopes of Etna, with the mountain at, 3 323m towering behind, and a mere 40 minute drive to the park entrance.

The "hotel" is named for the old wells and water tanks which provided part of its water supply and commands majestic views from the slopes of Etna to the valleys below. It is quite cold, but the hotel itself is very comfortable and cosy.