Days 82 and 83 Catania to Cape Passero, Southernmost point of Sicily by Ali

97km
average 22.4kmph
Max 51.5kmph
Odometer 6313km

There exists two roads heading due south of Catania. The SS14, on which we are allowed, and wish to travel, and the motorway on which we are clearly not permitted. We therefore set off early with plans to follow the SS14 south to Siracusa and then on the SS15 down to the Southernmost point of Sicily which will mark not only the end of our time in Sicily but the end of the entire journey across Europe from the northernmost point of Norway. We are all feeling a little tired but are oh so keen to get to the cape and complete our mammoth mission. Unfortunately for us, the cycling gods and spirit guides seem not to be on our side today, and we are met with misfortune at nearly every turn!
Catania is a medium sized and extremely traffic filled city, surrounded by that favourite of Italian drivers, the motorway ringroad or tangenziale. In an effort to avoid said ring road and find our SS14 we do the only sensible thing, and follow our compass due south. Before we know it we are on a large and busy dual carriageway, which although not officially marked as a motorway, has all the characteristics of one. Its slightly nervewracking but eventually we come to what we believe is our turn off, marked Siracusa SS14 we begin to quickly ascend the ramp. Hang on, Ramp?! It would appear the only approach to our state road, is on the motorway tangenziale.
Before we know it we are halfway up a motorway sliproad and stop abruptly in front of a large green sign which expressly forbids the following vehicles from progressing further. Bicycles, indeed are on the list. Unfortunately, due to the placement of this sign, we are now stopped at the edge of a one way sliproad, and have no choice but to cycle the wrong way back down it, to the relative safety of our dual carriageway. We are all a little shaken at nearly having cycled onto the motorway, and spend a while perched outside the state penitentiary, considering our next move. As ever we are not keen on turning back and spotting a small rural road off to the west, I consider we should follow its "quiet safety" rather than retrace our steps all the way back into town. After a brief consultation of google maps, there appears to be a network of tiny rural roads, which eventually will get us back east toward the coast and our desired road. We head off confidently, and are reassured to see a great many cars following us, the road must indeed be a shortcut south (!). After passing a huge industrial estate where all the aforementioned cars turn off, we find our road becomes more of a track and we are quite alone aside from the sound of big barking dogs. We are in the PIano or plain of Catania, its flat and virtually deserted, aside from a few confused olive grove workers and some burnt down houses and palm trees. It would, I conclude, be the perfect place to have a secret mafia gathering. The roads which looked so promising on the map, appear to be closed off to the public, with heavy iron gates barring the way, locked with padlocks. The dogs we heard earlier are here now, apparantly guarding the gates. We press on, hoping our road will lead us out of the badlands. Abruptly, it ends. We are at a marsh or "nature reserve" and despite being clearly marked on the map, there is definitely no road.
We about turn, and try a turn off to the right, down past a heavily armoured farm with a great many big barking dogs, but alas we are met with another locked gate. Its all most peculiar and the dogs are getting aggravated so we have no choice but to beat a hasty retreat, all the way back to the dual carriageway. It now seems cosy and familiar and we begin to follow it back toward Catania. Luckily we spot another turning off which seems to head to the SS14, and not via the motorway so we follow it. Joy of joys we find our road! In celebration, and seeing as we have done nearly 30km without leaving Catania, we stop for one of our favourite petrol station coffees. No really, it is actually really good coffee! We thence continue on down the SS14 for approximately 3km before we are met with a most helpful barricade, informing us the SS14 is shut completely for repairs. A helpful diversion sign points back up a ramp, past a no bicycles sign, and onto the motorway tangenziale. We stand a minute, considering our fate. As we muse, a bus passes us by and the driver is gesturing wildly, pointing up the ramp to the motorway. Assuming he knows something we do not, and that maybe the motorway section of the diversion is a mere metre or so, we do the one thing we have avoided all trip, and cycle up onto the motorway. Its quiet and theres a lovely nice big hard shoulder. We cycle on quickly, waiting for the yellow diversion sign to reappear and take us off the motorway. It doesnt. We are heading North East, and it would appear, toward a very long diversion down the motorway all the way to Siracusa. At this point, I would like to point out, we are very committed to the integrity of our trip, and doing everything in our power to get there, but for the first time in our trip, we decide to head backwards to where we started. We need to do more research on how to get South without taking the motorway, which in Italy, is basically the most dangerous thing you could do on a bicycle. We take a side road off the motorway, and try to find our way back to town. The signs try to take us back onto another motorway! We park up for a while in a triangle junction between the tangle of roads, and consider our position. Eventually we find ourselves back on the SS14 (the open section of which takes us into the centre) and after a brief stop at the airport for reconnassaince purposes we return to Catania.
We spend the afternoon doing extensive research on the computers, and manage to glean from ANAS (national road administration) website, that both the SS14 and SS15 are closed for repair work. We cant see any other viable option of getting to the South other than the motorway, so it is decided that for the first time ever we must CATCH the TRAIN past the diverted motorway section, and down to Noto in the South. Its a great shame that we managed to traverse the whole of Europe without having to resort to such measures, but the roads of Sicily have beaten us! Unless we do a possible 350km odd detour inland over the mountains and round the motorway, there is really no other option. We decide that if we still cover the same distance between Catania and the South Cape (100km) then it is acceptable to take the train in these extenuating circumstances. Seeing as we have already done 55km around Catania, I dont see making up the mileage being a problem.
The next day, we once again rise early and head off down to the train station. A kindly lady informs us that we will not be able to catch the train with our bicycles until 1pm. Making it impossible for us to get the cape and back in one day. Dispirited we mooch off into town and spend some time researching other possibilities, which include catching a ferry to Siracusa and even a ferry to Malta to complete the km there! Unfortunately no options are feasible so we decide to catch the lunchtime train, cycle to the cape and spend the night there. After some confusion about where to put the bicycles (they are eventually taken by a visibly displeased guard into a small gap behind the drivers cab) we are on the train and moving, oh so slowly, toward our destination.  The aformentioned guard fines us 5 euros each for not having stamped our tickets (surely that is his job?!) and we gently roast grumpily in the greenhouse that is the ancient train. We would much rather be cycling and I begin to feel the general malaise and sleepiness one gets on public transport. I vow to always cycle wherever possible in the future and am glad to alight in the town of Noto. After being chased by some children (not as we feared, after our bicycles, but merely curious as to our origins) we eventually find our way out of Noto and onward to the cape. Its a lovely cycle, and we are all enjoying cruising along at a cracking pace. This is how cycling should feel. Its a glorious day, and before we know it, we have made it! At the cape, looking out at the sea, munching the obligatory bread roll. And it is over. Nearly 4000 miles in 83 days. The North Cape behind us, a beautiful distant memory, can it even be real? I am not sure I believe is has all happened.
I turn to Hazel,
"What do we do now?" she says
Good question.