The Caccamo climb

Call me a silly cyclist if you will, but it seems that I just can't get enough of these Sicilian mountains: after a (rather aggravating) morning coastal ride, today I'm headed inland again, into the mountains. From Términi Imerese, I rode south up a gruelling mountain road, until I reached the town of Caccamo. This is a quaint little place, which is most famous for its imposing Norman castle, of at least 1,000 years' antiquity. It was a hard slog: but I had a good rest and a big drink when I reached Caccamo; and the castle (although I didn't explore it) is worth at least passing by.

Castle at Caccamo.

Caccamo: town and castle.

Since I rocked up at Caccamo around 2pm, it was all very quiet in the town; so I just sat down in the little park on the main drag, and relaxed over a big drink of water, and munched on my lunch. One thing's for sure, down here in Sicily: come afternoon time, the locals take the whole siesta thing very seriously indeed — especially in the smaller towns. If you think anything is going to be open between about 2pm and 4pm (or even between 1pm and 5pm), then think again. Seriously: it makes South America look like a hard-working, all-day kind of place — which it isn't either, let me tell you. Takes a bit of getting used to: but once you start to understand their strange opening times (or lack thereof), it is kinda possible to work around it.