Sicily Connect

08/04/2025

Cavagrande del Cassibile Nature Reserve is a corner of paradise, near Avola, Noto and Siracusa.
The ‘caves‘ in these areas are extraordinary canyons, created by the erosion of the river that still runs along their beds. Here, at Cavagrande, the Cassibile river (the ancient Greek Kakyparis) flows creating waterfalls and lakes where you can cool off and relax, surrounded by unspoiled nature.
Getting there though is not easy. There are many paths, only three of them are regularly accessible: ‘Scala Cruci‘, ‘Sentiero Carrubella‘ and ‘Scala di Mastra Donna‘. The
“Scala Cruci,” the one we took is the most common way to access it: it starts from the stunning viewpoint of Avola Antica and arrives to the small lake of Avola. It’s 2km down and of course 2km back up to the entrance. Stunning!

05/10/2025

Day 13 - O Pedrouzo - Santiago - 20 km. The last day 😢. We are sad to see it end, but we are tired of wearing our boots 🥾! We left O Pedrouzo before 7. Can’t seem to get ready and out before 6:50 for some reason. It was cool, we knew rain was coming, and it did. Most of the 20 km we walked were in the rain, not hard, and it was cold (about 45 degrees F). Took a couple of unintended detours but all is well. About 4km from Santiago we could see the city and it stopped raining. The remaining kms were in the city. When we finally reached the cathedral it was surprisingly moving yet peaceful. We saw some people we had seen in the earlier days. It was good to see them and congratulate each other on the end of this journey. Afterwards we found a bar, had a beer and a snack and checked into our room. We’ve had dinner, our bellies are full and we are tired. We will turn in early (as usual 😂😂) and explore tomorrow. Stay tuned for more about our accommodations during the Camino, as well as food, and some of our favorite things we brought along.

05/09/2025

Day 12 - Melide - O Pedrouzo - 34km
We left early again and met up with 4 men with whom we started in Oviedo. We’ve been leapfrogging for a number of days but hadn’t seen them since Pola de Allande. We took their picture and helped them take video footage. Maybe we will see them in Santiago tomorrow. In Melide, the meets up with the , and in Arzùa the also connects, so there are considerably more people on the trail now than when we started. There’s a noticeable difference in the volume of the way. And the terrain is much easier. It’s still very lovely and we’ve enjoyed this so much. As we approached O Pedrouzo, there was a thunderstorm lurking and we were so lucky to get inside before the skies opened up! Tomorrow we go onto Santiago. Much shorter day and almost level!

05/08/2025

Day 11 - San Romao de Retorta - Melide - 28km
We started the day with threat of rain but it turned out to be a beautiful sunny day. We’ve read a lot about the last few days of the Camino aren’t impressive but I would disagree. Even though we have been on roads more often, today we walked through farmland and also saw some beautiful mountains. It was a quiet and tranquil walk where we heard birds singing, the wind in the trees, felt the wind on our backs and the sun warm our faces. We arrived in Melide, where the French Camino and the Camino Primitivo join up, in the early afternoon and so grateful to have a shower and a beer. We have another big day tomorrow (33km).

05/07/2025

Day 10 - Vilar de Cas - San Romao de Retorta 36.2 km. We knew today would be a very long day so we sent our backpacks ahead with a courier service. That was the smartest thing we did! Lugo looks like a great city that warrants a separate visit. It is surrounded by Roman walls (2km that are walkable) that are completely in tact! After Lugo, we were on roads for more than 16km and I often didn’t feel comfortable taking pics from the side of the road. We meandered through many farming hamlets which are beautiful. Lots of cows today. When we finally arrived at the albergue we booked we were a bit disappointed. We know yesterday’s albergue was phenomenal and we don’t expect them all to be like that but let’s just say we are looking forward to tomorrow night to stay in a better place. Still loving this Camino and not sure how we will feel when we finish on Saturday!

05/06/2025

Day 9 - O Càdavo - Vilar de Cas 14.2km. Short day today, a bit chilly (when we left it was just barely 40 degrees) but sunny. We were happy to see the sun again! We found this amazing Albergue that we wanted to stay at and booked another private room. It’s amazing how restorative bedsheets and real towels can be. A private bath is a luxury. We felt a little guilty about taking it so easy today while our fellow pilgrims are hoofing it to Lugo (29km). But tomorrow we have a much longer day ahead. For now, we are basking in the beautiful surroundings of this gorgeous place with its welcoming hosts, time to read in the warmth of the sun and an afternoon nap.

05/04/2025

Day 7 - Grandas de Salime - A Fonsagrada - 26 km
We’ve walked about half of the Camino Primitivo at this point. We’ve started to see familiar faces and it’s nice to see a friendly smile and a wave as you cross paths.
It rained on and off all day. And we thought we were getting off easy. The last kilometer was all up a steep hill and it started to pour. Lucky for us Steve booked a private room for us tonight! What luxury to have a towel and a bathroom to yourself! I’ll be doing a post about accommodations soon. By the time we take off our gear, shower, do laundry and eat it feels like the day should be over but I still have lots to do!

05/03/2025

Day 6 - Berducedo - Grandas de Salime 21km
It’s funny how no matter how many kilometers we do in a day, about 2km from our destination I’m so ready to be done I can taste it! Steve grossly underestimated how much Ibuprofen and Naproxen we would need and we are almost out! 🤪 I know I sound like a broken record but today was beautiful too. Today was mostly silent and our first day of rain on the trail. We walked across a dam that was built during the time when Franco was in power. (Look it up, he was terrible). It looks bleak but I think they still use it as a hydroelectric plant and also as a reservoir.

05/02/2025

Today was a difficult day, both physically and mentally. We left Pola de Allande before 8am. One of our fellow pilgrims injured herself and we helped her find a taxi. While we waited I had a deep conversation with a retired doctor from Manchester England. He told me that he spent his whole life chasing after goals and ‘things’ that in the end weren’t so important to him. He said he regretted wasting those years in the pursuit of those goals. This is not his first Camino and he says he uses the long walks to reflect and become who he is and not what everyone wanted him to be. He said that he likes who he is now much better! To which I replied, ‘then those years were not wasted.’

05/01/2025

Day 4 Tineo - Pola de Allande - 28.77 km. Because I’m counting every meter 😂. Got an early start before sunrise. We can notice the changing flora. No longer seeing elderflower but seeing a lot of French Broom. Beautiful countryside. There were a lot of hills but the ones that hurt the worst were the downhills! We are about 1/3 of the way through. We love Spain more and more!

04/30/2025

Day 3 - Salas to Tineo - 20 km. After a fabulous breakfast at .eltulipandesalas made by Sebastian, we set out a little earlier than yesterday. Today’s scenery was different but still beautiful. Lots of farms with their people and their animals. It’s springtime and we encountered lots of horses and cows and goats tending to their young. Rebirth of the land and the animals who live there.
The first 6km were mostly uphill so it was a bit of a challenge. Meeting more cool people and seeing beautiful places. And used a laundromat for the first time in decades! Thankful for dryers.

04/29/2025