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It’s worth completing the entire circle of the rim, taking care on the steep descent to the fork, Return to the path start and Mojo the same way you came. Accommodationsee ssss1 for Francavilla or Walk 41 for Randazzo

WALK 4

Francavilla and the River

Start/Finish Municipio at Francavilla Distance 3km/1.8 miles Grade 1–2 Time 2hr Access Francavilla lies on the SS 185, 18km inland from the Ionian coast. The daily Interbus service from Taormina stops outside the Municipio (town council), as does the weekdays-only direct run to and from Catania.

When the pioneer Greek colony of Naxos on the Ionian coast was devastated in 403 BC by the tyrant of Siracusa, exiles made their way inland to found less vulnerable settlements such as that on the hilly location of present-day Francavilla in the Alcantara valley. It expanded and flourished over the centuries under noble dynasties, and was defended by a castle in Norman times. Its position is strategic par excellence, occupying a slender triangular ridge surveying the inland and mountain ranges including Etna, while looking down to the Ionian coast at the same time. The Alcantara river below was said to have run red with blood during a fierce battle in 1719 between the Spanish and Austrians for the control of Sicily (won by Spain, the start of a lengthy period of domination). Though the late medieval fortress itself now stands in tattered ruins, the marvellous views are intact.