Kartodromo di Avola

On the Ionian Val di Noto coast, in Avola in the province of Syracuse in Sicily, the Kartodromo di Avola runs an outdoor track in south-eastern Sicily. The site sits in a coastal setting typical of the Syracuse area: Ionian coastal plain, the distinctive almond groves (Avola is famous for its Pizzuta IGP almonds), olive groves and the early Hyblaean heights inland. It is used by Syracuse locals and by Val di Noto-Marina di Avola holiday-makers looking for a motorsport break between UNESCO Baroque excursions and beach days.

On the outdoor track, drivers can lap on a layout suited to adult and experienced drivers, in the bright Syracuse setting. Several engine sizes are available, with higher-powered karts for regulars used to timed sessions. Conditions follow the Sicilian Mediterranean climate: a fast, dry track most of the year, under the strong sun of the Mezzogiorno. The site hosts enthusiast sessions, motorsport-focused stag and hen groups, corporate events and club days from the Syracuse area.

Avola is thirty minutes from Syracuse, twenty minutes from Noto and forty-five minutes from Ragusa. The region offers plenty more to see: the hexagonal historic centre of Avola (one of the rare hexagonal urban plans in Europe, rebuilt after the 1693 earthquake), the Vendicari Nature Reserve (salt marshes, pink flamingos and a tonnara), the Val di Noto (a UNESCO World Heritage Site for Sicilian Baroque, with Noto, Modica, Ragusa Ibla, Scicli), Syracuse and Ortigia UNESCO (Temple of Apollo, Cathedral, Fountain of Arethusa), the Pantalica Necropolis UNESCO, or a side trip to the Ispica caves or the Alcantara Gorges. Karting in Avola is a sport option for Val di Noto holiday-makers.