A Maltese motorcyclist on holiday in Sicily got caught in torrential rain as major storms beat down on the Mediterranean island this week. 

Karl Sciberras, a 28-year-old photographer from Siġġiewi, checked the weather forecast before boarding the ferry to Sicily on Monday morning for a solo trip to enjoy what he thought would be some idyllic countryside roads.

“I knew that it was raining but didn’t expect it to be that bad,” he said. 

The following day he had to abort his trip after driving through “10 kilometres of hell” as conditions became impossible for him to navigate safely.   

“There was mud on the tarmac and walls had collapsed. Later, I learned from the locals that the storm had hit them three days earlier.”

He recounted driving down to Agrigento to have a look at the ruins, and up until noon, the weather was perfect. 

“Then, I saw the clouds brewing. When you’ve been on a motorcycle for a while you know when it’s time to make a move because you don’t want to get caught in it,” he said. 

“So, I left, as I realised getting back to my accommodation was the priority. The rain caught up with me after half an hour, and the last stretch of the journey was an absolute nightmare,” he added. 

Karl Sciberras.

The rain was beating down on him from every direction, the street turned into a river and the country roads were covered in soil and mud from the surrounding fields. 

“The last 10 kilometres were 10 kilometres of hell. Every person I passed on the road kept stopping me to ask if I needed help. It was terrible,” he said.

He somehow managed to make it back to his accommodation in Piazza Armerina. 

“It was challenging and at that point, you have to embrace it and do what you can to get to your destination safely.”

'It was no longer safe to drive'

He decided it was no longer safe to drive and cut his trip short.

“It didn’t stop raining overnight. At night I heard a thunderous noise like a bomb went off and I thought I felt the ground shake. When we went to assess the damage in the morning it turned out to be a landslide.

“Luckily nobody was harmed and there didn’t seem to be any damage to the property, although it did take some time before we were able to get the garage door open again.” 

A heavy storm that Italian media described as a Mediterranean hurricane, or 'medicane' has been hammering down on Sicily for the better part of a week, with mass flooding and landslides causing the deaths of three people. 

Footage of Catania shared on social media showed homes and businesses flooded as pedestrians struggled to walk down the street, with water coming up to their chests. 

Cars were washed away and people were filmed being rescued from stranded vehicles.

Italian media outlets also reported that parts of the San Giuliano bridge in Randazzo were severely damaged and left motorists unable to cross it. 

“It was truly a lucky escape... after that I thought I was really tempting fate. Being fortunate is one thing, but at a certain point you cannot take risks,”  Sciberras said.