Day 1
Arrival in Palermo
Welcome to the warm, beautiful and pleasant island of Sicily!
Upon arrival at Palermo Falcone-Borsellino Airport, please proceed through Passport Control and collect your luggage inside the customs area.
Our italian-speaking driver will be waiting for you at the arrival department.
Then transfer to your hotel.
Day 2
The Capital of Sicily and Monreale
Today meet the guide and taxi to join Monreale to see where Arab-Norman art and architecture reached its pinnacle in the Duomo, launched in 1174 by William II. It represents scenes from the Old and New Testaments all in golden mosaics.
Then, a short drive takes us to Palermo. Our first stop is at the Palatine Chapel, a finest example of Arab-Norman art in Palermo.
Built by Roger II from 1130 to 1140, the chapel is adorned with extraordinary Norman-Byzantine mosaics. We then continue onto the Four Corners which is the junction in Palermo. Effectively, it is the centre point of the four areas of the old town centre. You will almost inevitably pass through it and it is worth stopping for five minutes to have a look at its sculptures which were commissioned by the Spanish Viceroy in 1611. The sculptures on each of the four corners depict a variety of themes, including the four seasons, four Spanish kings and the four patron saints of the old town areas.
Going south-east down Via Maqueda you will come across Piazza Pretoria which is home not only to a splendid fountain but several other impressive buildings including, on the right, the City Hall.
The fountain, known for generations as the “Fountain of Shame”, has an interesting history. The large central fountain is the focal point for sixteen nude statues of nymphs, humans, mermaids and satyrs. If you imagine this being erected during the Inquisition, it is quite easy to imagine why it received its epithet, the “Fountain of Shame”.
The last but not the least is our stop at the Open Air Market a place overflowing with beautiful fresh fish, and local vegetables and cheeses.
Originating from the era when Sicily was occupied by the moors, this 1000 year old market has run much in the same manner for centuries. It has strong Arab influences, resembling an eastern souk, and these influences are also evident in the merchandise itself. Next to mounds of ricotta and caciocavallo cheeses, barrels of olives and fat slabs of swordfish sit saffron and other spices, as well as sacks of beans and gorgeous indigenous fruits and local vegetables. Here you will have the opportunity to taste a typical palermitano dish, such as the famous Panelle (a thin paste of crushed ceci/garbanzo beans rolled into sheets, fried and served in pizza-like slices).
Day 3
Marsala and Erice
Today departure for
Erice uptown, which was an important religious site associated with the goddess Venus.
Wander through its ancient streets and visit some of the famous homemade pastry shops -- world-famous for
marzipan candies and other delicacies like almond and pistachio pastries – and the lovely preserved Mediaeval town offering the most breathtaking views and a palpable sense of history. Then by walk we join the most visited sites: the Pepoli Castle and Venus Castle. The former was built by the Arabs while the latter was a Norman construction with imposing towers that derived its name from the fact that it was built on the site of the ancient Temple of Venus, allegedly founded by Aeneas.
Enjoy a
lunch in a local Sicilian Olive Oil producer Farmhouse including tasting of mixed local products.
This afternoon, we drive along the scenic
Salt Way Road to admire the beautiful
Saltpans where the sea-salt is still produced following the old Phoenician tradition preserved during the century.
Marsala Salt Way Road, skirting the lagoon to see the snow-capped mountains but hills of salt, one of the Sicilian economy's historical resources that was already very precious in the days of the Phoenicians, who were the first to bring some form of technology to its production. The area offers a truly unique landscape. Windmills, first introduced during mediaeval times, dot the horizon, a testament to how things were once done, though one or two continue to function, pumping water through the sluice gates into or out of the various basins. Piles of harvested salt, neatly covered with terracotta tiles, lie between the road and the basins waiting to be dispatched.We then continue onto
Marsala, the Arab “Marsa Allah” –Harbor of God–, is known in the whole world for one thing:
Wine!
The
Marsala Wine comes from the western lands of Sicily and its name derives from the homonymous town. The
Marsala is the oldest Italian DOC wine, with an average alcohol content of about 18 degrees.
Later we return to Palermo
Day 4
From Palermo on the way to Siracusa
Today we drive through the interior of Sicily to reach Agrigento to see the Valley of the Temples: two hours guided walking tour on the Valley of the Temples an important Unesco World Heritage site covers the Temple of Hera, the Temple of Concordia, the Temple of Hercules and the Temple of Zeus.
Agrigento, according to legend, was founded by Daedalus and his son Icarus after they had fled from Crete “by air”. Historically, however, its origins date back to 582 B.C. when it was founded by Rhodian-Cretan colonist from the neighboring Gela who named their city Akragas after the nearby river. It rapidly increased in size, importance and military strength under Phalarides, the first tyrant, and later under Theron, who extended his way over northern Sicily as far as Himera.
This afternoon we then continue onto Piazza Armerina to enjoy an independent visit of the amazing Mosaics Floor at the Roman Villa of Casale, that belongs to the Unesco Heritage.
Built on the 4th century AD, the Villa was later forgotten and only in the 20th century excavations revealed the whole building. It is the supreme example of a luxury Roman villa (about 3500 square meters of floor mosaics) and was probably the residence of a member of the upper class of the Roman Empire. The mosaics discovered here are celebrated among scholars of antiquity. The visit inside the Roman Villa will be done independently. Every room has information boards.
Later onto Siracusa.
Day 5
The Best of Siracusa and Ortigia - half day
Meet your Guide at your hotel --or directly in city center -- and transfer by taxi to the Archaeological Park that highlights the Greek Theatre, the Roman Amphitheatre and the Paradise Quarry.
Mediterraneo’s gem and cultural capital of Magna Grecia, the city offers a great variety of choices and attractions. It stands on the shores of south-eastern Sicily and shows different types of coasts: from jagged cliffs to beautiful beaches. The urban territory develops itself on the island of Ortigia and on the mainland; because of its geographic conformation, Siracusa presents a natural spectacle made of river valleys, coloured latomie and beaches that – together with archeological elements of undoubtable historical relevance – give birth to the unique beauty of the place.
Later taxi back to the center to start your guided walking tour strolling through the streets of Ortigia Island, the heart of the city center connected to the mainland by Umbertino bridge.
Siracusa that belongs to the Unesco heritage, was founded by colonists from Cornith in 735 B.C. and once the most important competitor to Athens. Admire the Dome in Baroque style, the Arethusa Fontain, the Maniace Castle (external view), the Temple of Apollo and the beautiful palaces around Ortigia.
This afternoon is at leisure to explore Siracusa on your own.
Optional Tour Add-Ons - PM
#1 -Ortigia Sunset Boat Tour with aperitif
Day 6
From Siracusa on the way to Taormina
Today departure from Siracusa in direction of Ragusa Ibla. Our Team will offer you time at disposal to keep the feeling with this section of the town giving you direction to explore independently the old part of the city and an undisputed reality of Baroque art. Here you can admire numerous eighteenth-century churches and buildings and the Gardens. Soon after, you will discover another jewel of the Sicilian Gastronomy: the local Chocolate in Modica. This particular chocolate is made with a very old recipe, the one coming from the Aztecs. If you are wondering what the Aztecs have to do with Sicily, think about the Spanish conquistadors in South America and you will see that the same Spanish have dominated this island for a couple of centuries.
We then continue to Noto. In the Arab period the town was the capital of one of the three districts of Sicily (the Val di Noto) and once defeated by the Christians, Noto became a rich Norman city. Unfortunately, it was totally destroyed by the 1693 Sicilian earthquake and rebuilt in a new position nearer to the Ionian Sea. But the new Noto is a masterpiece of Sicilian Baroque! Most of the buildings, including churches and noble palaces, follow one another along the main street and are characterized by the honey tonality of tufa stone.
Later we continue to Taormina.
Day 7
Taormina at leisure or Optional Add-Ons
Today is at Leisure to explore the town on your own.
Taormina has long since been Sicily’s most favourite resort town, perched on a coastal bluff that looks out to the Tyrrhenian Sea between Messina and Catania in the north east of the island. Its ancient narrow streets are full of little specialist shops, cafes and restaurants, which are an invitation to step into the spell cast by this intriguing town. The town’s history is vibrant and complicated and dates back to the Ancient Greek period. Taormina was settled in 395 BC by residents from the nearby city of Giardini- Naxos, Sicily’s oldest Greek established city dating back to 735 BC. Giardini Naxos was where the Greeks established their colony during their domination of Sicily.
Optional Tour Add-Ons
#1 - Cooking Class with lunch, half day AM
#2 - Boat Tour Experience, half day
#3 - Godfather village (independent visit: Savoca and Forza d'Agrò), half day
#4 - Godfather tour (visit: Castello degli Schiavi), half day
#5 - Taormina Walking Tour (guided visit: Greek Roman Theatre), half day
#6 - Etna Group WD4X4 Jeep with lunch in rustic trattoria
#7 - Etna WD4X4 Jeep with lunch in winery
#8 - Etna Ascent Experience up to 3.000 mt with snack
#9 - Etna Sunset Experience, half day PM
Day 8
Departure from Catania airport
Time to say goodbye to Sicily.
Our italian-speaking driver will bring you from your hotel in Taormina to Catania airport.
We simply can’t imagine a better way to immerse yourself in the life of Sicily without a company like us, to explore hidden corners and appreciate nuances while enjoying the benefits and enormous satisfaction of traveling under your own power.
