Golfing in Sicily

Welcome to Sicily! On your arrival at Palermo Airport, our local English Speaking Representative will be waiting to welcome you and facilitate your Private Transfer to your hotel. The rest of the day is at leisure. For overseas Flight arrivals, we suggest an early dinner with good night sleep. Overnight in Palermo.

Enjoy a full buffet breakfast at your hotel. Meeting with the guide at your hotel for a 3 hour guided tour of Palermo, you will visit the Cathedral, Palazzo Dei Normanni, Cappella Palatina, San Giovanni Degli Eremiti. Your guide will show you the highlights of historic Palermo, the capital of ancient Sicily. Colonized by the Phoenicians, Sicily boasts a rich 3,000 years of history, which particularly flourishing under the Arab and Norman rule. The many great empires that once ruled Sicily’s capital left behind wonderfully diverse architecture, from Roman to Byzantine to Arab-Norman, which we will view in the city’s palaces, churches and crypts. We will also visit the city’s eclectic cathedral originally Norman, then Catalan Gothic, and in the 18th-century, transformed by baroque and neoclassical styles. Lunch at a characteristic Sicilian restaurant. In the afternoon continue to Monreale, a small town 7 kilometers from Palermo. Here you can admire the Dome, architectural masterpiece which dates back to the Norman period. Its walls are almost completely covered by Byzantine mosaics and it covers a very large area, including a magnificent cloister, surrounded by 228 columns with inlaid capitals. Late afternoon return to Palermo. Overnight in Palermo.

Breakfast at the Hotel. Meet your English speaking driver and transfer to the Verdura Resort in Sciacca. Dinner and accommodation in hotel. Overnight in Sciacca.

Enjoy a full buffet breakfast at your hotel. A day dedicated to the Golf Course. Today experience the East 18 holes Course. The course can be played from the black tees at 6,686 meters or from the red tees at 4,894. For maximum pleasure, we suggest that you should select the appropriate tees for your game and enjoy the round to the full. Light lunch at the hotel. Overnight in Sciacca

Enjoy a full buffet breakfast at your hotel. At the indicated time, depart to Agrigento to visit the famous Valley of the Temples in Agrigento, the “city kissed by Gods”. This splendid archaeological park consists of eight temples (and various other remains) built between about 510 BC and 430 BC: the Temple of Hera, the Temple of Concordia, the Temple of Heracles, the Temple of Olympian Zeus, the Temple of Castor and Pollux, the Temple of Hephaestos, the Temple of Demeter, and the Temple of Asclepius (the God of Medicine). Apart from this latter, which is to be found on the banks of the Akragas river, all are situated in the same area on rocky crests south of modern-day Agrigento. Continue to Montallegro where we will have a special lunch at Capitolo 1 restaurant with the Chef Damiano, one of the best chefs in Sicily. Mid-afternoon return to your Hotel. Overnight in Sciacca

Enjoy a full buffet breakfast at your hotel. A day dedicated to the Golf Course. Today experience the West 18 holes Course. The West Course at Verdura Golf Resort actually incorporates more coastal land than the East Course but a number of the early holes stretch inland with the beautiful Sicilian countryside providing the backdrop. Light lunch at the hotel. Overnight in Sciacca

Enjoy a full buffet breakfast at your hotel. Morning at leisure. Light lunch at the hotel. In the afternoon, experience the SPA center at Verdura Resort. Farewell Dinner. Overnight in Sciacca.

Breakfast at the Hotel. Meet your driver at the Hotel lobby and Private transfer to your Hotel in Palermo. On route enjoy a delightful Food and Wine Tour at Planeta Winery in Ulmo. In mid-morning, you will reach Planeta Winery in Ulmo. Located near the village of Sambuca di Sicilia, on the shores of Lake Arancio, Ulmo was the first Planeta winery, opened in 1995. An ancient 16th-century stone farmhouse overlooks the estate which is also home to the Iter Vitis open-air museum dedicated to the history of the Sicilian viticulture. The Segreta nature trail offers three possible walks through the vineyards, allowing visitors to discover wild spots and unique landscapes. Planeta, a leading winemaker for both Italian and international markets, has a strong presence in Sicily, with 370 hectares of proprietary vineyards and five wineries located in different areas of the region. Here at Ulmo in 1995 Planeta built their first winery, in the most delightful countryside and just a few meters farmhouse dating from 1500 which has always been owned by the Planeta family. Early afternoon you will continue to your Hotel in Palermo. Overnight in Palermo.

Enjoy a full buffet breakfast at your hotel. Meeting with the driver and guide at your hotel for a 3-hour guided tour of Palermo. Begin with a visit to the International Museum of Marionettes Antonio Pasqualino, featuring more than 3,000 pieces of puppetry from the acclaimed Italian designer. Learn about the history of the art form in Sicily, from vastate dialectical theater to the celebrated Opera Dei Pupi tradition, honored on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage List. Continue on to the Oratory of San Lorenzo, known for its altarpieces designed by Giacomo Serpotta. This famed 18th-century Sicilian sculptor was also a central figure in the early puppetry, crafting elaborate teatrini stucco decorations and putti allegorical figurines. Finish your journey at the traditional puppetry workshop of Mimmo Cuticchio on the Via Bara all’Olivella, where you can assist in the production of a live marionette show. See finely crafted figurines seemingly come to life against styled scenery as you take part in a centuries-old Sicilian tradition. After the city tour, you will travel to Bagheria, city of actors, directors, poets and international painters, famous for the historic villas of the aristocratic residences of the “Gattopardi”. Renato Guttuso, painter and Oscar award-winning director Giuseppe Tornatore, was born and lived here for a while. A journey to discover one of the hidden treasures of the island, far from the usual tourist destinations, but of significant importance since we are talking about the most beautiful historic villas of Sicily. Built between the late 17th century and the early 20th century, they are masterpieces built by talented architects and commissioned by the Sicilian nobility and upper class of the time, characters who became famous in the stories published in the book by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa “Il Gattopardo” which became a successful film in 1963 directed by Luchino Visconti and starring Claudia Cardinale and Burt Lancaster. Possible Villas to be Visited: Villa Cattolica: Built-in 1736 by Francesco Bonanno. It is home to the Guttuso Museum, a theatrical workshop and several craft workshops of decoration and painting. Villa Palagonia: Built-in 1715 by the Prince of Palagonia, Francesco Ferdinando Gravina. Called “The villa of monsters”, it has grotesque statues and quirky interior furnishings. Late afternoon return to Palermo. Overnight in Palermo.

Enjoy a full buffet breakfast at your hotel. At the indicated time depart to Palermo airport. End of our services. Arrivederci Sicilia!