Arrival at Palermo airport. Welcome to our beautiful island. Meet your English speaking driver and transfer to your hotel. Dinner and accommodation at your hotel in Palermo.
Enjoy a full buffet breakfast at your hotel. At the indicated time departure to visit Palermo. We will visit the palatine Chapel in the Royal Palace, the Cathedral, Massimo Theater, Pretoria square in front of the Cityhouse. Continue to San Cipirello, a small village located at 20 kms from Palermo to enjoy your lunch at Calatrasi’s cellar where we will have a wine tasting. In the afternoon back to Palermo. Time at leisure. Accommodation at your hotel in Palermo.
Enjoy a full buffet breakfast at your hotel. At the indicated time depart to Segesta to visit the Doric Temple surrounded by a beautiful landscape. Continue to Erice and visit the small medieval village with its tiny and characteristic streets. Time at leisure for lunch at your own. In the afternoon panoramic visit of Trapani and mostly its salt lakes. Arrival in Marsala, city of the famous Marsala wine. Dinner at Pellegrino’s cellar where we will have also a wine tasting from the oldest to the youngest wines. Accommodation at your hotel in Mazara del Vallo.
Enjoy a full buffet breakfast at your hotel. At the indicated time depart to Selinunte to visit the archaeological area which offers beautiful and perfectly well conserved temples. Continue to Menfi on the road to Agrigento. Lunch at Lanzara’s cellar in the beautiful atmosphere of Baglio San Vincenzo (an old farmhouse). Lanzara wine tasting. In the afternoon return to Mazara. Dinner at your own and accommodation at hotel in Mazara del Vallo.
Enjoy a full buffet breakfast at your hotel. At the indicated time transfer to Agrigento visit the famous Valley of the Temples, the “city kissed by Gods”. The archaeological ruins of the Greek domination are numerous and they were visited and narrated by Goethe in his work Viaggio in Italia In the middle of the valley the most spectacular structure, the Concordia temple, rises surrounded by the ruins of the temples dedicated to Juno, Jupiter, Castor and Pollux, Hercules, Vulcan and Esculapio. Rest of the day at leisure. Accommodation at hotel in Agrigento.
Enjoy a full buffet breakfast at your hotel. At the indicated transfer to Piazza Armerina where we will visit the Roman villa del Casale known for its more than 3500 square meter of mosaics which has been declared Unesco patrimony. Time at leisure for lunch. In the afternoon depart to Caltagirone, baroque city where we will have dinner at Donnafugata’s cellar to taste also the regional wines like Nerello Mascalese or Cerasuolo de Vittoria. Accommodation in Ragusa.
Breakfast at the hotel. Morning dedicated to a guided visit of Ragusa an unusual two towns combined into one municipality in 1926. Lower Ragusa, known as Ibla, was the ancient city, rebuilt after suffering heavy damage due to the infamous 1693 earthquake that devastated south-eastern Sicily. Upper Ragusa, is the main part of the new city built on the ridge across from the old city of lbla after the earthquake. Due to the fact that upper Ragusa was built in the early 1700s, most of its churches and main buildings were constructed in the Baroque and Neo-Classical Styles. Lunch and rest of the day at leisure. Accommodation in Ragusa.
Breakfast at the Hotel. Pick up from the hotel and travel by car and English speaking driver to your Hotel in Syracuse. Check in at the Hotel. Lunch at leisure. In the afternoon meet your Guide at the Hotel lobby for a Syracuse Private Guided Tour. Syracuse, splendid and magnificent, in the classic age was the richest and the most powerful among the Hellenic towns in Sicily and some archaeological ruins testify the former glory. Visit the superb Archaeological Museum Paolo Orsi, which displays an important and well organized collection of items covering the late prehistoric period up to the Magna Grecia era. Stroll through the archaeological park of Neapolis, admiring one of the largest of all surviving Greek Theatres, a Roman amphitheatre built to allow for gladiators ‘sporting’ activities, which the Greek theatre could not accommodate, and the Ear of Dionysius, a huge cavern shaped in a way that gives it surprising acoustic properties. A great many legends are associated with this cave. In Ortigya, you will stop at many important sites such as the ruins of the Apollo Temple, the famed Arethusa fountain and the Piazza del Duomo, certainly one of the most suggestive Italian Baroque piazza. Overnight in Syracuse.
Enjoy a full buffet breakfast at your hotel. Meet your driver at the Hotel lobby to transfer you to your Hotel in Taormina. On route meet your Private Guide to explore Catania. You will visit the Roman Amphitheatre, built using basaltic dark lava stones, at a lower level than the baroque town. You will see archaeological finds showing you the layers below the baroque town, dating back to the Roman period, the University Palace with its lovely courtyard decorated with Etna pebble mosaic, The Cathedral (fortress church), two of the “Seven Doors” protecting S. Agatha’s treasure and the famous “candelora”, in full silver sculptured by hands and carried on people’s shoulders around town during the patron saint’s celebration. You will find an abundance of quaint shops, boutiques, very tempting cafeterias, with unique Sicilian ricotta or almond and pistachio cookies or traditional Gelato. You will visit the “Pescheria”, the open fish market with all the fishermen shouting their prices. In the heart of this colorful and picturesque open market, just in front of a typical “bancarella” (fish stall) you can taste some fried fresh fish matched with the best of Sicilian DOC wine. After Lunch in a local characteristic restaurant continue to Taormina to spend rest of day at leisure. Overnight in Taormina.
Breakfast at the Hotel. Meet your driver and Guide at the hotel lobby. This morning visit Mt Etna Volcano, one of the world’s most active volcanoes in Europe. You will reach 2.000 meters (7.000 ft) where you can admire and take a walk on the “Silvestri” craters (1892) and the latest new lava flows and craters from 2001/2002/2003 – Eruptions of Etna follow a variety of patterns. Most occur at the summit, where there are currently (as of 2008) six distinct craters: the Northeast Crater, the Voragine, the Bocca Nuova, and the Southeast Crater. Other eruptions occur on the flanks, which have more than 300 vents ranging in size from small holes in the ground to large craters hundreds of metres across. Summit eruptions can be highly explosive and spectacular, but rarely threaten the inhabited areas around the volcano. You will then visit a local family farm where it is possible to taste local Etna wine, a selection of different types of honey (orange, lemon, eucalyptus, strawberry…), almond pastries, olives, and extra virgin olive oil. Driving down from Mount Etna through wonderful scenery with photo stops at the most beautiful locations; you will visit the Piazza Belvedere (Lookout square) where you will have a breathtaking view of Isolabella (Beautiful Island) and the Messina coast line. We will then take you to the historical centre of Taormina. The gods must have been smiling on Taormina, because this Sicilian town has been blessed with heavenly beauty. Taormina, the ancient Taurominum, is a spot of infinite loveliness, the land of Dolce far niente – of sweet do nothing. The town lies in an elevated position of amazing, almost unique beauty, affording magnificent views combining sea and sky of a marvelous blue, miles of a curving coastline and picturesque mountain scenery, while the majestic pyramid of Mt. Etna on one side constitutes a scene of indescribable beauty. Upon arrival we will visit the most impressive monument of the city: the Greco-Roman Theatre. It has the finest site of any theatre in the world and one of the most striking monuments of antiquity. We continue our walking tour to the Villa Comunale: the public gardens which are planted with a huge variety of flowering plants and shrubs ranging from the most common to the exotic, your guide will be able to describe you all the botanical curiosity. Overnight in Taormina.
Enjoy a full buffet breakfast at your hotel. At the indicated hour, transfer to Catania airport. End of our services. Arrivederci Sicilia!!
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