Sicily Art and History Tour | 11 Nights/12 Days
Day 01: Palermo | Upon arrival at Palermo airport please proceed through the Passport Control and collect your luggage inside the customs area. Just outside this area meet your assistant and driver who will transfer you to your Hotel. The rest of the day is at leisure. Overnight in Palermo.
Day 02: Palermo and Monreale Private Guided Tour | 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. Your guide will show you the highlights of historic Palermo, the capital of ancient Sicily. You will also visit “The Ballarò”, a Palermo Food street market which is a cacophony of sights and sounds. The ambiance is punctuated by colored tarpaulins suspended as “tents” to protect the wares from the elements. After lunch in a characteristic local restaurant, meet back up with your guide to traveling to Monreale, a nearby hilltop town that boasts sweeping views over Palermo. Soak up the views, and then pay a visit to the Cathedral of Monreale. Stand in awe as you gaze at the cathedral’s golden mosaics and work out the biblical scenes that they represent. In the late afternoon travel, back to your Palermo hotel. Overnight in Palermo.
Day 03: Erice and Segesta Private Guided Tour | Enjoy a full buffet breakfast at your hotel. Meet your driver and Guide at the Hotel lobby. Today enjoy one of the finest private guided tours or shore excursions of Sicily for Greek temples and architecture. Your first stop on this private escorted tour of Western Sicily will be the magnificent Temple of Segesta, the first Doric-style Greek Temple, set among gently sloping hills of yellow-ochre and brown. After Lunch at Leisure not included, your driver and tour guide will then take you to the medieval town of Erice, situated nearly 3,000 feet above sea level and surrounded by ancient Elimi and Phoenician walls. In antiquity, Erice was famous for its temple where the Phoenicians worshipped Astarte, the Greeks venerated Aphrodite and the Romans celebrated Venus, respectively. Late afternoon you will return to Palermo. Overnight in Palermo.
Day 04: Palermo → Selinunte Private Guided Tour → Agrigento | Breakfast at the Hotel. Private transfer by car and English-speaking driver to Selinunte to meet your Guide for a personalized Tour of Selinunte Archaeological Park, one of Sicily’s great Greek archaeological sites. Situated by the sea in the south-western corner of Sicily, the ruins have stood abandoned for most of their history. The lack of later development allows modern visitors to imagine the ancient town of Selinus as it would have been 2500 years ago. The archaeological park at Selinunte is huge, incorporating Greek temples, ancient town walls, and the ruins of residential and commercial buildings, countryside paths and zones not yet excavated. Lunch at Leisure not included. In the afternoon continue to your hotel in Agrigento. Overnight in Agrigento.
Day 05: Valley of Temples Private Guided Tour | Breakfast at the Hotel. Meet your Driver and Guide at the Hotel lobby to enjoy a Private Guided Tour of the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Valley of the Temples, an incredible archaeological spot on a hill, dating back to 430 BC. You will visit the Temple of Demeter, the Rock Sanctuary of Demeter and Persephone, the Temple of Juno, and the Temple of Concordia, one of the best-preserved in the world. Then continue the temple of Hercules (Heracles) and the Temple of Olympian Zeus or Jupiter. Continuing towards Villaseta, a path to the right leads to the Temple of Vulcan. After the tour, return to your Hotel. Lunch and afternoon at leisure. Overnight in Agrigento.
Day 06: Agrigento → Ragusa | Breakfast at the Hotel. Pick up from the hotel and travel by car and English-speaking driver to your Hotel in Ragusa. In the afternoon meet your guide at the hotel lobby. Ragusa is a small Baroque town and a Unesco World Heritage Site. Ragusa is one of the most picturesque towns in Sicily. The city is divided into two important areas: Ragusa Superiore, founded after the earthquake in 1693, and Ragusa Inferiore, the original site. Your Guide will escort you back to your Hotel. Overnight in Ragusa.
Day 07: Ragusa → Modica & Noto Private Guided Tour → Syracuse | Breakfast at the Hotel. Meet your Driver at the Hotel lobby to be transferred to your Hotel in Syracuse. On route visit Modica and Noto. Nestled in a dramatic gorge of the Val di Noto, Modica, is a World Heritage Site. Its flamboyant baroque architecture delights its visitors as soon as they approach the town from the road. Yet Modica is a sharply divided town, and locals usually identify with the lower or the upper part of the town. Lunch/Food and Wine Tour in a Wine Estate. Continuing to Noto, famous for its masterpieces of Sicilian baroque style. It has many fine churches that are outstanding because of their architecture, decorations, but also because of their strategic locations. Numerous aristocratic palazzi with their delightful baroque facades and twisted iron railings flank the main Corso Vittorio Emanuele and the many adjoining streets. Late afternoon, continue to your Hotel in Syracuse. Overnight in Syracuse.
Day 08: Syracuse Private Guided Tour | Breakfast at the Hotel. Meet your Driver and Guide at the Hotel lobby. Today enjoy a Syracuse Private Guided Tour. More than any other city, Syracuse encapsulates Sicily’s timeless beauty. Ancient Greek ruins rise out of lush citrus orchards, cafe tables spill onto dazzling baroque piazzas, and medieval lanes lead down to the sparkling blue sea. It’s difficult to imagine now but in its heyday, this was the largest city in the ancient world, bigger even than Athens and Corinth. Almost three millennia later, the ruins of that then-new city constitute the Parco Archeologico Della Neapolis, one of Sicily’s greatest archaeological sites. Across the water from the mainland, Ortygia remains the city’s most beautiful corner, a casually chic, eclectic marvel with an ever-growing legion of fans. Late afternoon you will return to your Hotel. Overnight in Syracuse.
Day 09: Syracuse → Mount Etna & Taormina Private Guided Tour → Taormina | Breakfast at the Hotel. Meet your driver at the hotel lobby. This morning en route to your hotel in Taormina stop at the bottom of Mount Etna to meet your Private Guide for a visit of Mt Etna Volcano, one of the world’s most active volcanoes in Europe. You will reach the “Silvestri” craters, the Northeast Crater, the Voragine, the Bocca Nuova, and the Southeast Crater. Lunch at Leisure not included. In the afternoon continue to Taormina for a Private Guided Tour. Spectacularly perched on the side of a mountain, Taormina is one of Sicily’s most popular destinations. It’s rich in history, art, culture and tradition, besides being in one of the most breathtaking spots of the whole country. You will visit the most impressive monument of the city: the Greco-Roman Theatre. In the late afternoon, you will continue to your hotel by the Sea. Overnight in Taormina.
Day 10: Taormina/Giardini Naxox Coast Private Boat Tour | Breakfast at the Hotel. Meet your driver at the hotel lobby. Today you will enjoy a Private Boat Tour of the Taormina/Giardini Naxos Bay. To begin this adventure will sail with our boat in the direction of the Timpa di Acireale. You will explore the famous Riviera of the Cyclops: Capo Mulini, Aci Trezza, and Aci Castello, which are part of the beautiful natural reserve of Isole. You can attend one of the most impressive shows that nature can offer, I Faraglioni. Then you come back to The Bay of Naxos and Capo Taormina, a rock structure that is erected by the sea on which stands the enchanting Taormina. Lunch in a characteristic local restaurant. The most advanced end of the Capo Taormina is characterized by a huge rock: Scoglio Della Croce. Under the head creates a wonderful “natural pool” where we will stop to give you the opportunity to swim in the crystal-clear sea. Continue to the lovely Bay of Isola Bella and The Bay of Mazzarò. Then sail towards the Bay of Siren’s natural creek which offers a unique atmosphere. Late afternoon, return to your Hotel. Overnight in Taormina.
Day 11: Taormina at Leisure: Breakfast at the Hotel. Today spend the day at leisure. Overnight in Taormina.
Day 12: Catania Departure | Breakfast at the Hotel. This morning at the appropriate time enjoy a Private Transfer to Catania Airport. Arrivederci! Ciao! Buon Viaggio!