DAY 1: ROME > CATANIA – CYCLOPS RIVIERA – ACIREALE (30 km)
Departure for Catania on scheduled ITA Airways flights - free lunch - in the afternoon guided visit of the Cyclops Riviera (rich in mythological references and literary landmarks such as the House of the Malavoglia, the protagonists of Verga’s famous novel) with the characteristic village of Aci Castello - transfer by coach to Catania - dinner at the hotel - free evening – tour leader at guests’ disposal - overnight stay.
DAY 2: ETNA “the Volcano” & VIAGRANDE “Cooking Class & Wine Tasting” (70 km)
Breakfast at the hotel - transfer to the area of Viagrande, a typical village on the slopes of Mount Etna, to enjoy a high-level engaging experience of land, food and wine at the renowned Benanti Winery - guided tour of the Monte Serra estate: the ancient pre-phylloxera vineyard of Nerello Mascalese, an indigenous grape variety, the old Palmento and the painting collection - traditional cooking class: preparation of a full menu including starter, first course, main course with side dish, inspired by products and traditions of Catania and the Etna area, according to the seasonality of the ingredients - lunch at the winery with an appetizer based on cured meats, cheeses and local specialties, dishes prepared during the class and traditional desserts - wine tasting with a selection of the estate’s wines - in the afternoon guided excursion on Mount Etna, a UNESCO World Heritage Site – we will ascent up to 1,900 metres to discover the wonders and lunar landscape of Europe’s highest volcano – we will walk around the Silvestri Craters, small extinct craters - free time – Please note: those who do not wish to go up Mount Etna for health reasons may wait in Viagrande - return to the hotel in the evening - dinner at the hotel - free evening - tour leader at guests’ disposal - overnight stay.
DAY 3: TAORMINA “a unique town” & SAVOCA “hidden paths” (120 km)
Breakfast at the hotel - in the morning guided visit of Savoca, a fascinating and characteristic village which, besides its beautiful panoramic position and its numerous churches, old houses and noble palaces, has also become famous for the wedding scene of Don Corleone’s son, filmed in the Church of Santa Lucia and for Bar Vitelli, opened in the 1960s, renowned for its excellent lemon granita with passito wine and for scenes from the film The Godfather, shot here in 1971 by director Francis Ford Coppola - continuation to Taormina and guided tour of the pearl of Sicily (Greek Theatre, ancient Cathedral, public gardens, historic centre, Corvaja Palace, Corso Umberto with artisan shops and the characteristic cafés displaying baskets of frutta Martorana (marzipan sweets), IX Aprile square, from where there is a breathtaking view) - free time for shopping - lunch in a typical restaurant - free time for shopping - return to the hotel in the evening - dinner at the hotel - free evening - tour leader at guests’ disposal - overnight stay.
DAY 4: CATANIA – CALTANISSETTA “Castle of the Ladies” – CEFALÙ “UNESCO Heritage Site” – PALERMO km 300
Breakfast at the hotel - departure for Caltanissetta - guided visit of this very ancient town located in the centre of Sicily (the historic centre crossing part of the old quarters, to admire the main historic monuments set within an urban context that developed from the ancient Arab quarter - through the sumptuous noble palaces that embellish the town centre, we will discover stories and legends of its inhabitants, first and foremost the Moncada di Paternò family; we will speak about important figures of recent history including the celebrated sculptor Michele Tripisciano, Leonardo Sciascia who lived and worked in Caltanissetta as a teacher, and Pier Maria Rosso di San Secondo, a noble literary author – the past of Caltanissetta is also linked to the sulphur mines which made it prosperous as Sicily’s mining hub until the early decades of the last century, with a decline that from the post-war period became unstoppable, leading to the final closure of the mines in the 1970s - visit to the Mineralogical Museum and the sulphur mines – visit to the Mineralogical Museum and the sulhur mines) - lunch in typical a restaurant - in the afternoon guided visit of Cefalù (a picturesque town on the Tyrrhenian coast, set amidst lush greenery and dominated by a rock above which rises the beautiful 12th-century Norman Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage Site – interior included – the cathedral is a splendid example of distinctive architecture with its towers, windows, arches and precious portal; historic centre with the remains of the 13th-century Osterio Magno and the Medieval Wash House) - transfer to the hotel in Palermo or surroundings - dinner at the hotel - free evening - tour leader at guests’ disposal - overnight stay.
DAY 5: PALERMO & MONREALE (20 km)
Breakfast at the hotel - full day dedicated to the guided visit of the city - visit of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Norman Palace with the Palatine Chapel – interior included -, San Giovanni degli Eremiti – interior included -, Cathedral – interior included - followed by a panoramic tour with external visits of Teatro Massimo, Piazza Pretoria, the Church of Santa Maria dell’Ammiraglio known as La Martorana - Cathedral and Cloister of Monreale – interior included -, UNESCO World Heritage Site - lunch in a trattoria with a typical Sicilian menu - dinner at the hotel - after dinner “Palermo by night”, panoramic tour by private coach and walking tour with the tour leader - overnight stay.
DAY 6: PALERMO – NUBIA “the salt pans” – WINE TASTING – MARSALA – MAZARA DEL VALLO (150 km)
Breakfast at the hotel - departure for Nubia where salt pans and windmills create a striking landscape where the light plays with reflections and colours produced by the intensity of the sun’s rays and by the different stages of evaporation in the basins. Inside the characteristic Dutch-style windmill, home to the Salt Museum, the ancient tools used for salt production are preserved - visit to the prestigious Florio Wineries and wine tasting of the famous wine that takes its name from the town - short visit of Marsala with a walk through the historic centre - tasting lunch accompanied by excellent locally produced wine, featuring raw seafood including the celebrated Red Prawn of Mazara and the traditional Trapani-style fish couscous, at CTA Pesca Marea Viva, one of the 50 best places in the world to taste fresh shellfish and crustaceans - in the afternoon guided visit of Mazara del Vallo, a pleasant and ancient town in western Sicily (the characteristic canal harbour hosting Italy’s largest fishing fleet, the historic centre where interesting Arab-Norman buildings and numerous Renaissance and Baroque churches can be seen - the original layout of the old town consists of the “Kasbah” with its narrow winding lanes opening onto characteristic courtyards - in the Church of Sant’Egidio there is the “Museum of the Satyr”, where the bronze statue of the “Dancing Satyr”, now famous all over the world, can be admired - accommodation at the hotel - free time - dinner at the hotel - free evening - tour leader at guests’ disposal - overnight stay.
DAY 7: MAZARA DEL VALLO – SELINUNTE – SANTA MARGHERITA BELICE - SCALA DEI TURCHI – AGRIGENTO (150 km)
Breakfast at the hotel - in the morning guided visit of Selinunte (archaeological area) - typical lunch at a farmhouse - transfer to Santa Margherita di Belìce, where we will visit the Palazzo Filangeri di Cutò. This is the residence where Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa spent happy summers in his youth and which later inspired several scenes in his novel Il Gattopardo - departure for Agrigento - stop along the route for photographs of the Scala dei Turchi - guided visit in Agrigento of the Valley of the Temples, a UNESCO World Heritage Site - the largest archaeological area in Italy (Temple of Concordia, Temple of Juno, Temple of Jupiter, Temple of Castor and Pollux, Temple of Hercules) - dinner at the hotel - free evening - tour leader at guests’ disposal - overnight stay.
DAY 8: AGRIGENTO – PIAZZA ARMERINA – CALTAGIRONE – MODICA (200 km)
Breakfast at the hotel - departure for Piazza Armerina - guided visit of the splendid Villa Romana del Casale, a UNESCO World Heritage Site - typical lunch at a farmhouse - in the afternoon guided visit of Caltagirone (a town famous all over the world for its ceramics) - free time for shopping - in the evening arrival in Modica or Ragusa - dinner at the hotel - free evening - tour leader at guests’ disposal - overnight stay.
DAY 9: RAGUSA IBLA “the other Sicily” – MODICA “an incomparable land” – SCICLI (50 km)
Breakfast at the hotel - in the morning guided visit of Ragusa, a UNESCO World Heritage Site (ancient historic centre preserving the urban layout of the late 19th century, Basilica of San Giorgio, Piazza Pola, public gardens, Cathedral of San Giovanni, Palazzo Cosentini, Palazzo Bertini, Ponte Vecchio) - typical lunch in a restaurant - in the afternoon guided visit of Modica, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, birthplace of poet Salvatore Quasimodo and famous for its chocolate (refined Baroque buildings, Church of San Giorgio with its bold tower façade) - in the evening return to the hotel - dinner at the iconic restaurant I Banchi di Ciccio Sultano - after dinner Scicli by night, walking tour with the tour escort through the Baroque town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with the splendid Via Mormino Penna and the visionary Palazzo Beneventano - overnight stay.
DAY 10: NOTO “Baroque takes centre stage” – MARZAMEMI – CAPO PASSERO (150 km)
Breakfast at the hotel - full-day guided excursion - in the morning visit of the splendid Baroque town of Noto, a UNESCO World Heritage Site (the capital of European Baroque, with its magnificent cathedral, churches, monasteries and noble palaces, Porta Nazionale, Town Hall, Palazzo Villadorata) - typical lunch in a restaurant - in the afternoon visit of the characteristic seaside village of Marzamemi, an enchanting fishing village of Arab origin - visit of the Tonnara, historically the most important tuna fishery in eastern Sicily (the core of the Tonnara is formed by Piazza Regina Margherita and the manor house; also in the square stands the old church of the Tonnara, built in sandstone; the Arab courtyard and the fishermen’s small houses are still visible) - visit to an artisan workshop where tuna bottarga, tuna in olive oil and salted anchovies are still produced today using traditional methods - departure for Capo Passero, where the Mediterranean Sea and the Ionian Sea meet in a delightful and highly evocative corner of Sicily - return to the hotel in the evening - dinner at the hotel - free evening - tour leader at guests’ disposal - overnight stay.
DAY 11: MODICA – SYRACUSE “the Greek city” – CATANIA (140 km)
Breakfast at the hotel - departure for Syracuse - in the morning guided visit of Syracuse, a UNESCO World Heritage Site (archaeological area: Greek Theatre, Roman Amphitheatre, Ear of Dionysius, Cathedral) - typical lunch in a restaurant - in the afternoon motorboat excursion around the Island of Ortigia - tasting of a typical dessert - in the evening arrival in Catania - dinner at the hotel - free evening - tour leader at guests’ disposal - overnight stay.
DAY 12: CATANIA “the learned city” > ROME (30 km)
Breakfast at the hotel - in the morning guided visit of Catania (a splendid city with examples of black-and-white Baroque architecture, the Cathedral, Piazza Duomo with the Elephant Fountain, Via dei Crociferi and Via Etnea, the long road that cuts through the city and potentially connects Piazza Duomo with Mount Etna) – street food lunch on your own - free time for shopping - transfer to the airport - departure on scheduled ITA Airways flights to Rome.
Please Note: The planned visits may be rearranged on different days depending on museum opening hours or for technical reasons, but the itinerary remains unchanged.
