OCT 10 - 22 2023
Program
Day 1 - Oct 10, Tues / Trapani
(3 nights)
Arrival at Palermo-Punta Raisi Airport and transfer to hotel in Trapani. There will be a limited amount of transfers offered from the airport to hotel which will be established once everyone’s flight schedules are in therefore it is recommended you book a flight that lands after 11am and before 4pm. If you remain within our suggested time slot you can avoid having to wait at the airport for a long time if you should arrive too early or having to reach hotel by your own means if you arrive too late. Check into rooms, freshen up and settle in as you wait for the other guests to arrive. Once all guests have checked into rooms in Trapani, meet in lobby for an orientation walk around the town. Early welcome dinner (for Italian standards) to allow guests to recover from day of traveling.
Day 2 - Oct 11, Wed / Trapani
After breakfast visit the beautiful, baroque city center of Trapani. After a traditional lunch in one of the many excellent restaurants in town take a scenic cable ride to Medieval Erice, 750m high, from which, on a nice day, you can see the Etna volcano on the other side of the island. Dinner oyo.
Day 3 - Oct 12, Thurs / Trapani
After breakfast ride down the evocative Trapani coastline with its salt mines and windmills. Proceed to the charming town of Marsala that gives its name to the famous dessert wine. Have a Marsala tasting at a winery before heading to Mazara del Vallo where we'll be having lunch. After lunch visit the historic district of Mazara with its labyrinth of narrow streets and magnificent baroque buildings. On our way back stop at a salt mine. The salt from these marshes is considered Italy's finest. At dusk the sun floods the salt fields in a hue of pink. Return to Trapani for dinner oyo.
Day 4 - Oct 13, Fri / Palermo
(3 night)
After breakfast transfer to hotel in Palermo. Visit Segesta en route, one of the best preserved Greek archeological sights in the Mediterranean, which include a very well preserved Greek temple and a Greek theater with a spectacular view. Arrive to hotel in Palermo check into rooms and go on an afternoon walk to catch some sites and get a feel for this flamboyant city before dinner. Dinner oyo.
Day 5 - Oct 14, Sat / Palermo
After breakfast visit Palermo, the capital of Sicily and a feast of the senses. See some of the world's most beautiful mosaics in the Palazzo dei Normanni, the red domed San Giovanni degli
Eremiti, symbol of the city and the imposing Cathedral. Abandon yourself to the sights and scents of the Ballarò Market. Have a traditional lunch in a classic Palermo restaurant. Free time in the afternoon to explore the city further. Dinner oyo.
Day 6 - Oct 15, Sun / Palermo
After breakfast in hotel we will head for Monreale to see the fantastic cloister and dazzling gold mosaics of the cathedral. Have lunch in town before returning to Palermo. Free time in the afternoon. We recommend seeing the art gallery housed in the stately 15th-century Palazzo Abatellis. Dinner oyo.
Day 7 - Oct 16, Mon / Catania
(3 nights)
After an early breakfast set off on a transfer to new venue in Catania crossing a good length of the island. Visit Cefalu en route, see its great, 12th-century Cathedral and have a stroll through this romantic medieval town, with its cobble-stoned streets, small fisherman's port and sandy beach. Continue journey towards Catania stopping at the restaurant owned by the Fratelli Borrello Nebrodi black pig farm. This rare breed is raised in the wild and live in huts called 'zimme'. It produces excellent meat which local farmers process to make a varied range of remarkable, traditional cold-cuts and sausages. Arrive at hotel in Catania by late afternoon, check into rooms and set out to explore Sicily's second largest city inscribed on the Unesco's world heritage list. Dinner oyo.
Day 8 - Oct 17, Tues / Catania
After breakfast spend the morning visiting the lovely city of Catania, its black-and-white palazzi overlooking sweeping baroque piazzas. Experience the best show in town the extraordinary and raucous Pescheria market. After a great lunch in town visit beautiful and fashionable Taormina.The town is dramatically perched high on the side of a mountain and boasts a lovely historical town center and a stunning ancient Greek theater that offers magnificent vistas. Dinner oyo.
Day 9 - Oct 18, Wed / Catania
After breakfast get ready for an exhilarating adventure! A funicular and jeep ride will take us to hair-raising heights, up to the very crater of the volcano where a surreal landscape and breathtaking views await. After lunch in a characteristic trattoria reward your morning hiking efforts with a wine tasting at one of the excellent wineries found on Mount Etna. The volcano's climate and soil conditions are perfect for producing outstanding wines. Dinner oyo.
day 10 - Oct 19, Thurs / Syracuse
(3 nights)
After breakfast transfer to new hotel in Syracuse. Visit Ortigia of timeless beauty, the old city of Syracuse is one of the most beautiful corners of Sicily. Lush citrus orchards, café tables spilling onto dazzling baroque piazzas and honey-hued alleys that lead to a sparkling blue sea. Dinner oyo.
day 11 - Oct 20, Fri / Syracuse
After breakfast visit one of Sicily's greatest archaeological sites, the Parco Archeologico della Neapolis, made up of a Greek theater from the 5th century BC hewn out of a rocky hillside, an ancient and mysterious quarry riddled with catacombs and a luxuriant garden, as well as a Roman amphitheater. After lunch visit Noto, what is considered one of Sicily's most beautiful cities. Its historic center is so gorgeous you might mistake it for a movie set. The dashing main walkway is flanked by thrilling baroque palazzi and churches. Dinner oyo.
day 12 - Oct 21, Sat / Syracuse
After breakfast visit Modica, one of Sicily's most atmospheric towns with a theatrical- looking historical center and a spectacular cathedral. The town is also famous for its production of chocolate prepared in the same the ancient Aztecs did. Visit its oldest chocolate shop and witness the chocolate making techniques and get to sample the delicious final product. After a farewell lunch visit the magnificent historic center of Ragusa Ibla, a sloping area of tangled alleyways, stone houses and handsome squares. Aside from its great architecture the town is also renowned for its Ragusano cheese that's similar to Parmesan but with its own unique flavors and texture. Visit a dairy farm for a cheese tasting and perhaps observe a cheese-making demonstration. Return to hotel in Syracuse. Dinner oyo.
day 13 - Oct 22, Sun
Departure from Aeroporto Fontanarossa di Catania. We recommend you book a flight that departs around noon (11am – 2pm). We will only offer a limited amount of transfers to airport therefore if you remain within our suggested time slot you can avoid having to wait at the airport for a long time if your flight departs very late or having to reach airport by your own means if your flight departs very early.
Do you know the land where lemon blossom grows?
Amid dark leaves the golden orange glows.
A gentle breeze drifts down from the blue sky, still stands the myrtle, and the laurel high.
Might you know it?
There, there Would I with you, oh my beloved, go.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
FUN. REAL. ENLIGHTENING.
PRICE INCLUDES:
- ACCOMMODATION
- ALL BREAKFASTS AND DAILY LUNCH OR DINNER
- ALL TRANSPORTATION MENTIONED IN ITINERARY
- ENTRANCE FEES TO ALL ACTIVITIES MENTIONED IN THE ITINERARY;
- WALKING TOURS THROUGH ALL THE TOWNS;
All payments must be made by bank transfer or credit cards.
Price does not include airfare
*All activities are subject to change on the basis of which options are deemed to be the most suitable in terms of current culinary standards, the weather conditions on a given day, and other relevant criteria.