Explore Sicily in twelve days: you’ll uncover layers of history in the island of Sicily. Is a sort of showcase where you can immerse your senses in the art, culture and gastronomy!

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Day 1: Arrival in Palermo, the capital of Sicily 

Welcome to the warm, beautiful and pleasant island of Sicily!

Upon arrival at Palermo Airport (PMO) collect your luggage inside the customs area. Then transfer to your hotel.                                                                                                         

This afternoon is at leisure to explore the town on your own.

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Day 2: Monreale, Palermo with Street Food Tastings, Cooking Class and Dine with Locals

Breakfast at hotel.

 

Today meet our staff and a short taxi drive will takes us to Monreale to see with our expert Guide where the Arab-Norman art and architecture reached the pinnacle of its glory with the Dome. Launched in 1174 by William II, it represents the scenes from the Old and New Testaments all in golden mosaics.

 

We then return to Palermo by taxi and with the guide we start a walk into a lively open-air market, a place with strong Arab influences, resembling a souk, with picturesque stands of fresh fish, cheese, fruit and vegetables. During the tour you will have the opportunity to observe local people in their daily activities and to savor foods that real Sicilian people love to eat!  A small tasting of typical street food is included. The walking tour through the ancient center of Palermo is approx. 2 hours and an half and you will visit several monuments including Pretoria Square and the exterior of Cathedral.

The tour will finish at the Four Corner to permit to have a few hours at leisure to explore Palermo on your own.

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At h 5.30PM a shuttle service will pick you up and move you to a private house. Upon arrival the house-chef will welcome you and introduce you to his family. This is the best way to indulge your self in the real local Palermo life, cook with locals and dine at their house. At the end of the cooking class enjoy a delicious dinner.

 

At the end of the dinner a shuttle service will drive you back at your hotel.

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Day 3: Wine, Walk Along the Saltpan Pools and Olive Oil Experience

Breakfast at hotel.

Today departure for Marsala, the Arab “Marsa Allah” –Harbor of God–, is known in the whole world for one thing: Wine! The Marsala Wine comes from the western lands of Sicily and its name derives from the homonymous town. The Marsala is the oldest Italian DOC wine, with an average alcohol content of about 18 degrees.

Have a short walk in the city center of this lovely town before driving along the scenic Salt Way Road to admire the beautiful Saltpans where the sea-salt is still produced following the old Phoenician tradition preserved during the century. Upon arrival Guided Walking Tour on the Saltflats: an easy experience, but with great charm, which we have decided to include in this itinerary to indulge you to walk among the saltpan pools. A route made even more evocative by the changing colors of this amazing landscape around the Stagnone Nature Reserve. The saltpans team will introduce you the complex cycle life of a salt pan, its production capacity, times and rhythms of the salt harvest.

 

We then move to a local Olive Oil producer Farmhouse to enjoy our lunch.

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This afternoon departure for Erice uptown. The Elymians settled in the medieval town of Erice, which was an important religious site associated with the goddess Venus. Wander through its ancient streets and visit some of the famous homemade pastry shops—world-famous for marzipan candies and other delicacies like almond and pistachio pastries. At arrival, independent walk along the city centre with stop at local pastry shop to taste some Sicilian local sweet. Later we return to Palermo.  

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Day 4: Turkish Steps and Valley of the Temples

Breakfast at hotel.

 

Today we drive through the interior of Sicily to reach Realmonte, a small village famous for the Turkish Steps. This natural staircase cliffs are made of marl, an unconsolidated sedimentary rock consisting of clay and lime, with a characteristic pure white color.  The Turkish Steps have a wavy and irregular shape, with lines that are not harsh but sweet and rounded. 

Later a short drive takes us to Agrigento to see the Valley of the Temples: two hours guided walking tour on the Valley of the Temples an important Unesco World Heritage site covers the Temple of Hera, the Temple of Concordia, the Temple of Hercules and the Temple of Zeus.

We then continue in the country area to join a local Estate which is famous for Organic Meals at zero-miles.

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Day 5: Half Day Organic Cooking Class with zero-mile ingredients 

Breakfast at hotel.

 

Today indulge your senses in a very special, genuine and organic cooking class followed by lunch of what you cooked. We like that our guests take an active part in the creation of the menu, that you can choose among two different Sicilian traditional recipes.

 

Vegetables are picked in the garden and other ingredients are found locally, such as the delicious Ricotta cheese and of course the local extra-virgin olive oil and almonds.

 

You will leave with unique memories and new recipes which represent our ancient culinary tradition.

 

This afternoon is at leisure.

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Day 6: Mosaics Floor at the Roman Villa and Winery

Breakfast at hotel.

 

Today departure for Piazza Armerina to enjoy the visit of the amazing Mosaics Floor at the Roman Villa of Casale, that belongs to the Unesco Heritage. Built on the 4th century AD, the Villa was later forgotten and only in the 20th century excavations revealed the whole building. It is the supreme example of a luxury Roman villa (about 3500 square meters of floor mosaics) and was probably the residence of a member of the upper class of the Roman Empire. The mosaics discovered here are celebrated among scholars of antiquity. The visit inside the Roman Villa will be done independently. Every room has information boards. Admission fee not included

 

Later transfer in a local Winery located in the countryside to enjoy lunch and wine tastings.

 

This afternoon we drive to Siracusa.

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Day 7: Siracusa and Ortigia – Half Day Walking Tour

Breakfast at hotel.

Today visit this wonderful town with a professional guide who will lead you to the discovery of the most important beauties as well as the hidden treasures of Siracusa and Ortigia Island.

 

Transfer by taxi to the Archaeological Park that highlights the Greek Theatre, the Roman Amphitheatre and the Paradise Quarry. After we travel back to the Island of Ortigia by taxi to start the walking tour from the Aretusa Fountain, visit the incredible Dome of Siracusa built on top of a Greek Temple and today incorporated in a beautiful baroque church!!

 

Continuing the walk, the tour will end at Apollo Temples to permit you to get back independently to your accommodation.

 

This afternoon is at leisure.

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Day 8: Truffle Hunting, Bread, Cheese Show Cooking and lunch in an old watermill

Breakfast at hotel.

 

The Truffle Hunting Tour in combo with the Organic Bread Cooking and the Cheese Show Cooking is a unique and extraordinary adventure where you can be immersed in the traditions and culture of Sicily, which for many travelers has been an unforgettable experience. 

Today a short drive takes us in the country area where you are welcomed by the truffle-team and dogs. Start today a very easy walk in the small forest to find the truffles that are necessary for our cooking class. As soon as we find the truffles, we continue our trip to join a lovely old watermill to meet the chef and start our cooking class, bread cooking and cheese making. Truffle will be used for our pasta.

 

During the afternoon we drive back to Siracusa.

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Day 9: Ragusa Ibla, Modica Aztec’s Chocolate and Focacce Lunch

Breakfast at hotel.

 

Today departure from Siracusa in direction of Ragusa Ibla. Our Team will offer you time at disposal to keep the feeling with this section of the town giving you directions on how to explore independently the old part of the city and an undisputed reality of Baroque art. Here you can admire numerous eighteenth-century churches and buildings and the Gardens. 

Soon after, you will discover another jewel of the Sicilian Baroque: Modica.

 

Lunch in a typical trattoria to enjoy the food specialties of this side of Sicily where a strong Spanish influence is still alive. Obviously, you will have the opportunity to taste the local chocolate made following the tradition that originated from the Aztec of central America brought in Sicily from the Spanish in the 17° century

 

Then we drive on to Taormina.

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Day 10: Taormina Half Day

Breakfast at hotel.

 

Today you will feel the magical, mythical atmosphere of this town that has enchanted visitors from all over the world for years and years.

 

Settled on a hill of the Monte Tauro, Taormina dominates two grand, sweeping bays below and on the southern side. The top of Mount Etna --the European highest active volcano --often capped with snow, offers visitors a breathtaking, dramatic and memorable view over almost one hundred miles of Mediterranean sea.

 

Taormina really seems to be born as a tourist resort since past times, when ancient people like the Sicels, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Saracens, Arabs, Normans and Spaniards choose it as their residential site because of its favourable position, mild climate and magic atmosphere.

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Day 11: Etna Experience with lunch in a winery

Breakfast at hotel.

Today meet the off-road’s driver and transfer to Etna Volcano. During our first stop we will discover a unique canyon comprised of basaltic lava (the “Alcantara Gorges”) and shaped by the waters of the Alcantara river.

 

The Alcantara’s vertical cliffs reach 30 meters in height and its structures have been forged by high intensity geological and geothermal events. In prehistoric times, a river flowed here over clay sediments until a massive volcanic eruption channeled magma into the riverbed forming the current canyons. After this stop, we will traveling through one of the wine roads of Sicily and crossing large expanses of vineyards (Etna D.O.C.), we will arrive at a local winery. This is the ideal place to enjoy relaxing moments surrounded by nature while sampling a lunch and excellent wines.

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We will then make a brief stop at the 2002 lava flow reachable by jeep through a winding dirty road surrounded by chestnut and oak forests. The 2002 eruption lasted from October 27th to January 29th 2003 and it is considered one of the most explosive eruptions of the past one hundred years.

Later, driving up along the Mareneve road we will reach Piano Provenzana (1800 meters above sea level), a ski resort, theater of the great eruption of 2002. After a short walk to visit the ruins of the hotel Le Betulle destroyed by a molten lava flow.

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Day 9: Departure from Catania Airport

Time to say goodbye to Sicily!

Transfer to Catania Airport and departure to your next destination