Embracing Sicily

Upon arrival at Palermo airport, make your way to your centrally located Palermo hotel (an optional transfer from the airport is available). The remainder of the day is free to relax or explore on your own. This evening you will meet your fellow travel companions, followed by dinner. Meals: D

Buffet breakfast at your hotel and enjoy this special day dedicated to one of the most famous social phenomena in Sicily. Depart in the morning to the area of Corleone, known for being the place where the Mafia phenomena were born. You will first participate in a Sicilian cooking lesson. You will be able to prepare some of the most genuine and traditional Sicilian dishes. After the cooking lesson, enjoy this special lunch. After lunch, experience an informative lecture about the Mafia and Corleone’s fight against it. Back to Palermo. Meals: B, L

After breakfast, enjoy a morning tour of Palermo, a city full of character. You will witness the splendid example of Spanish Baroque architecture including the Palace of the Normans and its superb Palatine Chapel, the Cathedral, and the famous Benedictine Abbey of Monreale. Here you will admire a 12th-century cathedral, housing very fine mosaics representing a complete cycle of the Old and New Testaments. The afternoon is at leisure to relax or take an optional tour with your tour director to the picturesque fishing village of Cefalù. In the evening, enjoy a festive dinner with delectable cuisine and sparkling in a fashionable restaurant. Meals: B, D

After breakfast, the journey to the sea town of Marsala. Visit a wine cellar and sample some Marsala during a special wine tasting session. Drive along Trapani’s coastline and stop for a special Sicilian lunch in a restaurant and return to Palermo. Driving along the coast from Marsala towards Trapani you’ll come to a place, where shimmering heaps of white crystals, red-roofed windmills and contained ponds grow on the horizon. It starts out like a mirage and gradually becomes more and more tangible until you find yourself surrounded by the oldest chemical industry in the world. Back to Palermo. Dinner at a local restaurant and overnight at the hotel. Meals: B, L, D

Buffet breakfast at your hotel and depart for Agrigento, a hillside town famous for its magnificent Valley of the Temples, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Enjoy a guided tour of the valley, dating back to the 5th century B.C. The best temple is that of Concordia (similar in design to the Parthenon in Athens) which is an almost perfectly preserved condition. Your local guide will highlight the history and architecture of Concordia and of the other temples that are part of this archaeological treasure-trove. After visiting the Valley of the Temples, resume travel to Taormina, where you arrive in the evening in time for an enjoyable and relaxing dinner at your hotel. Meals: B, D

Buffet breakfast at the hotel and enjoy the morning walking tour of Taormina’s charming city center includes the Greek and Roman amphitheatre, with its spectacular view of Giardini Naxos and Mount Etna, the largest active volcano in Europe. Enjoy the excursion to Mount Etna and visit the Sylvester Craters where you can enjoy the best views, as you drive through the fertile slopes and villages that sit on ancient volcanic eruptions. On the way back to Taormina, we offer a once in a lifetime experience. You may take an optional “Godfather” tour featuring the authentic villages chosen by Francis Coppola for most of the scenes in the Godfather movies. This is a good way to explore the real untouched Sicilian countryside, local lifestyle and culture. Tonight you may experience dinner on your own in one of the many colourful restaurants of Taormina. Meals: B

Buffet breakfast at your hotel and experience an included excursion to Siracusa. A guided tour of this venerable city includes highlights of the Archaeological Park, the Greek Theater and more. This evening savour a special Sicilian dinner with wine in a restaurant characteristic of this region. Meals: B, D