Day 1
(Wednesday & Saturday) Arrival in Siracusa
Palermo Airport > Town
Welcome to the warm, beautiful and pleasant island of Sicily!
Upon arrival at Catania Airport, please proceed through Passport Control and collect your luggage inside the customs area.
Our italian-speaking driver will be waiting for you at the arrival department.
Then transfer to your hotel.
Day 2
(Thursday & Sunday) Siracusa & Ortigia - half day
Meet your Guide at your hotel --or directly in city center -- and transfer by taxi to the Archaeological Park that highlights the Greek Theatre, the Roman Amphitheatre and the Paradise Quarry.
Mediterraneo’s gem and cultural capital of Magna Grecia, the city offers a great variety of choices and attractions. It stands on the shores of south-eastern Sicily and shows different types of coasts: from jagged cliffs to beautiful beaches. The urban territory develops itself on the island of Ortigia and on the mainland; because of its geographic conformation, Siracusa presents a natural spectacle made of river valleys, coloured latomie and beaches that – together with archeological elements of undoubtable historical relevance – give birth to the unique beauty of the place.
Later taxi back to the center to start your guided walking tour strolling through the streets of Ortigia Island, the heart of the city center connected to the mainland by Umbertino bridge.
Siracusa that belongs to the Unesco heritage, was founded by colonists from Cornith in 735 B.C. and once the most important competitor to Athens. Admire the Dome in Baroque style, the Arethusa Fontain, the Maniace Castle (external view), the Temple of Apollo and the beautiful palaces around Ortigia.
This afternoon is at leisure to explore Siracusa on your own.
RECOMMENDED OPTIONAL DAY TOUR
#1 -Ortigia Sunset Boat Tour with aperitif
Day 3
(Friday & Monday) From Siracusa on the way to Taormina
Today h 8.30AM 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 direction 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 Gastronomy: the local Chocolate in Modica. This particular chocolate is made with a very old recipe, the one coming from the Aztecs. If you are wondering what the Aztecs have to do with Sicily, think about the Spanish conquistadors in South America and you will see that the same Spanish have dominated this island for a couple of centuries.
We then continue to Noto. In the Arab period the town was the capital of one of the three districts of Sicily (the Val di Noto) and once defeated by the Christians, Noto became a rich Norman city. Unfortunately, it was totally destroyed by the 1693 Sicilian earthquake and rebuilt in a new position nearer to the Ionian Sea. But the new Noto is a masterpiece of Sicilian Baroque! Most of the buildings, including churches and noble palaces, follow one another along the main street and are characterized by the honey tonality of tufa stone.
Later we continue to Taormina.
Day 4
(Saturday & Tuesday) Taormina at leisure
Today is at Leisure to explore the town on your own.
Taormina has long since been Sicily’s most favourite resort town, perched on a coastal bluff that looks out to the Tyrrhenian Sea between Messina and Catania in the north east of the island. Its ancient narrow streets are full of little specialist shops, cafes and restaurants, which are an invitation to step into the spell cast by this intriguing town. The town’s history is vibrant and complicated and dates back to the Ancient Greek period. Taormina was settled in 395 BC by residents from the nearby city of Giardini- Naxos, Sicily’s oldest Greek established city dating back to 735 BC. Giardini Naxos was where the Greeks established their colony during their domination of Sicily.
RECOMMENDED OPTIONAL DAY TOUR
#1 - Cooking Class with lunch, half day AM
#2 - Boat Tour Experience, half day
#3 - Godfather village (independent visit: Savoca and Forza d'Agrò), half day
#4 - Taormina Walking Tour (guided visit: Greek Roman Theatre), half day
#5 - Etna Experience: WD4X4 Jeep with lunch in a rustic trattoria, full day
#6 - Etna slopes with lunch in a winery, full day
Day 5
(Sunday & Wednesday) From Taormina on the way to Palermo
Today h 9AM departure from Taormina (Pick-up could be coordinated based on the ZTL --Limited Traffic Zone--) in direction of Cefalù (approx. 2,5 hours driving) on highway with suggestive sea view you will arrive in this gorgeous town located on the northern coast of Sicily and one of the major tourist attractions in the region.
Built on a promontory dominated by a sheer cliff, Cefalù, still keeping its ancient print, has grown around the Cathedral wanted by Ruggero II. The Cathedral, began in 1131, is one of the most interesting medieval monuments of the island and boasts outstanding mosaics and a wonderful cloister. A large part of the town is pedestrian. Stroll through the medieval narrow street and admire the picturesque houses on the sea and the long beach of finest sand.
Time at disposal for an independent visit and lunch on your own
Later departure for Palermo (approx. 1 hour driving)
Day 6
(Monday & Thursday) Palermo and Monreale with street food tastings - half day
Today you are greeted at Palermo hotel and driven by taxi to Monreale to see with your 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.
Later the taxi will drive you back to Palermo to continue your walking tour of the city center. Explore a large open air street market (Capo or Ballarò) that captures the flavor of Palermo’s Saracen Arab past. Enjoy a local street food tasting inside the market. Then continue by seeing “four corners” that converge Palermo at a quartet of baroque palaces left over from the heyday of Spanish rule dating from 1560, Piazza Pretoria and Via Maqueda.
The tour ends at Piazza Verdi (Massimo Opera Theatre square). Independent transfer to your hotel.
RECOMMENDED OPTIONAL DAY TOUR
#1 - Cooking Class and dine with locals, half day PM
#2 - Sailing Sunset Tour, half day PM
Day 7
(Tuesday & Friday) Arrivederci
Time to say goodbye to Sicily.
Our italian-speaking driver will pick you up at your hotel and will bring you to the airport of Palermo.
Small Group Tour of Sicily, 7 days – up to 7 people
