The Delights of Sicily
September 14 - 24, 2022
Come and experience a cultural crossroads in Sicily as nowhere else. Carthaginian, Phoenician, Greek, Roman, Arab, Norman, Byzantine influences abound in the places, the food and the people. We'll see a Sicily that's off the beaten path. We'll lodge in a small village by the sea, as well as experience and enjoy city-life living. We'll cook a Sicilian meal, taste good Nero D'Avola, stroll and shop in the island's most famous resort town of Taormina and swim in the mediterranean.
We travel in a small, intimate group of between 12 and 18 people. I hope you'll join us for the fun and unforgettable experiences we have in store. Enjoy: 10 nights/11 days
Cost per person: $3,750 per person (based on double occupancy) $700 single supplement Included: Lodging, private transportation, all tours and admissions, a wine tasting, a Sicilian cooking lesson, all meals except for three dinners and three lunches. Special pre-tour information and preparation are also provided to enrich your experience of this enchanting island. |
"To have seen Italy without seeing Sicily is not to have seen Italy at all - For Sicily is the key to everything!" - Goethe |
Our itinerary
Day One | Wednesday, September 14
From the sublime to check in time Our adventure begins with a visit to the World Heritage Site of Monreale overlooking Palermo and the fertile valley called La Conca d'oro (The Golden Shell). There we will tour Santa Maria La Nuova with its exquisite Byzantine, Norman and Arab art. Its mosaics are second to those of the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul and glitter with almost 5,000 pounds of gold used to create scenes from the Old and New Testament. We will also enjoy the peaceful calm of the Benedictine cloister. After lunch, there will be time to wander the lovely shops outside the cathedral before heading to our hotel in Scopello – our base for exploring the western part of Sicily. A welcome aperitivo awaits after our check in, after which you are free to become acquainted with this charming fishing village until dinner. |
Day Two | Thursday, September 15
From the mountain mist to the sea The mountain top walled medieval city of Erice is our destination today, where we will enjoy a private tour. Perched high above the Tyrrhenian Sea, with stunning views all around, its roots go way back to the original Elymian peoples even before the Phoenicians arrived and built a temple to their goddess Astarte. Hercules was said to have visited here. After lunch, there is free time to wander, shop and sample some of Maria Grammatico’s famous marzipan fruit or cannoli. Her story was made famous in the book Bitter Almonds by the American author Mary Taylor Simeti Upon leaving Erice, we take time to enjoy the unusual sight of windmills hugging the eastern coast, used in centuries past to extract salt from the sea and make a short visit to The Salt Museum. |
Day Three | Friday, September 16
Relaxing and exploring a beautiful ancient Greek temple Sleep in this morning and enjoy your own exploration of Scopello or accompany Cary to its iconic tonnara, a traditional site where blue fin tuna used to be captured and killed in a community-wide event called the mattanza. You’ll also have time to dip your toes into the Tyrrhenian Sea. After lunch, we board our bus to visit Segesta for a tour of its mysteriously remote temple and Greek theatre set high on a hill with breathtaking views of the countryside that stretch to the sea. |
Day Four | Saturday, September 17
Swimming in San Vito to a wine tasting in Scopello Pack your bathing suit today, we are heading for one of Sicily’s premier beaches in San Vito Lo Capo. It is famous for its wide stretches of sandy beaches, its beautiful blue transparent waters and the majestic Monte Monaco in the background. Spend the late morning and the early afternoon leisurely lounging at the beach, strolling along the surf and bathing in the warm soothing waters of the Tyrrhenian sea. On the way home, to put you in a more relaxed frame of mind, enjoy a wine tasting before having your final dinner in Scopello. Tomorrow we head south. |
Day Five | Sunday, September 18
Walking where the Greeks once worshipped Our sights will take us south today. We will drive through the interior of the island enjoying the cultivated wheat fields and olive groves that Sicily is so famous for. Enjoy a stop at the Scala dei Turchi - The Turkish Steps - brilliant white limestone geological formations that pirates would scale to raid the local villages. After checking into our hotel in San Leone, Agrigento's seaside resort town, and lunch, we visit the Valley of the Temples in Agrigento, situated on a dramatic crest in view of the sea. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is considered one of the largest archeological sites in the world and one of the best examples of the architecture of Magna Grecia. We will walk the processional route among the ancient Greek temples that were built from 510-430 BC where once as many as 100,000 people lived. |
Day Six | Monday, September 19
A taste of how a rich Roman consul once lived We head inland and travel back in time to the days of the Roman Empire. It’s the 4th century AD and Villa Casale is a thriving and luxurious villa where no expense is spared. We will view “the richest, largest and most complex collection of Roman mosaics in the world,” and make sure to look out for the famous Bikini Girls! No wonder it's a UNESCO World Heritage Site! After lunch, we head east to Siracusa, the city where the scientist and philosopher Archimedes was born. We might even catch a glimpse of the great Mount Etna from afar. Once checked into our hotel on Siracusa's historic downtown island of Ortigia, we will dine together and you'll be free to wander its charming narrow streets at evening time. |
Day Seven | Tuesday, September 20
Siracusa - where Plato once lived and Archimedes was born This morning we visit Siracusa's spectacular antiquities, from one of the world's largest intact Greek theaters to the Ear of Dionysius cave, named by the famous Italian artist Caravaggio to the beautiful Baroque Duomo once an ancient Greek temple and later a mosque - all UNESCO World Heritage Sites. After lunch, you are free to enjoy the lovely shops and seaside promenade this beautiful city has to offer. |
Day Eight | Wednesday, September 21
A day dedicated to food and Taormina This morning we say goodbye to Siracusa and pay our respects to the majestic Mount Etna with its unique lunar landscape and take a short hike around the spent crater Silvestri before leaving to check into our hotel in Taormina. This fashionable resort town drew such famous actors as Audrey Hepburn and Greta Garbo. Writers from Cervantes to Ernest Hemingway would draw inspiration from its breathtaking views. The afternoon is totally yours to explore its narrow streets and charming piazzas and its jewel of an amphitheater. We will enjoy sunset over the Ionian Sea with Mount Etna in the distance from our balconies and dinner will be at our hotel. |
Day Nine | Thursday, September 22
A place to be inspired and to do some last minute shopping An unforgettable cooking experience awaits us this morning. We will don aprons and learn all about Sicilian cooking in a most beautiful setting and enjoy the fruits of our labor. After a most luxurious lunch, we will say goodbye to Taormina and enjoy the seaside coastline drive down to Catania where we will be spending our last two nights together. Once we have checked into our hotel you are free to explore until dinner. |
Day Ten | Friday, September 23
We explore Bellini to Norma This morning we are treated to a tour of Catania’s famous Opera House Bellini in honor of Catania’s native son Massimo Bellini, who composed the opera ’Norma” after which the city’s trademark Pasta Norma is named. After the tour, you are free to spend your last day of the tour exploring the town and doing some last-minute shopping. We will meet up for our last dinner together before we leave for parts beyond. |
Day Eleven | Saturday, September 24
This is the day of leave taking as we depart for home or other adventures. We say goodbye to Catania and Sicily and Mount Etna and most of all to our band of travelers. We leave with cherished memories of experiences we’ve shared - foods we’ve tasted, sounds of the sea that surround this island, incredible artifacts from so many civilizations and most of all heartwarming people we’ve met along the way. We have indeed tasted the Delights of Sicily! |