Marvelous Sicily

SATURDAY-SATURDAY / PALERMO-TAORMINA – 8 DAYS/7 NIGHTS

Small group tour max 16 pax

DEPARTURE DATES
• March 25, 2023
• April 8 & 15, 2023
• May 6 & 20, 2023
• June 10 & 17, 2023
• July 1, 2023
• September 2, 9, & 16, 2023
• October 14, 2023

DAY 1, Saturday: Palermo
Arrival at Palermo International Airport. Meet your local tour manager and private transfer to the hotel.

DAY 2, Sunday: Palermo – Monreale – (Cefalù optional) – Palermo
Breakfast at the hotel. In the morning, depart for Monreale and visit the Cathedral and its Cloister. Following, you will return to the city of Palermo to visit its main monuments, such as the Palatine Chapel and the Cathedral. Furthermore, we will take a sightseeing tour of the city. Enjoy a delicious ice cream (gelato) tasting at a local bar in Palermo. Independent lunch. Free time in the afternoon at leisure, or you can take an optional excursion to Cefalù, to visit the Cathedral as well as the Lavatoio Medievale (the old washhouse). Walk through the streets of the city and return to Palermo. Accommodation at your hotel in Palermo.

DAY 3, Monday: Palermo – Agrigento – Ragusa
Independent visit of the famous and unique “Valley of the Temples”. Breakfast at the hotel and departure to Agrigento: “The most beautiful city of mortals,” where, today, you can still admire ten Doric temples erected in the Valley. Lunch at a local restaurant in the area and departure for Ragusa in the afternoon. Accommodation at your hotel in Ragusa.

DAY 4, Tuesday: Ragusa – Modica – Syracuse
Breakfast at the hotel. In the morning, visit Ragusa Ibla, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Continue to Modica. We will see some of the most emblematic Baroque monuments and taste the famous Modican Chocolate. Continue to Syracuse. Accommodation at your hotel in Syracuse.

DAY 5, Wednesday: Syracuse
Breakfast at the hotel, and in the morning visit Syracuse: the largest city of antiquity, founded in 734-733 B.C. and called Syraka. Extended along the sea, next to the island of Ortigia, Syracuse is connected to the mainland by a bridge. It offers visitors the ruins of its glorious past: the Temple of Minerva, transformed into a Christian Cathedral, the legendary Fontana di Arethusa, the Temple of Apollo, the Teatro Greco and the Roman Amphitheater located near the Latomie, the Orecchio di Dionisio. Independent lunch. Free time in the afternoon in Syracuse to enjoy this wonderful city. For those clients who prefer to rest or enjoy the hotel facilities, transfer to the hotel. Dinner tonight will be at a local restaurant in the city—accommodation at the hotel.

DAY 6, Thursday: Syracuse – Etna (lunch at a local farmhouse) – Taormina
Breakfast at the hotel and METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PERMITTING, departure for Mount Etna: the highest, and still active, volcano in Europe (3,345 meters): the bus will reach the Sapienza Refuge at 1,800 meters of altitude. Visit the muted craters, the so-called “Crateri Silvestri.” The variety of flora is splendid, and the lunar landscapes that can be seen along the way are also wonderful. For centuries, the volcano has created a place where nature, culture, and history have come together to create a place that is unique in the world. Weather permitting, climb up to 2,900 meters with jeeps and funiculars, assisted by Alpine guides. We will have lunch at a local farmhouse at the foot of the volcano, where, combined with typical and genuine dishes, we can taste Etna’s wines of direct production from the farmhouse. Continue to Taormina: located at the summit of the picturesque Mount Tauro, at an altitude of 204 meters. Visit the Greek Theater with a local guide. Free time for shopping, discovering the city’s romantic alleys or admiring the magnificent panorama of Etna volcano and the Ionian Sea. Accommodation at your hotel in the Taormina area.

DAY 7, Friday: Taormina (Catania optional)
Breakfast at the hotel and FREE DAY at leisure to enjoy the city or the beach. You can also take an optional excursion to Catania (to be paid on site. Excursions are made only with a minimum of participants). Catania, the second city in Sicily, is characterized by its lava stone buildings. In the evening, farewell dinner at a local restaurant in Taormina. Accommodation in hotel.

DAY 8, Saturday: Taormina – Catania
Breakfast at the hotel. At the schedules time, transfer to Catania International Airport. End of our services.

Inclusions:
• 2 nights in BB at a 4-star hotel in Palermo occupying standard rooms
• 1 welcome cocktail at the arrival at the hotel in Palermo
• 1 night in BB in a 5-star hotel in Ragusa occupying standard rooms
• 2 nights in BB at a 5-star hotel in Syracuse occupying standard rooms
• 2 nights in BB at a 4-star hotel in the Taormina area occupying standard rooms
• 1 lunch at a local restaurant in Agrigento (3-course menu: ¼ wine + ½ mineral water are included)
• 1 dinner at a local restaurant in Syracuse (3-course menu: ¼ wine + ½ mineral water are included)
• 1 lunch at a local farmhouse/winery in the Etna area (3-course menu: ¼ wine + ½ mineral water are included)
• 1 gelato tasting at a local bar
• 1 wine tasting in the Etna area (3 different wines from a local Etna winery)
• 1 farewell dinner at a local restaurant in Taormina (3-course menu: ¼ wine + ½ mineral water are included)
• Excursion to Etna’s peak by jeeps and funicular (regular excursion – join in the group, NO PRIVATE) from 1,800 to 2,900 meters with Alpine guides.
• Entrance fees to the monuments (Palermo: Palatine Chapel, Cathedral / Monreale: Cloister, Cathedral / Agrigento: Valley of the Temples, Syracuse: Neapolis archeological site, Taormina: Greek Theater).
• Headphones (MANDATORY) for a visit to the Cathedral in Palermo, Monreale and Syracuse.
• City taxes
• Transfers IN/OUT
• Transportation by luxury minivan at disposal as per the itinerary mentioned above.
• Parking
• English-speaking tour manager during the whole tour. STARTING FROM 7 PARTICIPANTS. With fewer than 7 participants, the tour will lead by an English-speaking driver/guide
• Starting from 7 participants: English-speaking local guide in Palermo (Half Day – max 4 hours), Agrigento (Valley of the Temples tour), Ragusa-Modica (Full Day – max 7 hours), Syracuse (Half Day – max 4 hours), Taormina (Half Day – max 2 hours).
• Porterage
• Italian Value-Added Tax (VAT)

Package descriptions and pricing are subject to change without notice.