Sicily, the land of the Sun

Arrival at the Catania airport. Visit of the city and transfer to the hotel in Acireale or nearby at evening. Accommodation in reserved rooms, dinner and overnight stay.

Breakfast at the hotel. Departure for a day spent between nature and its most wild beauties, prosecution by bus to reach the impressive Etna (1900 m). Tasting of honey in the town of Zafferana Etnea, visit of the main craters with 4×4 mini buses and an authorized and experienced guide. Lunch in a restaurant. In the afternoon departure for Taormina, visit to its most important monument: the Greek theatre. Free time among the narrow streets of this beautiful Sicilian town. Dinner and overnight stay at the hotel in Acireale.

Breakfast at the hotel. Departure for Siracusa in order to attend a guided tour: this ancient city was the most aggressive enemy of Athens and Rome. Nowadays it preserves important evidence of its ancient charm: the Greek theatre, the Roman amphitheater, the “Latomie”, Dioniso’s Ear. Prosecution with the tour of Noto, “the garden made of rocks”, where the finest idea of baroque urban planning is expressed. Lunch in a restaurant. Built ex-novo after the earthquake of 1693, it is rich in baroque jewels: the Ctahedral, Ducezio Palace, Bishops’ Palace, Landolina and Villadorata palaces, San Domenico’s church. Hotel accommodation in Ragusa or nearby. Dinner and overnight stay.

Breakfast at the hotel. Visit of Donnafugata Castle in the morning. This castle was a lavish noble residence built in ‘800. With its 100 rooms, the labyrinth and the various artificial caves placed in its park is one of the most breathtaking places to visit in this region. Following on, visit of Scicli in the afternoon. This town is surrounded by hills that seem like they are trying to protect it. What’s more, Scicli has preserved almost entirely its baroque style. Many are the buildings that still have wonderful balconies and beautiful entrances. The number of churches and oratories with rich statues and sculptures is astonishing. In this town you will also find the Iacono Palas that is the “Questura di Montelusa” from “Il commissario di Montalbano”. Return to the hotel. Dinner and overnight stay.

Breakfast at the hotel. Tour of Ragusa Ibla in the morning. Here, S. Giorgio di R. Gagliardi church, S. Maria d’ Itria’ s, Immaculata’s, Purgatory’s, S. Giacomo’s, S. Giuseppe’s churches and the different noble buildings are of main importance. Ragusa Ibla is the imaginary location for “Vigata”, the town where the famous Italian writer Camilleri’s romance took place as did the tv series “Il commissario Montalbano”. Tour of the city of Modica. Visit of the city in the afternoon, another important pot of sicilian baroque art, rebuilt on an octagonal plant following the time aesthetic criteria. Visit of S. Domenico Palace (exterior), Santa Maria (exterior), Salvatore Quasimodo’s House (exterior), S. Pietro Cathedral, we will cross the rocky neighborhood of Sbalzo and the “corpo di terra” neighborhood. In the end there will be a visit of S. Giorgio. Afternoon break in a well-known bakery in order to taste the worldwide famous Modica chocolate. Arrival in Agrigento, hotel accommodation. Dinner and overnight stay.

Breakfast at the hotel. Visit to the Temples Valley in the morning. Lunch in a restaurant and prosecution with a visit of Palermo in the afternoon with its Salt Road surrounded by its dazzling salt pans scattered with windmills. Visit of Erice, a gracious little medieval town placed at 750 m. Here you will be able to taste the typical desserts. In the evening, arrival at the hotel in Palermo, dinner and overnight stay.

Breakfast at the hotel. Morning spent to visit Palermo which is one of the richest cities in art and history. Here we will visit the Cathedral and the Palatina Chapel. Visit of Monreale and tour of its Cathedral known for its golden mosaic. Lunch with typical Palermo “street food”.

Breakfast at the hotel. Visit of the Riviera dei Ciclopi in the morning. This is the stretch of coast that goes from Catania to Acireale. These are famous landscapes which were quoted in many books and movies. Some works in which we can find them are for example the famous “Odissea” (Omero), the book “I Malavoglia” (G. Verga) and the movie “La terra trema” (Luchino Visconti). Lunch in a restaurant and transfer to the airport to fly back.