OVERVIEW
“Without Sicily, Italy leaves no image in the soul. Sicily is the key to everything” wrote Johann Wolfgang Goethe in Italian Journey.
Don’t lose the chance to enjoy the essence of the Mediterranean crossroad!”
“It is Sicily: a distillation of three thousand years of history, a blend of zestful traditions, ancient cultures, outstanding natural beauty and exuberant people.
In Sicily you can savour nuances of the Mediterranean’s most captivating destinations. The island has always been a crossroads where many different civilizations have met and left a heritage of extraordinary cultural variety. It offers well-preserved Greek, Roman, Norman and Saracen ruins, vestiges of the classical world, ancient temples, Greek theatres and awe-inspiring active volcanoes like Etna, the highest Volcano in Europe, one of Sicily’s most iconic sights. Climbing to the summit and seeing inside the smoking craters is a exciting experience.”
- ACTIVITY: Self-guided cultural tour
- NAME: Cultural discovery of Sicily
- TRIP CODE: ICCDS
- DURATION: 8 days/7 nights
- GRADE: Easy
- 2022 PRICES: Prices depend on period required
GALLERY
ITINERARY
Arrival in Palermo Airport and transfer to your accommodation.
Here you can indulge yourself in a lovely discover of the highlights of the area.
A walkway of about 200 meters, along a section of the “salt road”, brings you to the Salt Museum and, from here, you can easily reach the restaurant for your dinner. Overnight: in Trapani Countryside
Today a private transfer takes you to the Zingaro Nature Reserve where an astonishing walk awaits you. From Scopello to San Vito lo Capo you explore one of the most well – preserved and pristine coastline of Italy. Here a typical Mediterranean vegetation grows above a azure sea against steep mountains.
The Zingaro has been shaped by nature creating a countless of grottoes in the limestone cliffs and a series of enchanting rocky beaches. After a pleasant walk you can enjoy a picnic lunch immerse in the nature reserve before returning to the Relais. Here you can indulge yourself in an relaxing time prior to the dinner. Overnight: in Trapani Countryside
Today you experience a journey along a captivating route on the west coast of Sicily, the Salt Road or Via Del Sale: one of the most unique sights in the whole of Sicily. You visit a mill immersed in an amazing lagoon with heaps of salt and stretches of white crystallization tanks. After taking the boat across the lagoon you reach the island of Mozia, the most important Phoenician and Carthaginian settlement in the Mediterranean (8th century B.C.). You visit the Casa Whitaker and witness in the marble sculpture The Youth of Mozia the perfection of ancient statuary. The archaeological museum offers a range of interesting objects, from vases to masks to tomb stones. Then, you take a walk on the island, admiring the remains of the Punic town walls and the Kothon, the old Phoenician harbour. In the afternoon you reach your “Baglio” and enjoy a wine experience in a real oasi: one of the most remarkable Baglios that used to belong to the most important family that have made the Marsala wine so popular, The Florio's.Overnight: in Marsala countryside
Today you reach by private transfer (about 30/40 min) the dramatic Temple of Segesta: the poet Goethe admired the Doric Temple of Segesta dating back to the 5th Century BC, set among steep valleys with a magnificent view of the surrounding peaks. You will follow in his footsteps and at the same time learn about the mysterious history of the Elymians.
After the visit you continue your day tour to Erice: a lovely preserved Mediaeval village offering the most breath-taking views and a real sense of history.
Discover on your own the main highlights of Erice: a tiny jewel set in the top of San Giuliano’s Mountain, where myths, legends and amazing landscapes coexist.
Visit the Norman Castle (once it has been a Venus’ temple), the Cathedral and the gardens around the Castle and enjoy its unforgettable landscapes in which you lose the horizon’s line.
From Erice you have the option to reach Trapani by cable car, enjoying an incredible view of the coast and its islands. Our driver will wait for you in Trapani to bring you at your Baglio. Here the quiet garden beckons you for a relaxing time prior to enjoy a wine tasting and the dinner at the restaurant. Overnight: in Marsala countryside
Today you leave Marsala heading the temple of Agrigento. Located on a plateau overlooking Sicily's southern coast, Agrigento was founded as Akragas around 582 BC by a group of colonists from Gela, who themselves were the immediate descendants of Greeks from Rhodes and Crete. Christened Agrigentum by the Romans and Girgenti by the Saracens, the city was renamed Agrigento in 1927. You will visit the Valle dei Templi, certainly one of the most outstanding sites of the ancient world and one of the highlights of our trip. You have time to explore the Temple of Juno, built around 450 BC, which is still intact; the Temple of Concord, built around 440 BC; the Temple of Hercules built in 520 BC in archaic Doric style, and the Temple of Olympian Zeus. In the afternoon you could take a local bus to Catania and reach your B&B by taxi in Catania.Overnight: in Catania
After breakfast you reach by private transfer your next destination: Siracusa.
Located on the southwest coast, Siracusa was founded in 733 BC and was once a powerful Greek port whose fleet was feared throughout the Mediterranean. It was the birth place of the scientist Archimedes and attracted visitors such as the philosopher Plato and later the Apostle Paul. You visit Ortigia, the cultural island linked to Siracusa by the Umbertino bridge, strolling through the historic Piazza Archimede to the Duomo, once a 6th Century BC temple dedicated to Athena before it was converted to a Christian cathedral in 640 AD.Then you explore the archeological sites - the sparkling white Greek Theatre, the Ear of Dionysius, the Altar of Hieron II, the Roman Amphitheatre and Cordari Grotto before taking a train to your next destination: Taormina.Overnight: in Taormina
After breakfast choose to simply relax or to stroll the medieval streets of this delightful town and to be tempted to shop along Corso Umberto, the main pedestrian thoroughfare. You can enjoy a walking tour of Sicily’s most sophisticated and dramatic resort, celebrated by poets and writers alike!
Visit on your own the Teatro Greco and the famous Villa Comunale: its scenic footpath lined with benches faces the view over the sea and Mt. Etna. Stop at the Piazza IX Aprile for a glittering view of Mt. Etna before making our way across to the church of Sant’Agostino, the Palazzo Ciampoli to the Badia Vecchia.Overnight: in Taormina
Our trip ends after breakfast. Private transfer on request – to be paid locally, according to your final travel plan.