Sicily Tour 8 days and 7 nights From Catania EVERY SATURDAY

What's Included

Meeting and pickup

Itinerary

Day 1
Day 1 - Saturday: CATANIA (hotel in Catania)
1 stop
1
Catania
Arrival by own means at the hotel in the charming city of Catania (on request possibility of private transfer). In the late afternoon meeting with our guide for a short briefing, free dinner and overnight at the hotel.
1 day • Admission ticket free
Day 2
Day 2 - Sunday: SYRACUSE – NOTO (hotel in Ragusa)
6 stops
2
Syracuse
Breakfast at the hotel and departure for Syracuse.
2 hours • Admission ticket free
3
Parco Archeologico della Neapolis
the Archaeological Park of Neapolis which houses the Greek Theater, the Roman Amphitheater and the Latomie del Paradiso as well as the evocative Ear of Dionysius. Cost of entrances to museums subject to reconfirmation to be paid locally: Syracuse Archaeological Park € 10.00 p.p.
2 hours • Admission ticket not included
4
Ortigia
We will continue our visit with the historic center of Ortigia, where you will be enchanted by the harmony of the buildings in Piazza Duomo, first of all the Cathedral whose facade, a splendid example of Sicilian Baroque, hides the columns of what was once a sacred temple in doric style. Walking along the delightful alleys of the center we will arrive near the port, where the famous Arethusa spring, of mythological memory, is located. Free lunch. Cost of entrances to museums subject to reconfirmation to be paid locally: Syracuse Cathedral € 2.00 p.p.
3 hours • Admission ticket not included
5
Noto
In the early afternoon we will move towards Noto, the capital of the Sicilian Baroque known as the "stone garden", full of splendid buildings and declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco. Inspired by the ideal of the "open city", it is a rare masterpiece which is the clearest example of the theatrical tastes of eighteenth-century architecture. We will stroll through the streets of the center to admire the ability and ingenious flair of the local workers. The Baroque of Noto is in fact a game of elegant curves, floral weaves, perspective views, palaces and gardens, capitals and cherubs that decorate the facades of churches and monasteries.
1 hour • Admission ticket free
6
Visit of Palazzo Nicolaci Villadorata, a marvelous noble residence in pure Baroque style, once the home of Don Giacomo Nicolaci, a man of great culture. Free time for a walk. Cost of entrances to museums subject to reconfirmation to be paid locally: Noto Palazzo Nicolaci € 4.00 p.p.
2 hours • Admission ticket not included
7
Ragusa
Transfer to Ragusa with dinner and overnight at the hotel.
Admission ticket free
Day 3
Day 3 – Monday: RAGUSA IBLA – MODICA – PIAZZA ARMERINA (Hotel in Agrigento)
5 stops
8
Ragusa Ibla
After breakfast at the hotel we will continue to Ragusa Ibla, the cradle of the late Sicilian Baroque with its beautiful churches and the Ibleo garden. Made known by the television fiction of Inspector Montalbano, Ragusa is today numbered among the 44 Italian sites indicated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. This wonderful ancient city has over fifty churches and numerous palaces in the Baroque style
2 hours • Admission ticket free
9
Modica
We will then stop in Modica, a treasure trove of countless treasures of Baroque architecture, also declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco. During the visit, we will stop in one of the most renowned chocolate shops in the Iblean town, Sabadì, whose chocolate has received international recognition in the last 9 years. Continuing, you will be fascinated by the visit to the seventeenth-century Palazzo Castro Polara Grimaldi, with a spectacular view over the city! Once inside, you will have the sensation of being catapulted into 1903, the year in which time seems to have stopped here. The unchanged appearance of the house, the original furnishings and the collections keep the memory of the families who lived here, telling a "cross-section" of life of the Modica nobility. You will return to the present among the coolness of the Orti di San Giorgio, seven gardens suspended between light and beauty. While tasting the typical local dishes, you will be able to enjoy the panorama.
2 hours • Admission ticket free
10
We will then continue towards Piazza Armerina
2 hours • Admission ticket free
11
Villa Romana del Casale
The afternoon will be dedicated to visiting the splendid Villa Romana del Casale, from the late imperial era and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Majestic villa that perhaps belonged to a member of the Roman senatorial aristocracy, has a monumental entrance and an incomparable mosaic extension with hunting and leisure scenes and episodes related to mythology and daily life. Cost of entrances to museums subject to reconfirmation to be paid locally: Piazza Armerina Roman Villa € 10.00 p.p.
2 hours • Admission ticket not included
12
Agrigento
Transfer to hotel in Agrigento, dinner and overnight.
Admission ticket free
Day 4
Day 4 - Tuesday: AGRIGENTO – MARSALA – SALINE (hotel in Palermo)
5 stops
13
Valle dei Templi
Our tour begins with a transfer to Agrigento, with a visit to the famous Valley of the Temples, declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco, where the remains of ancient Akragas stand among the almond trees, defined by Pindar as "the most beautiful city built by mortals". You can admire the temple of Giunone, that of Concordia and the temple of Hercules. A journey through mythology, history and nature… Cost of entrances to museums subject to reconfirmation to be paid locally: Agrigento Valley of the Temples €12.00 p.p.
2 hours • Admission ticket not included
14
Marsala
Leaving Agrigento we will move to discover the delightful town of Marsala, in whose port Garibaldi landed in May 1860. Marsala is a Mediterranean and modern city, which is divided between sea and land, characterized by the colors tuff yellow, sea blue, sunset red, white salt and green vineyard. We will walk through the streets of the center overlooked by ancient noble palaces, monuments and imposing churches in the Baroque style.
1 hour • Admission ticket free
15
Cantine Florio
We will continue with a guided tour inside the historic Cantine Florio, a journey that begins in front of the majestic giant vats, built at the end of the 19th century and still used for the refinement of Marsala, and continues inside the 3 fascinating barrel rooms, long 165 meters and interspersed with 104 arches. After a tour through the cellars, where the ancient tuff floor has been restored, you enter the avant-garde tasting rooms where we will stop for lunch and a tasting of local wines.
2 hours • Admission ticket free
16
We will then move along the famous Via del Sale to admire the Stagnone islands and the salt marshes... a lagoon that is also a nature reserve. The shallow and warm waters are home to many species of fish, molluscs and crustaceans and a very rich aquatic vegetation. Even today, the Saline represent one of the oldest salt extraction industries in the world!
1 hour • Admission ticket free
17
Palermo
In the evening accommodation in hotel, free dinner and overnight in Palermo.
Admission ticket free
Day 5
Day 5 - Wednesday: MONREALE - PALERMO (hotel in Palermo)
5 stops
18
Cattedrale di Monreale
After breakfast at the hotel, the morning is dedicated to the discovery of Monreale where we will visit the imposing Arab-Norman Cathedral defined as the eighth wonder of the world and the splendid Cloister, an admirable masterpiece of art, sculpture and semi-precious stone inlay! Cost of entrances to museums subject to reconfirmation to be paid locally: Monreale Cathedral € 4.00 p.p. Monreale Cloister € 6.00 p.p.
3 hours • Admission ticket not included
19
Palermo
Continuation to Palermo. The city lies at the foot of Monte Pellegrino on a promontory described by Goethe as the most beautiful he had ever seen. In Palermo, more than elsewhere in Sicily, the historical eras revealed by the different architectural styles overlap. Its millennial history has given it an artistic and architectural heritage that ranges from the remains of the Punic walls to Art Nouveau villas, noble palaces and seventeenth-century squares, to Baroque churches and neoclassical theatres.
Admission ticket free
20
Cattedrale di Palermo
Residence of emirs and kings, Palermo preserves monuments of the Arab-Norman period including the beautiful Cathedral, the Church of the Martorana, among the most fascinating Byzantine churches of the Middle Ages in Italy
2 hours • Admission ticket free
21
Santa Maria dell'Ammiraglio (La Martorana)
The Church of the Martorana, among the most fascinating Byzantine churches of the Middle Ages in Italy and the Palatine Chapel, the highest example from the historical-artistic point of view, of the coexistence between cultures, religions and apparently irreconcilable ways of thinking, since they were involved by the wise management of power by Ruggiero II, Byzantine, Muslim and Latin workers. Along the way there will be a stop for a typical lunch with local products. Cost of entrances to museums subject to reconfirmation to be paid locally: Palermo Palatine Chapel € 12.00 p.p. Palermo Church of the Martorana € 2.00 p.p.
3 hours • Admission ticket not included
22
Teatro Massimo
Afterwards you will be able to admire the splendid Teatro Massimo and the controversial Fountain of Piazza Pretoria, decorated with sixteenth-century sculptures and located on the edge of the ancient Kalsa district. Free dinner and an overnight stay in hotel.
Admission ticket free
Day 6
Day 6 – Thursday: CEFALU' - CATANIA (hotel in Catania)
4 stops
23
Cefalu
After breakfast departure in the direction of Cefalù, a charming seaside village with a medieval appearance overlooking the Mediterranean and embellished by the Norman cathedral. Walk along the streets of the center and the possibility, for those who wish, to visit the famous Mandralisca Museum. Stop for lunch at a renowned restaurant.
3 hours • Admission ticket free
24
Catania
The tour will continue to Catania where we will dedicate ourselves to visiting the historic center of the city and its Baroque, declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco. There are countless hidden treasures in this fascinating city whose late Baroque architecture is made unique by the use of lava stone.
1 day • Admission ticket free
25
Piazza del Duomo
Piazza del Duomo with the splendid Cathedral and the lava stone elephant (symbol of the city) and we will continue to Piazza Università.
Admission ticket free
26
Via dei Crociferi
Walking through the streets of the center we will visit the beautiful Via dei Crociferi, the Baroque heart of the city where the Monastery of S. Benedetto is located, made famous by Verga's novel "Storia di una Capinera". Stop in a bar in the historic center to taste the typical granita with brioche. Accommodation in hotel, free dinner and overnight.
Admission ticket free
Day 7
Day 7 - Friday: ETNA – TAORMINA (hotel in Catania)
3 stops
27
Mount Etna
After breakfast at the hotel, we will make a quick visit to the historic "pescheria" (ancient fish market) before setting off to discover Etna, the highest active volcano in Europe (3,350 m) and declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 'Humanity. The Etna Park with its 59,000 hectares is unique for its extremely varied and rich flora and the protected species that inhabit it. Today vineyards, olive groves, pistachio groves, hazelnut groves and orchards surround the volcano testifying to an agricultural vocation of the area. The first glimpses of interesting landscapes can be seen arriving at Rifugio Sapienza. From there we will reach the Silvestri Craters, volcanic cones dating back to 1888 that are now inactive, surrounded by more recent lava flows. During the morning we will have the opportunity to taste the local artisan honey and various typical products of the area. Stop for lunch at a delightful restaurant.
4 hours • Admission ticket free
28
Taormina
Proseguimento per Taormina, celebre per il suo paesaggio naturale, le bellezze marine, i suoi monumenti storici e il suo indimenticabile panorama sul mare con vista privilegiata dell'Etna! Visita dell'affascinante teatro greco-romano da cui si gode un panorama mozzafiato sul golfo di Naxos. Tempo libero per passeggiare lungo le deliziose viuzze medievali del centro e fare shopping approfittando degli innumerevoli negozi che offrono i migliori prodotti dell'artigianato di tutta l'isola (pizzi e merletti, ceramiche, gioielli in corallo e splendide lavorazioni in pietra lavica, profumi, dolcetti e tanto altro…). Costo ingressi ai musei soggetti a riconferma da pagare in loco: Taormina Teatro Greco € 10,00 p.p.
3 hours • Admission ticket free
29
Catania
La giornata si concluderà con una panoramica della splendida Riviera dei Ciclopi. Rientro in hotel a Catania. Cena libera e pernottamento.
1 day • Admission ticket free
Day 8
Day 8 - Saturday: CATANIA
1 stop
30
Catania
Our tour of Sicily comes to an end. After breakfast at the hotel our services are over.
1 day • Admission ticket free

Additional info

• Public transportation options are available nearby
• Suitable for all physical fitness levels
• Attenzione il tour deve essere prenotato 16 giorni prima
• Penali di cancellazione Cancellazione free fino a 15 gg lavorativi prima della partenza. Da 14 a 9 gg lavorativi prima della data di partenza = 30% di penale Da 8 a 4 gg lavorativi prima della data di partenza = 70% di penale Da 3 gg lavorativi al giorno della data di partenza = 100% di penale

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