Grand Tour of Sicily
> Arrival in Palermo
1st DAY – FRIDAY
Arrival in Palermo and transfer to hotel.
Lunch and/or dinner (based on flight times). Overnight stay.
> Palermo
2nd DAY – SATURDAY
Guided tour of the city: in particular, we will visit Piazza Pretoria, home to the Town Hall and the famous fountain with allegorical statues that Francesco Camilliani scultped in the 16th century. The church of Martorana and San Cataldo (external visits). Visit to the Church of Santa Caterina d’Alessandria and its cloister, splendid examples of Baroque art, where the cloistered nuns of the noble Sicilian families lived inside the ancient monastery, founded in the 12th century, at the end of the visit a small tasting will be served. We will then visit San Giovanni degli Eremiti (external visit) and the Arab-Norman style Cathedral (external visit). We will continue towards the imposing Palazzo dei Normanni in perfect Arab-Norman style, seat of the Sicilian Assembly, where we will visit the marvellous Palatine Chapel with its Byzantine style mosaics. We will conclude our visit with a panoramic tour of the modern city. Return to the hotel and lunch. In the afternoon, optional visit (for an additional supplement) to the marvelous Cathedral of Monreale in Arab-Norman style, decorated with mosaics, where you can admire the majestic Christ Pantocrator and visit the Benedictine cloister. Return to Palermo for an external visit of the Teatro Massimo and the Teatro Politeama Garibaldi. Free time for shopping. Return to the hotel. Dinner and overnight stay.
> Palermo – Segesta – Selinunte – Agrigento
3rd DAY – SUNDAY
Breakfast and departure via motorway for Segesta, a city which, like Erice and Entella, was founded by the Elimi. Visit to the magnificent Doric temple dating back to the 5th century BC, located at the centre of a wild hill. Continue to Selinunte, a Greek colony founded by Megara Iblea. Lunch at a restaurant and visit of the largest archaeological park in Europe. Departure for Agrigento or Sciacca. Arrival at the hotel, dinner and overnight stay.
> Agrigento – Catania Area
4th DAY – MONDAY
After breakfast, departure for Agrigento, the ancient Akragas and visit of the famous Valley of the Temples. In particular, we will visit the Temple of Juno, solitary and imposing on the top of the hill of the temples, the vestiges of the Temple of Castor and Pollux, the Temple of Concordia, certainly the best-preserved Doric temple in the Greek world. Departure for Piazza Armerina to admire the famous mosaics of the Roman farmhouse Villa of the 3rd-4th century. Lunch at a restaurant. Continue to the Catania area. Hotel accommodation, dinner and overnight stay.
> Catania – Siracusa – Catania
5th DAY – TUESDAY
Departure for Syracuse and visit of the island of Ortigia with the Fonte Aretusa, the Cathedral and the Senate Palace. Then, continuate towards the archaeological area and visit the Greek Theatre, the Latomie, the Amphitheatre, the Ear of Dionysius. Lunch in a restaurant and departure for Catania. Orientation tour and free time for shopping. Return to hotel, dinner and overnight stay.
> Catania Area – Etna – Taormina
6th DAY – WEDNESDAY
Breakfast and departure for an excursion to Mount Etna: by coach you will ascend to an altitude of 1900m in the area of the extinct craters of the Silvestri Mountains where traces of lava flows from recent eruptions are visible. There is also the possibility of reaching higher altitudes (approximately 2800m) by cable car and jeep (extra charge). Lunch. In the afternoon, visit of Taormina, the famous Sicilian tourist resort and the Greco-Roman Theatre. Free time to walk along the streets and for shopping. Return to hotel, dinner and overnight stay.
> Catania Area – Messina – Palermo
7th DAY – THURSDAY
Breakfast and departure for Messina. Short orientation tour and external visit of the Cathedral. Continue to Cefalù along the A20 motorway which runs along the northern part of Sicily, from which you can enjoy a magnificent panorama of the Aeolian Islands. Along the way, stop for lunch in a restaurant. Arrival in Cefalù for a visit of the Cathedral and the historic town centre. Free time in the centre for shopping and departure for Palermo. Dinner and overnight stay in the hotel.
> Departure from Palermo
8th DAY – FRIDAY
Breakfast and/or lunch (based on flight times). Transfer to Palermo Airport. Boarding of one of our special flights and departure.
N.B. The circuit could be organised in a different order but the progamme and destinations would remain unchanged.
