SICILY: CULTURE AND TASTE

Welcome to Sicily! Enjoy the unique culture, varied landscapes, and authentic flavors of the beautiful island.

SICILY
8 DAYS / 7 NIGHTS
4 STARS HOTEL / BOUTIQUE HOTEL
PRIVATE TRANSFER
MIN. 2 - MAX 6 PEOPLE
ARRIVAL AT PALERMO (PMO) DEPARTURE FROM CATANIA (CTA)

SICILY: CULTURE AND TASTE
Code: BIT-9000

Immerse yourself in the distinctive culture of Sicily.

Enjoy a tour in the vibrant city of Palermo, discover the amazing city of Siracusa and the Island of Ortigia, uncover the hidden gems in the beautiful villages of Cefalù and Castelbuono, and be amazed by the jewels of Baroque in Noto, Scicli, and Modica.

Enjoy a private boat tour exploring Marsala, taste the renowned Marsala wine, and learn the secrets of the production of extra-virgin olive oil in a local farm.

Visit ICONIC ITALIAN DESTINATIONS and immerse yourself in authentic experiences, including:

  • The city of Palermo
  • Wine Experience and Marsala’s Islands boat experience
  • Cefalù and Castelbuono
  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil Experience and Siracusa
  • Baroque Cultural Heritage: Noto, Modica and Scicli
siracusa, ortigia, sicily, travel, tour, italy, igotravel
cooking class, cooking, sicily, food, italian food, experience, travel, tour, igotravel
erice, marsala, windmill, boat, tour, travel, sicily, italy, igotravel
MODICA, CHOCOLATE, CIOCCOLATO DI MODICA, SICILY, FOOD, TASTING, ITALY, TRAVEL, TOUR, IGOTRAVEL
catania, fish, market, seafood, travel, tour, food, italian food, sicily, italy, igotravel

DAY 1  Pick-up at Palermo Airport and drop-off to the hotel (private transfer)

BENVENUTO, WELCOME TO SICILY! After your arrival at Palermo Airport, our driver will welcome you and transfer you to the hotel (transfer time: approx. 40 min.). CHECK IN at the hotel and enjoy some time for relaxation after your long journey to Sicily. Lunch and dinner will be on your own. OVERNIGHT STAY IN PALERMO AT 4- STAR HOTEL ACCOMMODATION, DOUBLE ROOM (DOUBLE OCCUPANCY) WITH BED AND BREAKFAST SERVICE.

DAY 2 Palermo 3 hours' walking tour with private guide

ENJOY BREAKFAST AT THE HOTEL. Palermo is one of those cities with its own very distinct, almost tangible atmosphere, a place of mystery where reality often outperforms the traveller’s imagination and preconceived stereotypes. Palermo’s history has been anything but stable as the town passed from one dominating power to another with remarkable frequency. Its strategic position in the middle of the Mediterranean brought wave upon wave of invaders including the Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Greeks, Romans, Saracen Arabs, Normans, Swabians, French and Spanish Bourbons (just to name a few of the most influential). The result of this quilted history is evident today in the vast range of architectural styles, the intriguing fusion of ingredients used in many local dishes and in many names of locations which are obviously not of Italian origin. Thanks to this mix of cultures, part of of the city was declared UNESCO’s World Heritage Site. After breakfast, you will be met by our expert guide will bring you to discover the city center with a visit to the Cathedral of Palermo, the Palatine Chapel, I Quattro Canti, Piazza Pretoria. Lunch will be on your own. Afternoon at leisure. Dinner will be on your own. OVERNIGHT STAY IN PALERMO AT 4-STAR HOTEL ACCOMMODATION, DOUBLE ROOM (DOUBLE OCCUPANCY) WITH BED AND BREAKFAST SERVICE.

DAY 3 Wine experience and Marsala's Islands boat experience

ENJOY BREAKFAST AT THE HOTEL. After breakfast, you will be transferred to MARSALA WINE REGION (transfer time: approx. 1h and 45 min). You will visit a very nice WINERY that deeply represents the wine tradition of this area. With sweet, nuanced flavors, the wide variety of Marsala wines will be on display for your journey. You will have a tour of the historical cellars with a light lunch paired three with three distinct Marsala wines. In the afternoon, you will be transferred to the salt plains area between Marsala and Trapani. Here you will depart for your MARSALA'S ISLANDS PRIVATE BOAT TOUR, an experience you will find to be at once cultural, archaeological, and natural in unprecedented proportions. You will enjoy historical importance of the area as well as the natural wonders of the territory of Trapani. Join us in admiring all the islands in the lagoon of Stagnone from the comfort of the boat. The lagoon tour allows you to see and visit MOTHIA, a memorable archaeological site known for its windmills and salt plains. Your tour will finish with the visit of the MULINO D’INFERSA. After the tour, you will be transferred back to the hotel. Dinner will be on your own. OVERNIGHT STAY IN PALERMO AT 4-STAR HOTEL ACCOMMODATION, DOUBLE ROOM (DOUBLE OCCUPANCY) WITH BED AND BREAKFAST SERVICE.

DAY 4 Cefalù and Castelbuono

ENJOY BREAKFAST AT THE HOTEL. After breakfast, you will be transferred to CEFALU’ (transfer time: approx. 1h and 45 min). one of the most beautiful villages in Italy. Here you will be met by our expert guide who will take you to discover the beauties of this village: the city is dominated by a monumental rock that rises up to 270 metres in height already known to the Phoenicians as “promontory of Hercules” on which the Temple of Diana stands, a megalithic building linked to the worship of the water, as indicated by the nearby cistern dating from the ninth century BC. The historic district is lying in the shadow of this bastion and clings around its beating heart which is undoubtedly the DUOMO, a gigantic cathedral built by Roger II, the Norman (entrance fee: € 3,00 per person). Follows the visit to the MANDRALISCA MUSEUM (entrance fee: € 6,00 per person), where you will enjoy the extraordinary “Portrait of an Unknown” by Antonello da Messina and, for connoisseurs of this type of thing, to wander into the rectangular crypts of the Church of Purgatory wicth houses completely dried corpses. Lunch will be on your own. In the afternoon, you will be transferred to CASTELBUONO, a small medieval village set in the Madonie Valley, and visit the CIVIC MUSEUM OF CASTELBUONO (entrance fee: € 5,00 per person) located inside the VENTIMIGLIA CASTLE (entrance fee: € 5,00 per person), built by the powerful Count Francesco I Ventimiglia in 1317, upon an existing watchtower of the 12th century. It hosted the court of one of the most influential families of Sicilian history, even more powerful than the Vicerè! After the tour, you will be transferred back to the hotel. Dinner will be on your own. OVERNIGHT STAY IN PALERMO AT 4-STAR HOTEL ACCOMMODATION, DOUBLE ROOM (DOUBLE OCCUPANCY) WITH BED AND BREAKFAST SERVICE.

DAY 5 Transfer to the province of Siracusa

BREAKFAST AND CHECK OUT FROM THE HOTEL. Morning at leisure in Palermo. Lunch will be on your own. In the afternoon, you will be met by our expert driver and transferred to your next accommodation located in the PROVINCE OF SIRACUSA (transfer time: approx. 3h.). Time to settle into your accommodation and relax after the long journey. OVERNIGHT STAY IN THE PROVINCE OF SIRACUSA AT 4-STAR HOTEL ACCOMMODATION, DOUBLE ROOM (DOUBLE OCCUPANCY) WITH HALF-BOARD SERVICE (BREAKFAST AND 3-COURSE DINNER, DRINKS NOT INCLUDED).

DAY 6  Full-day extra virgin olive oil experience and Siracusa

ENJOY BREAKFAST AT THE HOTEL. After breakfast, you will be transferred to a local farm specialized in PRODUCING EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL. During the tour the guide will closely illustrate the techniques and stages of production of extra virgin olive oil. Then, you will take a walk among the olive groves to appreciate the wisdom and size of our olive trees that allow to produce a precious oil in a “fairytale” territory. After the tour, you will have a light lunch at the farm. In the afternoon, you will be transferred to SIRACUSA, a city with more than three thousand years of history. Many Mediterranean populations have passed through and dominated the region, including the Byzantines, Bourbons, Arabs, Normans, and Aragonese. You will be met by our expert guide and together will visit the ARCHAEOLOGICAL PARK OF NEAPOLIS. Inside the park, you will appreciate the Roman Amphitheatre, the Ierone Altar, the Greek Theater, the Latomia del Paradiso, the Cordari Cave, and the Dionysus Ear. Enjoy lunch on your own at a local restaurant overlooking the coast or in the bustling city center. Next, we will tour the ISLAND OF ORTIGIA, including the visit of the Duomo of Siracusa (entrance fee: € 2,00 per person). First settled over 2,700 years ago, Ortigia is one of the oldest settlements in the Mediterranean. The history is evident as you climbs its cobbled stairs or descend to a hidden beac retreat. After the tour, you will be transferred back to the hotel. OVERNIGHT STAY IN THE PROVINCE OF SIRACUSA AT 4-STAR HOTEL ACCOMMODATION, DOUBLE ROOM (DOUBLE OCCUPANCY) WITH HALF-BOARD SERVICE (BREAKFAST AND 3-COURSE DINNER, DRINKS NOT INCLUDED).

DAY 7 Baroque cultural heritage: Noto, Modica and Scicli

ENJOY BREAKFAST AT THE HOTEL. After breakfast, you will be transferred to NOTO (transfer time: approx. 45 min.). In Noto you will meet our expert guide and start you tour from the ARCO DI TRIONFO, which will bring you to the corso Vittorio Emanuele, the heart of Noto. Enjoy the stroll, it’s nice to walk up and down this street. On the left side of the corso, you will come across the CHURCH OF SANTA CHIARA (external visit), and after few meters the impressive CATHEDRAL OF NOTO, which stands on top of a monumental staircase (entrance fee: € 2,00 per person). After the visit, you will be transferred to MODICA (transfer time: approx. 45 min.), the city of the Sicilian poet Salvatore Quasimodo. Lunch will on your own - we recommend to taste the famous and delicious chocolate of Modica! After lunch you will visit the CATHEDRAL OF SAN GIORNO, the most important and majestic church of Modica, often indicated as a symbolic monument of the Sicilian baroque, the CASTEL OF THE COUNTS OF MODICA (external visit), the CHURCH OF SANTA MARIA DI BETLEM, one of the three ancient collegiate churches of the city and it dates back to the fourteenth century. After the visit of Modica, you will be transferred to SCICLI (transfer time: approx. 20 min), UNESCO’s World Heritage Site since 2002. Its historical center is an expression of the creative genius of the late Baroque age, and the result of the eighteenth-century reconstruction after the 1693 disastrous earthquake that destroyed the whole city. The famous writer Elio Vittorini in his book “The cities of the world” wrote “It is, perhaps, the most beautiful city of the world”. At first we will visit the COMPLEX OF SANTA MARIA DELLA CROCE, also called “the Balcony of Scicli” (entrance fee: € 2,00 per person). Then, we will reach the city center: the STREET FRANCESCO MORMINO PENNA is a unique scenery made of eighteenth century noble palaces and ecclesiastical baroque architectures all built with local white stone. After the tour, you will be transferred back to the hotel. OVERNIGHT STAY IN THE PROVINCE OF SIRACUSA AT 4-STAR HOTEL ACCOMMODATION, DOUBLE ROOM (DOUBLE OCCUPANCY) WITH HALF-BOARD SERVICE (BREAKFAST AND 3-COURSE DINNER, DRINKS NOT INCLUDED).

DAY 8  Pick-up and drop-off to Catania Airport (private transfer) 

ENJOY BREAKFAST AND CHECK OUT FROM THE HOTEL. After breakfast, you will be transferred to Catania airport according to your flight schedule. Arrivederci and we hope to see you again!

Services included:

  • Pick-up at Palermo airport and drop off to the hotel in Palermo by private transfer (Day 1);
  • 4 nights in Palermo at 4-star hotel accommodation, double room (double occupancy) with bed and breakfast service (Day 1-5);
  • Palermo 3-hour walking tour with private guide, entrance fee (Day 2);
  • Wine Experience and Marsala’s Islands boat experience Full-Day Tour including: private transfer, Marsale winery tour and tasting, light lunch, Marsala’s Islands boat experience, entrance fees to Mothia and the Mulino d’Infersa (Day 3);
  • Cefalù and Castelbuono Full-Day Tour including: private transfer, full-day English speaking guide (Day 4);
  • Pick-up in Palermo and drop off to the accommodation located in the Province of Siracusa (Day 5);
  • 3 nights in the Province of Siracusa at 4-star hotel accommodation, double room (double occupancy) with half-board service - breakfast and 3-course dinner, drinks not included (Day 5-8);
  • Full-Day Extra Virgin Olive Oil Experience and Siracusa Tour including: private transfer, farm tour, light lunch, Siracusa 3-hour walking tour with private guide, entrance fees (Day 6);
  • Noto, Modica and Scicli Full-Day Tour including: private transfer, full-day English speaking guide (Day 7);
  • Pick-up at the hotel and drop off to Catania Airport (Day 8).

 

Services not included:

  • Flight ticket;
  • Visa;
  • City tourist taxes;
  • Cefalù Cathedral entrance fee: € 3,00 per person (Day 4);
  • Mandralisca Museum entrance fee: € 6,00 per person (Day 4);
  • Civic Museum of Castelbuono entrance fee: € 5,00 per person (Day 4);
  • Duomo of Siracusa entrance fee: € 2,00 per person (Day 6);
  • Cathedral of Noto: € 2,00 per person (Day 7);
  • Complex of Santa Maria della Croce entrance fee (Scicli): € 2,00 per person (Day 7);
  • Lunch and dinners not included in the section “SERVICES INCLUDED”;
  • Basic medical insurance: on request;
  • Tips and everything not mentioned in the section “SERVICES INCLUDED”.

 

Advance Booking is highly recommended

Cancellation Policies please see our Terms and Conditions