(7 Nights) 
November 5-12, December 3-10, 2011, January 21-28, February 18-25, March 3-10, March 10-17, March 24-31, 2012 Arrivals and departures on Saturdays (contact us for special New Year's tour)

Day 1:  Palermo
Independent arrival at Hotel Principe di Villafranca in Palermo. Enjoy a welcome
cocktail. Dinner and overnight in your hotel.

Day 2:  SUNDAY: PALERMO - CEFALÙ - CAPO D’ORLANDO - TAORMINA - CATANIA
After a buffet breakfast, depart to Cefalù, a charming coastal town, a former fishing village, which is also home to a breathtaking Norman Cathedral with dazzling mosaics. Take a stroll to the city centre and down main street to reach the Cathedral and the medieval wash-house built in the rock. Proceed to Capo d’Orlando along the Tyrrhenian coast and stop for lunch. Continue to Taormina called “the pearl of the Ionic Sea”, founded in 400 BC and beautifully located overlooking the sea and the peak of Mount Etna. Enjoy time at leisure to shop for handmade lace, coral jewels, ceramics, home-made sweets and preserves down “Corso Umberto” or simply walk through the tiny streets. Possibility to visit the fascinating Roman - Greek theatre. Proceed to Catania. Accommodation, dinner and overnight at the Excelsior Grand Hotel Catania.

Day 3 MONDAY: CATANIA - MONTE ETNA with lunch in a farmhouse - CATANIA
After a buffet breakfast, weather conditions permitting, excursion to Mount Etna, the highest active volcano in Europe. Across fascinating landscape, we will reach a height of 2000 metres, where we will enjoy a fantastic panorama of the Ionic Sea. Lunch in a farmhouse on the slopes of Etna and wine tasting of local production. Back to Catania, the town known for its original baroque style and for its streets built with black lava stone from mount Etna. Walking tour through Via Etnea, the Baroque street “Via Crociferi”, Piazza Duomo with the Cathedral and the “Liotru” statue, symbol of the city, the roman Amphitheatre, the Opera House (external visit), the University, and the noble Palace of Biscari (external visit). Dinner and overnight in your Hotel.

Day 4: TUESDAY: CATANIA - SIRACUSA - NOTO - RAGUSA with Sicilian typical products tasting
After a buffet breakfast, depart to Syracuse to visit the most beautiful Greek colony of Sicily. Visit of the archaeological area including the famous Latomie of the Paradise, the Greek Theatre, the Roman Amphitheatre and the Dyonisios “Ear”. Visit the island of Ortigia, the small baroque old city centre of Siracusa, built by the Aragonians: here you can admire the Cathedral and the “Fontana Aretusa”. Lunch in a local restaurant. In the afternoon, depart to Noto, one of the most beautiful cities in Sicily renowned for the harmony and unity of its Baroque style and today declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Proceed to Ragusa, a city that is divided into two parts: the upper part built after the earthquake in 1693 and the lower part that is called Ragusa Ibla, one of the most important testimony of the Baroque architecture. Enjoy a tasting of Sicilian typical products in a nice bar in the main square by the Dome, “Basilica di San Giorgio”. Accommodation, dinner and overnight at Hotel Mediterraneo Palace.   

Day 5:  WEDNESDAY: RAGUSA - PIAZZA ARMERINA - AGRIGENTO
After a buffet breakfast, depart to Piazza Armerina and visit the worldwide known Villa Romana del Casale: it is the richest, largest and most complex collection of late Roman mosaics in the world. Continue to Agrigento. Lunch in a local restaurant. In the afternoon, visit of the Valley of the Temples including the Temple of Juno, Concord, Heracles, Zeus, Castor & Pollux that represent the most beautiful example of the Greek Civilization in Sicily. Before reaching your Hotel, enjoy an unforgettable panoramic tour of the Valley of the Temples illuminated. Accommodation, dinner and overnight at Hotel Della Valle.

Day 6 THURSDAY: AGRIGENTO - SELINUNTE with lunch in a farmhouse- SEGESTA - PALERMO
After a buffet breakfast, depart to the Archaeological park of Selinunte, the largest in the Mediterranean area with the impressive Temples and Acropolis. Proceed to Castelvetrano and stop in a local farmhouse (famous for olive oil production) where before lunch it will be possible to have a wine and oil tasting of local production. Continue to Segesta to visit the Doric Temple which keeps in its stones the weight of a long history, surrounded by a unique landscape. Proceed to Palermo. Accommodation, dinner and overnight at Hotel Principe di Villafranca.

Day 7 FRIDAY: PALERMO - MONREALE - (MONTE PELLEGRINO/CATACOMBS/CAPO MARKET OPTIONAL) - PALERMO
After a buffet breakfast, sea conditions permitting, embark to Reggio Calabria and visit the famous “Bronzi di Riace”. Drive along the Thyrrenian coast. Stop in Capo d’Orlando for lunch. Continue to Cefalù, a pleasant resort well known for its beautiful Norman Cathedral and the medieval wash-house built in the rock. Continue to Palermo. Dinner and overnight at NH Jolly Palermo.After a buffet breakfast. morning visit of the Capital of Sicily, one of the richest towns in the island for history and art: the Cathedral, the “Palatina” Chapel, and panoramic tour of the town (the “Quattro Canti”, the Opera House, the Pretoria Square). Continue to Monreale to admire the Cathedral with its splendid 12th century mosaics and the cloister of the Benedictines monastery with Moorish architecture. Lunch in your Hotel. Afternoon at leisure or optional excursion to Monte Pellegrino, the most famous mountain in Palermo, to arrive at the shrine of Santa Rosalia, the patron saint of the city; from the viewpoint enjoy a breathtaking panorama of the Conca d’Oro. Visit the Catacombs of Cappuccini, a haunting experience, where in a maze of corridors are held about 8,000 bodies embalmed. End the afternoon with a walk to the discover of one of the most colorful historical markets of Palermo: “The Capo Market” immersed in an explosion of vegetables, and fruits. Dinner and overnight in your Hotel.

Day 8 SATURDAY: PALERMO
After a buffet breakfast, end of the Tour.

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Included: 7 Nights at 4 star hotels (as listed or similar), full Board (breakfast, lunch & dinner daily), all ground & sea transportation as stated in itinerary, services of a multilingual tour escort, local Guides, and taxes.
   
Not Included: International airfare (excellent wholesale rates are available), entrance fees (currently about $88 - subject to change), airport transfers ($30 per person, per transfer), items of a personal nature, beverages not specified, travel insurance, optional excursions.

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