Treasures of Sicily

Fly to Catania and transfer to the 4-star Hotel Principe for a 2-night stay. The hotel is centrally located and surrounded by a good choice of restaurants. Welcome aperitif.

After a short walking tour of Catania, travel south to Syracuse on the Ortigia peninsula. Once ranked amongst Greek cities as second only to Athens, it is home to a Roman amphitheatre and Greek theatre, Arethusa’s Fountain and Dionysius’ Ear, and a Baroque cathedral on the site of the Temple of Minerva, with ancient temple columns re-utilised in its walls.
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Journey into Sicily’s central mountains to visit the 3rd/4th century AD Villa del Casale at Piazza Armerina, with its matchless mosaics of mundane and mythological life; revealing one of the richest and largest collections of Roman mosaics in the world. Continue to the southwestern shore for a guided tour of Agrigento’s (Greek) Valley of Temples. Overnight at the 4-star Hotel Colleverde Park.
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Roads, temples, fortified walls and the remains of an acropolis are in your seafront sights at Selinunte, the westernmost of ancient Greek cities. We follow this with a wine tasting visit to Marsala, before travelling to the charming coastal town of Mondello (Palermo) for two nights at the 4-star Splendid Hotel La Torre.
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A day of discovery in Palermo takes you to the awe-inspiring Norman Byzantine churches, from the crypt and the carved stone columns of the mighty Cathedral to the biblical old-gold mosaics in La Martorana church. A visit to Monreale, its Gothic cathedral aglow with an astounding 6,000sq.m of Byzantine mosaics. Conclude the day with a Palazzo visit.
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Begin the day with a visit to the Palatine chapel of the Norman Palace, where barely an inch of wall or ceiling is left unadorned. Continue to Cefalú, whose Norman cathedral and cloisters dominate the medieval town. Two nights at 4-star Hotel Villa Sonia in Castelmola.
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This morning, visit the island’s most famous and formidable landmark, and Europe’s highest and most active volcano, Mount Etna, climbing the 1,900m to the Rifugio Sapienza by bus (or, at an extra charge reaching 2,920m by cable-car or 4-wheel drive). The afternoon in Taormina lets you stroll its medieval lanes, pause for panoramic views from its Greco-Roman theatre, and sample a Sicilian aperitif and appetisers.
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Transfer to Catania for the return flight.
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