ENJOY SICILY

Day 1st
Arrival at Catania airport and transfer to Taormina. Accommodation at your hotel. Weolcome dinner in a sea view restaurant and overnight stay.

Day 2nd
Breakfast in hotel.
Meeting with your driver and departure for Mount Etna. During the tour you will admire the beautiful volcanic landscape of the biggest European volcano. You will explore the famous Silvestri Craters at Rifugio Sapienza (1200 mt.) and here will be possible to enjoy an excursion by cobble-car and jeep (not in-cluded). After you excursion you will visit the Tenuta San Michele, an ancient estate located on the slopes of the volcano Etna. The farm, which belongs to the noble family of the Baron Scammacca del Murgo, is surrounded by extensive vineyards and has a panoramic view of both Mt. Etna and the sea.

You will visit the winery and taste their best wines as Etna Rosso, Etna Bianco and the extraordinary Murgo Brut. Lunch at Murgo and return in Taormina.
In the afternoon you will be free to visit Taormina on your own. This town is 200 meters above sea level and looks down onto the Ionian Sea like a terrace, the prettiest you have ever seen. An emotion that takes your breath away is what comes to everyone when they see the Greek-Roman Theatre, this unbe-lievable work by mankind that stands on the mountain and from where one’s gaze drops down to the deep blue sea and to Etna, an unsettling presence that manages to stay in harmony with the landscape. Return to your hotel and over-night stay.

Day 3rd
Breakfast in hotel.
Departure for Siracusa. Of all the Greek cities of antiquity that flourished on the coast of Sicily, Siracusa was the most important, a formidable seafaring power nearly equal to Athens. You’ll see remarkable Greek and Roman ruins, includ-ing the cave called “The Ear of Dionysius,”. Finally, walk through the historical centre on the Ortigia Island to admire the Duomo, built upon the old temple of Athena, the Aretusa fountain and the ancient streets. Lunch at leisure and trans-fer to Noto a beautiful baroque town where you will taste special Granita Sicil-iana. Return in Taomina and overnight stay.

Day 4th
Breakfast in hotel.
pick up in hotel and departure for Agrigento for a beautiful guided tour at the Valley of the Temples, one of the most representative sites of Greek civilization in the Mediterranean area. You will see the Temple of Hercules, the Temple of Juno, the Temple of Castor and Pollux, the wonderful Temple of Concord and finally the beautiful Garden of Kolymbetra. Lunch at leisure. In the afternoon enjoy shopping in Via Atenea, the main street of Accommodation at Hotel Villa Athena. Overnight stay.

Day 5th
Breakfast in hotel.
Departure for Erice, a wonderful and mysterious medieval town made famous in ancient times as the birthplace of Venus. Walking through the cobble – stoned streets of the town, smelling a variety of aromas emanating from the numerous pastry shop for which Erice is famous. You will see the Norman Cas-tle and the Duomo.
Stopping at the world famous Pastry Shop Maria Grammatico. You will taste almond sweets, genovesi and nougat to match with Marsala wine. Free time for shopping. In the afternoon you can see The Salt Road and its Salt Pans located on the coastline between the cities of Trapani and Marsala. Locals extract the salt from the seawater following the same procedure used by the ancient Greeks and Phoenicians who once colonized this part of the Sicily. Once ex-tracted from the water and dried, the salt is heaped into mounds and covered in tiles — just like the ones used on house roofs—so the rain won’t melt the salt before it’s packed. Accommodation at Hotel Baglio Donna Franca in Marsala, visit of their cellars and wine tasting. Overnight stay.

Day 6th
Breakfast in hotel. Departure for Menfi, to visit Villa Ravidà, an early sample of neo-classical architecture with frescoed ceilings located in an enclosed court-yard in the town of Menfi. The owners, the Ravidà family, are mostly known for their award winning olive oil, RAVIDA, and have been running cookery courses to highlight its use in their daily cuisine. The region around Menfi is rich in archaeological sites (Selinunte, Mozia, Segesta) with an unusual mixture of traditions being re-flected on the food and culture. You will visit the estate "La Gurra" where they produce wine and olive oil. The olive oil was already known for its excellent quality. Meeting with Natalia Ravidà, the author of bestselling “Season of Sic-ily” a cookbook on Sicilian family food. Farm tour, lunch and olive oil tasting. Relax in the garden. In the afternoon you will visit Selinunte. Transfer to Pal-ermo and accommodation at Hotel Principe di Villafranca..

Day 7th
Breakfast in hotel. Pick up at hotel and private tour of Palermo and Monreale. Yill visit the most important monuments of Palermo as Quattro Canti (the Four Corners), Palermo’s extravagant baroque square and the twelfth-century Ca-thedral of Palermo. Afternoo at leisure and farewell dinner in at Ristorante La Dispenza dei Monsù. Overnight stay.

Day 8th
Breakfast in hotel, and departure for Palermo airport.