Programma

First Day:  Palermo

Arrive at Palermo airport. Pick up your hired car and transfer to the hotel.

Time to relax in hotel and later meet your literary guide and have a thematic walk in the historical centre dedicated to the writer Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa. The route is in the Kalsa quarter, the ancient Arabian quarter where Tomasi lived in his last years, and where there can be found different places the Leopard speaks of, as well as different places Visconti used as a setting for his movie.  

Second Day:  Palermo, Monreale; Night in Palermo

Dedicate the day to the visit of Palermo and Monreale.  Consider a private visit at Palazzo Ajutamicristo sec. XV received by the owners. Palermo is a very intimate and secret city, hiding many of its beauties. To fully understand what the beautiful palazzi only suggest with their facades one must enter them.. Or consider to step into a private Sicilian home to peek into the lives of the local; have a unique dining with your host, the landlady is a great cook!

Third Day:  Palermo → Segesta → Mozia→ Night in Menfi

After breakfast leave towards Segesta. Visit the Temple of Segesta, a perfect example of the Doric school, and the Theatre: the ancients were good at choosing the places where to build the theaters!
Driving towards Marsala, you will pass through the spectacular salt route: it is a unique scenery with shelter for migration birds, windmills and the so called salt houses (mountains of salt covered with tiles).
Stop for lunch in a local trattoria completely surrounded by the glittering pools of the salt pans. Later, take a boat excursion to the Phoenician isle of Mothia and visit the Whitaker Museum.
In the late afternoon arrive in Menfi. One of the leading actors of the rebirth and the affirmation of Sicilian wine will host you in their wine estate.
A gourmet Sicilian dinner will be served in the big dining room where guests sit together round the 30-seat dining table or 'al fresco' during summertime. The four-course menu will be accompanied by a wine tasting route:4 glasses to match the food route.

Forth Day:  Menfi, Agrigento, Night in Noto

Leaving Menfi, your next stop will be the Valley of the temples in Agrigento,  the largest area of Greek buindings outside Greece, listed as a World Heritage Site. 

On the way to Agrigento admire the south-western coast of Sicily full of pristine and beautiful beaches: Eraclea Minoa is a jewel set among dazzling, white rocks, here can be found the remains of an ancient colony founded by Greek colonists from Selinunte. The Scala dei Turchi (The Stairs of the Turks) is formed by marl, a sedimentary rock with a characteristic white color.

In the afternoon, you will move towards the Sicilian Baroque area. Seven baroque towns, part of world heritage defined by UNESCO. The Sicilian unique baroque style has imposed during a surge of rebuilding following the massive earthquake of 1693 in the Val di Noto area; it has a strong identity with its grinning grotesque masks and putti and a particular flamboyance. 

Fifth Day: Ragusa Ibla, Modica, Scicli; Night in Noto

Let’s spend a day in the Baroque area:  you will visit Ragusa Ibla, an architectural jewel; Modica, as you walk along the streets you will first of all notice the steps, which are a characteristic of the town. Visit St. George Church, the main of the 100 spectacular churches and baroque monuments.

Taste the famous chocolate: the history of modician chocolate dates back in the past, when Modica was related with Spain and consequently with the ancient civilazation of Mexico, the Aztec. And finally Scicli and its wonderful Palazzo Beneventano. 

Sixth Day: Noto → Siracusa → Night in Taormina

Syracuse, the town of the Greek Myth, located on the outskirts of the River Ciane nature reserve is on your way to Taormina. So stop   Visit Ortigia, the historic centre and the Archaeological Park and the historic centre of Ortigia.

In the late afternoon leave towards Taormina and accommodation in your hotel.

Seventh Day:  Etna,  Night in Taormina

After breakfast in hotel, meet our English speaking naturalistc guide and have an half day excursion on Mount Etna, a unique experience you can't miss.
Traveling with your Etna-native guide, you will discover also the extraordinary wines of Mount Etna through the people who make them, visit top-rated cellars and taste local foods and local cultivated products as pistachio and hazelnut.

Eighth Day:  Catania airport, Leaving

After breakfast, leave towards Catania airport, drop-off your car and departure.

Date & Quote

Map

Booking & Cancellation Policy

HOW TO BOOK
contacting us on the phone +39 091 583728, or sending an enquiry online at our website formwww.privatesicily.it  . You will be contacted by a member of our staff within 48 hours (working days). We will send you a proposal and quote for the services required. Once we have receiced your written confirmation we will confirm all the service by issuing and sending via e-mail a pro-forma invoice. Please check this pro-forma invoice carefully as soon as you receive it and contact us immediately if there is any wrong information about you or the services confirmed.
GUARANTEED DEPARTURES
The tours marked as guaranteed departures will depart as scheduled with the minimum number of participants specified in each tour.  We will confirm the tour 30 days before the scheduled day. We try to make every departure work and only cancel when absolutely necessary and we may decide to operate a tour with less than the normal minimum number of people.
If your tour is cancelled because the minimum size group is not met, you will have the option to either transfer to another tour or receive a full refund of the deposit paid. 
PAYMENT
Usually to confirm your booking, we require a deposit of 30% of the total quote, and the balance is required 30 days before departure ; we will specify when different conditions apply in your pro-forma invoice.
CHANGES 
Any changes to your confirmed booking, must be notified us in writing.  Whilst we will endeavour to assist, we cannot guarantee we will be able to meet the requests.  Changes in party size which result in a decrease in the overall cost of the booking will be treated as a partial cancellation and our normal cancellation charges will apply.
CANCELLATIONS
Any cancellation should be made in writing (by e-mail). Following penalties (% of total invoice) will be applied for cancellations made:

Up to 60 days           10%
from 59 to 31 days   30%
from 30 to 21 days   50%
from 20 to 01 days 100%
before arrival date
 
no show                 100%

If different conditions apply, they will be specified in the booking process.