Sicily: a dive in the Mediterranean between art and history
8 days / 7 nights
Plan:
1st DAY: PALERMO
Arrival in Palermo at the airport. Landing operations. Hospitality. Coach Transfer a Palermo. Visit of the city: Cathedral, Church of San Giovanni degli Eremiti, Royal Palace and Chapel Palatine. Transfer to the hotel in the reserved rooms. Lunch. Continuation to Monreale. Visit of Cathedral and Cloister. Time available. Dinner in hotel. Overnight.
2nd DAY: PALERMO / SEGESTA / ERICE / AGRIGENTO
Breakfast at the hotel. Departure for Segesta. Visit of the Doric temple. Continuation to Trapani. Stop at the Sanctuary of the Annunziata, a simulacrum of the Virgin of Pisano. Continuation to Erice, medieval town located at an altitude of 750 meters above sea level. Lunch. Visit of the centre town of Erice with the Cathedral, the Balio and Piazza della Loggia. Panorama of the Trapani salt pans from Rock of Venus. Continuation to Agrigento. Arrival at the hotel, accommodation in the reserved rooms. Dinner and overnight.
3rd DAY: AGRIGENTO / PIAZZA ARMERINA / SYRACUSE
Breakfast at the hotel. Accommodation by coach and departure for the visit of the Valley of the Temples Agrigento: Temple of Concordia, Temple of Hercules, Temple of Juno and Temple of Zeus (Telamones). Continuation to Piazza Armerina. Lunch. Visit of the Villa Del Casale famous for the floor mosaics from the Roman era. Continuation to Syracuse. Arrival at the hotel, accommodation in the reserved rooms. Dinner and overnight.
4th DAY: SYRACUSE / NOTO / SYRACUSE
Breakfast at the hotel. Morning dedicated to visiting the archaeological area of Neapolis: Theatre Greek, Ara di Jerone, Ear of Dionysus. Stop in Ortigia to visit the Cathedral and the Fountain of Arethusa. Lunch. In the afternoon excursion to Noto, splendid Baroque city: Church of San Francesco. Cathedral, Palazzo Ducezio, Palazzo Villadorata. I'm going back to the hotel. Dinner. Overnight.
5th DAY: SYRACUSE/RAGUSA IBLA/MODICA/ SYRACUSE
Breakfast at the hotel. In the morning departure for Ragusa. Visit of the historical center of Ibla: Duomo Vecchio, Giardino Ibleo, S. Giuseppe, Cathedral of S. Giorgio, etc. Lunch in the restaurant. Departure for Modica. Visit of the Cathedral of San Giorgio and the Cathedral of San Pietro. Return late afternoon in Syracuse. Dinner and overnight.
6th DAY: SYRACUSE / ETNA / TAORMINA / NAXOS GIARDS
Breakfast at the hotel. Check-in by bus and departure for the excursion to Mount Etna (Rifugio Sapienza altitude 1,800 meters). You will cross the old feuds cultivated with precious vines and citrus groves, as well as the which the lava craters stand. Continuation to Taormina. Lunch. Visit in the afternoon of Taormina, international health resort overlooking the Ionian Sea: Greek Theater. Corvaja Palace, Cathedral. In the late afternoon departure for Giardini Naxos. Arrival at the hotel, accommodation in the rooms reserved. Dinner and overnight.
7th DAY: NAXOS GARDENS / MESSINA / ALKANTARA GORGES / GARDENS NAXOS
Breakfast at the hotel. Departure in the morning for Messina. Visit of the city: Church of the Catalans, Cathedral. Fountain of Neptune, etc. Stop in front of the mechanical clock of the Cathedral to watch the "noon" Messina. Return to the hotel for lunch. Afternoon dedicated to visiting the Gorges of Alkantara. I'm going back to the hotel. Dinner. Evening at leisure. Overnight.
8th DAY: NAXOS GARDENS / RIVIERA DEI CYCLOPS / CATANIA
Breakfast at the hotel and departure for the panoramic visit of the Riviera of the Cyclops. Stop in Acitrezza. Continuation to Catania and visit of the Baroque city: Via Etnea, the Cathedral, Piazza del Municipio and the Elephant fountain, symbol of the city. Lunch. Accommodation in coach and departure for the airport Catania. Embarkation and departure operations for the original destination.