Day 1 - Saturday: CATANIA (hotel in Catania)
Arrival by own means at the hotel in the charming city of Catania (possibility of private transfer on request). In the late afternoon meeting with our guide for a short briefing, free dinner and accommodation at the hotel.
Day 2 - Sunday: SYRACUSE – NOTO (hotel in Ragusa)
Breakfast at the hotel and departure for Syracuse, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, to visit the largest and most powerful Greek colony in Sicily: the Neapolis Archaeological Park which houses the Greek Theatre, the Roman Amphitheater and the Latomie del Paradiso as well as the suggestive Ear of Dionysius. We will continue our visit with the historic center of Ortigia, where you will be enchanted by the harmony of the buildings in Piazza Duomo, first of all the Cathedral whose facade, a splendid example of Sicilian Baroque, hides the columns of what was once a sacred temple in doric style. Strolling along the charming alleys of the center we will arrive near the port, where the famous Arethusa spring, of mythological memory, is located. Free lunch. In the early afternoon we will move towards Noto, the capital of the Sicilian Baroque known as the "stone garden", full of splendid buildings and declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco. Inspired by the ideal of the "open city", it is a rare masterpiece which is the clearest example of the theatrical tastes of eighteenth-century architecture. We will stroll through the streets of the center to admire the skill and ingenious flair of the local workers. The Baroque of Noto is in fact a game of elegant curves, floral weaves, perspective views, palaces and gardens, capitals and cherubs that decorate the facades of churches and monasteries. Visit of Palazzo Nicolaci Villadorata, a marvelous noble residence in pure Baroque style, once the home of Don Giacomo Nicolaci, a man of great culture. Free time for a walk. Transfer to Ragusa with dinner and accommodation at the hotel.
Day 3 – Monday: RAGUSA IBLA – MODICA – PIAZZA ARMERINA (Hotel in Agrigento)
After breakfast at the hotel we will continue to Ragusa Ibla, the cradle of the late Sicilian Baroque with its beautiful churches and the Ibleo garden. Made known by the television fiction of Inspector Montalbano, Ragusa is today numbered among the 44 Italian sites indicated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. This wonderful ancient city has over fifty churches and numerous palaces in the Baroque style. We will then stop in Modica, a treasure chest of countless treasures of Baroque architecture, also declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco. During the visit, we will stop in one of the most renowned chocolate shops in the Iblean town, Sabadì, whose chocolate has received international recognition in the last 9 years. Continuing, you will be fascinated by the visit to the seventeenth-century Palazzo Castro Polara Grimaldi, with a spectacular view over the city! Once inside, you will have the sensation of being catapulted into 1903, the year in which time seems to have stopped here. The unchanged appearance of the house, the original furnishings and the collections keep the memory of the families who lived here, telling a "cross-section" of life of the Modica nobility. You will return to the present among the coolness of the Orti di San Giorgio, seven gardens suspended between light and beauty. Tasting the typical local dishes you can enjoy the panorama that opens up in front of you.
We will then continue towards Piazza Armerina and the afternoon will be dedicated to visiting the splendid Villa Romana del Casale, from the late imperial era and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Majestic villa that perhaps belonged to a member of the Roman senatorial aristocracy, has a monumental entrance and an incomparable mosaic extension with hunting and leisure scenes and episodes related to mythology and daily life. Transfer to hotel in Agrigento, dinner and accommodation.
Day 4 - Tuesday: AGRIGENTO – MARSALA – SALINE (hotel in Palermo)
Our tour begins today with a visit to the famous Valley of the Temples declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco, where the remains of ancient Akragas stand among the almond trees, defined by Pindar as "the most beautiful city built by mortals". You can admire the temple of Giunone, that of Concordia and the temple of Hercules. A journey through mythology, history and nature... Leaving Agrigento we will move to discover the delightful town of Marsala, in whose port Garibaldi landed in May 1860. Marsala is a Mediterranean and modern city, which is divided between sea and land, characterized in tuff yellow, sea blue, sunset red, salt white and vineyard green. We will walk through the streets of the center overlooked by ancient noble palaces, monuments and imposing churches in the Baroque style. We will continue with a guided tour inside the historic Cantine Florio, a journey that begins in front of the majestic giant vats, built at the end of the 19th century and still used for the refinement of Marsala, and continues inside the 3 fascinating barrel rooms, long 165 meters and interspersed with 104 arches. After a tour through the cellars, where the ancient tuff floor has been restored, you enter the avant-garde tasting rooms where we will stop for lunch and a tasting of local wines. We will then move along the famous Via del Sale to admire the Stagnone islands and the salt marshes... a lagoon that is also a nature reserve. The shallow and warm waters are home to many species of fish, molluscs and crustaceans and a very rich aquatic vegetation.
Even today, the Saline represent one of the oldest salt extraction industries in the world! In the evening accommodation in hotel and free dinner in Palermo.
Day 5 - Wednesday: MONREALE - PALERMO (hotel in Palermo)
After breakfast at the hotel, the morning is dedicated to the discovery of Monreale where we will visit the imposing Arab-Norman Cathedral defined as the eighth wonder of the world and the splendid Cloister, an admirable masterpiece of art, sculpture and semi-precious stone inlay! Continuation to Palermo. The city lies at the foot of Monte Pellegrino on a promontory described by Goethe as the most beautiful he had ever seen. In Palermo, more than elsewhere in Sicily, the historical eras revealed by the different architectural styles overlap. Its millenary history has given it an artistic and architectural heritage that ranges from the remains of the Punic walls to Art Nouveau villas, noble palaces and eighteenth-century squares, Baroque churches and neoclassical theatres. Residence of emirs and kings, Palermo preserves monuments of the Arab-Norman period including the beautiful Cathedral, the Church of the Martorana, among the most fascinating Byzantine churches of the Middle Ages in Italy and the Palatine Chapel, the highest example from a historical point of view -artistic, of the coexistence between apparently irreconcilable cultures, religions and ways of thinking, since they were involved in the wise management of power by Ruggiero II, Byzantine, Muslim and Latin workers. Along the way there is a stop for a typical lunch with local products. Afterwards you will be able to admire the splendid Teatro Massimo and the controversial Fountain of Piazza Pretoria, decorated with sixteenth-century sculptures and located on the edge of the ancient Kalsa district. Free dinner and accommodation in hotel.
Day 6 - Thursday: PALERMO
Our mini tour of Sicily comes to an end. After breakfast at the hotel our services are over.