Experience the natural beauty and rich history of Sicily on a private guided and fully customized tour of the island. Spend time in Palermo, Sicily's largest city flanked by rocky peaks straddling an azure colored sea along the rim of the Conca d'Oro and the Gulf of Palermo. Stroll along the wide boulevards and visit the old quarter of the city and its food market. Then visit the Arab-Norman splendor of Monreale's cathedral dating back to the 12th century. See the Greek theatre and temple at Segesta, visit small, picturesque towns, and take in the scenic coastal views on your way to Agrigento. Visit the Baroque cities of Ragusa Ibla, Modica and Scicli - all designated UNESCO sites, rich in architecture with splendid churches and palaces. Sample some of the gastronomical side of Sicily en route from olive oil, to chocolate, Marsala sweet wine and almond sweets - and even choose to do a cooking class if you so desire. Finally, see the sites at Syracuse before finishing your sojourn in the coastal resort town of Taormina.

Few places in the world can match Palermo's alluring mystique. Sicily's largest city is flanked by rocky peaks and straddles an azure sea along the rim of the Conca d'Oro and the Gulf of Palermo. At street level, the Sicilian capital is a busy and exciting metropolis that reflects 3,000 years of history as the Mediterranean's most important cultural crossroads. Its urban fabric is rich with baroque palaces from the Bourbon reign, mosaics, museums and colorful outdoor fish markets. Unlike any other, the city straddles past and present and north and south.

Avail of a private Airport (Falcone Borsellino) transfer with a private vehicle and driver.

A welcome package with your vouchers, a city map, train tickets (if relevant) and any other touristic information that we deem you may find useful will be waiting for you upon your arrival at your first hotel on your trip.

Explore Palermo at your leisure. Palermo is full of worthy destinations, and in the historic district in can seem as though they are all competing for your attention. Of all the things to see in Palermo, few showcase as completely the differing influences that have swept through the city as the city's cathedral. Refurbished and shining, the Teatro Massimo is one of the premier Palermo sights. It is the largest theatre in Italy and presents a full slate of performances each year. Blending flea market, kasbah, souk, and haggler’s heaven, the markets in Palermo vibrate with energy. The street foods are one attraction, and the goods quite another. See them at the Vucciria, Borgo Vecchio, Capo, Ballaro, or Piazza Perani. The museum and gallery of Islamic art, Zisa, was built in the 12th century, and was the hunting lodge of the Norman Kings. The interior highlights the architectural influences of the Moorish tribes who had only recently been conquered. One of the most memorable Palermo sights is underground. More than 8,000 corpses have been mummified and put on display in the Catacombs of the Capuchins, a monastic order whose ossuary is under the Santa Maria della Concezione.

Please let your Sales Advisor know if you would like to have any dinners included during your time in Palermo. There are lots of options from casual restaurants to ones of historical note such as the Osteria dei Vespri, where scenes of Visconti’s movie "The Leopard" were filmed.

The Excelsior Palace Hilton Hotel (4*) in Palermo is a restored 19th century palazzo with art nouveau features, within 150 meters of the Politeama and Massimo theatres. The guestrooms feature traditional décor and antique wood furnishings; all include balconies and satellite TV. The Liberty Hall Restaurant serves Mediterranean cuisine and features 19th century décor. Having being completely restored in the year 2005, this historic building now houses one of the most impressive hotels in Palermo. Located beside the Giardino Inglese, Villa Garibaldi and Villa Trabia the property is perfectly suited to visiting the city's many sites.

Overnight at Excelsior Palace Hilton Hotel (4*).

Meet your guide in your hotel lobby this morning to visit Palermo and Monreale. You’ll be enchanted by Palermo’s wide boulevards, traditional Sicilian Old Quarter, and baroque palaces. You’ll see the city’s main sights, including Quattro Canti (the Four Corners), an extravagant baroque square ringed by four buildings with baroque sculptures that depict the Four Seasons, Spanish kings, and the patron saints of Palermo’s four old quarters. You’ll also see the twelfth-century Cathedral, which houses a pantheon of royal tombs. Afterwards, you will be taken to Palermo’s impressive food market Il Capo which is full of color and great epicurean delights. Be sure to sample some typical street food such as pani ca meusa, panelle and arancini while you are there!

Later you’ll discover the Arab-Norman splendor of the Monreale Cathedral. This treasure dates from the 12th century and shows the diverse architectural influences of both the Normans and the Arab population. At day's end, you'll be returned to your hotel in Palermo by private vehicle.

Dinner not included in tour price.

Overnight at Excelsior Palace Hilton Hotel (4*).

Agrigento is renowned as the site of the ancient Greek city of Akragas, one of the leading cities of Magna Graecia during the golden age of Ancient Greece. High in the historical center of the city, the Romanesque Gothic cathedral, built during the fourteenth century, still displays some of its medieval character, as does the thirteenth-century Church of San Nicola (St Nicholas). Unfortunately, the Saracen fortress believed to have stood at Agrigento has not stood the test of time. The Greek temples, theatres and ruins, and the archaeological museums, are located outside the city proper.

Today you will leave Palermo for Agrigento. Your first port of call will be Segesta, where you will meet your local guide to visit the Greek Theatre and the Temple. Transfer to Erice, a wonderful and mysterious medieval town made famous in ancient times as the birthplace of Venus. Walk through the cobblestoned streets of the town, smelling a variety of aromas emanating from the numerous pastry shops for which Erice is famous. You will visit the Norman Castle and the Duomo and stop at the world famous Pastry shop by Maria Grammatico to taste almond sweets, genovesi and nougat to match with Marsala wine. From here, you will be driven along the Salt Road looking at the Salt Pans en-route to Agrigento. Take in the views of the Salt Pans on the coastline between the cities of Trapani and Marsala before arriving at Agrigento, your destination for the day. (includes entrances in Segesta and tasting at pastry shop).

The Mandranova Estate (4*) holiday resort is set in a garden of palm trees and African plants. We offer a stay of absolute comfort and tranquility in the rustic simplicity of the old farmhouse and renovated rooms in a train station and an old millstone. The "Gebbia, formerly used for agricultural irrigation, has been transformed into a small but lovely pool where guests can go for a refreshing swim in the summer heat. The charming owners are renowned for the warmth of their welcome and wonderful sense of hospitality and the restaurant, which is for the exclusive use of guests, offers excellent food prepared with locally produced ingredients. For beach lovers, there are several nice sandy beaches nearby.

Overnight at Mandranova Estate (4*).

Mandranova Estate has a long tradition of specialized cultivations which has been passed from one generation to the next. Today, after a reclamation and cultivation, 40 hectares are dedicated to olive trees, with extremely innovative cultivation, gathering and processing systems. This morning you will be privy to a private tour of the farm including its olive grove, and oil press. After learning the process of making quality olive oil, taste some of the best Extra virgin Olive Oil made on the island.

Meet up with your guide in Agrigento for a three hour guided tour visiting the magnificent Valley of the Temples, scenery of extraordinary beauty, amongst the imposing Greek ruins, the Garden of the Kolymbetra and the Necropolis.

Consider taking a cooking lesson and enjoying the spoils in the Mandranova Estate. Please speak to your Sales Advisor if you would like this organized for you during your stay.

Overnight at Mandranova Estate (4*).

Modica is a city and comune in the Province of Ragusa, Sicily, southern Italy. The city is situated in the Hyblaean Mountains and, along with Val di Noto, is part of UNESCO Heritage Sites in Italy. The city possesses a large Baroque Cathedral dedicated to San Giorgio. While the cathedral was rebuilt following the earthquake of 1693, like many other parts of the city its roots are in the Middle Ages.

Leaving for Ragusa in Eastern Sicily today, you'll pass through an area whose heritage, both for importance and for beauty, has been declared World Heritage by the UNESCO. Arrive in Ragusa Ibla, meet up with your local guide and admire the flamboyant Baroque architecture of the town, seeing the historical centre and the Portale of San Giorgio, Villa Ibla, Piazza Pola with the Chiesa of San Giuseppe and finally the Duomo di San Giorgio and Palazzo La Rocca. At day's end you will be brought to your accommodation in Modica.

Palazzo Failla Hotel (4*)  is found in the fascinating town of Modica on the island of Sicily, Italy. Palazzo Failla Hotel is located in Upper Modica, up the winding stepped streets of the old town, just a few metres from St George Church and the Castle of the Counts. Housed in a stunning noble Sicilian building, the Palazzo Failla Hotel provides an elegant, sophisticated stay. The interiors are classic chic featuring high vaulted ceilings, ornate frescoes, wrought ironwork, antique furniture, traditional ceramic majolicas. For its location, design and service, the Palazzo Failla Hotel has earned a reputation as one of the best hotels not only in Modica but across the whole of the island of Sicily!

Overnight at Pallazzo Failla Hotel (4*).

Spend the day in the company of a guide complete with a driver and private land rover as you discover Ragusa Ibla, Modica, Scicli (World Heritage sites of the UNESCO) and taste some chocolate of Modica, gelato biscotto (ice-cream biscuits) and granita Siciliana (Sicilian style slushie). Then relax as you have lunch on the Santa Rosalia lakeshore before returning to the hotel in the late afternoon.

During your excursion today, your guide will bring you through the canyons, the Baroque cities and the coastal dunes, in a biodeverse land and cultural area where the canyons are the wild prelude to cities of art like Scicli and Modica with their countryside.

Overnight at Pallazzo Failla Hotel (4*).

The natural beauty of the medieval mountaintop town of Taormina is so great, that despite overdevelopment in the last 50 years, it has not spoiled its grandeur. The view of the sea and Mt Etna from its jagged cactus-covered cliffs is as close to perfection as a panorama can get, especially on clear days when the snow-capped volcano's white puffs of smoke are etched against the blue sky.

Spend the day traveling by private vehicle and with your own driver from Ragusa to Taormina, stopping at various places of interest along the way.  Meet up a local guide at Syracuse for a tour of the main sites such as the Ear of Dionysius, the Greek Theatre and the archaeological site. Until the Arab conquest of 878, the city was the capital of Sicily and was by far the most important city on the island. Continue on to Ortigia, one of the most interesting urban areas of Sicily, and visit its famous Duomo, built upon the old temple of Athena.(includes entrance in Syracuse).

Located in a peaceful 20th century Sicilian Villa in the heart of Taormina, The Ashbee Hotel (4*) was built in the 1908 by Colonel Shaw-Hellier who commissioned the famous Architect and designer Charles Robert Ashbee. Easy to locate, just a few steps from the main street and chic boutiques of Taormina, the hotel offers easy access to the main theaters, museums and heritage centers of the city. A short walk leads to the areas renowned restaurants. Today, this new charming house offers some of the finest accommodation in Sicily. With 25 guestrooms and a number of suites, you will find everything you require for a relaxing English hospitality style stay.

Overnight at The Ashbee (4*).

Every day is beach day in Taormina. Even during the winter months, you can enjoy water sports such as wind-surfing, sailing, fishing, scuba-diving, canoeing, and snorkeling. In some beautiful nearby villages, there are excellent Paragliding clubs for those looking for a little more adventure. Stroll on the beach today and enjoy some relaxation time. Take the time to enjoy a beach side lunch and to take some photos of the sunset.

Today you will be free to explore Taormina, particularly the Greek–Roman Theatre and the Corso Umberto I with its luxury shops. Please let your Sales Advisor know if you would like to have the services of a local guide today.

Overnight at The Ashbee (4*).

Relax on your private transfer to Catania (airport) from your Taormina hotel.

Depart from International Airport. End of itinerary.

Overnight at Depart (Int`l Airport).