The real secret of this tour is that smaller is better. We never allow tours to exceed the maximum number of participants, even if it means dividing the clientele into 4 or 5 smaller groups. By thinking small you avoid the crowds. Attention to little details is important, too... When you compare tours, that's a BIG difference!

Reservation info (with departure dates) follows the itinerary and summary. Visit our general tours page for faqs and purchase conditions.

Discover the real Sicily and its unique sights and sites with this tour scheduled every week to suit your holiday schedule. Yes, 39 departure dates! No other agency in Sicily offers weekly departures during 9 months of the year. Group size is 2 to 25.

Itinerary:

(Please note: Summary follows. All breakfasts are included, other meals included are indicated in bold face. Locality and site names link to detailed descriptions on Best of Sicily.)

Saturday: Arrival at Palermo. Meet your tour escort for a welcome dinner in a local restaurant. Overnight at hotel in Palermo.

Sunday: Following breakfast, we'll discover medieval Palermo with a visit to Palermo's medieval Palatine Chapel and Martorana Church, the Baroque Quattro Canti and Piazza Pretoria, then the Teatro Massimo, one of Europe's most grandiose opera houses, near the colourful Capo street market. After lunch, we'll visit the Norman abbey of Monreale, overlooking the city, famous for its Byzantine mosaics and Norman-Arab cloister. Evening at leisure. Overnight in Palermo.

Monday: Breakfast followed by early check-out and departure for eastern Sicily. First we'll visit Cefalù, famous for its medieval cathedral. En route to Taormina on the Ionian coast, we'll stop at Piazza Armerina to view its Roman villa and classical mosaics. Time at leisure for your own lunch, then an afternoon departure for Taormina. Dinner and overnight in Taormina.

Tuesday: Following breakfast, excursion to Siracusa (Syracuse), with a stop at Catania en route to visit its cathedral and Pescheria street market Then on to Siracusa, home of Archimedes and one of the most important cities of the ancient Greek world. First you'll explore the old city, the island of Ortygia, where we'll have lunch. In the afternoon we'll discover the Syracuse archeological site.Evening at leisure and overnight in Taormina.

Wednesday: Breakfast followed by an entire day at leisure in charming Taormina. The atmosphere of this hilltop town, full of winding streets and enticing shops and restaurtants, makes it a great place to spend a day indulging personal tastes and unexpected curiosities. Optional excursion up the slopes toward the summit of Mount Etna, Sicily's highest mountain and Europe's largest active volcano. Evening and overnight in Taormina.

Thursday: Breakfast and check-out. Today we visit Caltagirone, known for its ceramic (majolica) art. Time at leisure for shopping and lunch, then we depart for Agrigento to visit its Greek temples. Dinner and overnight at Agrigento.

Friday: Early breakfast and check-out. Venturing into Sicily's wine region, we'll stop to explore the Segesta archeological site. Heading westward, at Marsala, we'll visit a winery and enjoy a wine tasting and farewell cocktail. The Trapani region is known for its salt pans (marshes) and wind mills. On our way to Palermo we'll visit hilltop Erice, a picturesque medieval town built upon much older Phoenician and Elymian ones. Overnight in Palermo.

Saturday: Check-out following buffet breakfast. Independent transfer to Palermo Airport.

Summary:

Prices: €1099.00 per person double occupancy (i.e. two persons per room), €1295.00 single occupancy, payable by bank wire transfer or major credit card. See our general tours page for purchase conditions and cancellation policies.

Includes: Seven (7) nights accomodation in 4-star hotels listed here or the equivalent substitution (usually Politeama in Palermo, Hotel della Valle in Agrigento, Hotel Lido Caparena in Taormina), transportation (coach or minibus) and tour escort for the entire trip, with all breakfasts, 3 dinners and 1 lunch (beverages not included), 2 cocktails, 1 winery visit, all taxes.

Does not include: Beverages, tips (gratuities) to escorts (or guides/drivers), airfare, meals not indicated, entrance fees at 6 archeological/historical sites, trip insurance, airport transfers, porterage anything not mentioned under "Includes" above.

Accomodation: Double room with private bathroom. Single room with supplement.

Guide/Escort Language: English.

Group Size: From 2 to 25 participants.

Dates offered: Departures from Palermo as indicated here. No other agency in Sicily offers this frequency and number of departures!

Tours begin on every Saturday from 16 February to 13 December 2008 (early reservation advised for July and August):
16 February, 23 February, 1 March, 15 March, 22 March, 29 March, 5 April, 12 April, 19 April, 26 April, 3 May, 10 May, 17 May, 24 May, 31 May, 7 June, 14 June, 21 June, 28 June, 5 July, 12 July, 19 July, 26 July, 6 September, 13 September, 20 September, 27 September, 4 October, 11 October, 18 October, 25 October, 1 November, 8 November, 15 November, 22 November, 29 November, 6 December, 13 December.
Note major Italian legal holidays: 1 January, 6 January, 23 March (Easter), 24 March, 25 April, 1 May, 2 June, 15 August, 1 November, 8 December, 25 December, 26 December.

Reservations:

To reserve contact us at historic-tour@bestofsicily.com indicating "Highlights" in the subject line, or by phone at +39 091 626 9685, or fax +39 091 380 9900. From the United States or Canada you may also contact us by SkypeIn at 718-473-0803. (Please remember that there's a six-hour time difference between Central European Time here in Italy and American Eastern Time in Toronto and New York.)

This tour is organized by Chat & Tour (Tradizione Turismo), Via Autonomia Siciliana 23, 90143 Palermo, Italy. Visit our general tours page for faqs and purchase conditions regarding this and other tours.

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