10 days
Sicily In Style

Day 1: Palermo

Arrive at  the Grand Hotel Villa Igea, a luxurious 5-star hotel and liberty-style building, that overlooks a small bay on the outskirts of the city. The building is completely surrounded by gardens that cover a large area, sloping down to the sea.

Dinner at leisure (try one of our suggested restaurants).

Hotel 5 star:  Grand hotel Villa Igea ( or similar rated hotel)

Day 2: Palermo & Monreale

Buffet breakfast at the hotel.

In the morning, you will go on a guided visit of Palermo, which looks like a baroque jewel, thanks to the sumptuous nobiliary buildings located in the elegant avenues around Piazza Vigliena (or Piazza dei Quattro Canti) and to the Kalsa quarter. Furthermore, there are impressive churches, such as: San Giuseppe, S.S. Salvatore and Chiesa del Gesù, all decorated with multicolour marbles, stuccos and frescos.

In the afternoon continue to Monreale, a small town 7 kilometers from Palermo. Here you can admire the Dome, an architectural masterpiece which dates back to the Norman period. Its walls are almost completely covered by Byzantine mosaics, that cover a very large area, including a magnificent cloister surrounded by 228 columns with inlaid capitals.

Lunch and dinner at leisure, (we'll give you lots of suggestions for things to see and truly off-the-beaten track places to have lunch or dinner!) Overnight in Palermo. (BB)

Day 3: Selinunte, Segesta, Marsala, Mazara

Buffet breakfast at the hotel

leave for  Segesta to visit the ruins of the Greek temple, on the slope of Mount Barbaro.  Continue to Erice, a nearby medieval town, located  751 meters above  sea level which overlooks the whole Western region, the Mediterranean Sea and the Egadi Islands. Visit to the Antique Convent Pastry Shop,  one of the most renowned Sicilian bakeries. There, enjoy a taste of the fine Erician pastries first created within the convent walls .  As a special treat, sample some of the typical almond dough desserts filled with candied lemon. Afterwards, a guided walk down the narrow streets of the ancient town.

Transfer to Fontanasalsa , a Village  on the Western coast and stop in a  Baglio  for a  Typical lunch and Oil tasting . This  Baglio is an 18th century country villa recently restored and converted into a charming and exclusive Farm house  surrounded by palm trees, olive trees and vineyards. There is a wide range of fruit-flavoured oils and wines.  Continue to Mazara del Vallo . Dinner at Leisure. ( BB, L)

Hotel 5 Star:  Kempisky  (superb garden view room)

( Or similar rated hotel)

Day 4: Agrigento, Piazza Armerina, Modica

Buffet breakfast at the hotel

Proceed to Agrigento where the morning will be devoted to a visit of the Valley of Temples.
You will have a private guided tour, with a specialized guide. The archeological ruins of the Greek domination are numerous and they were visited and narrated by Goethe in his work Viaggio in Italia In the middle of the valley the most spectacular structure, the Concordia temple, rises surrounded by the ruins of the temples dedicated to Juno, Jupiter, Castor and Pollux, Hercules, Vulcan and Esculapio.

This afternoon  onto Piazza Armerina, a small town in the south-central part of the island.  Visit the Villa Romana del Casale, a Roman country villa of the 3rd century, famous for its precious mosaics.
Continue to Modica. Check in at the hotel : Dinner on your own. (BB)

Hotel 4 star: Palazzo Failla (Or similar rated hotel)