Sicilian Carousel & Aeolian Islands 2025

Independent arrival at hotel in Catania. Welcome drink and dinner at hotel. Overnight in Catania. (D)

After a buffet breakfast, depart to Syracuse. Visit the World Heritage Site ‘Neapolis’. The visit of this archaeological area includes the famous Greek Theatre; the Roman Amphitheatre; the ‘Latomie of Paradise’; and the ‘Dyionisios Ear’. Continue to the Island of Ortygia, the small baroque old city centre of Syracuse. Visit of the beautiful Cathedral, which is built upon the site of the Doric Temple of Minerva, the legendary Arethusa’s Fountain, and the Temple of Apollo. You will enjoy a “street food” light lunch in the centre of Ortigia. Afternoon at leisure to stroll through the streets of the centre, and for shopping. Return to your hotel in Catania. Evening at leisure to experience the city and its nightlife, and to dine in one of the typical restaurant in the city centre. Overnight in Catania. (B, L)

After a buffet breakfast, depart for a nice walking tour of Catania, stroll through the city centre with your professional guide who will charm you with the history of the city. Visit the famous fish market ‘A PISCARIA’, one of the largest fish markets in Sicily. As old as the city itself, it’s a great way to experience the abundant fishing and seafood culture of Sicily, with a very special and authentic atmosphere. Depart to Ragusa, renowned for its cheese production; therefore, you will not miss a tasting of artisan cheeses and Sicilian specialties (light lunch). You will visit the enchanting historical centre ‘Ibla’, with its stunning baroque palaces and churches; together with other seven cities in the Val di Noto, Ragusa is listed among the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Continue to the reserved hotel where you will have time at leisure to relax at the swimming pool or at the spa. Dinner in hotel and overnight in Ragusa. (B, T/L, D)

After a buffet breakfast, depart to Agrigento, a hillside town famous for its magnificent ‘Valley of the Temples’, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Visit of the Valley, including the Temple of Concordia which is in almost perfectly preserved condition, and the temples of Juno and Heracles. Free time for lunch. In the afternoon, proceed to Marsala, a city on the western coast famous for its production of sweet Sicilian wine. Arrival at Baglio Donna Franca, a perfectly restored nineteenth-century baglio, which rises in the Marsala countryside, on the hills in front of the Stagnone Reserve and the Egadi Islands. The baglio was a property of Florio. Here you will have the opportunity to visit the cellar and learn all about winemaking. At the end of the tour, we will enjoy a wine tasting and light dinner at sunset. Overnight at the Wine Resort in Marsala. (B, T/D)

After a buffet breakfast, departure to Erice via the spectacular ‘Salt Route’, a road flanked by the salt pans, windmills, and the ‘salt houses’ where they still extract the sea salt as the Phoenicians once did. Arrival in Erice, placed on the top of a hill overlooking the city of Trapani and the Egadi Islands. Walk through its tiny and characteristic streets, the winding lanes, inner courtyards, and stop for a marzipan and biscuit tasting. Continue to Palermo, the capital of Sicily. Free time for lunch and then you’ll visit the Cathedral, one of the most important architectural monuments. Continue your visit by walking along Corso Vittorio Emanuele to reach ‘I Quattro Canti di Città’ Piazza Pretoria, Piazza Bellini, and visit the Church of Santa Caterina. Get settled at the hotel and free time for shopping and dinner. Overnight in Palermo. (B, T)

After a buffet breakfast, depart to visit the town of Monreale which is situated on a hill at few kilometres from Palermo in a panoramic position. Visit of the Cathedral, one of the most beautiful monuments in the world, with its Moorish architecture, housing very fine mosaics representing a complete cycle of the Old and New Testaments in Arab-Norman style. Continue to Cefalù, a former fishing village, now a charming coastal town. Enjoy a walk to the city centre and down main street to reach the Arab-Norman Cathedral and the medieval washhouse built in the rock. Free time to explore the town, shop, and have lunch on your own. Proceed to Taormina through the coastal road passing through Messina, from where we will have the chance to admire the beautiful scenery of the Strait of Messina. Check in at your hotel and free time for dinner. Overnight in Taormina. (B)

After a buffet breakfast, excursion to Mount Etna, the highest active Volcano in Europe. You will reach a height of 1800 metres to visit the Sylvester Craters, where you will enjoy a spectacular panoramic view over the Ionian Sea. Stop at a local winery on the eastern slopes of Etna and visit a prestigious cellar. You will have the opportunity to taste different local wines, accompanied by local cheese and cold cuts. In the afternoon back to Taormina, a charming city called the ‘Pearl of the Ionian Sea’. Enjoy time at leisure for shopping or walking through its tiny streets. Possibility to visit the Greek-Roman Theatre on your own. Free time for dinner and overnight in Taormina. (B, T)

After a buffet breakfast, depart to Milazzo. Boarding at the port of Milazzo, for Lipari by hydrofoil. Arrival on the Island of Lipari, the largest island of the Aeolian Archipelago. Transfer to the hotel and free time to visit the delightful village of Lipari. Lunch on your own. In the afternoon, taxi tour of the Island of Lipari. Free time for dinner and overnight at the hotel. (B)

After a buffet breakfast, free morning at disposal and lunch on your own. In the late morning depart by boat to Panarea and Stromboli. First stop in Panarea where it will be possible to visit the small village with a pleasant walk along the streets among the white Aeolian-style houses. Then continue with the boat to Stromboli, defined as the wildest island because it seems to preserve its bond with nature and in particular with the volcano, called ‘Iddu’ by the locals. Free time to visit. Once you get back on the boat, you will continue until you reach the ‘Sciara del fuoco’, a ridge of the crater from where the lava descends. From the boat it will also be possible to witness the evocative eruptions of the volcano that follow one another with intervals of about fifteen minutes. Return to Lipari in the evening. Dinner free and overnight in Lipari. (B)

After a buffet breakfast in hotel, departure by boat for Salina. After a stop in the centre of Santa Marina, continue by boat to circumnavigate the island; swim in Pollara, the beach of the famous film ‘Il Postino’. Free time for lunch. Continue to Lingua where there is a salt-lake from where salt was extracted in ancient times (hence the name of the island). Return to Lipari in the afternoon. Free time for shopping and dinner. Overnight at your hotel. (B)

After breakfast in the hotel, transfer to the port of Lipari, and boarding on the hydrofoil for Milazzo. Following a transfer to Catania, arrive at the hotel. Lunch on your own. Afternoon at leisure for a visit of the historic centre of Catania. Overnight in Catania. (B)

After buffet breakfast, end of the tour. (B)