Ancient Sicily
Overview
Highlights
- A leisurely two-week trip to explore Sicily in depth
- Sicily's history is brought to life by a specialist lecturer Antonio Marretta
- Visit Sicily's most famous Classical remains in the Valley of the Temples
What's this trip about?
Itinerary
Our tour of Sicily starts today in Syracusa. During the Greek Classical period, this east coast city was the largest in the ancient world - even bigger than Athens. Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it's also notable as being the birthplace of antiquity's greatest mat...
Syracuse, a colony of Corinth, once rivalled Athens as the most important and beautiful city in the Greek world. The sites we'll explore today include the Neapolis Archaeological Zone with its famous Greek theatre hewn out of the hillside in the 5th century BC, where ...
We'll leave Syracuse this morning and drive to Noto, the most beautiful Baroque city in Sicily. The town was destroyed after an earthquake devastated this part of the island in 1693 and was rebuilt between 1715 and 1780 - it still preserves a unified and homogenous ar...
This morning, we'll drive to the impressive Villa Romana at Casale, a magnificent country mansion containing stunning Roman mosaics. After sightseeing, we'll drive the short distance to the remains of Greek Morgantina, to see the excavations and visit the museum. This...
Leaving Piazza Armerina, we'll drive via the hilltop stronghold of Enna located near Lake Pergusa, then drive on to Agrigento, once one of the most prosperous cities in Sicily. The ancient Acropolis, now a modern city, overlooks the valley where the lower city stood a...
This morning, we'll take a short drive to Stair of the Turks or Turkish Steps for a photo stop. This white sedimentary rock in the shape of a staircase was a favourite landing point of Saracen pirates and the Moors, during the Middle Ages. We'll then continue to t...
A short drive north and a quick ferry ride brings us to the small island of Mozia, which lies off the western coast. Interestingly, Mozia was once owned by the Whitaker family of Marsala wine fame. The island is in an ideal location, surrounded by shallow waters that ...
This morning, we'll head to picturesque Erice, a medieval town perched on a precipitous 750-metre-high mountain. Magnificent views extend over the Egadi Islands. One tradition says that Erice was founded by the legendary Aeneas who stopped here after the fall of Troy ...
This morning, we'll drive to the ruins of Solunto, a Roman town abandoned in AD 300. The ancient site was once thought to be Phoenician Solus, but we now know that the Punic settlement was at Cozzo Cannita, five miles away. The excavations are beautifully situated hig...
Sicily's capital stands at the foot of Monte Pellegrino with the fertile valley of Conca d'Oro behind. It was once one of the richest cities in Europe, between the 9th and the 12th centuries AD, when Islamic culture, Byzantine magnificence and the vigorous world of me...
Palermo has a fascinating market crammed with exotic goods and is a veritable treasure trove of artistic and cultural sites. Today is free for you to explore at your own pace.
Meals Provided : Breakfast
Leaving Palermo this morning, we'll drive along the spectacular coastline to the picturesque fishing town of Cefalu. Here, we'll stop to visit the Norman Cathedral, and to see the extraordinary mosaic of Christ Pantocrator. Next, we'll continue along the coast road to...
This morning, we'll travel to the base camp of Mount Etna to explore the lunar landscape, craters and lava fields of one of the most active volcanoes in Europe. We'll head directly to the cable car base at Rifugio Sapienza, which is on the south side of Etna and 1,900...
This morning, we'll take a local shuttle bus to Taormina, Sicily's most famous resort, situated 213 metres up on the slopes of Monte Tauro and overlooked by Castel Mola. It was a well-loved stop during the days of the 'Grand Tour' and was frequented by Goethe, Edward ...
Our trip ends after breakfast this morning at our hotel in Giardini Naxos. There are no activities planned today, so you're free to depart from Giardini Naxos at any time. If your flight is departing later in the day, luggage storage facilities are available at ou...
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The total tour cost includes the tour price (regular or promotional) and the compulsory local payment. The promotional price is subject to change. Check directly with the operator for the latest price offer. The tour operator requires you to pay only the tour price to purchase your travel. The compulsory local payment will be paid when you join the trip. All prices are based on double, twin or triple share occupancy. Solo passengers will be accommodated in a double, twin or triple room according to availability with a passenger(s) of the same gender. Single supplement only needs to be paid if the passenger does not want to share and requests their own room. Discounts can only be applied at the time of booking and cannot be added at a later date, regardless of any changes made to the original booking.
Prices may vary due to local taxes and trip seasonality. Click "Request Info" to inquire directly with the tour operator for the final trip price.
Explore! Reviews & Ratings
Melissa
Oct 2024
Ancient Sicily
Our guide Antonio was exceptional. He has a solid background and delivery of the varied sites. He was flexible and easily met requests that the group had (in particu...
Debra
Oct 2024
Ancient Sicily
Guide Antonio outstanding in all respects: knowledgeable, adept @ providing historical & cultural context both at sites & in 5 preparatory lectures, pleasant...
Trusted Customer
Oct 2024
Ancient Sicily
Antonio has been leading tours around Sicily for 30 years and knows his way around. In his hands, we were fast tracked to all the sites, avoiding the long queues tha...
Trusted Customer
Oct 2024
Ancient Sicily
Some of the hotels were adequate, but others were poor and in isolated locations so you were unable to walk in attractive areas in your free time. If hotels are imp...
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