DAY 1

Arrive at Palermo airport, where you will be welcomed by a Sicilissimo Incoming representative.Coach transfer and time to settle in at your hotel in the Palermo area.Welcome cocktail (depending on what time you arrive at the hotel, the cocktail may also be offered the following day), dinner and overnight stay.

DAY 2

PALERMO – MONREALE – MONTEPELLEGRINO

After breakfast, the morning is dedicated to exploring Palermo's old town, an extraordinary testament to the capital's wealth.Visit Palermo Cathedral, which reflects the history of the city and art from the 12th to the 19th century.Continue to the Quattro Canti, the ancient civic centre of the city and a fine example of Sicilian Baroque architecture.Here, you can admire Piazza Pretoria, which houses the town hall, Santa Caterina Church and the beautiful "Fountain of Shame".Visit the church known as the Martorana or Santa Maria dell'Ammiraglio, a Norman building and Greek-Orthodox place of worship constructed in 1143.Continue to Monreale, "the royal mountain" of the area's Norman kings, where you can admire the cathedral, a marvel of medieval art whose interior walls are entirely decorated with mosaics on a gold background from the 12th and 13th centuries. You can also visit its Benedictine cloister.Return to the hotel for lunch.Walk through the Capo Market, an Arab tradition that survives to this day with its charming combination of colours and voices. Afterwards, visit the famous Capuchin Catacombs.Via a panoramic road with magnificent views of Palermo, continue on towards Mount Pellegrino, the city's sacred mountain. Here lies the sanctuary dedicated to Saint Rosalia, a place of pilgrimage since the 17th century, which demonstrates the devotion of the people through the characteristic ex-votos of the faithful who have received graces.Return to the hotel for an overnight stay.

DAY 3

CEFALÙ - CASTELBUONO - SANTO STEFANO DI CAMASTRA

After breakfast, set off for Cefalù, a medieval city which is still an active fishing village.Stroll along the main street, Corso Ruggero, to the Piazza del Duomo where you can see several interesting buildings such as the Convent of Santa Caterina, the town hall, the Oratorio del Sacramento, and the 18th-century Palazzo Vescovile.In this square you can also find the cathedral, one of the most important buildings from the Norman period.Its large apse is entirely covered with a majestic depiction of Christ Pantocrator.Heading down towards Via Vittorio Emanuele, we reach the medieval (Arab-Norman) wash house, carved into the rock.Lunch will be in a traditional restaurant with folk music and wine included.Continue on to Castelbuono, a small town in the heart of the Madonie Mountains which reveals a secret aspect of rural Sicilian life.Take a stroll through the old town and visit the main church and the medieval castle of the Ventimiglia family.During your visit, you will have the chance to sample some local products.Next, visit Santo Stefano di Camastra, a village renowned for its handmade pottery.

Settle in to a hotel in the province of Capo d'Orlando or Milazzo for dinner and an overnight stay.

DAY 4

AEOLIAN ISLANDS (LIPARI - VULCANO)

After breakfast, depart for Milazzo.Board a boat to Lipari and visit the island, which was once the trading hub for obsidian, a black volcanic rock with a glassy appearance, and which is now the world's most important producer of pumice.

Lunch in a local restaurant.Boat crossing to the island of Vulcano, currently in a post-volcanic stage, with its fumaroles and mud baths.Visit the island.Return to Milazzo by boat.Travel to the province of Palermo.Settle in for dinner and an overnight stay at the hotel.

DAY 5

ETNA – TAORMINA

Excursion to Mount Etna, the highest active volcano in Europe.Take the bus up to 1,800 metres and tour the inactive Silvestri craters.You also have the option of climbing up to the main crater at 2,900 metres above sea level (optional, with an additional fee to be paid on-site:4x4 + cable car = approx. €52.50).Lunch in a restaurant before setting off for Taormina, an internationally renowned tourist destination.Visit the wonderful Greek-Roman theatre.Free time.Settle in to your hotel in the province of Catania or Syracuse for dinner and an overnight stay.

DAY 6

SYRACUSE - NOTO

After breakfast, set off for Syracuse, an ancient Greek colony and home of the great Archimedes.Visit the mainland area of the city, including the ancient Greek Neapolis, the remains of which are part of the archaeological park.

There you can find the majestic Greek theatre from the 5th century BC, the Roman amphitheatre, and the Latomie (ancient prisons) including the legendary man-made grotto known as the Ear of Dionysus.Continue with a visit to the historic centre of the city, which lies on the small island of Ortigia. See the ruins of the Temple of Apollo, Piazza Duomo with its fascinating collection of baroque palaces (the old Palazzo del Senato, Palazzo Beneventano del Bosco, and Palazzo Arcivescovile) as well as the cathedral itself, built on an ancient Doric temple dedicated to Athena and decorated with a typical baroque facade.Stroll through the picturesque streets of the old Spanish quarter, full of Baroque palaces, churches, and magnificent wrought iron balconies.Lunch.Set off for Noto, one of the island's most beautiful Baroque cities.The ancient city was completely destroyed by a major earthquake in 1693 and gave way to a city built from the 18th century onward in a baroque style with Roman and Spanish influences.Stroll around the city and see its most beautiful churches such as San Francesco, the cathedral and San Carlo, as well as the facades of palaces which once belonged to the aristocracy. A particular highlight is Palazzo Nicolaci, which represents the crowning achievement of local artists.Return to the hotel.Dinner and overnight stay.

DAY 7

AGRIGENTO (Valley of the Temples) – SELINUNTE

After breakfast, set off to visit the Valley of the Temples in Agrigento: the Temples of Concord, Juno, Zeus, and Castor and Pollux.Return to the hotel for lunch.In the afternoon, visit the Acropolis of Selinunte and the temples on the East Hill.Selinunte, a Greek city that can be considered the birthplace of the Doric style in Sicily, was founded in the mid-7th century BC and later destroyed by the Carthaginians in 409 BC.

Return to your hotel in the province of Palermo for dinner and an overnight stay.

DAY 8

Breakfast at the hotel.Bus transfer to Palermo airport to coincide with your return flight.End of our tour.

N.B.

"On site, our guides can suggest optional excursions after dinner or during free time, such as the Valley of the Temples illuminated by night, a visit to Catania with a cost of around €7 per person or a boat trip to Syracuse, costing approximately €12.Bookings and payments for these excursions are to be made on site".