Our personalized, small-group tour of Sicily allows you to discover the gems of this island, the largest in the Mediterranean with a 3,000-year history. For eight days, you enjoy a variety of pre-arranged and all-inclusive cooking classes, gourmet meals, wine tastings, and guided excursions. You will learn to prepare traditional Sicilian dishes, sample vintage wines at local canteens and vineyards, relax each evening in comfortable accommodations, and even have the opportunity to climb Mount Etna. There is no better way to experience the splendor of Sicily. . . . you will savor every moment of this trip!

Suggested Itinerary

Day 1 Arriving Palermo
Arrival in Palermo airport and welcome by our driver. Transfer to Palermo city or Castellamare and check in at a charming four star hotel. Dinner on your own and overnight. (B.B.)

Day 2 - Cooking Lesson /Erice / Palermo or Castellamare
Morning: breakfast in hotel. Departure for a Baglio for a cooking lesson. Baglio is a villa recently restored and converted into a charming and exclusive little hotel surrounded by palm trees, olive trees and vineyards. The chef at Baglio will teach guests how to prepare some of the most representative recipes of the culinary tradition of the province of Trapani . All participants will help prepare the dishes for the dinner. At the end of the cooking lesson lunch in the baglio. Transfer to Erice, a nearby medieval town, located at the top of the homonymous mountain set 751 meters above the sea level and overlooking the whole Western region, the Mediterranean Sea and the Egadi Islands. Walking visit of its characteristic historical centre. Back to the hotel. Dinner on your own and overnight. (B.L.)

Day 3 - Agrigento / Piazza Armerina
Morning: breakfast in the hotel. Departure to Agrigento to visit the beautiful Valley of the Temples, one of the most representative sites of Greek civilization in the Mediterranean area. Visit to the Temple of Hercules, the Temple of Juno, the Temple of Castor and Pollux and the wonderful Temple of Concord. Lunch on your own in Agrigento.
Afternoon: travel to Piazza Armerina, a small town in the south-central part of the island, and visit to the Villa Romana del Casale, a Roman country villa of the 3rd century, famous for its precious mosaics. Transfer to a charming Farmhouse between Piazza Armerina and Caltagirone. In the still working farm, they produce oranges and lemons. Check in at the farmhouse. Time for rest. Typical dinner in the characteristic restaurant room of the farm. The cuisine is based on authentic food such as pasta, ricotta, salsiccia, local meat and vegetables. Overnight at the farm. (B.D.)

Day 4 - Modica / Siracusa/ Taormina
Morning: breakfast in hotel. Departure for Modica baroque town of the south Sicily. 11h00 Cooking lesson with a chef-teacher of traditional regional cuisine. Lunch in the typical restaurant including the dishes prepared during the lesson. Taste the famous chocolate then leave for Syracusa. Visit of Siracusa, which during the Greek Age was one of the more powerful cities on the island. Visit to the archaeological zone: the Greek Theatre, the Roman Amphitheatre, the Ear of Dyonisus and the Latomie. Walk through the historical center on the Ortigia Island to admire the Cathedral, the Aretusa fountain and the ancient streets. Time for shopping. Lunch on your own in Siracusa. Transfer to Taormina. Check in at the hotel. Dinner on your own. Overnight. (B.L)

Day 5 - Taormina - Optional (not included) Etna and its Wines
All day on your own in Taormina. Walk through the historical center of this beautiful town, famous for its Greek-Roman Amphitheatre and its enchanting view of the Ionic Sea and Mt. Etna. Taormina has been an exclusive Sicilian hotspot, since the beginning of the 19th century, and is where many noble and rich families of Northern Europe spent winter due to its mild climate. Nowadays, Taormina is famous for its "dolce vita" life style, its beautiful beach, and its shops. Or optional excursion to Etna with a lunch at tenuta S. Michele ,an ancient estate located on the slopes of the volcano Etna. The farm, which belongs to the noble family of the Baron Scammacca del Murgo, is surrounded by extensive vineyards and has a panoramic view of both Mt. Etna and the sea. Mt. Etna is the highest volcano in Europe. The climate and the volcanic soil help give wines a unique mineral taste typical of the region around Mt. Etna. In Tenuta San Michele they produce some of the best wines of the area: Etna Rosso, Etna Bianco and the extraordinary Murgo Brut. Wine tasting and guided visit to the wine cellar with a member of the family. Back to Taormina for free time. Dinner on your own. Overnight. (B.)

Day 6 - Cooking Lesson: The Cuisine of the Country/The Madonie Park
Morning: breakfast in hotel. Transfer to Polizzi , a small village 70 kilometres away from Palermo, surrounded by cheerful countryside and green pastures. Polizzi lies in the Madonie Mountains' Natural Park. This internal region between the Northern Coast and Central Sicily has a wealth of ancient small villages, where many people still live according to the Sicilian traditions. In Polizzi guests will have a half-day cooking lesson in a Farmhouse or a nice restaurant . The owner of the farm will teach them to prepare some of the most popular and essential recipes according to the local tradition. Lunch. Afternoon: visit to Polizzi Generosa, an ancient village rich in historical and artistic attractions. Visit to the Park's Museum. During the walk through the town's medieval streets, guests will have a break for a sampling of typical sweetmeats. Check in at a farmhouse near Polizzi. Time for rest. Dinner. Overnight. (B.L.D.)

Day 7 - Arab-Norman and Baroque Palermo/Food Market/Monreale
Morning: breakfast in hotel. Transfer to Palermo for a full-day visit to this ancient town that has been a crossroads for civilization in the Mediterranean for ages and ages. Here, visit and seek out signs of its ancient "grandeur": the Norman Palace and the Palatine Chapel, the church of San Giovanni degli Eremiti, the Cathedral, Quattro Canti square, etc. Walk through the streets of the historical center, and visit to the town's popular Vucciria market. Lunch on your own in town. Afternoon: transfer to Monreale, ancient village near Palermo, famous for its wonderful Norman Cathedral and the adjoining cloister, architectural masterpieces of King Roger II. Return to Palermo, with time for a stroll through the city. Check In at the hotel. Farewell dinner at a typical restaurant where guests will enjoy superb and refined dishes based on typical recipes from local culinary traditions. After dinner, sightseeing tour of "Palermo By Night". Back to the hotel and overnight. (B.D.)

Day 8 - Departure
Breakfast in hotel. Transfer to the airport in Palermo, assistance with check-in and departure for your next destination.

PACKAGE INCLUDES:
• English speaking driver-guide for the whole tour
• Transportation by private car or minibus for the whole tour • Accommodations: 4*/3*sup. hotel and charming farmhouses (agriturismo) in rooms with private bathroom with shower
• Buffett breakafast daily
• 6 meals in typical restaurants and farmhouses as per itinerary
• Visits and excursions as listed in the program, with helpful information about locations provided by our driver-guide
• 3 cooking classes as listed in the itinerary
• 1 guided visits to wine cellar and wine tasting
• *Special Christmas dinner
• ** New Year Gala dinner
• Local taxes

2008 DEPARTURE CALENDAR:
March 15 and 22
April 5-12-19-26
May 03-10-24-31
June 7-14-21-28
July 12-19
August 23-30
September 6-13-20-27
October 4-11-18-25
November 01-08
December 20-27

PACKAGE PRICE: €2,149 per person, based on double occupancy. Single room €2,399. PLEASE NOTE: PRICE INDICATED IN EURO CURRENCY USE THE CALCULATOR TO FIND THE EQUIVALENT IN USA DOLLARS. CURRENCY CONVERTER

Package price based on current exchange rate, subject to change without notice. We reserve the right to cancel any tour due to lack of participants or for circumstances beyond our control. In that case, a full refund of all payments will be made.
Gabriele's Travels to Italy continually strives to improve tour itineraries and features. If improvements can be made, or unforeseen circumstances beyond our control make changes necessary, we reserve the right to vary itineray excursions and to substitute hotels and restaurants.
Final documents and paperwork, sent out three weeks prior to departure, will include an updated itinerary.

Gabriele's Travels to Italy is not responsible for typing mistakes and/or tour and places descriptions.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PLEASE CALL 1-888/287-8733 email: info@travelingtoitaly.com

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