This morning your guide will meet you at the hotel and you'll tour on the island of Ortigia, the historical center of Syracuse. You’ll visit the Piazza Duomo, the main square of Syracuse, which features many beautiful Baroque buildings and ancient treasures.

From there, you'll head out to Neapolis Archaeological Park in Syracuse. (The guide will help you call a taxi, which will be at your expense.) The Archaeological Park, along with the entire city, was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005. It is home to two of the most significant ancient archaeological sites from both Greek and Roman history, situated adjacent to one another in this park: the Greek Theatre and the Roman Amphitheater. They combine to make this one of the greatest archaeological sites in all of Italy.

The Greek Theatre is one of the most celebrated of all the ruins of Syracuse, which dates back to at least the 5th century BC. It is about 450 feet in diameter, making it the largest Greek theatre in Sicily. Its 59 rows of seating could hold as many as 15,000 spectators. This wonderfully preserved theater has remained in remarkable condition and appears today much as it did centuries ago. The theater was cut directly out of the limestone rock with the seats facing the sea providing a wonderful view, especially from the top tiers.

Nearby we'll see the ruins of the huge Roman Amphitheater, built in the 3rd century AD. It measures 459 feet by 390 feet and was used for gladiator fights.

Just outside of the Greek Theater is an area called the Latomia del Paradiso, or Paradise Quarry. This former limestone quarry is now a very green and peaceful tropical garden full of local and exotic plant species.  Walk the path through this beautiful area to a huge cave called the Ear of Dionysius. Legend has it that Dionysius, the ruler of ancient Syracuse would eavesdrop on the prisoners who were incarcerated here. The cave, which was carved out of the limestone hill, is shaped similar to a human ear and because of its shape, it has excellent acoustics, which allowed Dionysius the ability to eavesdrop. The cave measures 73 feet high and 213 feet deep. 

To return to the hotel, your guide will help you call a taxi, which will be at your expense.

Guided tour: Ortigia/Siracusa Archaeological Park

This morning your guide or driver will pick you up at your hotel and take you for a tour of Noto, renowned for its spectacular Sicilian Baroque architecture. It is packed with opulent churches and palaces, all made of the local, compacted, honey-colored limestone rock. Curvaceous concave façades battle for supremacy next to their convex cousins. Grotesque masks, cherubs, curlicues, and puffed-up, wrought-iron goose-breasted balconies abound.

The Baroque architecture was very much a planned effort by the church to re-assert itself after the Reformation. It was their chance to demonstrate power and importance, which they did with great flair and artistry. Sicily was for centuries a very tolerant place where the cultures of the Greeks, Arabs, Jews, and Byzantines were blended. The Spanish came and destroyed all of that basically in the quest for Catholic power and presence.

During some spare time in Noto, you might want to stop on your own at the famous Caffe Sicilia, which has been producing delectable sweets since 1892!

Your driver will bring you back to your hotel.

Guided tour: Noto

With its rich cultural heritage, architectural beauty and picturesque location on the Ionian Sea, Syracuse enchants with its authenticity and timeless charm. Founded by the Greeks in the 8th century BC, its ancient aura blends harmoniously with modernity, creating a unique atmosphere. Today you will be picked up from your hotel and taken for a private guided tour at The Catacombs of St. John of Syracuse, an important historical testimony of the Christian period: they were built between the fourth and the sixth century AD, on the remains of an old Greek aqueduct. These were never used as a shelter for the first Christians hiding from persecutions, as their first documented use dates to later than the Edict of Constantine, which established freedom of worship of Christianity. At that time they were used as an early Christian cemetery.

The catacombs of St. John are, for size, the second largest in Italy after those of Rome. They were also used as air-raid shelter during the Second World War, which is why currently there are no bones to be found in the site.

After the tour, you will enjoy a festive lunch at a local winery, and then return to your hotel.

Guided tour: Catacombs 

This morning you will have a private transfer to the town of Agrigento, where you will be staying for the next three nights.

Agrigento lies on a plateau encircled by low cliffs overlooking the junction of the Drago (ancient Hypsas) and San Biagio (Acragas) rivers and is dominated from the north by a ridge with twin peaks. Agrigento was a wealthy ancient city founded about 581 BCE by Greek colonists. 

The plateau site of the ancient city is extraordinarily rich in Greek remains. A wall, with remnants of eight gates, can be traced from the two northern peaks (the Rock of Athena and the hill of Girgenti) to the ridge that carried the south line of the city’s defenses. An almost continuous sacred area along this ridge has been excavated to reveal Agrigento’s most famous remains, its seven Doric temples. 

Notable buildings of the medieval and modern city include the 14th-century cathedral, the 13th-century Churches of Santo Spirito and Santa Maria dei Greci (overlying remains of a Doric temple), Baroque churches and palaces, and the rich archaeological museum. 

You will have the afternoon on your own to explore the city, or just take it easy.

Today you will tour the famous  archaeological site, the Valley of the Temples in Agrigento, one of the most outstanding examples of ancient Greek art and architecture of Magna Graecia, and is one of the main attractions of Sicily.

Your hotel will help you get a taxi for the short ride there (at your expense) where you will meet your private guide.

Since 1997, the entire area has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The archaeological and landscape park is the largest archaeological park in Europe.

The Valley includes remains of seven temples, all in. Doric style.

We will visit all of them, including the Temple of Concordia, which is ranked amongst the most notable edifices of the Greek civilization existing today, due to its good state of preservation.

Lunch at Casa Barbadoro 

History and archaeology meet the smells, scents and flavors of the ancient land of Sicily. Visitors can choose within a variety of food and wine experiences to discover Diodoros products. Lunch here is included.

After lunch, you will have a private car transfer to Favara to meet our amazing guide, Annalisa, who will lead you in a cooking class and you'll enjoy the resulting dinner. After dinner, Annalisa will call a taxi for you back to your hotel (at your expense.)

Guided tour: Valley of the Temples

Today You will be picked up at your hotel and brought for a private tour of Racalmuto, an inimitable delicacy not to be missed. The historic center of Racalmuto develops around the medieval castle which was originally built by the Normans and fortified and extended by Chiaramonte in the 14th century. The castle is largely intact and is used nowadays for exhibitions and cultural events.our Racalmuto. A walk in Racalmuto is a journey through time and memory Sicilian solfara abandoned by speaking of work and suffering the severe Chiaramonte Castle, from the house in Via Regina Margherita where the writer was born, the stream Azzalora, the church of Our Lady of Mt. where the small Sciascia served Mass. 

For lunch, we'll stop at a local estate for tastings of local delicacies. Then your driver will take you back to your hotel.

Tour Racalmuto

This morning you will be picked up and brought to Catania, our home for the next three nights. 

We'll stop for a guided visit Villa Romana del Casale, a large and elaborate Roman villa or palace located about 3 km from the town of Piazza Armerina, Sicily. Excavations have revealed Roman mosaics which are the richest, largest and most varied collection that remains, for which the site was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997, The villa and its artwork date to the early 4th century AD.

The mosaic and opus sectile floors cover some 3,500 m2 and are almost unique in their excellent state of preservation due to the landslide and floods that covered the remains. Although less well-known, an extraordinary collection of frescoes covered not only the interior rooms, but also the exterior walls.

Following the tour, you will be brought to your hotel.

Tour:  Villa Romana del Casale

Today, you will have a full-day guided tour to Mount Etna, an active volcano situated in a large national park. At 10,902 feet, it is the highest point in Sicily. Etna is still an active volcano, but apart from ash, rarely causes problems.

(Wear sneakers and bring a light jacket)

Your driver will pick you up at your hotel and drive to Mount Etna. During this up-close look at Her Majesty Mount Etna, your guide will show you the volcanic lunar landscape of the tallest active volcano in Europe. You will see the extinct craters and learn about the soil fertility she provides. 

On a walk up to the crater rims, your guide will explain Etna's history, geology, mythology and more.

Afterwards, we will visit a winery on Mount Etna for a delightful lunch! And then the driver will bring you back to your hotel.

Tour: Mount Etna