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Reservation info, hotel details and departure dates follow the itinerary and summary. Visit our general tours page for faqs and purchase conditions. Enjoy the timeless history, culture, cuisine and sunshine of Sicily in a tour (very) conveniently planned with just two hotel check-ins and a cross-island itinerary --instead of a lengthy "circuit" around the island with the same place as starting and ending point. Your delightful itinerary crosses Sicily from Taormina to Palermo, meaning that your arrival will be at Catania airport with a departure from Palermo. (For a similar tour, but with a "reversed" itinerary which takes you from west to east, we offer Golden Sicily West-to-East.) Departures throughout most of the year are guaranteed with as few as two participants. Yes, 22 departure dates! No other agency in Sicily offers so many throughout 9 months of the year. Group size is 2 to 24. Itinerary: (Please note: Summary follows. All breakfasts are included, other meals included are indicated in bold
face.
Locality and site names link to
detailed descriptions on Best of Sicily.) Monday: Independent arrival and check-in at Taormina from Catania airport. Day at leisure in this charming hilltop town, full of winding streets and enticing shops and restaurtants, that make it a great place to spend a day indulging personal tastes and unexpected curiosities. Overnight at Taormina. Tuesday: Breakfast followed by a full day at leisure. Optional excursion up the slopes toward the summit of Mount Etna, Sicily's highest mountain and Europe's largest active volcano. Another option is a cooking class. (See optional excursions below.) Dinner at a local restaurant, overnight in Taormina. Wednesday: Breakfast is followed by an excursion down the Ionian coast to Siracusa (Syracuse), home of Archimedes and one of the most important cities of the ancient Greek world. First you'll explore the old city, the island of Ortygia, where we'll have lunch. In the afternoon we'll discover the Syracuse archeological site. Return to Taormina for evening at leisure. Overnight in Taormina. Thursday: Following breakfast and check-out, we embark upon a trip across Sicily's rugged interior. First, we visit Piazza Armerina's ancient Roman villa, well known for its mosaics. En route to Agrigento, to visit its timeless Greek temples, we'll stop for a country lunch. Evening will find us in Palermo. Overnight in Palermo. Friday: Following breakfast we'll venture into Sicily's wine region. We'll stop at Marsala, where we'll visit a winery and enjoy a wine tasting. The Trapani region is known for its salt pans (marshes) and wind mills. Following a light lunch at an olive farm, we'll visit hilltop Erice, a picturesque medieval town built upon much older Phoenician and Elymian ones. Overnight in Palermo. Saturday: Following breakfast, we'll visit the Norman abbey of Monreale, overlooking the city, famous for its Byzantine mosaics and Norman-Arab cloister. Then we'll discover medieval Palermowith a visit to the city's medieval Palatine Chapel and Martorana Church, the Baroque Quattro Canti, Piazza Pretoria and a street market. In mid-afternoon, following a light lunch at a local trattoria, we'll travel along the coast to visit seaside Cefalù, famous for its medieval cathedral. Evening at leisure. Overnight in Palermo. Sunday: Independent transfer to Palermo Airport. Summary & Accommodation (lodging): Prices: €999.00 per person double occupancy (i.e. two persons per room), €1280.00 single occupancy, payable by bank wire transfer or major credit card. See our general tours page for purchase conditions and cancellation policies. Includes: Six (6) nights accommodation in 4-star superior hotels listed here or the equivalent substitution (to be confirmed 20 days before beginning of your tour but usually Villa Angela in Taormina and the Plaza Opera in Palermo), transportation (coach or minibus) and tour escort for the entire trip, with all breakfasts, 1 dinner and 3 light lunches (beverages not included), 1 wine tasting, all taxes. Does not include: Beverages, tips (gratuities) to escorts (or guides/drivers), airfare, meals not indicated, entrance fees at 6 archeological/historical sites (total approx. €50), trip insurance, airport transfers (may be purchased separately), porterage and baggage handling, options, anything not mentioned under "Includes" above. Accommodation: Double room with private bathroom. Single room with supplement ("single occupancy"). Guide/Escort Language: English. Group Size: From 2 to 24 participants. Dates offered: Departures from Taormina as indicated here. No other agency in the world offers a Sicily tour with this frequency and number of departures! Tours begin on Monday at Taormina: Reservations: To reserve contact us at historic-tour@bestofsicily.com indicating "Golden CT" in the subject line, or by phone at +39 091 626 9685, or fax +39 091 380 9900. From the United States or Canada you may also contact us by Skype at 718-473-0803. (Please remember that there's a six-hour time difference between Central European Time here in Italy and American Eastern Time in Toronto and New York.) This tour is organized by Chat & Tour (Tradizione Turismo), Via Gen. Sirtori 25, 90145 Palermo, Italy. Visit our general tours page for faqs and purchase conditions regarding this and other tours. Optional Excursions: 1) Etna Jeep Excursion & Country Lunch: You'll be taken by jeep to the higher altitude of the volcano slopes, including Fontana Peak the 'extinct' craters of the Sartorius Peaks and the lava flow from the 2002 eruption. Then you'll enjoy a light lunch at a farmhouse offering typical Sicilian cuisine. Returning to Taormina, the partially off-road drive will pass the Alcantara Gorge. €120.00 per person (A half-day option, without lunch, is €85.00 per person.) 2) Market Gourmet Cooking Class: This is the epitome of food preparation from start to finish. Independent transfer to a local restaurant (near your hotel) where you'll be met by chefs Antonio Orlando and Maria. At an open-air market you'll select the fresh ingredients of your culinary creation --which (accompanied by the perfect wine) you'll enjoy as your lunch, followed by dessert. Preparing and tasting this piece of Sicily is an experience you'll never forget. The class runs from 9 AM to 1 PM (lunch time). €90.00 per person Airport Transfers & Extra Nights: Airport Transfer: While there are buses, trains and taxis into Taormina and Palermo from Catania's and Palermo's airports, we can arrange a personalized transfer at €70.00 per person (based on a minimum of two passengers) from 8 AM to 7 PM, or €90.00 per person from 7:30 PM to 7:30 AM. Travel time in each case is approximately 40 minutes. Pre Night in Taormina: A night (or more) immediately preceding the tour. Double occupancy (double or twin) €120.00 per person, Single occupancy €195.00. Whenever possible, lodging will be in the same hotel used during the tour. Post Night in Palermo: A night (or more) immediately following the tour begins. Double occupancy (double or twin) €70.00 per person, Single occupancy €99.00. Whenever possible, lodging will be in the same hotel used during the tour. ©2009 Best of Sicily, Palermo, Italy. Unauthorized use
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The real secret of this tour is
that smaller is better. We never allow tours to exceed the maximum number of
participants, even if it means dividing the clientele into 4 or 5 smaller groups. By thinking small you avoid the
crowds. Attention to little details is
important, too... When you compare tours, that's a BIG difference!
