Southern and western Sicily, from Siracusa to Erice
Sicily is unique and the challenge with organising any visit here is not what to include but what to leave out! After offering our wonderful “Palermo to Taormina tour” through central and northern Sicily, we have finally decided to branch out and explore the ‘other’ Sicily: the remarkable south and west. The first four nights of the tour are in Siracusa. We then drive to Agrigento for two nights before taking a boat to the Egadi Islands, a small archipelago off the western coast where we stay for the next four days. Back on the mainland, the finale is two nights in a lovely new hotel on the edge of Lo Zingaro, Sicily’s first national park.
Highlights include: wandering through the lanes and squares of Siracusa; rambling through the gorgeous Anapra Valley; exploring the extraordinary icing-sugar Baroque towns of the south-east; an aperitif on our hotel terrace in Agrigento watching the sun set over the Valley of the Temples; walking along the endless miles of warm sand of the southern beaches; enjoying the dynamic North African heritage of western Sicily; a picnic lunch on-board a private boat on the Egadi Islands; walking along the spectacular coast line of Sicily’s first national park; our visit to silent, misty Erice; and, of course, the Sicilian people themselves!
The walks: The walks on this tour follow well marked trails along good paths over generally undulating countryside. They are a combination of coastal and country walks and range from 9 kilometres to 14 kilometres and take 2.5 to 4 hours not including breaks. Being able to comfortably play an 18 hole round of golf is a good starting point as a fitness level although we do recommend solid pre-tour training. Having support vehicles with us means that some of the walks can be shortened or skipped.
The accommodation: The accommodation is one of the highlights of this tour: starting with a lovely family-run hotel on the water in the old town of Siracusa; then two nights a sparkling 4-star hotel with views over Agrigento's Valley of the Temples; four nights in a 4-star hotel on the Egadi islands and finally a two night stay in a lovely new hotel on the edge of Lo Zingaro, Sicily's first national park.
The food: As far as Sicilians' are concerned the best things in life include good company, family life, sunny days and above all, good food. Sicily's cuisine is as rich and diverse as its history: olive oil and wines from ancient Greece; elaborate dishes such as maccu di san giuseppe that, despite its name, dates from Roman times; citrus, saffron, cinnamon, couscous and gelato from the Arabic occupation; tomatoes, turkey and maize from the Spanish New World. Eating and drinking fresh vegetables fresh fruit and fresh seafood in the heart of this Mediterranean island is synonomous with a delicious journey back in time!
Dates: 21 September to 3 October 2015 (13 days / 12 nights)
Cost: Euro 4,500 per person (two people sharing a double room) (single supplement for a double room for single use Euro 400) (approximately $6,490 USD/AUD - subject to daily exchange rates)
Group Size: 7 to 15 people
Tour Includes: 12 nights’ accommodation (see the itinerary for details) in 4-star boutique hotels All breakfast, and all lunches and dinners listed in the itinerary All land and sea transfers during the tours All taxes and service charges at the hotels and restaurants All paid admissions during the tour 7 guided walks Services of a full-time professional tour guide
Walking Tour Itinerary
Day 1: A short drive south from Catania airport, Siracusa is one of the most extraordinary towns in southern Italy. Founded by the colonists from Corinth in the 6thBC, with its perfect port, natural defences and access to the rich Sicilian hinterland, Syracuse became one of the grandest cities of the ancient Greek world. It will be our base for the next four days, staying in a gorgeous family-run hotel overlooking the water in the heart of the old town. After a welcome drink, we’ll have dinner in a nearby restaurant. Dinner.
Day 2: Today you will be taken on a guided tour of the historical centre of Siracusa (a nest of medieval lanes and piazzas, crowded onto an ‘island’ connected to the mainland by a narrow isthmus) as well as visiting some of the extraordinary archaeological sites from the Syracuse’s golden age in the 4th century BC. We’ll have lunch in a charming trattoria. The late afternoon and evening is free. Dinner.
Day 3: Today’s walk is in the hills a short drive from Siracusa. It follows a river that runs through a beautiful valley that from the 13th to the 8thcentury BC was the centre of the most important Bronze Age civilisation in Sicily, recently added of the UNESCO World Heritage list. Dramatic canyons, luxuriant vegetation and clear rivers make this walk a great experience of nature as well as history. You’ll have a picnic lunch along the way. The evening is free. Lunch. (13 kms, 4 hours)
Day 4: The earthquake of 1693 levelled many of the towns in the south-eastern corner of Sicily. Several of them were completely rebuilt in the prevailing high Baroque style and now represent one of the most fascinating treasures of the island. Today you will visit of the two most important. On returning to Siracusa, we’ll have dinner in a lovely ‘agriturismo’ in the country outside town. Lunch and dinner.
Day 5: This morning we leave Siracusa, heading to the southern coast. On the way we’ll stop to visit another elegant baroque town which is renown throughout Sicily for the high quality of its ceramics. For the next two nights we will stay in a charming 4 star hotel, overlooking Agrigento’s fabulous Valley of the Temples, one of Sicily’s premier sites. Dinner at the hotel’s restaurant. Dinner.
Day 6: Today we take a short drive to a dazzling stretch of coastline, white limestone cliffs cupping large bays lined with golden beaches, where we’ll follow an easy trail to the ‘white cape’ on top of which are the spectacularly ruins of an ancient Greek town. After a picnic lunch we return to our hotel. Later in the afternoon, when the crowds have gone, we’ll be taken on a guided tour of the wonderful Greek remains in the Valley of the Temples. The evening is free. Lunch (12 kms, 3,5 hours)
Day 7: Today we continue around the coast into western Sicily. Once a neglected region renowned more for its Mafia strongholds than its tourist destinations, western Sicily has been reborn over the last 10 years and has much to offer, including its history, natural beauty and national parks and its food and wines. We’ll stop for lunch on the prettiest port on the coast. In the afternoon we take a hydrofoil to the Egadi archipelago, three small islands, our base for the next four. We’ll have dinner at our 4-star hotel. Dinner and lunch.
Day 8: Today we do some island hopping, taking a private boat to explore one of the neighbouring islands, including a morning walk, lunch and a swim in the blue Mediterranean Sea, returning to our base late in the afternoon, where the evening is free. Lunch. (10 kms, 3 hrs)
Day 9: Today we’ll explore the fascinating history of the archipelago. The little medieval port we are staying in had its heyday in the 19th century when the tuna fisheries off the islands thrived. After a guided tour of the town, a visit to the museum and a light lunch, we’ll visit the very unusual ‘underground gardens’, botanical gardens which have been established in the deep sandstone quarries and tunnels on the north of the island. Evening free. Lunch.
Day 10: Today a private boat will take us to the third of the archipelago’s islands to visit their greatest treasure: a gallery of prehistoric frescos painted between 10000 and 6000 BC, which were discovered in a grotto in 1949. Our visit includes a beautiful walk across the island (9kms, 3 hrs) and a picnic lunch. We return to our base for an aperitivo and dinner. Lunch and dinner.
Day 11: We return to the ‘mainland’, where our accommodation for the last two nights will be in a restored ‘baglio’ – a fortified farming estate that dates from the 18th century. On the way we’ll stop for coffee in Trapani, the ‘capital’ of western city, a magnificent baroque port that has been recently restored. We will then take a cable-car up to Erice, a dramatically located medieval town with a history that dates back to the Carthaginians and Greeks. After lunch we will go for a walk through this marvellous town. In the late afternoon we will drive to our base on the edge of Sicily’s first national park. Dinner will be in the neighbouring hamlet.
Day 12: Our last day, the ‘grande finale’ of our tour, starts with a beautiful coastal walk through Sicily’s oldest national park following a well-marked trail under majestic limestone mountains, through sub-tropical vegetation overlooking gorgeous turquoise-blue bays. We’ll have a picnic lunch along the way and plenty of opportunities to swim in the crystal clear water. (12 kms 4 hours). Back at the hotel, you can enjoy a swim in the pool, followed by dinner in the hamlet. Lunch and dinner.
Day 13: After breakfast, you’ll be transferred to Palermo (1.5 hour drive away) with the option of being dropped off at either Trapani airport or Palermo’s Punta Raisa airport along the way.
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