JOURNEYS Beyond the ordinary SICILY: CROSSROADS OF MEDITERRANEAN CIVILIZATIONS Including Malta Aboard the 48-Guest Yacht Elysium May 13 – 23, 2022
Temple of Segesta
SCHEDULE OUTLINE ITALY May 13 Depart the US Ionian May 14 Arrive in Palermo. Transfer to the Grand Hotel et des Palmes. Sea May 15 Morning tour of Palermo. Afternoon excursion to Monreale. Elysium May 16 Morning excursion to Cefalu. Board the in the afternoon and sail. May 17 Marsala. Excursion to Segesta and the hill village of Erice. May 18 Porto Empedocle. Excursion to Agrigento and Piazza Armerina. May 19 Pozzallo. Explore the Baroque towns of Modica, Palazzolo Acreide, Noto, and Ispica. May 20 Valletta, Malta. Tour Valletta and Malta’s prehistoric monuments. May 21 Syracuse. Visit the city’s ancient monuments. Motor route May 22 Giardini Naxos. Excursion to Taormina. Ship route Mediterranean Air route Sea May 23 Palermo. Disembark and transfer to the airport. PROGRAM NARRATIVE Many places in the Mediterranean can lay claim to being a “crossroads of cultures and civilizations,” but none with better justification than Sicily. For, 3,000 years, wave after wave of new cultures, ideas and artistic techniques have swept over the island, leaving in their wake temples, theaters, castles villages, and extraordinary works of art that together have earned Sicily the reputation of an “open-air museum.”
Our itinerary demonstrates the importance of Sicily to Greek civilization in the great theaters at Syracuse and Taormina and in the Doric temples at Agrigento and Segesta. Roman remains mingle with the Greek in Syracuse, and the wealth of Imperial Rome is evident in the 3rd-century villa near Piazza Armerina. The changes brought to Sicily in the early Middle Ages in the Capella Palatina in Palermo’s Royal Palace, which exhibits the workmanship of Arab, Byzantine, and Norman artisans, and in the cathedral and cloister of Monreale. And the towns of southeastern Sicily – Noto, Ispica, Modica, and Palazzolo Acreide – bring us into the period of the Baroque.
Only a few miles separate south Sicily from Malta, and this beautiful island nation is also included in our itinerary. We will tourValletta , the compact walled capital of Malta, and its impressive monuments that are associated with the Knights of St. John, who founded the city in the 1500s. In the Maltese countryside, we will explore the island’s prehistoric megalithic temples, considered to be among the most important in Europe.
The timing for this journey couldn’t be better – the wildflowers of spring add a profusion of color to the countryside, and theair is fresh and clear. THE ELYSIUM
Deck Plan
Sun Deck 411 409 407 405 403 401 402 400 404 410 408 406 Boat Deck
RESTAURANT
GYM Lounge Boat Deck Stateroom Promenade Deck 209 207 205 203 215 211 212 210 208 206 204 202 Main Deck Main characteristics: Gross tonnage: 1610; Length: 210 ft; Beam: 41 ft; Draft: 11 ft; Main engines: Deutz 2 x 1275 H.P.
Library Al Fresco Dining Suites 402 & 403 include a convertible sofa single bed
In an era of mega cruise ships that carry thousands features expansive open deck areas that include a 24 seasoned officers and crew. of passengers, Elysium is a delightful alternative. Jacuzzi, a promenade that wraps around the deck, Elysium provides a style of cruising that is rarely More like an elegant private yacht than a cruise an elegant restaurant that accommodates all found today. More than a cruise, each voyage is ship, Elysium accommodates only 48 guests in 24 guests in an open, unassigned seating, an outdoor custom-crafted to provide a comprehensive spacious cabins that face outside, about half the dining area, a lounge that is surrounded with win- experience that reveals the singular aspects of number usually found on a ship this size. Large dows, a library and gym. A fleet of kayaks provide the destinations. enough to navigate in comfort and safety, small opportunities for kayaking in the protected blue enough to access small ports with agility, Elysium waters of the Mediterranean. The ship is served by Welcome aboard the yacht Elysium.
PROGRAM INCLUSIONS
■ Two nights in Palermo’s Grand Hotel et des Palmes. ■ Port, embarkation, and all other local taxes. ■ Welcome dinner in Palermo at a local restaurant. ■ Gratuities to guides, drivers and porters. ■ Full breakfast each morning at the hotel. ■ Experienced Thalassa Journeys trip director. ■ Cruise aboard the Elysium, as described in the itinerary. ■ Comprehensive pre-departure material. ■ Complete program of tours and excursions and other activities ashore, with professional English-speaking guides. ■ Airport/hotel/pier transfers and handling of luggage abroad. NOT INCLUDED: Airfare; travel insurance; expenses of a personal nature; ■ All meals aboard ship, including wine, beer, and soft drinks with lunch gratuities to shipboard personnel; any items not mentioned in the and dinner. Program Inclusions. ■ Open bar aboard ship throughout the voyage.
FOR INFORMATION JOURNEYS Beyond the ordinary PLEASE CALL TOLL-FREE 8815 Conroy-Windermere Road, 866-633-3611 Suite 406, Orlando, FL 32835 TOLL-FREE 866-633-3611