Sicily Tour Why travel with us Monreale How we create memorable experiences Italy With Pleasure is a specialist provider of small A careful selection of a range of activities and visits group tours to Italy. allow you to have genuine contact with local people....this is what memories are made of. Our tours are a balance between being informative (historical details, examples of the culture and We cover destinations that would be difficult to reach lifestyle) as well as having everything that makes for on your own, and you get an insider's perspective in an enjoyable trip (long lunches in good restaurants, a each location. relaxed pace, free time in places we visit). As well as the organised excursions, we leave some free Tours are always fully guided and in a small group time each day for you to explore at your own pace so context, giving a more personal touch and flexibility you can get a sense of how it is to live like a local. where needed. We are a hands-on company. Family run. A small team. We have a maximum of 14 people in our groups. This means that we are genuinely interested in the success and enjoyment of your tour, and your time here in Italy. www.italywithpleasure.com Sicily Tour Agrigento 'Valley of the Temples' Why you'll love this tour Sicily is an absolutely fascinating place to visit, being The tour includes 4 UNESCO World Heritage sites: the a crossroads of civilizations with a range of diverse Valley of the Temples in Agrigento, the late baroque influences. Our Sicily tours provide a well rounded towns of Ragusa and Modica, the Arab-Norman experience covering the diverse aspects that the architecture in Palermo, and Mount Etna. island offers. This includes the wonderful food and wine, including As well as the Arab-Norman architecture and Sicilian a cooking lesson and winetasting; the lifestyle and baroque, you’ll see everything from Greek temples, culture of the people, with visits to markets and a Roman theatres through to Byzantine mosaics. farm; the art and architecture, seeing several Sicilian baroque towns. And of course the history, with visits We mix and mingle with the locals going about their to ancient Greek and Roman sites including Segesta normal daily lives, in particular in the markets of Ballarò and Agrigento. in Palermo, and in Siracusa. In these places all of your senses are stimulated; curious foods on sale, the aromas We enjoy long lunches, taking time over the multiple of ‘panelle’ frying, the vendors calling and chatting. courses to enjoy the atmosphere and to relax. Through the week we progressively uncover how the See key locations such as Palermo, Agrigento, culinary traditions are intrinsically linked with the Siracusa, Taormina, Monreale, Erice, Segesta, Ragusa history of Sicily; Arab couscous, Spanish chocolate, and Modica. pastries from the island’s convents. We taste it all. www.italywithpleasure.com Accommodation Taormina Distinctive character, unique locations The hotels we use for this tour are good quality hotels In Taormina we stay in either the Grand Hotel and all are centrally located in Palermo, Ragusa and Miramare or the Excelsior Palace Hotel, both of which Taormina. This makes it easy for you to spend time boast wonderful views. These hotels are a short stroll independently discovering these wonderful places. from the centre of Taormina. All of the hotels we use are 4 star rated. In Palermo we stay in either the Hotel Quintocanto or the Eurostars Central Palace. These hotels are both conveniently located right in the centre of Palermo, many of the key areas to see are in your neightbourhood. In Ragusa we stay in the heart of the baroque historic centre of Ragusa Ibla, amongst the unique Sicilian baroque palazzi. Here we stay in either the San Giorgio Palace Hotel or the Hotel Antico Convento. The centre of Ragusa Ibla www.italywithpleasure.com About Us How it all began Italy With Pleasure emerged from a marriage of be the particular way they make their pasta shapes in ideas (the traditional marriage came later). To their village. explain, we need to wind the clock back to the time And what were our own travels in Italy are now the when the founders of the company, Antonella and tours that we offer to you - Italy With Pleasure was Malcolm, were embarking on what became Italy With founded specifically for this purpose. Pleasure. We collaborate with a group of like-minded individuals Malcolm was working as a winemaker in Puglia, who are our Tour Leaders - Andy and Anita, Richie and southern Italy. Discovering new flavours, but more Roberta, Mark and Wolfgang - who will lead your significantly the depth of history and culture all group for the week and provide insights into this land. around. Nearby was Antonella, studying for a masters Our guiding philosophy in designing the tour itineraries in literature. Together we embarked on an is to do so with the care we would in planning a exploration of firstly Puglia, where we were living, personal trip with a close friend. We've maintained the and later further afield around the many and varied spirit of those early days, almost 20 years ago now, regions of Italy. Everywhere we went we would seek back when we were driving around Italy with hands out the local cuisine, traditions tied to the land, places stained from the intense primitivo wine being made off the beaten track. back in the winery. We’d always try to find the essence of what made each place unique: maybe it was a local artisan, We invite you to come and uncover some of these maybe it was part of an ancient Roman road, it could special places for yourselves. With pleasure, of course. www.italywithpleasure.com Testimonials The markets in Siracusa What people say about our tours “I am widely travelled and have never been on a tour “The tour group was quite small, 8 people all delightful. before so went with some trepidation. It was the We were driven to some very interesting towns and absolute highlight of my travels in Italy and definitely other sites, where guides introduced us to the art and the best food I had the whole time. I cannot history... The tour was full but not too intense so we felt recommend Italy with Pleasure more highly don't we had enough time to enjoyed the excellent food and even think about it just book with them you will not wine which were highlights of the tour for us. I be disappointed I am sure.” wholeheartedly recommend this tour.” “Our time travelling with ‘Italy with Pleasure’ was our “The places that we visited were fascinating and very best experience. They source excellent restaurants... unique. I didn't know what to expect of the trip, but it way beyond our experiences with other companies more than fulfilled any hopes that I had for a great we travelled with. We highly recommend this week. Everything was well organised and the company, have mentioned it to friends and fellow atmosphere was friendly and relaxed. I can thoroughly travellers” recommend the tour.” - see these and other reviews on TripAdvisor, “Believe all that they say in their brochure... family run, TourRadar and Google hands on and very professional. Their standards are high and they are very responsive to everyone’s needs.” www.italywithpleasure.com Tour Dates Ragusa Sicily Tour 2021 TOUR DATES: TOUR INCLUDES: 23 - 29 May 2022 All accommodation is included in 4 star hotels with 5 - 11 September 2022 central locations in Palermo, Ragusa and Taormina 19 - 25 September 2022 Meals as listed in the itinerary: breakfast every 3 - 9 October 2022 morning, plus a main meal each day of 3-4 courses 10- 16 October 2022 including wine All costs/entry fees for activities listed in the itinerary TOUR PRICE: €2400 are included All transport during the tour is included. Travel is in * Price is denominated in Euros. our van/minibus with a professional driver * Prices listed are based on twin share 'Italy With Pleasure' provides a tour manager for the * Single supplement of €200 for solo travellers duration of the trip www.italywithpleasure.com Itinerary - Sicily Tour Day 1 – Palermo and Monreale Welcome to Palermo, with its many layers of civilizations and history. The city today is a vibrant, living testimony to this cultural heritage. Our hotel is located right in the historic centre of town, so the vibrancy of this diverse city is all around you. Starting the tour, we first look at a series of sights that provide an insight into both Palermo and Sicily – the Quattro Canti, the Arab-Norman architecture, Palermo fountain Fontana Pretoria, and the exteriors of the Arab- Norman churches of San Cataldo and Martorana. At this point we team up for the afternoon with a specialist expert who has a depth of knowledge about all things Sicily and Palermo. Together we travel a short distance to Monreale, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Monreale is on the outskirts of Palermo, a 30 minute drive. We start by visiting the cathedral at Monreale, with incredible golden mosaics. It is said to be one of the finest Norman buildings in the world. The cloisters at Monreale We go on to visit the cloisters at Monreale, a particularly evocative setting lined with marble columns. You’ll be am azed at the detailed carved marble and inlaid stone. On returning to central Palermo we visit the Oratorio of Santa Cita. In this 'oratorio', a private chapel constructed in the 16th century, you will find sumptuous rococo stucco sculptures decorating the interior.