Sicily Italy

6 days by AIR to Sicily
Day 1
Fly from London to Sicily, meet your guide and transfer to you hotel for your evening meal. Your guide will stay with you for the duration of your tour. Overnight Palermo.
Day 2
Morning guided tour by coach of Palermo, the Capital and main port of Sicily. Founded by the Phoenicians, captured by the Romans and then ruled by the Byzantines. See the Church of San Giovanni Degli Eremiti, built in 1132 and surrounded by tropical gardens with 13th Century cloisters. Visit the Cappella Palatina inside the Palazzo Dei Normanni, containing the finest mosaics in Europe. Also see the lively food market. In the afternoon visit Monreale and see the finely carved Cathedral. The interior is covered in multi-coloured marbles, paintings and mosaics in Moorish and Norman styles. The cloisters are equally famous; the galleries have beautifully carved capitals. Overnight Palermo.
Day 3
Depart Palermo and visit Segesta, see the Greek Theatre and Doric Temple. Continue to Agrigento and visit the Regional Archaeological Museum; the museum contains fine Greek artefacts including the Dionisius Cup and the statue of Ephebus of Agrigento. In the afternoon continue with your guide to the amazing Valley of the Temples. A UNESCO World Heritage site. Of the ten original Temples built in the late 6th and 5th Centuries B.C. parts of nine are visible. Visit the Temples of Hera, Concordia, Hercules, Zeus, Castor and Pollux. Check-in to your hotel in Agrigento and have your evening meal. Meet your coach and take a tour by night of the Valley and continue to the 'Teatro Della Posta Vecchia' for an amazing show, featuring Sicilian folk dances, local music, history and songs. Overnight Agrigento.
Day 4
Travel by coach to PPiazza Armerina for a guided visit of the Roman Villa del Casale, one of the most important archaeological finds in Sicily. The immense villa (dating from the 3rd or 4th Century A.D.) belonged to a nobleman. Famed for the floor mosaics, which cover almost the entire floor space. The most famous are those of cupids and wild animals. In the afternoon, drive to the upper-class resort of Taormina. The Greco-Roman site is at an altitude of 250 metres, forming a terrace overlooking the sea and facing Mount Etna. The Greek Theatre dates from the 3rd Century B.C. See the Giardino Publico garden, the Corso Umberto and Belvedere. Continue to picturesque Giardini Naxos for your evening meal. The resort is where the first Greek colony in Sicily was founded in 735 B.C. Overnight Giardini Naxos.
Day 5
Morning drive to Siracusa, one of Sicily's most prestigious cities. The Romans, Barbarians, Byzantines, Arabs and Normans successively captured the town. Visit the archaeological site overlooking the Ionian Sea. The Greek Theatre is one of the largest in the ancient world with the seats hewn into the rock. In the former quarry is the Ear of Dionisio, a manmade grotto created in the shape of an earlobe. You can also see the Tomb of Archimedes. Continue to the historical centre of l'Ortigia, situated on an island linked by a bridge. There are Medieval and Baroque palaces decorated with wrought-iron balconies and impressive facades. See the Arethusa Fountain and the Cathedral.
In the afternoon you could either remain in Siracusa, return to Taormina or take an optional tour to Mount Etna, the tallest active Volcano on the continent of Europe (ask for a quotation). Overnight Giardini Naxos.
Day 6
After breakfast transfer to the airport for your flight to the UK.
Extra Day
Make the most of your visit by adding an extra day. Price available on request.