Norman Cathedral, Palermo
WESTERN EUROPE
Capo Market, Palermo Agrigento
ITINERARY
DAY 1 • Depart U. S. Fly overnight from the U. S. to Palermo, Sicily.
DAY 2 • Arrive in Palermo, Sicily Arrive in Palermo. The day is yours to explore the city on your own. Perhaps you may decide to sample some of Sicily’ s famous seafood.
Hotel Federico II or similar
DAY 3 • Palermo • Controversial Topic: The Sicilian Mafia
Explore Palermo on a walking tour with your fellow travelers, including those who took our Puglia: Italy’ s Undiscovered Heel pre-trip extension. Highlights include the Piazza Pretoria, where we’ ll learn why its 16th-century fountain is referred to as the“ Fountain of Shame,” and the Teatro Massimo Vittorio Emanuele, a prominent opera house located on the Piazza Verdi. We’ ll also stop at the Capo Market to sample some Sicilian treats. Later, gather for an enlightening Controversial Topic about the Sicilian Mafia( also known as Cosa Nostra). We will finish the day with a celebration welcome dinner.
Meals: B, D | Hotel Federico II or similar
DAY 4 • A Day in the Life of Castelbuono Today we’ ll spend A Day in the Life of Castelbuono, an ancient hilltop town crowned with a medieval castle. Learn about the town’ s garbage-collecting donkeys, tour the castle and adjacent museum, and stroll through the Piazza Margherita. This is a great opportunity to interact with local Sicilians and see what life is really like in rural Sicily.
Meals: B, L | Hotel Federico II or similar
DAY 5 • Monreale • Segesta • Mazara del Vallo Drive to Monreale and enjoy a guided visit. View the town’ s twelfth-century Norman Cathedral, which sits in the hills overlooking Palermo. Then, head to Segesta for an included lunch at a local agriturismo and learn about wine and olive oil production from the owner. Later, continue to Mazara del Vallo.
Meals: B, L | Mahara Hotel or similar
DAY 6 • Mazara walking tour • Tunisian Kasbah • Home-Hosted Lunch
Embark on a walking tour of the UNESCO-protected city of Mazara. Here, some 3,000 Tunisians and other Maghreb Arabs live and work, a mingling of cultures and faiths that has deeply influenced the city. In Mazara’ s historic Kasbah quarter, we’ ll visit a museum built to house the famous“ Dancing Satyr.” Later, enjoy a Home-Hosted Lunch with a local family, dining on North African-influenced Sicilian cuisine.
Meals: B, L | Mahara Hotel or similar
DAY 7 • Museo del Sale visit • Mothya Island • Sicilian cooking lesson
Visit Museo del Sale, a semi-working salt museum, and learn about the Trapani tradition of salt production and refinement. Then, take a boat ride( weather permitting) to the small island of Mothya. There, explore the ancient island fortress and a local museum, enjoy a picnic lunch, and take a gentle hike on one of the many foothpaths that crisscross the island. Later in the day, we will take a cooking class at a local restaurant.
Meals: B, L, D | Mahara Hotel or similar
DAY 8 • Piazza Armerina • Valley of the Temples
• Agrigento
Depart for Piazza Armerina. En route, stop at the Valley of the Temples, situated outside the city of Agrigento, and view the archaeological remains of several Greek temples. Then, arrive at an agriturismo, our home for the night.
Meals: B, L, D | Vecchia Masseria or similar
DAY 9 • Ragusa • Villa Romana del Casale • Winery tour
Depart for Villa Romana del Casale, home to the ruins of a Roman villa— a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Then, visit a family-run winery and meet the owners. Enjoy a wine tasting and lunch. Afterward, continue to Ragusa and explore the town’ s Sicilian Baroque churches and palazzi.
Meals: B, L, D | Hotel Il Barocco or similar
DAY 10 • Old Town Ragusa • Fiat ride through Modica
Explore Ragusa Ibla, one of Sicily’ s best-preserved old towns, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Then, journey to nearby Modica, part of the Val di Noto UNESCO World Heritage Site, and board vintage Fiat 500 cars to explore the city’ s winding streets in true Sicilian style.
Meals: B, D | Hotel Il Barocco or similar
Information & Reservations 1-800-955-1925 www. oattravel. com / bya 133