DAY 1

We fly to Palermo via Rome and on arrival transfer to the 4 star Hotel (Centrale Palace in September, Palazzo Sitano) for a four night stay.

DAY 2

During our stay in Palermo we will visit the Archaelogical Museum with its finds from all over the island, including items found at the temples of Selinunte. We also go to the great Norman Royal Palace, the Chapel of the Kings and much more. Visits to San Cataldo and the Martorana with its Norman tower are also included. We will spend a morning in Monreale with its great Norman Cathedral dating from 1172. Its interiors are dazzling with scenes from both the Old and New Testaments. A portrait of St. Thomas à Becket is of special interest. We also visit Segesta with its glorious collection of Doric temples dating from 430BC and Selinunte, an extensive hillside site dating from 650BC.

DAY 5

We leave Palermo and drive to Agrigento to see the spiritual and mystical Valley of the Temples. We visit the museum and walk along the Sacred Way with the Temples of Zeus and Concord. We spend one night at the 4 star Hotel Jolly delle Valle, Agrigento.

DAY 6

En route to Syracuse we will stop at Piazza Armerina with its opulent Roman villa, its floor decorated with bright, shining mosaics. We head further east to Syracuse and spend four nights at the 4 star Grand Hotel Ortigia

DAY 7

Syracuse was the most important city in Magna Graecia. We will visit the Greek theatre and the archaeological museum where important artefacts are displayed in a beautiful and sensitive way. A day will be spent in Taormina, one of the loveliest resorts in Europe and located on the slopes of Mount Etna, with views up to the volcano and over the sea towards Calabria. We will visit the Graeco-Roman theatre and the 14th Century Cathedral. Modica and Noto are two beautiful small towns, veritable treasure troves of Baroque palaces and churches.

DAY 10

This morning we go to a private palace in Catania, home of one of the noblest of all Sicilian families. We then travel on to Catania airport for the flight to London via Rome.