5 Stars Sicily Tour Package

The beauty of Palermo washes down Via Maqueda and Quattro Canti. The elegant Norman Palace borders the oldest neighborhood of the city. The vivacious Ballaò Market fills with locals searching for fresh produce, and knowledgeable butchers set on a wide avenue lined by antique buildings. The azure water of the harbor brushes against a cobblestone promenade. Ships wade in the water, their masts waving against the motionless horizon. One of our tour companies in Italy will arrange for a private transfer to meet you at the Falcone-Borsellino Airport and escort you to your hotel located in the heart of the ancient city.

The aroma of orange trees brightens the already brilliant afternoon. Palm trees cast refreshing shade over the streets. The creamy hue of the cathedral exterior enhances the eastern wing’s Norma character. The south façade was constructed in the 15th century with a Gothic-Catalan portico opening the church to the masses. A single column, dating back to the city’s Moorish rule, has an Arabic inscription in the sweeping decorative style of calligraphy. The city is rambunctious, but welcoming, filled with gregarious locals and a collection of cultures from around the Mediterranean. In the evening, your guide meets you in the hotel lobby to introduce you to the sparkling lights of Palermo by night.

In the morning, the streets of Palermo come to vibrant life, filled with boisterous markets, such as the energetic fish market. Fisherman fill the narrow street showcasing the variety of seafood caught fresh that morning, from mussels to swordfish. After breakfast, your guide meets you at the hotel and leads you outside of the city center to the exceptional Monreale Cathedral. The Norman Kingdom designed and constructed the edifice in the 12th century on the plateau overlooking a shell-like valley filled with orange, olive, and almond trees.

The inspiring cathedral remains remarkably intact, consistent with its original construction. When you enter the gilded building, you find a collection of golden Byzantine mosaics covering the entire surface of the interior, from walls to ceiling, encompassing 68,243 square feet. The artist renditions tell the tale of the Old and New Testament beginning on the nave of the south wall. When you step out into the courtyard, you find an equally sensational cloister decorated with 26 arches encircling lush gardens. The beauty of the cathedral becomes almost unimaginable when you remember it was constructed in the 1100s.

In the morning, the golden architecture of Palermo reminds you of the shimmering flecks of golden light across the mosaics of the Monreale Cathedral. The day takes on a new brilliance after breakfast, when your guide leads you out of the city to the remarkable ruins of Selinunte. The ruins are not only impressive because of their size but are also arguably some of the most impressive ruins dating back to the ancient Greek world. Eight Greek temples date back to the 5th century BC, representing a variety of sizes and architectural splendor.

The Eastern Temples are crowned by the majesty of Temple E, also known as the Temple of Hara, constructed in the 5th century BC and reconstructed in 1958. The ionic columns look like an extension of the earth, containing the same creamy hue and ribbed texture. The particular style maintains six columns by fifteen columns, each column reaching a height of more than 33 feet. Multiple staircases create a unique system of successive levels. The air is warm underneath the drifting sun. The air is brushed with a citrus from nearby orange groves. The grandeur of the past continues to inspire locals and visitors alike.

In the morning, pomegranates shine like rubies against the market stalls of Palermo. Fishing boats weigh anchor in the harbor and pull in their haul for the day. After breakfast, your private transfer leads you away from the historic provincial capital and out to the fantastic, hilly countryside of Agrigento. The city has a striking contrast of modern high-rises next to ancient buildings from the medieval and Baroque periods. The hillside opens to the dale where you can see the Valley of the Temples. The archeological park encompasses 3,212 acres of land.

The Eastern Zone has the sparkling Temple of Concordia, one of the most perfectly preserved temples of the ancient Greek world dating back to the 5th century BC. The edifice stands atop a small incline made of soft clay. In the 6th century AD, the main structure was converted into a Byzantine church. The staircases lead up to the columns and into the edifice, flanking the right and left of the inner area. The collective beauty and size of the ancient world casts wonderment across the valley.

Olive groves line the countryside and provide a succulent aroma to the rolling hills around Agrigento. After breakfast, your guide takes you on a tour of Piazza Armerina and onwards to the charming hilltop town of Caltagirone. The town is noted for its extraordinary ceramic work used for more than a millennium, and still important to the local economy today. The Arab influence on the town gave the ceramics radiant colors, specifically sunny yellows and deep blues.

The town rises along the hillside with narrow stairwells leading you past shops with vases and plates on display in the windows. Your guide leads you up Scalinata di Santa Maria del Monte, a inlaid ceramic staircase constructed in the 19th century to connect the old hilltop center with Piazza Municipio. The hand-painted tiles have a majolica style added, recalling the Arab cultural influence on the town and its creative works.

The ceramics of Caltagirone shimmer in the sunlight, along with the cream colored buildings rising up and down the hillside. You wave goodbye to the undulating city and make your way to the unique town of Ragusa, sitting atop a different hill. The town is divided into two sections: the modern area designed on a sensible pattern known as Ragusa Superiore, and Ragusa Ibla, etched into the lower hillside and with labyrinthine alleyways, stone houses, and Baroque palaces.

The town was reconstructed in the 17th century and contains lovely Baroque architecture blossoming against the emerald countryside and bunching lanes. The church of San Giorgio was erected in the 18th century with a grand staircase standing behind a palatial iron gate. A neoclassical dome rises above the colorful array of stained-glass windows. The convex façade creates a tiered perspective, rising above the plaza and flanked by Corinthian columns. The town is both serene and traditional, combining lavish heritage with modern luxury.

Syracuse encapsulates the timelessness of the island. Citrus orchards encircle ancient Greek ruins and add radiance to the landscape. Cafes decorate Baroque plazas with local flair. Medieval lanes wind through the cityscape and eventually lead to the cobalt coastline. Syracuse was once the largest city in Sicily and the whole of the ancient world, larger than even Athens.

Your guide meets you at your hotel and leads you along the elegant, and fast paced streets of the historic, yet modern city. The city is home to one of the largest theaters of the Greek Empire situated in Parco Archeologico della Neapolis, erected around 470 BC. The theater is known, not only for its size but also for having premiered two tragedies written by Aeschylus. The entire theater is more like a stadium with a diameter of 452 feet, with 61 rows of seats carved out of the rugged landscape. Standing in the theater, you find awe in the historic ingenuity and elegant design of a structure that could hold 15,000 spectators.

In the morning, you leave behind the historic streets of Syracuse and follow your guide to the UNESCO historic center of Catania. Baroque piazzas create glamorous open spaces beneath the black and white palaces towering overhead. In the morning, the vibrant fish market fills with eager locals in search of fresh calamari and jovial fishmongers calling out to one another with friendly banter. Mount Etna lingers on the horizon with a snowcapped peak for an exhilarating backdrop. Teatro Massimo Bellini is a gorgeous opera house at the center of Piazza Bellini. The 19th century opera house resembles a palace on the outside with triple-arched portico adorned with a winged angel flanked by two statuesque figures. The interior boasts opulence, from the elegant chandelier to the marble foyer. A statue of Bellini stands between the central arches cast against the glow of the red plush interior filling the theater’s interior.

The morning waves crash against the rugged coastline of the Ionian Sea. The indigo water shimmers in the rising sunlight. Emerald trees and red hills press against the blue shores. In the near distance, Mount Etna continues to linger over the seaside town of Taormina.

The day is yours to enjoy the splendor of the ocean and charisma of the streets. Romantic buildings open up with small terraces offering unhindered views. Byzantine rock-markers speckle the mountainside. The funicular to Mazzarò glides over the terrain down to Porta Messina. The aroma of rich espresso blends with the seaside air. You find no better view in the city than at Piazza IX Aprile, offering you a collecting image of Mount Etna and the bay, marked by a square clock tower made of rugged stone. The Baroque façade of San Guiseppe has a pink pigment offering a pastel brightness to the midmorning sky.

Sicily has a majesty to it that has appealed to cultures from around the world. You have found the wonders of the coastline and the enchanting history spread across the landscape, from Greek temples to Roman ruins, Baroque palaces to Norman Cathedrals. The scent of orange orchards has become a treasured familiarity in the morning light. You sip your fresh espresso and linger in the comforting aroma of orange and ocean. Your private transfer will meet you at your hotel and escort you to Catania International Airport for your flight home.

If you want to explore more Greece temples, consider an extension to Greece. For itinerary options, visit the Greece tours page on Zicasso.