"Cu' voli puisia venga 'n Sicilia"
He who desires poetry should go to Sicily—Sicilian proverb
ITINERARY
DAY 0—TUESDAY
MORNING/AFTERNOON: Departure for Palermo, Italy.
DAY 1—WEDNESDAY
MORNING: Arrival at Palermo's Falcone Borsellino airport. Transfer to Baglio Santacroce in Erice, a delightful rural retreat on Mount Erice set among olive and citrus groves.
AFTERNOON: Lunch featuring local delicacies (included). Walking tour of Erice with guide to see the Chiesa Matrice, the town's main church, the massive Elimo-Punic Walls, the lovely public gardens of the Giardino del Balio, and the Castello di Venere, with a spectacular view of the sea and the plain below. Dinner at a restaurant featuring local specialties (included).
HOTEL: Baglio Santacroce / Erice
DAY 2—THURSDAY
MORNING: Travel to the Via del Sale, the road between Trapani and Marsala, to tour the historic Saline Ettore e Infersa saltworks, where the ancient tradition of harvesting salt from the sea is still practiced. The Via del Sale passes through a landscape of windmills and salt flats, with the Isole dello Stagnone - a lagoon, salt flats, and nature reserve - visible offshore. Take a short boat ride to Mozia (on the island of San Pantaleo), Sicily's only surviving Carthaginian site. Founded in the eighth century BC, it became one of the most prosperous Punic colonies in the Mediterranean.
AFTERNOON: Continue south to Marsala for lunch (included). Sicily's largest wine-producing center was founded at Marsala by the colonists from Mozia who survived the destruction of the island by Dionysius of Siracusa in 397 BC. Visit the historic Cantine Florio for a tasting and tour the historical onsite museum. Dinner at Baglio Santacroce (included).
HOTEL: Baglio Santacroce / Erice
DAY 3—FRIDAY
MORNING: Visit the majestic Doric temple in the abandoned ancient city of Segesta. Set on a peaceful site where, according to legend, the ancient capital of the Elimi was founded, the temple was built in the 5th-century BC by one of Sicily's native peoples (the Elymians), rather than the Greeks. The temple stands in an idyllic setting, completely isolated from modern structures.
AFTERNOON: Lunch at a local restaurant (not included). Afternoon at leisure at Baglio Santacroce. Dinner at a local restaurant (not included).
HOTEL: Baglio Santacroce / Erice
DAY 4—SATURDAY
MORNING: Depart Erice, stopping in the late morning to visit the remarkable ancient ruins at Selinunte. The remains of Greek Selinus reign spectacularly from a promontory high above the sea and comprise the largest archaeological park in Europe.
AFTERNOON: Lunch at a restaurant (included) in Sciacca. The whitewashed town of Sciacca is striking for its Arab feel. One of its main attractions is its prodigious output of maiolica on sale in a host of pottery workshops dotting the town. Visit to the ancient settlement and ruins of Eraclea Minora. Late afternoon arrival in Agrigento. Dinner at a local restaurant (included).
HOTEL: Agrigento / Hotel Domus Aurea
DAY 5—SUNDAY
MORNING: Visit Agrigento, whose history dates back to 580 BC. Tour the Valle dei Templi (Valley of the Temples), a magnificent cluster of Greek ruins overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. The town is also the birthplace of Luigi Pirandello, the great dramatist and novelist. Lunch at a local restaurant specializing in fresh pasta (included).
AFTERNOON: At leisure in the town of Agrigento. Dinner at a local restaurant (included).
HOTEL: Agrigento / Hotel Domus Aurea
| Vestiges of Remaining Powers |
| Many place names are Italian version of original Greek or Latin names. Erice was known as Monte San Giuliano until 1934 when Mussolini went on a name-changing spree and adopted an Italian version of its original Greek name, Eryx. Arabic names remain in abundance-for example, names that start with the prefixes Calta, Gibil, and Sala. |
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DAY 6—MONDAY
MORNING: Depart Agrigento and transfer to Palermo to the Excelsior Palace Hotel, a grand, old-fashioned villa built in the Liberty style for the Esposizione Nazionale in 1891. Lunch at a local restaurant (included).
AFTERNOON: Guided tour of Old Palermo. See the Cathedral, the Quattro Canti, which marks the center of town, the elaborate fountain in Piazza Pretoria (once known as the Fountain of Shame because of the nude statues), the Arab-Norman church of San Cataldo, and the church of La Martorana.
Late afternoon visit to Il Teatro dell'Opera dei Pupi, a traditional puppet theatre staged by a Palermitan master puppeteer. The extensive collection includes examples of puppet traditions from all over the world. Dinner featuring local specialties at an intimate trattoria (included—and translation provided for the menu, which is written in the local Palermitan dialect!).
HOTEL: Excelsior Palace Hotel / Palermo
DAY 7—TUESDAY
MORNING: See the ornately decorated Cappella Palatina, part of the Palazzo Normanni. The chapel combines western and Arab styles. Visit the Castello della Zisa, built in 1165-1167 by Arab craftsmen who incorporated stalactite ceilings, interior fountains, mosaic decorations and an ingenious ventilation system.
AFTERNOON: Lunch at a local pizzeria (included). Visit the cathedral of Monreale, famous for its Byzantine mosaics, and the splendid cloister of the Benedictine abbey. Dinner at a local restaurant (not included).
HOTEL: Excelsior Palace Hotel / Palermo
DAY 8—WEDNESDAY
MORNING: Excursion to the splendid medieval town of Cefalù, built on the site of an ancient Sicanian and Greek settlement. Towering above the town is La Rocca, an outcrop with the ruins of a castle. Visit the striking Porta Marina, see the recently restored medieval fountain, stop for a caffé in Piazza del Duomo, and tour the Norman Cathedral built by King Roger II. Lunch at a local restaurant (not included).
AFTERNOON: Wine tasting at the Duca di Salaparuta winery in Casteldaccia. Tour the visitors' center, museum, and tasting room at the 19th-century winery in the hills above Palermo. Visit the Norman castle in Caccamo. Made of rough white stone, this 12th-century Norman castle dominates the village and valley below.
Later in the afternoon, tour the Villa Palagonia in Bagheria. In the 18th-century the town was the summer residence of the nobility of Palermo, who built luxurious villa surrounded by orange groves as retreats from the torrid heat of the capital. Dinner at a local restaurant (not included).
HOTEL: Excelsior Palace Hotel / Palermo
DAY 9—THURSDAY
MORNING/AFTERNOON: At leisure to explore Palermo - shop on Via della Libertà, a boulevard that offers a mix of elegant stores, boutiques, and chic cafés; stroll amid the greenery of the city's many parks; or sightsee in the historic center. Lunch at a local restaurant (not included). Savor a farewell dinner at a local restaurant (included).
HOTEL: Excelsior Palace Hotel / Palermo
DAY 10—FRIDAY
MORNING: Early morning group transfer to Palermo's Falcone Borsellino airport and departure. Arrivederci!
