• Comprehensive overview of Sicilian history including many major treasures

• The ancient sites of Syracuse, Mozia & the famous Roman Villa at Piazza Armerina with magnificent mosaics 

• Major Norman churches & palaces with sophisticated Byzantine mosaics

• Private visits to remarkable Baroque palaces in both Palermo & Syracuse

• Excellent food & wine

• Centrally located four & five star hotels in Palermo & Ortygia in Syracuse

Sitting in the centre of the Mediterranean, Sicily has always been a strategic prize fought over for millennia. The original settlers were overcome by the Phoenicians from Carthage, followed by the Greeks, both sets of invaders attracted by its natural resources. Then the Romans arrived and overran the island, hungry for expansion in their quest for new sources of food and wealth. Making typical use of their findings, they adapted the existing building styles and general cultural models, based on the by-then firmly rooted language of Greek classicism.

During the medieval period, Sicily continued to prosper, particularly during its period as part of the Byzantine Empire. Subsequently, from the ninth century onwards Arabic or ‘Moorish’ culture added to this heady mix. The local dialect, the crops grown, the culinary traditions (particularly its love of all things sweet!) and the adaptation of familial customs point to a deep dependence on Muslim cultural sources. In complete contrast, from the north-west of Europe arrived the Normans, of all unlikely invaders, who initiated a period of great wealth and sophistication. Led by the de Hautville family, this was truly a golden age when the cultural ambitions of the new elite made use of any and every style available, all fused together to create one of the great cultures of the High Middle Ages. This heritage is reflected above all in Sicilian medieval mosaic cycles which we shall see in and around Palermo.  

Thereafter, a succession of French, Austrian and Spanish dynasties ruled the island with ‘sublime indifference’, the island’s culture and economy remaining isolated from much of the rest of Italy and Europe. However, their resident aristocracies have given the island a rich heritage of Baroque, Rococo and neoclassical monuments of great prestige and beauty. More recently, many contemporary gardens on the Ionian side of the island continue to make good to thrilling effect to Sicily’s extraordinary fecundity driven by Mount Etna. Our visit is the ideal opportunity to discover the many colourful and engaging facets of the culture of Sicily in the warm weather of mid-October.

We shall spend four nights in Palermo at the 4* Grand Hotel Piazza Borsa and four nights in old Syracuse on the ‘island’ of Ortygia at the 5* Hotel Des Etrangers et Miramare. The former is an excellent, locally rated 4* hotel located in the very centre of Palermo where our visits can be reached easily on foot. In Ortygia, our hotel has been recently refurbished, is of architectural interest and enjoys a delightful location overlooking the bay.

Day 1: Wednesday 8 October – We fly early morning from Gatwick directly to Palermo, arriving at midday. We drive into Palermo to check-in for four nights at the 4* Hotel Piazza Borsa and a late lunch (not included). By way of orientation, we visit nearby two of the city’s most important oratories, private devotional chapels renowned for the fine stucco decorations by the Serpotta family. There will be ample time to rest and in the early evening there will be an early group dinner in a local restaurant – wine, water and coffee are included with all group lunches and dinners.

Day 2: Thursday 9 October – The tiny island of Motya lies just off the south-west coast of Sicily and is one of the most exciting archaeological sites in the Mediterranean. Founded as a staging port by Phoenician merchants and then taken over by their Carthaginian successors, recent excavations have revealed much about this hidden phase of Sicilian history. We shall spend the morning on the island with a guided visit, after which we dine at a nearby local restaurant. En route back to Palermo we stop at the isolated site of Segesta, where there is a monumental, still unfinished, Greek Doric Temple and a dramatically sited Theatre looking out to sea. This evening will be free.

Day 3: Friday 10 October – Palermo’s earliest surviving monuments above ground are mostly from the Arab and Norman periods. The Norman Palace was rebuilt in the eleventh century under Roger II, to whom we owe great thanks for initiating a series of sophisticated mural decorations, in his case the great mosaic cycle in the Cappella Palatina. Other highlights include the Cathedral with its royal tombs, and the lovely church of the Martorana. We drive to its nearby hills at Monreale where we pause for a group lunch. In the afternoon, we visit the town’s Cathedral to see the magnificent medieval mosaic cycles and its adjoining cloister. This evening will be free.

Day 4: Saturday 11 October – We walk the short distance to visit the Regional Picture Gallery at Palazzo Abatellis. It contains a number of interesting objects and paintings including works by Antonello da Messina. After coffee, we visit a nearby oratory containing a remarkable copy of Caravaggio’s ‘lost’ altar painting. Lunch (not included) and the remainder of the afternoon will be free. Our final evening in Palermo is spent in spectacular fashion when we visit privately Palazzo Gangi, containing the finest suite of eighteenth-century interiors on the island, used for the film of Lampedusa’s novel The Leopard. We dine in an excellent restaurant adjoining the palace. 

Day 5: Sunday 12 October – We depart Palermo and travel to the centre of Sicily to visit the great Imperial Roman villa at Piazza Armerina. It is justly renowned as home to fabulous mosaic decorations which are the equal of any found in and around Rome and Pompeii. After our visit, we have a group lunch nearby in one of the island’s best restaurants. We continue to Syracuse for a four-night stay at the 5* Des Etrangers et Miramare. This evening will be free.

Day 6: Monday 13 October – Syracuse was one of the greatest cities of Magna Graeca and this morning we explore its ancient heritage. The Archaeological Park is home to some major monuments, particularly a splendid Theatre. After a coffee break, we return to Ortygia to walk through the historic centre. Ortygia is abundant with splendid palaces and churches including the Cathedral fashioned from a Doric temple, and Santa Lucia with its damaged Caravaggio - both of which we shall visit. Lunch (not included) and the remainder of the afternoon will be free for private and leisurely explorations. In the evening, we dine in an excellent local fish restaurant.

Day 7: Tuesday 14 October – Today we drive into the nearby countryside to visit two splendid modern gardens. The Giardino di San Giuliano which is owned by the current Marquis of San Giuliano who commissioned three distinct garden spaces: an Arabic room, a tropical room and a scented room all divided by low stone walls and enclosed by the estate’s huge citrus orchard which produces a million kilos of oranges! Following our visit of the garden, we shall enjoy a private lunch in the garden. In the afternoon, we drive a short distance to Il Biviere, the creation of Princess Maria Carla Borghese, whose daughter-in-law will be our guide. A good water supply and the fecund lava-based soil has helped fashion a series of green rooms joined by sloping banks, lined with Aleppo palms and an extraordinary array of succulents. Following our visit, we return to Ortygia and this evening will be free.

Day 8: Wednesday 15 October – This morning we drive to Noto, deservedly the most famous of all Baroque cities on the island. There are handsome Baroque buildings at every turn including its great Cathedral, reopened after a long restoration. After an early lunch (not included) we return to Siracusa where the remainder of the afternoon will be free. In the early evening, we shall enjoy a private visit to Palazzo Beneventano, the finest baroque palace in Syracuse. Baron di Beneventano and his wife will be our guides and host our final and festive group dinner - a fitting and sumptuous finale to our Sicilian explorations!      

Day 9: Thursday 16 October April – We depart our hotel after breakfast and drive to Catania Airport for a lunchtime flight to London Gatwick.

Price £4195 Without Flights £3960 Deposit £400 per person Single Supplement £940 (double for sole use)

Hotels 

1 night at the Premier Inn London Gatwick North Terminal pre departure on 7 October (room only)

4 nights inc breakfast 4* Grand Hotel Piazza Borsa, Palermo (Executive Room)

4 nights inc breakfast 5* Des Etrangers et Miramare, Syracuse - Superior Room (2 sharing) Comfort Room (Double for single occupancy)

Sea View Room - on request with supplement cost

Flights

EasyJet flight: allocated seats & 20kg of hold baggage

British Airways flight 23kg of hold baggage

Outbound        EZY8321 Departure London Gatwick (North Terminal) 0825 arrive Palermo 1215
Inbound            BA2611 Departure Catania 1205 arrive London Gatwick (South Terminal) 1420

Departure from London Gatwick North Terminal & return to London Gatwick South Terminal

Price includes 4 dinners & 4 lunches with wine, water & coffee, all local transfers, entry fees & gratuities, City tax, the services of James Hill & Rachel Lamb (day 7 only) and our local guides.

Not included Travel to/from Gatwick, 4 dinners & 4 lunches