Sicily Driver Guide, 4 days Tour Package

Hotel Accommodation: this package is LAND only and doesn't include hotel accommodation. You have to provide these service on your own OR you can inquiry us for a special deal or you can surf on our web-partner at BOSHotels.com.

This tour is PRIVATE, land only, organized using a Driver Guide.

You have to enter inside the monuments alone. The Driver-Guide is able to provide basic historical tourist information only and he cannot escort you inside the sites because this is not allowed by Italian Rules. In case you need a Licensed Local Guide (Licensed Local Guide: are the only professionals with a Regional license permitted to conduct visits and tours in all sites and museums within a city) you must pay a surcharge and we will arrange for local guide to meet you directly on the spot.

Day 1: Monreale & Palermo

This morning we will visit where the Arab-Norman art and architecture reached the pinnacle of its glory with the Monreale Duomo, launched in 1174 by William II.  Scenes from the Old and New Testaments are depicted in golden mosaics covering the interior.  Then on to Palermo to Then on to Palermo to explore the fascinating Capuchin Catacombs. The Catacombs outgrew their original cemetery in the 16th century and monks began to excavate the crypts below it. The bodies were dehydrated on the racks of ceramic pipes in the catacombs and sometimes later washed with vinegar. Monks were preserved with their everyday clothing and sometimes with ropes they had worn as a penance. The catacombs contain about 8000 mummies that line the walls. The halls are divided into categories: Men, Women, Virgins, Children, Priests, Monks, and Professionals. We continue by exploring the lively Open Air Capo Market, a large open street market that captures the flavour of Palermo's Saracen Arab past. Capo is a blend of general confusion and a jumble of vendors' stalls, winding toward the old gate (Porta Carini) of what used to be the city wall. This afternoon we continue by seeing Piazza Pretoria and Via Maqueda, whose “four corners” converge Palermo at a quartet of baroque palaces left over from the heyday of Spanish rule dating from 1560.

Day 2: Palermo/Marsala Winery/Salt Way Road/Olive Oil Factory/Erice/Palermo

Early departure to tour western Sicily. Our first stop is in Marsala famous for sweet wine exportation. On arrival we will visit a local winery’s cellar and taste Sicilian wine and our Sicilian snack. Later, we travel between Marsala and Trapani on the Salt Way Road.  We will tour the historic saltpan works, where the ancient tradition of harvesting salt from the sea is still practiced.  Than to an Olive Oil factory to indulge in our typical light-lunch. This afternoon we will continue to Erice uptown. The Elymians settled the medieval town of Erice, which was an important religious site associated with the goddess Venus. Wander through its ancient streets and visit some of the famous homemade pastry shops—world-famous for marzipan candies and other delicacies like almond and pistachio pastries. Later back to Palermo (L).

Day 3: Palermo/Agrigento/Piazza Armerina/Taormina

Today you will meet the Driver  and drive across the vast countryside showcasing Sicily’s great variety of sceneries.  We will arrive in Agrigento, whose history dates back to 580 BC. Independent tour of the Valley of the Temples, a magnificent cluster of Greek ruins overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. This afternoon we will continue to Piazza Armerina for an independent visit of the ruins of the  Roman Villa of Casale. The mosaics discovered here are celebrated among scholars of antiquity. Afterward, we drive to Taormina, the resort town of Sicily.

Day 4: Etna Volcano Jeep ride with lunch in a local farmhouse

Today departure by jeep to Etna Volcano: we will experience what the Greeks called  "the realm of Vulcan (god of fire)" by Jeep, viewing along the way: Mount Fontana (view of Bove Valley), the Thieves Cave (grotta dei ladroni), extinct craters of Sartorius Mounts, and the lava flow from the 2002 eruption. Indulge in a lunch in a typical farmhouse tasting Sicilian dishes such as olives, cheese, grilled vegetables, pasta and dessert. During the afternoon, off-road drive along the Linguaglossa-Castiglione and Alcantara Gorges. Short visit to the Canyon entrance. Later back to Taormina (L)

MEAL LEGEND: L (Lunch), D (Dinner), S (Snack)

RATE PER PERSON (besed on a minimum 2 people): available on request