| Day
1 |
Saturday,
October 16 |
Palermo |
|
| |
| We
will meet at our hotel in Palermo for cocktails
and to get acquainted. |
| |
| Day
2 |
Sunday,
October 17 |
Palermo |
|
| |
| We
will spend the morning in Palermo’s Regional
Archaeological Museum. It is a
treasure trove of antiquity with a world-class collection
of Greek pottery and the architectural metopes from
Selinunto. The afternoon will be free to have a
walking tour of the city or to visit one of the
many art museums. |
| |
| Day
3 |
Monday,
October 18 |
Cephalu |
|
| |
| Today
we will check out of our hotel and start our circumnavigation
of the island by driving eastwards along the north
coast, stopping at Solunto to explore
the ruins of the Classical town. In the afternoon,
we will carry on, with a stop at ancient Himera,
to Cephalu where we will spend two nights. |
| |
| Day
4 |
Tuesday,
October 19 |
Cephalu |
|
| |
| Picturesquely
situated between the sea and a craggy promontory
whose human-head-shaped cliff face gave the town
its name, Cephalu has medieval streets and squares
to explore—this is the town where the film
Cinema Paradiso was filmed. In the morning we will
walk to the Temple of Diana, a
Classical temple that was built over the course
of the 9th to the 5th century BC, but after that
you are free to explore the rest of the town. |
| |
| Day
5 |
Wednesday,
October 20 |
Giardini-Naxos |
|
| |
| Today
we will continue on to ancient Tyndaris,
a nice spot for a picnic lunch—the view of
the Aeolian Islands alone is worth the trip. Founded
in 396 BC by Dionysius the Elder of Syracuse, most
of the archaeological remains date to the Roman
period. We will also have time to visit the Santuario
di Tindari that contains a Byzantine Black Virgin,
which, according to legend, washed up on the shore
nearby. In the afternoon we will drive on to Giardini-Naxos. |
| |
| Day
6 |
Thursday,
October 21 |
Giardini-Naxos |
|
| |
| Today
we will drive southwest to Mount Aetna, Europe’s
tallest volcano and one of the most active in the
world, and there will be time for an optional excursion
up to the crater via gondolas and jeeps. In the
afternoon we will return to Giardini-Naxos to explore
the archaeological park that contains ruins of ancient
Naxos, the earliest Greek colony
in Sicily. |
| |
| Day
7 |
Friday,
October 22 |
Syracuse |
|
| |
| Today
we drive south along the Ionian Coast to the site
of Megara Hyblaea, a colony founded
in the 8th century BC by Greeks from Megara. We
will then continue south to Syracuse stopping to
see the heights of the Epipoli
and the Castello Eurialo, which
was adapted and fortified by Archimedes, the famous
mathematician born in Syracuse in 287 BC. We will
arrive at Syracuse, our stop for 3 nights. |
| |
| Day
8 |
Saturday,
October 23 |
Syracuse |
|
| |
| We
will spend the day in Neapolis,
first exploring the Archaeological Park,
then the nearby Archaeological Museum.
The Park has a number of components including the
Greek Theatre, the Altar of Hieron II, the Roman
Amphitheatre, and the Latomia del Paradiso where
Dionysius I kept 7,000 Athenian prisoners after
their defeat in 415 BC. In the afternoon we will
visit the Museo Archeolgico Paolo Orsi. |
| |
| Day
9 |
Sunday,
October 24 |
Syracuse |
|
| |
| We
will drive southwest of Syracuse and spend the day
exploring the Baroque town of Noto.
It has a complex and long history, but when it was
destroyed by an earthquake in 1698, it was rebuilt
as the Baroque fantasy we see today. You may even
feel the desire to break out into your favourite
aria! |
| |
| Day
10 |
Monday,
October 25 |
Piazza
Armerina |
|
| |
| Today
we will strike inland to spend the night at Piazza
Armerina. We will check into our hotel and after
lunch we will visit the site of Morgantina,
notable for its Roman remains, including temples,
municipal buildings, public squares and private
houses. |
| |
| Day
11 |
Tuesday,
October 26 |
Agrigento |
|
| |
| We
will start the day by visiting one of the most spectacular
villas in the roman world, the Villa Romana
del Casale, decorated with glorious Roman
mosaics at Piazza Armerina. Its 40 rooms are carpeted
with 11,340 square metres of mosaics and dates to
the late 3rd or early 4th century BC. Then we will
drive to Agrigento. |
| |
| Day
12 |
Wednesday,
October 27 |
Agrigento |
|
| |
| Agrigento’s
Valley of the Temples is one of the most glorious
sites in the ancient Greek world! Called Akragas,
it was founded by Greeks from Gela in the 6th century
B.C. There are six temples standing in a row, including
the temples of Jove and Juno, Hercules, Castor and
Pollux, Concord and Asclepius. There will be an
optional visit to the Agrigento Museum or you can
enjoy the beach. |
| |
| Day
13 |
Thursday,
October 28 |
Selinunto |
|
| |
| Only
one other site on Sicily could try to overshadow
Agrigento, but Selinunto succeeds
with the eight temples in its archaeological park.
Mundanely named Temples A-H, they are breathtaking
in their preservation and variety. |
| |
| Day
14 |
Friday,
October 29 |
Erice |
|
| |
| We
will drive to the west coast and have lunch in Marsala
where we can visit the Museo Archeologico
di Baglio Anselmi, where the star attraction
is the Punic Ship excavated off of Isola Longa Museum.
Another notable display is the Motya youth. There
will be the opportunity to tour the Cantine Florio
winery where Marsala wine is made. We will then
drive north to the medieval town of Erice. |
| |
| Day
15 |
Saturday,
October 30 |
Erice |
|
| |
| We
will spend the day visiting gardens and sites east
of Erice. First we will visit the Giardino
del Balio, first built as a Norman Castle,
now a spectacular set of Gardens. Then we will visit
the Castle of Venus; originally
an ancient Temple dedicated to Venus but built upon
by the Normans. It is now a romantic ruin with a
delightful garden. |
| |
| Day
16 |
Sunday,
October 31 |
Palermo |
|
| |
| Today
we will drive east to Segesta and visit its temple
which is the best-preserved Greek temple in the
world. It was built in the 5th century B.C. and
is situated dramatically on the edge of the ravine
of the Pispisa River. We will then drive on to Monreale
and this remarkable cathedral of Arabo-Norman style
started in 1174 by William II. We will then drive
into Palermo and check into our hotel. Tonight we
will go out for our farewell dinner. |
| |
| Day
17 |
Monday,
November 1 |
|
|
| |
| Tour
ends and depart for home. |
| |
| |
Note:
The
price of the trip includes:
- hotel
taxes
- accommodation
based on double occupancy in Hotels
- overland
transportation via mini bus
- all
visits and sightseeing as per itinerary
- the
services of your tour conductor, Margaret
Morden
The
price of the trip does NOT include:
- gratuities
for individual services
- single
supplement ($750)
- meals,
apart from breakfasts when provided by
establishment
- all
items and expenses of a purely personal
nature
- travel
to and from Cyprus
|
|
| |
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