Ancient Sicily

Our tour of Sicily starts today in Syracusa. During the Greek Classical period, this east coast city was the largest in the ancient world - even bigger than Athens. Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it's also notable as being the birthplace of antiquity's greatest mathematician, Archimedes.

For those arriving in time, our tour leader plans to meet you in the hotel reception at 7pm for the welcome meeting and for those that wish, there is the chance to go out for dinner. There are no other activities planned today, so you're free to arrive at any time. If you'd like an airport transfer today, you'll need to arrive into Catania Fontanarossa Airport (CTA), which is about a one-hour drive away. Should you miss the welcome meeting, your tour leader will inform you of any essential information as soon as you catch up.

If your flight arrives earlier in the day, you might like to walk into the historic centre of Ortygia Island, which is about 20-30 minutes from our hotel. Artemis Fountain and the Baroque cathedral are lit up beautifully at night.

Tonight will be your first opportunity to sample Sicilian cuisine and wine. According to Greek legend, the god Dionysus brought wine to Sicily, however, it's more likely that wine has been produced here since ancient times due to the island being blessed with plenty of sunshine and reliably moderate rainfall, along with fertile volcanic soils. Nowadays there's a huge variety of delicious red and white wines to choose from. You might also like to try a typically Sicilian dish such as pasta with sardines and wild fennel, aubergine stew or boiled pork in salsa verde and saffron.

Our tour guide for the next two weeks will be the knowledgeable Antonio Marretta, who has been leading trips in Sicily for more than 30 years. He has a BA in Historical and Political Sciences with further specialisation in art and archaeology and is a font of knowledge when it comes to the island. During our tour, he'll give us three one-hour lectures about Sicily and its rich history.

Syracuse, a colony of Corinth, once rivalled Athens as the most important and beautiful city in the Greek world. The sites we'll explore today include the Neapolis Archaeological Zone with its famous Greek theatre hewn out of the hillside in the 5th century BC, where Aeschylus once produced his plays; the fine Roman amphitheatre where gladiators once fought wild beasts and the quarries where the defeated Athenians were imprisoned in 413 BC. Finally, we'll make the journey to Ortygia Island and its promontory to see its unique Baroque architecture and we'll have some free time to wander.

We'll leave Syracuse this morning and drive to Noto, the most beautiful Baroque city in Sicily. The town was destroyed after an earthquake devastated this part of the island in 1693 and was rebuilt between 1715 and 1780 - it still preserves a unified and homogenous architectural style and town plan. Its tufa stone has mellowed to a golden-brown colour and its unique buildings leave an impression on visitors. We'll continue on to Ragusa, another Baroque town whose buildings crown the summits of two adjacent hills. After our visit, we'll head to the medieval town of Piazza Armerina for the next two nights.

This morning, we'll drive to the impressive Villa Romana at Casale, a magnificent country mansion containing stunning Roman mosaics. After sightseeing, we'll drive the short distance to the remains of Greek Morgantina, to see the excavations and visit the museum. This large city once controlled an extensive area that now lies deserted in the countryside and the scattered buildings are only partially unearthed.

This afternoon, we'll return to Piazza Armerina.

Leaving Piazza Armerina, we'll drive via the hilltop stronghold of Enna located near Lake Pergusa, then drive on to Agrigento, once one of the most prosperous cities in Sicily. The ancient Acropolis, now a modern city, overlooks the valley where the lower city stood and the southern ridge where the temples still stand. We'll explore the complex of 5th-century BC Doric temples and the museum. The romantic aura of the ancient site which lines a ridge overlooking the sea is especially evocative, the golden temples encircled by almond trees and gnarled silver-grey olives. The scene provides the perfect setting for the ancient stonework. Pindar was so moved as to say that Agrigento was 'the most beautiful city built by mortal man'. The Valley of the Temples includes the 6th century Temple of Hercules, the oldest in the complex (nine columns of which were re-erected by Englishman Alexander Hardcastle in the 1920s). The perfectly proportioned Doric columns of the Temple of Concord (circa 430 BC) incorporate optical corrections such as entasis and turn honey gold in the late afternoon sunlight. The Temple of Juno, built at the end of the Tufa ridge and probably some twenty years older than the Temple of Concord, was probably burnt by the Carthaginians in 406 BC. The temples are particularly beautiful in the late afternoon light.

This morning, we'll take a short drive to Stair of the Turks or Turkish Steps for a photo stop. This white sedimentary rock in the shape of a staircase was a favourite landing point of Saracen pirates and the Moors, during the Middle Ages.

We'll then continue to the vast site of Selinunte, where earthquake-tumbled ruins litter the landscape and some temples have been partially re-erected. We'll see the ancient Acropolis, its fortifications, and the town within, perched on a plateau overlooking the Mediterranean. Selinunte was the most westerly of the Greek colonies, and despite its poor natural defences, it became a powerful and wealthy city. It was under constant threat from the Carthaginians and was in a state of perpetual warfare with its prosperous rival, the Elymnian town of Segesta to the north. An army led by the Carthaginian Hannibal sacked it in 409 BC, slaughtering some 16,000 inhabitants, then, in 250 BC the Carthaginians once again razed the city, demolished the temples, and moved the population to nearby Lilybaeum (modern Marsala). The site was effectively abandoned afterwards.

After our visit, we'll head to our hotel in Marsala.

A short drive north and a quick ferry ride brings us to the small island of Mozia, which lies off the western coast. Interestingly, Mozia was once owned by the Whitaker family of Marsala wine fame. The island is in an ideal location, surrounded by shallow waters that secure a protected and sheltered anchorage. We'll visit the museum and the site of the old Phoenician town and harbour works before returning to Marsala where we'll make a brief visit to the Phoenician Ship Museum

The rest of the afternoon is free for you to relax and enjoy the town's old quarter.

This morning, we'll head to picturesque Erice, a medieval town perched on a precipitous 750-metre-high mountain. Magnificent views extend over the Egadi Islands. One tradition says that Erice was founded by the legendary Aeneas who stopped here after the fall of Troy (circa 1200 BC). Its original inhabitants were a non-Greek race, though they readily adapted to Greek ways. Next, we'll head to the Doric temple at Segesta, one of the best preserved in the region. Construction most likely started around 426 BC, perhaps to impress Athenian allies, but it was never finished. Its columns were never fluted and many of the bosses used to hoist the stones into position were not chiselled off. After our visit, we drive on to Palermo.

This morning, we'll drive to the ruins of Solunto, a Roman town abandoned in AD 300. The ancient site was once thought to be Phoenician Solus, but we now know that the Punic settlement was at Cozzo Cannita, five miles away. The excavations are beautifully situated high above the sea on the slopes of Monte Catalfano and give a fine impression of the variety of buildings and layout of a Roman city. The site includes paved streets, houses (some with mosaics), a theatre, a bouleuterion, cisterns and baths.

The afternoon is free for you to explore more of Palermo.

Sicily's capital stands at the foot of Monte Pellegrino with the fertile valley of Conca d'Oro behind. It was once one of the richest cities in Europe, between the 9th and the 12th centuries AD, when Islamic culture, Byzantine magnificence and the vigorous world of medieval Europe were merging into a fascinating civilisation. Today, the city contains numerous Islamic, Norman, and Baroque buildings, together with some noteworthy museums and art galleries.

After breakfast, we'll visit the Norman palace - Saracenic, Byzantine and Norman influences appear in its architecture and decoration and the nearby San Giovanni degli Eremiti. The rich marble and mosaics in the Cappella Palatina were mostly executed by Byzantine craftsmen.

Before lunch, we'll drive into the hills to the majestic Norman cathedral of Monreale. We'll eat and then go for a walking tour of the Gothic Cathedral, founded in 1185 by the Englishman Walter of the Mill, and the area around Quattro Canti, the Baroque city centre. Founded in 1174 by William the Good, the cathedral is famous for its extensive mosaics and beautiful cloisters showing both Romanesque and Islamic influences.

Palermo has a fascinating market crammed with exotic goods and is a veritable treasure trove of artistic and cultural sites. Today is free for you to explore at your own pace.

Leaving Palermo this morning, we'll drive along the spectacular coastline to the picturesque fishing town of Cefalu. Here, we'll stop to visit the Norman Cathedral, and to see the extraordinary mosaic of Christ Pantocrator. Next, we'll continue along the coast road to the archaeological site of Tindaris.

Our journey today ends in Giardini Naxos, near Taormina.

This morning, we'll travel to the base camp of Mount Etna to explore the lunar landscape, craters and lava fields of one of the most active volcanoes in Europe. We'll head directly to the cable car base at Rifugio Sapienza, which is on the south side of Etna and 1,900 metres above sea level. Here there are several cafes and gift shops, and you can also see the old Silvestri Craters. There's the option to board the cable car up to 2,500 metres where there's another cafe and gift shop and you can have a walk around on the mountainside, please note this is an additional expense, see the optional activities section for more details. From here, you have the option of boarding a four-wheel drive coach up to 2,900 metres to take a short walk (around 45 minutes) with a mountain guide to view the craters formed in the 2002/3 eruptions and the fumaroles at around 3,000 metres, which is as close to the summit as we're currently permitted to go. You then return down the mountain the same way.

From here, we'll drive to the historic city of Catania. It's known for its rich Baroque architecture, vibrant street markets, and stunning Mount Etna views. We'll walk through the centre of the city and stop to view the Piazza Duomo with its Elephant Fountain, University Square, Etnea main street and Stesicoro Square. When we\ re done sightseeing, we'll drive for around one hour back to our hotel in Giardini Naxos.

This morning, we'll take a local shuttle bus to Taormina, Sicily's most famous resort, situated 213 metres up on the slopes of Monte Tauro and overlooked by Castel Mola. It was a well-loved stop during the days of the 'Grand Tour' and was frequented by Goethe, Edward Lear, D.H. Lawrence and many others.

This morning, we'll visit the Graeco-Roman theatre to get one of the most famous views in Sicily - that of snow-capped Etna acting as a backdrop to the remarkably preserved columned stage. When our tour is over, you're free to have lunch here, do some shopping and then head back to Giardini Naxos when you're ready.

We'll meet again tonight for a final group meal in Giardini Naxos.

Our trip ends after breakfast this morning at our hotel in Giardini Naxos.

There are no activities planned today, so you're free to depart from Giardini Naxos at any time. If your flight is departing later in the day, luggage storage facilities are available at our hotel. If you'd like an airport transfer today, you'll need to depart from Catania Fontanarossa Airport (CTA), which is about a one-hour drive away.