Sicily Hotels & Resorts

The city of Syracuse showcases Sicily’s timeless beauty – prepare to feel like you’ve stepped back in time as you explore some astounding historical sights. This ancient Greek colony was once the largest city of the ancient world and today it is thoroughly deserving of its UNESCO World Heritage status.

We’ll take you to archaeological areas dating back to the 5th Century BC, including the Greek Theatre, the Roman Amphitheatre, the Altar of Hieron II and the Latomies of Paradise with the Ear of Dionysius. Then we’ll head to the historical centre: the small island of Ortigia, where sights such as the Temple of Apollo, the Cathedral and the Fountain of Arethusa with its famous papyrus plant await.

• Duration: full day
• Start time: 8am
• Departing on Tuesday from Taormina
• Operates year round
• Group or private experience

Good to know
Lunch and transfers are not included – guests will make their own way to the Taormina Bus Terminal. Entrance fees are at extra cost (free for EU citizens under 18 with proof of ID).

Get a better understanding of authentic Sicilian cuisine and learn how to cook like a local. Your cooking experience will begin with a trip to a market in Taormina to buy the fresh ingredients that are staples of Sicilian cooking. You’ll then head to a local restaurant, where the chef will talk you through the recipes before you start to prepare your hand-made pasta and other traditional dishes. Once your meals are ready, you can tuck into your creations and toast your achievements with a wine tasting session.

• Duration: half day
• Start time: 10am
• Departing Monday to Saturday from Port Messina Arch
• Operates year round
• Group experience

Good to know
Transfers are not included – you will need to make their own way to the Port Messina Arch.

Sicily has a pizza style all of its own; even if you’ve made pizza before, you’ll be in for a treat at this pizza-making class. First, you’ll learn the secret of how to make a great pizza sauce before creating ideas for fun toppings and baking your pizzas to perfection. Enjoy your pizza with a Bruschetta mix, washed down with a glass of delicious local wine.

• Duration: half day
• Start time: 10.30am • Departing daily from Port Messina Arch
• Operates year round
• Group experience

Good to know
Transfers are not included – guests will make their own way to the Port Messina Arch.

Explore Europe’s highest volcano on this private guided trekking and train ride adventure up towering Mount Etna. Mount Etna stands 3350 metres high and has been a designated UNESCO World Heritage site since 2013. Your trek will begin at Rifugio Sapienza, the guardhouse at the base of Mount Etna located 1900 metres above sea level. From here, you’ll head off on a soft trek to see the most recent lava flows and the now-extinct impressive Silvestri craters. Alternatively, there's the option to ascend to the main craters at 2900 metres above sea level. A tasting and light lunch at a local winery is also included.

• Duration: full day
• Start time: 9am
• Departing daily
• Operates April to October
• Private experience

Good to know
We strongly recommend warm clothing and suitable shoes.

This is the ultimate Sicilian experience for movie buffs; follow in the footsteps of Marlon Brando and Al Pacino to the movie locations made famous by Francis Ford Coppola’s epic movie The Godfather. Plus, a private car and driver means you’ll have the freedom to choose how long you spend in each traditional Sicilian town. In Savoca, you can drink coffee in Bar Vitelli: the same bar where Michael Corleone asked Apollonia to marry him, then wander through the narrow streets to the church of Santa Lucia, where their wedding scene was filmed. While you’re here, it’s worth also visiting the Monastero dei Cappuccini to see the crypt that houses mummified bodies of Savoca’s monks and nobles. In the village of Forza d’Agrò, visit the beautiful little Basilica of Saint Peter and Paul. Within the narrow alleyways of this medieval centre, all is quiet and time seems to stand still. This is precisely the atmosphere that inspired Francis Ford Coppola to shoot some of the scenes for his iconic movie here, as daily life continues behind closed doors.

• Duration: half day (morning or afternoon)
• Departing daily
• Operates April to October
• Private experience

Good to know
Entrance fees are not included. You’ll have a private car and driver for a maximum of eight hours.

On this guided full day tour, you will explore Europe’s highest volcano, Mount Etna. Designated a UNESCO site since 2013, Etna rises 3,350 metres above Sicily. Depart by coach to the first stop at Rifugio Sapienza. Located at 1,900 metres there is the possibility to trek to see the most recent lava flows and the now extinct Silvestri Craters. Lunch or snacks are available as optional extras. Next you will travel by cable car up to 2,500 metres where, with the assistance of the Italian Alpine Club, Jeeps will take you up to the authorised crater zones at 3,000 metres. Dependent on weather, here you will see the activity of the craters at the summit.

• Duration: full day
• Start time: 8.30am
• Departs Monday to Saturday
• Group experience

Good to know

We strongly recommend warm clothing and suitable walking shoes.

​

This full day guided tour is the perfect introduction to Sicily’s hinterland and the Tyrrhenian coast. Along the way you will visit two of the most important art cities in Sicily - Palermo and Cefalù, both of which are now UNESCO sites. On arrival in Palermo, you will meet your guide and explore the city on foot. The historical capital of Sicily, Palermo is home to some of the most important Arab-Norman, Byzantine and Spanish monuments. The tour starts by walking through the historic centre passing Quattro Canti, the Martorana church, Piazza Bellini, Piazza Pretoria and the cathedral before stopping at a local market. After lunch (under own expense), depart for Cefalù on the north coast where you will visit the historical centre and the Norman Cathedral, famous for its mosaic of Christ Pantocrator. Return via Messina.

• Duration: full day
• Start time: 6.15am
• Departs Saturday
• Group experience
 

Good to know 

Entrance fees to the sites are extra. We recommend suitable attire when visiting sacred sites.

Discover ancient Greek and Roman civilisations on this full day guided tour to the UNESCO World Heritage sites of Agrigento and Piazza Armerina. Travel across Sicily to the south coast towards the city of Agrigento, where you will explore the Valley of the Temples which was built by the Greeks between 510 and 430 B.C. See the preserved temples of Juno, Concordia, Hercules, Zeus, Castor and Pollux. After lunch (at own expense), continue to Piazza Armerina where the Villa Romana del Casale is home to intricate mosaics which date back to the 4th Century.

• Duration: full day
• Start time: 6.15am
• Departs: Thursday
• Group experience