GALATEA

Upon your arrival in Catania, one of our vehicles will be waiting for you at the airport to welcome you and comfortably and quickly transfer you to your hotel. After you check in, the rest of the day will be free for you to relax and begin enjoying Catania at your own pace. At the hotel we have included dinner for you.

DAY 2

After a delicious breakfast, you will leave for Syracuse, the most important ancient Greek city in Sicily that extends along the sea, next to the island of Ortigia, a World Heritage Site and connected to the rest of the city through two bridges: the Neapolis Archaeological Park.

The visit will begin with the oldest Doric temple in Italy, the Greek Theater and the Roman Amphitheater and will continue with the Latomy of Paradise (a series of artificial caves that were formed by using the rock as a quarry and later used as a prison) and the Ear of Dionysus, the main cave of the Latomy of Paradise. You will also visit the historic center of Ortigia, with the magnificent Duomo Square and its Cathedral.

You will then head towards Noto, a city that like a Phoenix rose from its ashes after the earthquake of 1693, becoming the summit of Baroque in Italy. A majestic city declared by UNESCO a World Heritage Site. You will walk through the streets of the center to marvel at the splendor and fine work of its architecture in which the Municipal Square stands out, flanked by imposing buildings such as Noto Cathedral, the most striking building, the Landolina Palace or the Ducezio Palace, headquarters of the town hall. Vittorio Emanuele Street, barely a kilometer from end to end, is a veritable baroque marvel. You will have some time free to walk in its streets and then you will leave for Ragusa, where you will enjoy dinner and spend your night.

DAY 3

After a delicious breakfast, you will visit the city of Ragusa Ibla, a delight for baroque lovers, full of churches and palaces that leave visitors speechless and is also a World Heritage Site. A large part of the Baroque buildings dates from the reconstruction after the earthquake that destroyed the city in 1963. The Cathedral of San Giorgio stands out, a symbol of the city with its neoclassical dome and its stained glass windows, and the Ibleo Garden, it is the oldest garden in Ragusa and an oasis of peace.

Then you will head to Modica, whose old town is considered a baroque treasure along with its alleys and historic shops, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and also known as “the city of chocolate”. You will end the visit with tasting some typical products of the area. You will continue to Piazza Armerina, a splendid artistic city, in the heart of Sicily, where we will visit the splendid Villa Romana del Casale. A building from the late imperial period and a UNESCO World Heritage Site famous for the exceptional collection of mosaics it houses, perfectly preserved thanks to a layer of mud, the result of a landslide in the 12th century. You will then depart for your hotel in Agrigento for dinner and a good night’s sleep.

DAY 4

After a filling breakfast in the “Most beautiful city of mortals”, you will visit the Valley of the Temples declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and where more than ten Doric temples and bronze statues will delight you with their magnificence. Among them, it is worth highlighting the Temple of Juno, very well preserved, the Temple of Concord, one of the best preserved of Greek antiquity and the most precisely built in Agrigento, and the Temple of Hercules, is the oldest of the temples near the southern wall, destroyed by an earthquake.

You will continue to the next destination, Marsala, an ancient Phoenician enclave in the Mediterranean, today a quiet city, with a beautiful pedestrianized historic center and a wide promenade. In Marsala, the cathedral and the old market stand out, an experience, the Garibaldi gate, one of the ancient entrances to the city, very well preserved, and the Republic Square, located in the heart of the city. Here you will have lunch with the opportunity for a wine tasting.

Your next stop will be the famous Vía de la Sal full of windmills, like a novel by Cervantes, to reach the Islands of the Great Pond and the salt flats, that constitute a great natural reserve of enormous environmental value. To this day, salt flats continue to represent one of the richest salt industries in the world. Finally you will head to Palermo for dinner and accommodation.

DAY 5

After a tasty breakfast you will visit Monreale, a beautiful city with its imposing Arab-Norman Cathedral, which is thought to be of Arab origin. The city was built by the Norman King William II, being one of the most beautiful cathedrals in Europe and its Cloister, square, a masterpiece of 228 columns with different decoration.

The tour continues to Palermo, the capital of Sicily, where Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Normans and Spaniards passed through, where gastronomy plays a key role in the daily life of its inhabitants. It preserves monuments from the Arab-Norman period such as the beautiful Cathedral, a World Heritage Site and also with Nordic and Arab elements in its architecture, the Chiesa della Martorana, with Byzantine, Norman, and Baroque elements and a place where some nuns invented “the Martorana fruit. “, some sweets made of almond flour and sugar in the shape of fruits and the Palatine Chapel, located inside the Palace of the Normans and one of the best-known churches in Sicily, dedicated to Saint Peter, the first Pope of the Christian church. During the tour, we will make a stop at a historic focacceria to enjoy a pleasant gastronomic surprise.

After our tour, you will have dinner and accommodation in Palermo.

DAY 6

After a rich breakfast, you will leave for Cefalu, a small and beautiful fishing village, famous for its Norman cathedral, its medieval old town, its archaeological museum, and its gastronomy loaded with seafood. You will stroll through the charming streets of the center and you will have the possibility of visiting the famous Mandralisca Museum that exhibits one of the most beautiful and mysterious portraits of Antonello Da Messina, the portrait of the “Unknown Man”, whose enigmatic smile seems to have inspired the Mona Lisa of Leonardo da Vinci.

Then you will continue to Catania, a city that was not lucky in terms of the countless invasions in the course of history, but that was able to find a balance in the beauty of its historical center, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Once in Catania, you will walk through the historical center passing through the old fish market in Plaza Alonso de Benedetto until reaching the Plaza del Duomo with the Cathedral of Santa Agata, rebuilt after the earthquake in 1693, and then the fountain with a stone elephant holding an obelisk on his back (symbol of the city). We will make a stop at a very cozy bar where you will taste the typical sweet granita with brioche.

After this amazing tour, accommodation in Catania.

DAY 7

After a delicious breakfast, you will make a quick visit to the historic fish market. Then you will go to visit Etna, the highest active volcano in Europe, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

You will arrive at the Sapienza Refuge at 1,800 meters of altitude where we will visit the extinguished craters or, “Crateri Silvestri”. The beauty of this place is based on the fact that for centuries the volcano has created a place where nature, culture, and history have come together to give rise to a unique place in the world.

Then you will visit a beekeeping company, exactly a honey extraction laboratory, you will taste artisan honey and typical products of the area.

At the end you will continue to Taormina, to discover the romantic streets of the city or to visit the famous Greco-Roman Theater, a typical postcard image of Taormina, we will marvel at its architecture and the panoramic view with Etna in the background. The theater was built in Hellenistic times and was almost entirely rebuilt in the times of Roman rule when the venue was used for gladiatorial fighting. Currently, the Taormina Film Festival is held here.

The day will end with panoramic views of the splendid Cyclops Riviera.

After the tour has finished, you will return to your hotel in Catania.

DAY 8

After enjoying breakfast, and at the time indicated, we will transfer you to Catania airport to board your departure flight.

After spending a few fantastic days with Greca, we hope to see you again to create some more wonderful moments that will be lovingly etched in your memory forever.

Have a nice trip! Or as Italians say: “Buon Viaggio!”