Sicily - In the Footsteps of Montalbano 2026-27

Departure for Catania on scheduled flights with Ita Airways - lunch at leisure, street food – in the afternoon, guided visit of Syracuse, a UNESCO World Heritage city (archaeological area: Greek theatre, Roman amphitheatre, Ear of Dionysius - the island of Ortygia, Cathedral) – arrival in Ragusa or Modica in the evening - dinner at the hotel – evening at leisure – tour leader available – overnight stay.

Breakfast at the hotel – full-day guided excursion – in the morning, visit of the splendid Baroque town of Noto, a UNESCO World Heritage Site (the capital of European Baroque, with its magnificent cathedral, churches, monasteries and noble palaces, Porta Nazionale, Town Hall, Palazzo Villadorata) - lunch at leisure – in the afternoon, visit of the characteristic seaside village of Marzamemi, an enchanting fishing village of Arab origin - visit of the Tonnara (tuna fishery), historically the most important in eastern Sicily (the heart of the tonnara consists of Piazza Regina Margherita and the owner’s mansion; also on the square stands the old chapel of the tonnara, built in sandstone, and the Arab courtyard and the fishermen’s cottages are still visible) - followed by a visit to an artisan workshop where tuna bottarga, tuna in oil and salted anchovies are still produced today using traditional methods – departure for Capo Passero, where the Mediterranean and the Ionian Sea meet in an enchanting spot, among the most evocative in Sicily – return to the hotel in the evening - dinner at the hotel – evening at leisure – tour leader available – overnight stay.

Breakfast at the hotel – in the morning, guided visit of Ragusa Ibla and Ragusa Alta, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which together make up one of the most original cities of art in eastern Sicily - Ragusa Ibla is the ancient heart of Ragusa, a late Baroque jewel of evocative views and enchanting little streets; reborn on the layout of the original medieval town, Ibla is the location of the imaginary “Vigàta” of the writer Camilleri and of the television series “Inspector Montalbano” – exterior visits of the Church of San Giorgio, Santa Maria dell’Itria, the Church of the Immacolata, the Purgatorio, San Giacomo and San Giuseppe – Ragusa Alta is the modern city, built from scratch on the nearby Patro plateau, where the eighteenth-century buildings found more room to breathe in a grid of spacious, symmetrical streets; here we will visit the Cathedral of San Giovanni and, from the outside, the Church of the Collegio and the palace housing the Bishop’s residence - continuation to Modica – lunch at leisure – in the afternoon, guided visit of Modica, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, another admirable treasure chest of Sicilian Baroque art, rebuilt on a hexagonal plan according to thoroughly Baroque aesthetic criteria – exterior visits of Palazzo San Domenico, Santa Maria and the House of Salvatore Quasimodo – interior visit of the Cathedral of San Pietro, the rock-cut Sbalzo quarter and the “Corpo di Terra” quarter – finally, visit of San Giorgio and a stop at a well-known pastry shop for a tasting of the famous Modica chocolate – dinner at the hotel - after dinner, Modica by night: excursion by private coach with the tour leader – overnight stay.

Breakfast at the hotel – full-day guided excursion – in the morning, visit of the Castle of Donnafugata, a sumptuous late nineteenth-century noble residence which, with its more than 100 rooms, its maze and the numerous artificial caves set within its park, is one of the most evocative places in the whole province - visiting the rooms, which still contain the original furnishings and furniture of the period, is almost like stepping back into the past, into the age of the last “Leopards” (the castle was used in the Montalbano series as the home of the elderly mafia boss Balduccio Sinagra) - continuation to Punta Secca, where the famous terrace of Inspector Montalbano’s house looks out over the beach, a few steps from the lighthouse - continuation to Scicli – lunch at leisure - in the afternoon, visit of Scicli, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, surrounded by hills that seem to protect it, which preserves its Baroque layout almost in its entirety - there are numerous palaces with splendid, richly carved balconies and fine portals, and the succession of churches and oratories with beautiful façades full of statues and sculptures is incredible - the heart of the town is the broad, scenic Piazza Italia, surrounded by beautiful eighteenth-century palaces, the mother church and the imposing limestone crag on which stands the ancient Church of San Matteo (Scicli is also home to Palazzo Iacono, alias the “Montelusa” police headquarters of Inspector Montalbano) – return to the hotel – dinner at the hotel - after dinner, Ragusa by night: a stroll with the tour leader – overnight stay.

Breakfast at the hotel – in the morning, guided visit of Caltagirone, one of the Baroque towns of the Val di Noto that together form a UNESCO World Heritage Site - (visit of the Santa Maria del Monte Staircase with its 142 lava-stone steps, whose risers, decorated with polychrome majolica tiles in green, blue and yellow, echo the styles of the past; the San Francesco d’Assisi Bridge linking the two hills over which the historic centre extends; the Villa Comunale gardens - possibility of visiting a ceramics workshop where you can admire the various stages of working the clay, from shaping to firing, glazing and decoration) – lunch at leisure - continuation to Catania airport – departure on scheduled flights with Ita Airways for the journey home.