Western Sicily & the 5 Senses 2026-27

Departure on scheduled flights with Ita Airways to Palermo – transfer to the city – lunch at leisure, street food - we suggest taking the opportunity to sample the street food typical of Palermo’s cuisine: panelle, crocchè or cazzilli, boiled octopus, pani ca’ meusa, rice arancini, sfincione – guided visit of Palermo (Piazza Verdi, Palazzo dei Normanni with the Palatine Chapel –interior-, Cathedral –interior-, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Church of the Martorana, Teatro Massimo, the characteristic Ballarò market, the oldest of the city’s markets) - dinner at the hotel - after dinner, Palermo by night: a stroll with the tour leader – overnight stay.

Breakfast at the hotel – full-day guided excursion - in the morning, visit of Monreale (Cathedral with its famous mosaics and the Benedictine Cloister, a UNESCO World Heritage Site - possibility of visiting the Diocesan Museum, laid out on three levels in the Archbishop’s Palace, which houses works of art representing the faith and devotion of the people to the diocese over time - visit of the north transept of the Cathedral, which preserves the most extensive testimony of Norman floor mosaic art and holds the royal tombs of Margaret of Navarre, mother of William II “the Good”, and of her sons Henry and Roger) – lunch in a traditional restaurant – in the afternoon, visit of Cefalù (a picturesque town on the Tyrrhenian coast, surrounded by greenery and dominated by a crag against which stands out the beautiful twelfth-century Norman Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage Site –interior-, a splendid example of a distinctive architecture with its towers, its windows, its small arches and its precious portal; historic centre with the remains of the thirteenth-century Osterio Magno and the Medieval Wash-house) - return to the hotel - dinner at the hotel – evening at leisure – tour leader available – overnight stay.

Breakfast at the hotel – departure for Segesta – guided visit of the archaeological area, built on a hill in the fifth century BC by the Elymians (the Doric temple, a natural point of reference for lovers of archaeology, and the second-century BC Greek Theatre, carved entirely out of the rock, an architectural jewel enjoying an unrivalled position) - continuation to Nubia, where salt pans and windmills draw an evocative landscape in which the light creates a play of reflections and colours, born of the intensity of the sun’s rays and the stages of the evaporation cycle in the salt basins. In the characteristic Dutch-style windmill, home to the Salt Museum, the old tools used for harvesting salt are preserved – then, surrounded by the lush vineyards of the Baglio Sorìa Resort & Wine Experience, light lunch with a tasting of wines from the prestigious Firriato winery - a sensory food-and-wine journey that will let us feel the emotions of a land full of vitality - in the afternoon, guided visit of Erice, which preserves intact the charm of an ancient medieval village, enlivened by workshops of traditional crafts: finely decorated ceramics, colourful hand-woven rugs, traditional sweets made with almonds and candied fruit - the historic centre has a typical urban layout, with little squares and narrow, winding streets onto which beautiful courtyards open – interior visit of the Cathedral - tasting of traditional pastries prepared according to the most ancient Sicilian traditions at Maria Grammatico’s Antica Pasticceria - evening arrival at the hotel in Mazara del Vallo - dinner at the hotel – after dinner, a stroll with the tour leader – overnight stay.

Breakfast at the hotel – in the morning, guided visit of the archaeological area of Selinunte - continuation to Salemi – guided visit of a “lesser-known Sicily”, in the sense of hidden, less familiar, less trodden, yet rich in history and traditions - the village, crowned by its Norman-Swabian castle, stands on gentle hills surrounded by vineyards, pastures and arable land - the historic centre, with its Arab urban layout of squares and courtyards, monumental churches and palaces, speaks of an ancient place rich in traditions, where to this day the sacred and the profane mingle in a farming and pastoral culture that sets the rhythm of daily life for its inhabitants; visit of the museum complex, in particular the Mafia Museum section - lunch at a farmhouse – return to the hotel in the evening - dinner at the hotel – after dinner, a stroll with the tour leader – overnight stay.

Breakfast at the hotel – full-day guided excursion - in the morning, visit of the lush island of Mozia (remains of the ancient Punic city dating from the eighth century BC, which stand on the islet of San Pantaleo in the Stagnone lagoon; very powerful until it was destroyed in 397 BC by Dionysius, tyrant of Syracuse - all around, the salt pans, windmills and vineyards form a natural setting of great charm) – continuation to Marsala, situated in Sicily’s most important wine-producing area – visit to a winery to learn the secrets and appreciate the famous wine that takes its name from this city – visit of the prestigious Pellegrino winery and Gourmet Lunch with food and wine pairings on the winery’s premises - here sight, smell and taste will allow us to penetrate the secrets and traditions of a timeless land – in the afternoon, guided visit of the picturesque historic centre of Marsala, enclosed by gates and bastions that lead into narrow streets lined with Spanish palaces, churches and monuments – return to the hotel in Mazara - dinner at the “da Marmoreo” restaurant, a former fishmonger’s and today a renowned Mazara restaurant, to savour the exquisite fish landed by Italy’s most important fishing fleet - overnight stay.

Breakfast at the hotel – transfer to the port of Trapani - boarding the motorboat for the island of Favignana – in the little town of Favignana you can admire Palazzo Florio –exterior- and the old tuna fishery - visit of the former Florio Factory, an old works from the late 1800s where the Florio family began processing and trading in preserved tuna; this visit offers a moving and original journey into the ancient civilisation of the tuna fisheries that has always characterised life in the Egadi Islands – we set sail again, following the coast past a series of wonderful coves and grottoes, with a stop for a swim, to enjoy the beauty of this island to the full – simple lunch on board (rustic starter, Mediterranean penne, seasonal fruit) - course for Levanzo - short visit of the small village of Levanzo - stop for a swim in the splendid waters of Cala Minnola - course for Trapani - return to the hotel - dinner at the hotel – evening at leisure - tour leader available – overnight stay.

Breakfast at the hotel – full-day guided excursion to Agrigento – visit of the Valley of the Temples, a UNESCO World Heritage Site - the largest archaeological area in Italy (Temple of Concordia, Temple of Juno, Temple of Zeus, Temple of Castor and Pollux, Temple of Heracles) – visit of the Kolymbetra Garden, an authentic archaeological and agricultural jewel of the Valley of the Temples, brought back to light after decades of neglect (an extraordinary garden for the wealth of archaeological finds that still come to light) – continuation to Favara where, in the company of a passionate researcher of Sicilian cuisine, we will enjoy an exciting cooking class experience, trying our hand at preparing a traditional three-course menu that we will then eat at the home of Annalisa Pompeo, in a vintage 1950s-style setting – 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 Mazara del Vallo, a charming and ancient town in western Sicily (the characteristic canal harbour, home to Italy’s largest fishing fleet, and in the historic centre interesting Arab-Norman buildings and numerous Renaissance and Baroque churches in a kasbah-style layout; visit, inside the church of Sant’Egidio, of the Museum of the Satyr with the bronze statue of the “Dancing Satyr”, now famous and known throughout the world) - tasting lunch accompanied by excellent DOC wine, with raw seafood including the celebrated Mazara red prawn and traditional Trapani-style fish couscous, at one of the 50 best places in the world for sampling fresh molluscs and crustaceans, products of the very highest quality caught in the Strait of Sicily - transfer to Palermo airport – departure on scheduled flights with Ita Airways for the journey home.