Itinerary

Day 1

Day 1 (Friday) MaltaYou are greeted at Malta airport and transferred to your hotel. Time at leisure to rest or shopping.

Day 2

Day 2 (Saturday) Malta: Valletta, Mdina & Marsaxlokk.After breakfast, our full day tour includes a tour of Valletta, the capital, built in 1565 by the Knights of St. John. Our tour starts with a visit to the Upper Barakka Gardens, where you can admire views overlooking the stunning fortified Grand Harbour. We also feature the magnificent St. John's Co. Cathedral: here you will also see Caravaggio's 'Beheading of St. John'. Our final stop in Valletta is the Grand Masters Palace, the old seat of the order of St. John and today used as home to the parliament. After our tour of Valletta, we visit the pretty traditional fishermen village of Marsaxlokk in the south of the island, the best place for fresh fish and an ideal stop for lunch. We continue our tour in the afternoon visiting the Hagar Qim Temple site, circa 3300BC; this temple is particularly interesting as it has the largest and heaviest megaliths, some weighing a staggering 20 tons. The final location on our tour is the medieval city of Mdina, which is otherwise known as "The Silent City". Mdina is the island’s old capital, built in the 9th century by the Arabs. This medieval city is a maze of narrow alleys and magnificent architecture. Our walking tour includes all the main highlights and also a visit to St. Paul's Cathedral.

Day 3

Day 3 (Sunday) Malta flight to Sicily: Catania/TaorminaAll day long at leisure to rest or shopping or optional excursion to Gozo Island. Tonight, transfer to the airport and independent departure to reach Sicily: Catania airport. On arrival in Sicily you are greeted at Catania airport and transferred to your hotel in Taormina.

Day 4

Day 4 (Monday) Sicily: TaorminaAll day long at leisure to rest or shopping.

Day 5

Day 5 (Tuesday) Sicily: Catania & SyracuseToday departure to Catania, the city of lava, standing in the ominous shadow of Mount Etna. The town is called the city of “black and white”: white plaster and marble and black lava form major parts of its architectural adornment. Here, we will visit the old centre of the city in the Piazza Duomo, with the sculpture of the ancient elephant. Then we will drive to Syracuse. On arrival, a walk in the island of Ortygia, the picturesque and densely built original city centre of Syracuse. Enjoy lunch at local restaurant. During afternoon we will visit the magnificent Archaeological Park, where we will admire the 5th-century BC Greek Theatre, the stone quarries, the Roman Amphitheatre and the Paradise Quarry. We’ll then drive back to Taormina.

Day 6

Day 6 (Wednesday) Sicily: Jeep Ride to Mount EtnaA short drive by Jeep takes us to the slopes of Mt. Etna. Weather and volcanic conditions permitting, we experience the lava fields and incredible views of Europe’s highest and most active volcano. Visit the Cave of the Thieves and Mount Fontana, with a spectacular view of Bove Valley, and the extinct craters of Sartorius Mounts. Then to a farmhouse to taste Etna rural food: we indulge in a typical light-lunch at a farmhouse. After lunch, enjoy a stop at the entrance of Alcantara Gorges, before driving along the coast to reach Taormina.

Day 7

Day 7 (Thursday) Sicily: Caltagirone and AgrigentoFollowing breakfast, we’ll drive through the heart of Sicily to reach the pleasant Caltagirone, one of most important towns for Sicilian pottery and ceramics. We will walk in the city centre and climb on the famous steps, all decorated with local colored majolica glazed tiles. Time at leisure for shopping in the nice ceramics-shops. We’ll then continue to reach the great Agrigento, to see the finest of all ancient Greek sites, with complete Doric Temples. Dinner at the hotel. After dinner, we enjoy an orientation tour of Agrigento by night to admire the Illuminated Temples.

Day 8

Day 8 (Friday) Sicily: Segesta, Salt Way Road, Erice & Olive Oil FactoryToday we will drive to Segesta, one of the major cities of the Elymian people, one of the three indigenous people of Sicily, in the southwest coast of Sicily. The unfinished hexastyle doric temple of Segesta, late 5th century BC, is built on a hilltop, just outside the ancient city of Segesta, with a commanding view of the surrounding area. We shall then continue to the lovely Trapani province, where we find the pleasant Salt Way Road and the Sicilian windmills. We continue to the medieval hill town of Erice. On arrival, we’ll walk to reach the nice Castle built on the remains of Venus Temple, then we’ll continue to a local pastry-shop, to taste the typical marzipans and almond pastry. Time for leisure. This afternoon we drive to a local Olive Oil Factory for our Snacks & Cocktail and tasting of antipasti, local olive oil, bruschette, pizza and local cheese. Then, we continue to Palermo.

Day 9

Day 9 (Saturday): Palermo This morning, after breakfast at the Hotel, we enjoy a sightseeing tour of Palermo at your own pace. Experience the new “Hop on and Hop off” concept of sightseeing enjoyed around the world. You’ll receive a ticket valid all day, so you can get on and off the bus at as many of the important sites as you’d like throughout the day.

Day 10

Day 10 (Sunday): PalermoFollowing breakfast, transfer to Palermo airport.

General Information

Duration:

10 Days

Location Start:

Malta Valletta

Location Finish:

palermo airport

Payment Types:

Cash, Paypal, Cheque, Travellers Cheque, Payment Transfer

We Speak:

English

Extra Information

Inclusions -

Taormina: Four nights accommodation in First class Hotel, standard room no sea-view

Exclusions -

Travel Insurance - Airport Transfer done h 8:00PM to h 7:00AM, clients have to pay the night-use supplement Euros 20.00 per person each way

Extras -

9 nights / 10 days Malta, Saint Julian (2 nights) Sicily, Taormina (4 nights), Agrigento (1 night), Palermo (2 nights) Departure GUARANTEED (with a minimum 2 guest) every Friday from April 4, 2008 to October 17, 2008 Small size group: Minimum 2 clients - Maximum 25 clients