Olives & Grapes
The Fruits of Sicily
September 20 - 30, 2007

LAND OF PLENTY

Sicily is the largest island in all the Mediterranean Sea, and its location has been both its blessing and its curse for millennia. The land itself is sun-kissed, with warm breezes and rich volcanic soil that once made it truly a paradise on earth. The land and sea offered up in abundance fresh seafood, olive trees, orange groves, lemon trees, date palms, almond fields, grape vineyards, rolling wheat fields, and dense forests.
     Although largely deforested over the centuries in all but the northeastern corner, the island is still one of the nation’s great breadbaskets. Its major crops are the olives used to make the national resource known as olive oil, and the grapes for the island’s unique wines. Sicily is not nearly as famous for its wines as other regions in Italy, but in recent years the island vintners have earned a growing reputation as superb winemakers in their own right.
     As a stopping point along the maritime trade routes, virtually every country in this region of the world has at one time or another ruled over Sicily. Phoenicians from Lebanon, Carthaginians from Tunisia, Swabians from Germany, Angevins from France, Aragonese from Spain, Greek tyrants, Arab emirs, Norman knights, Byzantine bishops and Holy Roman Emperors—all have left a little something of their culture behind.
     Sicily retains souvenirs from each of these great cultures, whether the ancient edifices of a Greek temple, a Roman amphitheatre, a Norman castle, a Byzantine dome or the curlicue of a Moorish gate. From the crumbling grandeur of its capital city, Palermo, to the majesty of tempestuous Mt. Etna, there are wonders great and small to be found in every nook and cranny of Sicily.
     Writers, poets, historian, and even a few local residents have claimed that the Gods personally took part in the creation of Sicily. One look and the first-time visitor will know what they mean. The world’s first multicultural society, Sicily is more than just an island full of art, archaeology, history, folklore, scenery and great food. It is a world unto itself. Discover Sicily and you discover the world!

ITINERARY

Thursday, September 20, 2007
Departure

Today is a travel day. Depart the United States on overnight flights, arriving in Palermo, Sicily tomorrow morning. We highly recommend that you consider arriving one day early to recover from jet lag. We are happy to arrange an extra night for you at our hotel this evening.

Friday, September 21, 2007
Arrival in Sicily / Welcome Dinner

The tour commences today at our hotel in Palermo. Since we are not providing group air travel arrangements to Italy, everyone is responsible for making his own way from the airport to the hotel. If you would like to book a private transfer we will be happy to arrange this service upon request. Transfer options will be described in Final Documents mailed prior to departure. Upon arrival, check-in to your hotel room and enjoy a free afternoon to explore Palermo. This evening we gather in the hotel for introductions over drinks, then proceed to a local restaurant for our Welcome Dinner.     (Dinner Included)

Saturday, September 22, 2007
Monreal & Palermo Market

After breakfast at our hotel, depart by motorcoach bound for Monreal, a town located on the slopes of Mount Caputo overlooking the Conca d’Oro, the beautiful valley just beyond Palermo. Monreale is world-renowned for its cathedral, a dazzling mixture of Arab, Byzantine and Norman artistic styles framed by traditional Romanesque architecture, all combined in a perfect blend of both the Christian and Muslim worlds of the 12th century. This is a perfect start to our trip, as it provides a context for the multicultural melting pot that Sicily has been for centuries. In late morning, we drive back to Palermo to visit the historic La Vucciria marketplace down on the harbor. The afternoon and evening are free to explore Palermo in more depth on your own.     (Breakfast)

Sunday, September 23, 2007
Erice

After breakfast enjoy another morning excursion to Erice, located to the west of Palermo on high ground overlooking the western coast of the island. With its delightful medieval ambience and splendid location, Erice is an interesting town with ancient walls surrounding part of the town and two hilltop castles with spectacular views. Returning to our hotel in Palermo, the remainder of the day is free for independent adventures.     (Breakfast)

Monday, September 24, 2007
Selinunte / Agrigento

After breakfast, we check out of our hotel and depart Palermo. Our first stop is Selinunte, an abandoned ancient Greek city, founded in the 7th century B.C., with ruins of an acropolis and numerous temples. Selinunte is located in the southwest coast of Sicily in the province of Trapani, in a tranquil and scenic setting, with an ambience that gives a good impression of what an ancient Greek city and life in it were really like. We enjoy a guided tour of the primary archaeological areas here.
     After a break for lunch, continue on to Agrigento, located on a plateau overlooking the southern coast of Sicily. After getting settled in our hotel, we visit the remains of several ancient Greek temples for what we expect will be a spectacular sunset. Dinner is included this evening. Overnight in Agrigento.     (Breakfast / Dinner)

Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Piazza Armerina / Siracusa

After breakfast, we drive across the island, stopping in its center to visit the Piazza Armerina, founded in the 4th century. The town’s historical quarter has some beautiful churches, including a Baroque cathedral, as well as a well-preserved fortress (Spinelli Castle), but most visitors come here to see the Roman Villa, with its magnificent mosaics. Located a few miles outside town, the villa is one of the largest Roman dwellings of its kind to have survived antiquity, and it probably belonged to a wealthy patrician. Depicting scenes from daily life, such as hunting, the mosaics are as remarkable for their sociological value as for their artistry.
     In the afternoon, continue on to Siracusa, on Sicily’s southeastern Ionian coast, built on an ancient Greek settlement founded by Corinthians in 734 BC. Upon arrival at our hotel in late afternoon, we check in, freshen up, then go out together for dinner. Overnight in Siracusa.     (Breakfast / Dinner)

Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Ortigia / Taormina

In ancient times, Siracusa was the city of Archimedes, Pindar and Aeschylus, and for a time it rivaled Athens as the most important city of the Greek world. Its older quarter is an island, Ortigia (from the Greek for “quail,” probably named for that bird’s abundance in this area), where most of the ancient ruins are to be found, among them the Greek Temple of Apollo and a Roman amphitheatre. Enjoy a tour of these sites this morning.
     After lunch we head north along the Ionian coast to the city of Taormina, located on a wide plateau beneath Mount Tauro, for which it is named. Sicily’s most famous resort town, this was a 19th century haunt of the English aristocracy, including D.H. Lawrence, who wrote Lady Chatterly’s Lover here. Taormina's most famous gay resident, Baron Wilhelm von Gloeden, helped to put the place on the map for gays in the late 1800s with his famous photographs of local youths.The evening is free to stroll the winding medieval passages and lamplit streets and explore secluded gardens hidden by stone walls or seaside terraces. Overnight in Taormina.      (Breakfast)

Thursday, September 27, 2007
Aeolian Islands

After breakfast enjoy a full day excursion to the Aeolian Islands, also known as the Lipari Islands. We drive from Taormina to the northern coastal town of Milazzo, where catch a hydrofoil out to the largest Aeolian island, Lipari. Best known for its beaches, the main town also has a Greek castle, a Norman-era church and an archaeological museum. In the afternoon, we cross a wide strait of water to arrive at the island of Vulcano, which last erupted in 1890. A thermal bath resort is open year round. Returning to our hotel in Taormina, the evening is free.     (Breakfast)

Friday, September 28, 2007
Mount Etna

Sicily’s greatest natural attraction is also its highest mountain and one of the world’s most active volcanoes. After breakfast, depart our hotel for a half-day excursion to the 11,000 ft. Mount Etna. The height of its summit changes with each eruption, and over the centuries a few lava flows have reached the coast. There are a number of smaller peaks on the slopes of Etna, and we will take a jeep ride up one of them, followed by a short hike up to the summit for incredible views overlooking the coast, sea, and mainland Italy in the distance. Returning to our hotel in Taormina, the remainder of the day is free.     (Breakfast)

Saturday, September 29, 2007
Free Day / Farewell Dinner

Enjoy a full free day in Taormina today to go exploring on your own or laze at the beach. This evening Toto Tours hosts a Farewell Dinner to celebrate the end of our Sicilian adventure.     (Breakfast / Dinner)

Sunday, September 30, 2007
Departure

The tour officially ends after breakfast this morning. We will assist with arranging transfers to the Catania Airport (CTA) for those departing today (transfer not included in tour cost). If you would like to spend more time in Sicily, we will be happy to extend your stay at our hotel.     (Breakfast)