Sicily is celebrated for its great natural beauty, delectable cuisine and stunning archaeological sites. This tour takes each of these aspects and adds the wonderfully relaxing experience of life aboard a luxurious wooden gulet.
We head west from Milazzo, taking in a veritable feast of sites, some of the very best that Sicily has to offer: the temples at Segesta, Selinunte and Agrigento; the bustling and beautiful towns of Cefalu, Palermo and Sciacca; the Phoenician island of Motya, and the mosaic decked Roman villa at Piazza Armerina.
Sicily’s coast glides by, with its craggy capes, long beaches and steep hills rising from the sea. The delicious cuisine onboard is complemented by meals ashore at specially chosen places, and some regional delicacies picked up along the way. All these sites, sounds and tastes are introduced to you by an expert guide who for many years has made Sicily his home.
Day 1: Our boat is in Milazzo harbour, overlooked by a magnificent Medieval castle. Welcome dinner on board.
Day 2: A chance to swim and relax as we head west, beside beautiful hills to Capo d’Orlando.
Day 3: Cefalu and its Norman cathedral is our destination today. We wander through its winding alleyways, all the while overshadowed by the mighty fortified spur that dominates the town.
Day 4: West to Palermo, Sicily’s vibrant capital. We explore the archaeological museum, one of Italy’s finest, then stroll through the old town, full of elegant Norman, Arab, and Baroque buildings.
Day 5: Inland and upwards to the Norman cathedral at Monreale, justly famed for its stunning and vast Byzantine-style glass mosaics.
Day 6: We travel to Segesta, site of one of the most evocative Greek temples in the Mediterranean – unfinished, but fully colonnaded and ringed by the hills from which it was meant to be admired.
Day 7: We take a shallow-bottomed boat to the island of Motya, site of an important Phoenician city, located in a shallow lagoon and joined to the mainland by a narrow causeway.
Day 8: Rounding Sicily’s western cape, we cruise east to Selinunte with its incredible lines of ancient temples, little visited but beautifully well preserved.
Day 9: On to Sciacca, a spa in ancient times, famed for its thermal springs. We wander round this fascinating little town, with its blood-soaked history.
Day 10: We explore Agrigento, once one of the richest cities of the Mediterranean, famed for the lavish lifestyles of its citizens, its many temples, and repeated destruction at the hands of its many foes.
Day 11: We will strike inland to visit the Roman villa at Piazza Armerina, one of the largest and most sumptuously decorated Roman villas yet excavated.
Day 12: A day of total leisure, cruising and swimming along Sicily’s southern shore.
Day 13: We visit the beautiful site of Camarina, situated on a windswept bluff, and home to an elegant little museum. Then east to Pozzallo, the landing zone of the British army in World War II.
Day 14: We explore Modica, a beautiful Baroque town famed for its chocolate, then cruise east to the pretty fishing village of Portopalo. Farewell dinner.
Day 15: Morning transfers to the airport
