Sicily Small Group Tours

Palermo

At the crossroads of several important Mediterranean trade routes and subject in its long history to Phoenicians, Romans, Byzantine Greeks, Arabs, Normans and Spaniards, Sicily’s regional capital (1) is a fascinating historical palimpsest – and, with its palm trees, prickly pears and banyan trees, a botanical melting pot.

Don’t miss the glorious 12th-century mosaics in the church of La Martorana or Roger II’s private chapel, the Capella Palatina; and set aside half a day for the trip up to lofty Monreale, whose cathedral boasts yet more dazzling Norman-era mosaics.

Make sure you take time to visit the two fresh markets in Palermo. Each market is different, offering sights and sounds  that you will remember for a lifetime.

Check the Palermo opera schedule to see if there is something playing at Teatro Massimo.

Syracuse

One of the great cities of the Western Greek diaspora (it was home to mathematician and engineer Archimedes), Syracuse is today undergoing something of a Renaissance. Syracuse has a great historical area that has many shops and cafes for you to stop and enjoy a drink and a bit of people watching. Don’t miss the Syracuse market for the freshest veggies, meats and cheeses.

Agrigento

Agrigento is famous for an archaeological site know as the Valle dei Templi “Valley of Temples” spreads over two almost complete temples and the partly-reconstructed ruins of three others. The three great Greek temple complexes of western and southern Sicily are the equal to those in Greece, itself.

Selinunte, on the south coast between Mazara del Vallo and Sciacca, features not such well-preserved ruins, but its position on a coast with an abundance of wild flowers & celery that gives the site its name is hugely atmospheric. If you seek out Cave di Cusa, seven miles to the northeast, chances are you’ll have it all to yourself. Suddenly abandoned in 409BC, this was where the stone used in Selinunte’s temples was quarried, and it’s a fascinating place with great fluted column sections, carved in situ, still anchored in the mother rock.

So is that of Segesta, the closest to Palermo. Although unfinished, the elegance of the fifth-century temple that perched on the crest of a hill makes it perhaps Sicily’s most impressive Greek ruin.

Taormina & Etna, Sicily

Taormina combines a breathtaking position beneath Mount Etna with a balmy climate that allows jasmine and bougainvillea to flower even in December.

It has an historical center that sits high above the sea and hotels that offer amazing views. Lower Taormina is where you can dip your feet in the sea and eat a great seafood meal overlooking the ocean.

Roman mosaics, unearthed in the 19th century at Casale, 3 miles south of Piazza Armerina, are among the richest and most complex in situ collection anywhere in the world.

A complex that was in use from the 4th century BC right through to the 12th century AD, the villa most probably belonged to the large estate owner and would have been used to entertain and a base for hunting.

The site is well worth a detour. The artists who designed these floors had a real flair for colour and composition, and the friezes depicting marine animals, hunting scenes, the circus and the famous bikini-clad female gymnasts are all utterly delightful.