tasteandslowitaly.com 8 days 7 nights TOUR Sicily, culture, elegance history and Mediterranean food TASTE AND SLOW ITALY a brand of TRASIMENO TRAVEL SAS - Via Novella 1/F 06061, Castiglione del Lago, Perugia, Italy - VAT Registration. Number and Social Security Number: 02634100545 TEL (0039) 075 95 39 69 - FAX (0039) 075 96 52 654 - US TEL (001) 3 23 25 00 555 - MOBILE IT (0039) 3393 35 22 35 - SKYPE tasteandslowitaly - EMAIL info@tasteandslowitaly.com
Highlights The land of geological contrasts. Volcanic - black soil - in the sandstone district Taormina and Ragusa ibla. The Baroque of Noto, the Greek culture in Syracuse, the Valley of the temples, the charm of the splendid Taormina and the ancient Roman culture. The Mediterranean cuisine in particular authentic context, refined restaurants. Visit Sicily accompanied by local professional guides and local drivers. Full and reliable local Assistance Get in touch with native people who know the places and who live the island life on a daily basis. Live a week of slow tourism concept. Free time at leisure. Learn to recognize the added value of local social traditions. Week followed in detail for guests who want a high professional profile. Sicily as synthesis of a unique history of different cultures. Arab, Norman after the Greek and Roman age. Visit the most active volcano in Europe. Visit of the Scala dei Turchi Agrigento beach ITINERARY NOTE: Our Agents Team will be glad to suggest you the most authentic restaurant in accordance with your tastes and expectations. 1 day - Arrival and Check in Arrival in Catania. Pick up at the Airport and private transfer to your Accommodation in Taormina. Check in at the hotel in Taormina and free time to roam around the lodge
Lunch and dinner at leisure In Catania land, water, light and air seem to miraculously mingle together in a unique, unforgettable spectacle: the strength of Etna and its snowed peaks matches with a crystal clear blue sea. History, archaeology, baroque architecture, gourmet food and great wines will embrace you while visiting the city, together with the innate warmth and hospitality culture of the inhabitants a genetic floxenia. Catania has a strong magnetic fascination: it is gritty, picturesque and chaotic. It is Sicily at its most youthful. One minute you re scanning the skyline from a dizzying dome, the next your staring at contemporary art in an 18th-century convent. Beneath it all are the ancient ruins of a town with over 2700 candles on its birthday cake. Indeed, food is another local forte. Which are the most typical dishes? Here is the home of Sicily's iconic pasta alla Norma and the extraordinary La Pescheria market!!!!
2 day - Catania Breakfast at the hotel and full day excursion in Catania and Etna Volcano area. If you will lucky you can admire a real eruption (safety distance). A travel direct contact to Etna Volcano(at an altitude of 1,800-1,900 meters) and be astonished by the lava flows, by panorama which is, both geologically and botanically, one of the most peculiar touristic attraction of the entire island. Today you will have the chance to visit, with a local guide, that marvelous city, where black-andwhite palazzi towers overlook baroque piazzas. You will experience local authentic street food adventure: a visit at the very typical Pescheria It is Catania noisy fish market, which takes over the streets behind Piazza del Duomo every workday morning. Here you will admire the open shops tables overwhelmed by decapitated swordfish, rubypink prawns and trays full of clams, mussels, sea urchins and all manner of mysterious sea life. Later in the day you will visit at the famous Alcantara Gorges and at the river's valley.
On your way backwards you will admire the very characteristic villages, positioned on the foothill: Francavilla di Sicilia, Castiglione di Sicilia and Linguaglossa, well known due to its ancient history and for the local cake-pastry traditional production. alternative: In a very colorful and picturesque Tavola Calda of the nearby you will have the tasty chance to enjoy a typical lunch, whose dishes are exactly those of the local Catanese culinary tradition: Arancini, Cannoli and Granita Siciliana. And later in the afternoon you will stop in a local restaurant where a funny cooking show has been booked for you. Dinner at leisure 3 day - Taormina & the famous Alcantara Gorges on the river's valley Breakfast at the hotel and full day excursion to Taormina and the picturesque nearby area. Today you will visit Taormina, famous thanks to its Greek-Roman theater. you will stroll around the perfectly preserved Medieval streets and admire its dramatic views of Mount Etna, deeply perceiving the archetypal Mediterranean atmosphere. In Taormina the main attraction is the Teatro Greco, which is now home to all kinds of events, including plays, fashion shows, concerts, and cinema festivals. Built in the 3rd Century BC, hosted performances of works by Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides and Aristophanes. Originally quite small, it was enlarged by the Romans to accommodate their own particular brand of theatrical extravaganza. The views from the theater are spectacular, taking in a usually smoking Mount Etna and the Bay of Naxos down below. Lunch at leisure Guided tour in Catania Or alternative: A nice Mediterranean show cooking in a local Ristorante stellato (classy and refined restaurant) in Taormina. You will purchase in local market and shops the raw material with the assistance of your private chef. He will be glad to teach all the basic secrets to recognize the right and authentic ingredients. 4 day - Agrigento and the Valley of the Temples Breakfast at the hotel and transfer to Agrigento. Check in in your hotel Full day excursion to Agrigento and the temples valley.
Today you will visit Agrigento with a local tourist guide and later you will sight see the Temple Valley. The archaeological site at Agrigento, inserted onto the UNESCO World Heritage Listin 1997, is an exceptional historic testimony to Magna Graecia s presence in this area, as well as to subsequent epochs. The remains from the Hellenic city, and additionally from the successive Punic-Roman era, the imposing Doric temples to this day almost completely intact the angora, the pagan and Christian necropolises, and the crawling network of subterranean aqueducts, constitute the richness of this site. Extending over approximately 1,300 hectares, it recounts an epic history that began in the 6th Century B.C. Afternoon at leisure in Agrigento Or alternative: relax in the famous beach Scala dei Turchi Do not forget your swimsuit
Later in the day you will visit a local Farm, where you will be taught about production and use of the local Pistacchio. In the afternoon transfer back to Catania and free time at your disposal. Dinner at leisure 5 day - Piazza Armerina: The Villa Romana Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer and full day excursion to Piazza Armerina and Ragusa Ibla Piazza Armerina is a splendid art city nestled into the heart of this gorgeous Island, you will be rapt by the richness and quantity of monuments that tell of its glorious past. Among all Villa Romana del Casale Originally owned by a powerful Roman family, probably by a member of Rome s senatorial class, who was a governor of the Eternal City itself (Praefectus Urbi), dating back to the 4th Century A.D., the Villa is a magnificent rural abode. It will fascinate you, above all, for its captivating mosaics, considered the most beautiful and bestpreserved of their kind, UNESCO World Heritage Site in1997. The Villa Romana del Casale is considered to be one of the most important exemplars of an official governmental residence, attributed to the elaboration and exceptional beauty of its architectonic and decorative elements. Later in the day you will drive further to Ragusa and visit the city. Ragusa, essentially Baroque, dates almost entirely from 1693. You will be definitely astonished by the lower part of the town: while the upper part is rich in architectural delights, the smaller Ragusa Ibla down below will really impress you. The sight of the jumble of houses, churches and civic palazzi piled on top of each other, clinging to the walls of the gorge, is really quite breathtaking. Although seemingly Medieval from a distance, once you enter the town s heart, the Baroque logic of its plan becomes more obvious. Check in your hotel in Ragusa Ibla Dinner and lunch at leisure Or alternative: show cooking in a local famous restaurant-locanda 6 day - Noto and Modica: the top of the Sicilian Baroque Breakfast at the hotel and full day excursion to Noto and Modica Noto will surprise you: it is, so to say, the perfect Baroque town. It was fully rebuilt from scratch on a new site, about 10 kilometers far from the old center, after having been wholly destroyed by the ruining earthquake in 1693. The idea of the three architects was to build a perfectly proportioned urban center, whose parallel lines would provide lots of different astonishing panoramas. It was built using mainly local compacted limestone, which naturally absorbs the sun's rays and
transforms them into a soft golden honeyed glow: the result is a breathtaking seductive spectacle for visitors admiring the towns at the sunset Three main roads, running from east to west, segment the village in three part and ensure a constant attention of the sun. On the upper quarter lived nobility, in the middle the clergy and on the bottom the lower class. In Noto, after having visited with a local tourist guide the village, you will enjoy a chocolate show cooking. Than you will visit a farm, specialized in the production of lemons and almonds. In the afternoon you will visit Modica and in the evening you will assist to a cooking show in a Restaurant, awarded with a Michelin Star Also Modica, like the other towns in Val di Noto, was badly damaged in the 1693 by the earthquake and largely rebuilt in Sicilian baroque style. Numerous picturesque flights of steps connect the two parts in which Modica is divided. The fame of Modica is connected to Chocolate: a 400 year tradition of Sicilian Chocolate making is nestled here sine Cacao arrived in Modica firstly and directly from America very soon since the village was a part of the Spanish domain. Thus Modica became specialized in making granulates chocolate, based on Atzec methods and recipes, often flavored with chili pepper, cinnamon and vanilla. Lunch and dinner at leisure 7 day - Siracusa Breakfast at the hotel and full day excursion to Syracuse Today you will pay a visit to Syracuse, the marvelous historic site rich in Archaeological evidences. You will visit the archaeological area, the cathedral and Fonte Arteusa, a small little charming lake inside the little Ortigia Island, in the oldest part of Syracuse You will lunch in Ortigia and have some free time at your disposal in the afternoon.
Syracuse was the most important city of Magna Grecia, able to defeat Athens in 413 D C and home of many great Greek personality, Archimedes among all. The archaeological site, on the northwest part of the town, saves many well preserved Greek and Romans remains: the main attraction is undoubtedly the Greek Theater with a cave that is among the largest ever built, able to accommodate in 59 dc 15.000 spectators, which dates back in 5th Century BC Final dinner in an incredible restaurant in Ragusa Ibla. 8 day See you soon Italy Breakfast at the hotel, check out, transfer at the Catania Airport
THE TOUR INCLUDES Hotels, 4 stars Local full Assistance HB Treatment (3 courses menu - drinks not included) Guided tour of Catania as described Meals and show cooking as per described Transfer private services as described, tour and Check point fees Optional Local guided tours and extra activities Entrance tickets Medical and baggage insurance Cancellation insurance Other tailored services (to book in advance), the services requested on site will be quoted apart The Tour does not include All that is not mentioned in the tour includes Airline tickets Taxi services Medical-luggage and cancellation insurance Additional tours/experiences Entrance tickets (museums and attractions) Local city taxes
Taste and Slow Italy a brand of Trasimeno Travel S.a.s di Grillo Stefania & C. Via Novella 1/F, 06061, Castiglione del Lago, Italia VAT Registration Number and Social Security Number: 02634100545 Government Authority License Number: Cat. 13/B/1985/3A (0039) 075 95 39 69 - US (001) 3 23 25 00 555 - FAX (0039) 075 96 52 654 (0039) 33 93 35 22 35 - (0039) 32 93 10 45 01 info@tasteandslowitaly.com tasteandslowitaly Copyright 2016 Trasimeno Viaggi