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Easter in Sicily with Roasa

EASTER IN SICILY WITH ROSA
DAY-BY-DAY ITINERARY

Day 01 - Fri 27 March
Arrival Catania (3 nights)
Easter in Sicily with Rosa TourOn arrival at Catania Airport, we'll be met and transferred to our hotel. This evening we'll join Rosa, Colin and our Tour Manager for a welcome dinner at one of Rosa’s favourite restaurants, the delightful Ristorante Antica Marina, located in a characteristic quarter of Catania near the Piazza Duomo and the Wall of Carlo V in the historic heart of the city. (D)
Day 02 - Sat 28 March
Catania - Excursion to Bronte & Castiglione di Sicilia
The pistachios of Bronte, known as 'green gold', are world famous. This morning we'll drive on the slopes of Mt Etna to visit Bronte town and a producer of pistachio products. We'll spend time learning about the growing of the nuts and tasting some of the many products which are made from them. Next we'll have a comprehensive introduction to the wines of Sicily. First we'll visit the Planeta Sciaranuova vineyards where we'll taste wines from five different regions of Sicily. The passopisciaro wine of Etna, a recently revived wine made from an ancient local grape variety grown on the slopes of Mt. Etna, a wine from Menfi, a wine from Noto, a wine from Capo Milazzo and a wine from Vittoria. This will be followed by a lunch of traditional Sicilian cuisine, each course paired with a Planeta wine, before a short drive brings us to the Planeta Feudo di Mezzo winery in Castiglione di Sicilia where we'll learn more of the process of wine-making, visit their barrique and take a walk through a vineyard of 120 year-old vines. We'll return to Catania in the late afternoon for a relaxing evening in our hotel. (BL)
Day 03 - Sun 29 March
Catania - Excursion to Mt Etna
Mount Etna is the highest active volcano in Europe and a definite must for all visitors to Sicily. This morning our circuitous drive takes us through many villages typically built almost entirely of lava. The landscape is constantly changing as we ascend the mountain. At 1,900 metres the scenic situation is dominated by black lava and it's here we'll stop at Rifugio Sapienza to view the now dormant Crateri Silvestri. We'll descend from the mountain in the afternoon and this evening perhaps take a light meal in our hotel or stroll into the surrounding neighbourhood to discover a nearby trattoria for dinner. (B)
Day 04 - Mon 30 March
Catania - Piazza Armerina Area (2 nights)
Catania is also known as the 'Black Pearl of the Mediterranean Sea' because of its baroque palaces predominately constructed from the black lava stone of the area. Our stay here wouldn't be complete without including a visit to the very famous, very colourful and bustling fish market. Monday is a great time to be there so this morning the market is first on our agenda before we further explore this cosmopolitan city, including the Piazza del Duomo, the Palazzo degli Elefanti (a World Heritage Site), Ursino Castle and the Piazza Università. Later this afternoon we'll drive west to our special agriturismo accommodation, near the town of Piazza Armerina, where this evening we'll enjoy a dinner of local specialities in their restaurant. (BD)
Day 05 - Tue 31 March
Piazza Armerina Area - Excursion to Villa Romana del Casale & Tenuta Manca di Geracello
Today our first stop is at the renowned Villa Romana del Casale, a short drive from Piazza Armerina. This splendid Roman villa owes its fame to its magnificent mosaic floors, thought to be the work of North African artists, which are rather striking due to the variety of colours used and the incredibly interesting subjects depicted. Lunch today is a very special event when we'll visit the exclusive Tenuta Manca di Geracello, a private 'estate' owned by a descendent of the Sicilian Grimaldi family, where we'll enjoy a sumptuous local meal accompanied by their excellent wine! We'll also have an opportunity to sample the first-class olive oil produced on the estate. After lunch we'll return to our agriturismo accommodation with an opportunity to relax before enjoying a light dinner to top off a memorable day. (BLD)
Day 06 - Wed 01 April
Piazza Armerina Area - Agrigento - Marsala (1 night)
This morning's drive brings us to the southern coast of Sicily and the town of Agrigento with its marvellous Valley of the Temples, undoubtedly one of the Island's most famous historical attractions. In this splendid archaeological park we'll admire the collection of ancient Greek temples including the beauty of the Temple of Concordia, among the best preserved of the temples, the Temple of Juno, built just prior to the Temple of Concordia and badly damaged by an earthquake during the middle ages, and the Temple of Castor and Pollux, a Doric temple built around the 5th century A.D. Later this afternoon a drive up the western coast of Sicily brings us to Marsala, where we'll visit the renowned Cantine Pellegrino for a guided tour along with a tasting of their celebrated Marsala wine, the wine which is proudly named after the town! Tonight our overnight accommodation is at our luxury wine resort, where we'll also enjoy dinner in their ristorante. (BD)
Day 07 - Thu 02 April
Marsala - Trapani (2 nights)
After leaving Marsala we'll drive along the 'salt road' to view the area's famous salt pans and visit the Salt Museum to taste the local product. We'll stop for lunch with the Vultaggio family in their Farmhose restaurant tasting delicious fare from their agritourism menu, before continuing to Trapani, an ancient Phoenician trading port and a very important town during the Middle Ages. (BL)
Day 08 - Fri 03 April
Trapani – 'Processione dei Misteri di Trapani'
Today is Good Friday and we'll spend the whole day in the city during the Procession of the Mysteries of Trapani, a day-long passion procession featuring twenty floats of lifelike wood, canvas and glue sculptures with silver, gold and coral decorations. The statues are mounted on wooden structures called 'vare' and are carried through the elegant and refined streets of the city on the shoulders of the 'massari' who perform the traditional 'annacata', a peculiar movement, encouraged by the rhythms of the local bands, which cause the statues to sway. The sculptures depict individual scenes of the events of the Passion, a passion play at the centre, and the culmination of, the Holy Week in Trapani. The festival was first staged before the Easter of 1612 and has therefore been happening continuously, every Good Friday, for more than 400 years. It's also the longest running religious event in Sicily and in Italy... it starts at 12:00 pm and parades through the city streets non-stop into the night for at least 16 hours, but occasionally it will extend beyond 24 hours, giving us plenty of time absorb the atmosphere of this moving celebration, one of the most ancient religious traditions in Europe! Also today, we'll enjoy an included lunch at the Gennaio 30 Bistrot, a local restaurant making a name for itself in the city, and this evening there'll be an opportunity to purchase snacks while we observe the culmination of the procession on the roof-top of our hotel! (BL)




Day 09 - Sat 04 April
Trapani - Monreale - Palermo (2 nights)
On leaving Trapani this morning we'll drive to Monreale, the Norman 'Mons Regalis', which is situated at the foot of Monte Caputo, a short distance from the centre of Palermo. The majestic dome of its Cathedral was built in the 12th century by the Norman King, William II and is 6,340 square meters of polychrome and gold mosaics. This gives rise to its local name of the golden bible, referring to the mosaics telling the stories of the Old and New Testament. We'll also visit the Benedictine cloister, which completes one of the most magnificent testimonies to the Norman conquest of Sicily. After completing our morning sightseeing in Monreale a short journey will bring us to the centre of Palermo where Rosa will be delighted to introduce us to Sicilian street-food... just around lunch-time! We'll have time to purchase our choice of street-food and eat with the locals before we join our local guide for a city tour where a special highlight is a visit to the Palatine Chapel inside the Royal Palace, rich in mosaics and Byzantine decorations. Next is the Cathedral of Palermo, a sumptuous example of Norman architecture, where we'll visit the Imperial and Royal tombs. We'll also see the 16th century Pretoria Fountain which, after its unveiling, so outraged the locals that it was forever known as the Fontana della Vergogna, or the 'Fountain of Shame'. This evening we'll dine in another of Rosa's favourite restaurants close to our hotel. (BD)
Day 10 - Sun 05 April
Palermo - Excursion to Piana Degli Albanesi & Prizzi
Piana degli Albanesi is home to the Arbëreshë people, who are ethnically and linguistically of Albanian origin and it's here, without a doubt, that one of the most colourful and joyful spectacles in Sicily takes place on Easter Sunday... and this morning we'll be here to witness the event. After mass the main street in the town is awash with colour when girls and young men parade along the street in traditional costumes, accompanied by children playing the accordion in an atmosphere of joy and happiness. After the culmination of the parade at the Cathedral of San Demetrio, when white doves are released from their cages, we'll travel south to the town of Prizzi to join in the celebration of the Dance of the Devils. Death, dressed in yellow robes and carrying a crossbow, along with the Devils, dressed in red overalls and all of them with ferocious metal masks wander the streets of the town in search of souls to be taken to hell. Death and the Devils toil all day playing with people and capturing souls who are locked up in a local house until they can secure their freedom by paying an 'abolo', a small sum of money. Later in the afternoon the finale arrives with the meeting of the statues of the Virgin Mary and the Resurrected Christ in the main square of Prizzi, brought about by the arrival of the Angels who triumph over the forces of evil, which is then represented by the Virgin Mary losing her black cape and showing herself with a light blue dress symbolising the conquest of good over evil. At the end of the celebration of this joyful occasion we'll return to our hotel in Palermo where we can perhaps explore the surrounding area to find a trattoria or ristorante for an evening meal. (B)
Day 11 - Mon 06 April
Palermo - Cefalù - Castelbuono - Ragusa (2 nights)
First on our agenda this morning is a visit to Cefalù, a picturesque medieval town about an hour's drive from Palermo. With our guide we'll stroll through the historical city centre with its narrow streets built in Roman times and we'll also see the old, perfectly preserved, Roman laundry! We'll visit the gold-coloured Cathedral, a Romanesque jewel built by the Norman King Roger II in the 12th century. Its interior is decorated with fabulous mosaics executed in a spectacular array of colours on a gold background. After a short drive from Cefalù we'll savour a memorable lunch at the Ristorante Palazzaccio in the delightful town of Castelbuono, situated in the Madonie Mountains. Later this afternoon we'll enter into the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Val di Noto, situated in the south-eastern corner of the island, and our destination for the next two nights, the spectacular hill-top town of Ragusa. (BL)
Day 12 - Tue 07 April
Ragusa Sightseeing - Excursion to Modica (Cooking Class) & Vittoria (Wine Tasting)
Our first stop this morning is a visit to the Ibla (Old Town) of Ragusa with its imposing Piazza Duomo and Cathedral dedicated to Saint John the Baptist. There'll be time to explore the Piazza and surrounding area before a short drive brings us to Modica where we'll gear-up for Rosa's cooking class at the Osteria dei Sapori Perduti, one of her favourite lunch-time restaurants in the Val di Noto! Under Rosa's expert tutelage we'll enjoy the lunch we've prepared and afterwards, because we can, we'll visit the legendary Antica Dolceria Bonajuto, the oldest chocolate factory in Sicily, to taste chocolate which is still made by using the old Aztec method. Later in the afternoon we'll take a drive into the Vittoria region, a renowned wine-producing area of Sicily, where we'll visit the well-known Maggio Vini Winery in the beautiful Pettineo vineyards to taste their local product accompanied by a variety of local snacks. (BL)
Day 13 - Wed 08 April
Ragusa - Syracuse (2 nights)
Syracuse, flourishing on the east coast of Sicily, was considered to be the most important Greek city of Antiquity when it eventually became a formidable seafaring power, nearly the equal of Athens! This morning we'll depart Ragusa and drive to this intriguing city where our local guide will join us for a visit to Syracuse's Archaeological Park with its remarkable Greek and Roman ruins. Now part of a World Heritage Site the park contains the Greek Theatre, one of the largest in the Greek world, the Latomias, big stone quarries with the famous 'Ear of Dionysius' and the Roman Amphitheatre, created in the time of Augustus. Then our guide will take us on a walking tour of Ortigia Island, the heart of the ancient city, where time seems to be caught between the mediaeval and baroque eras. We'll admire the architectural splendour of its ancient mediaeval streets, baroque structures and classic churches before taking time to find somewhere for lunch, shop, or just people watch over an afternoon coffee. Later there'll be time to relax before we return to Ortigia for this evening's dinner in yet another of Rosa's 'hidden gems', constantly noted for the cooking of locally influenced dishes! (BD)
Day 14 - Thu 09 April
Syracuse - Excursion to Noto
Our morning drive brings us to the beautiful town of Noto. This baroque jewel was created after the earthquake of 1693 when the reconstruction built many majestic palaces using the soft local limestone which, over time, loses its glaring whiteness and develops a magnificent golden or rosy hue. It's here that Rosa has reserved the best for last... early this afternoon we'll enjoy a very special 'Farewell to Sicily Lunch' at the exclusive Michelin-starred Ristorante Crocifisso! The town is also famous for its ice-cream and after lunch there'll be time to visit the Caffe Sicilia and Dolceria Corrado Costanzo to try a 'granita' before we return to our hotel in Syracuse to spend an evening with our travelling companions as we prepare to say goodbye to Sicily and each other! (BL)
Day 15 - Fri 10 April
Depart Syracuse & Sicily via Catania
Our tour ends after breakfast with a morning transfer to Catania Airport for onward journeys. (B)




Note: This itinerary is subject to change necessitated by any change in Community regulations as well as changes by Government and/or natural or other circumstances beyond our control.