Most important features
- 8 DAYS – 7 NIGHTS
- Visited countries: Sicily (Italy)
Short introduction
Sicily is one of the strongest emerging wine regions in Italy and is gaining popularity in recent years thanks to the unique grape varieties that give wines their specific fruit and freshness. The quality has improved by leaps and bounds in recent decades. It is also an island full of culture and a rich history. During your wine tour you will not only discover delicious wines, you will also taste the Sicilian gastronomy with lots of fresh fish, sun-ripened vegetables and much more.
Highlights
- Glass of wine as a welcome drink in a rooftop bar
- 5 wine tastings
- 7 nights including an overnight stay in a wine hotel
- The monuments and jewels of Palermo
- Meeting with some of the major wine producers
- Etna: the largest active volcano in Europe
- Tasting chocolate in Modica
- Visit beautiful cities such as Catania, Siracusa, Ragusa, Agrigento, Marsala, Palermo
- Visit the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Valley of the Temples
Program
DAY 1: ARRIVAL CATANIA – SICILY, ITALY (D)
Today you fly to Catania, Sicily. Upon arrival, you will be transferred from the airport to your hotel in Giarre, located just north of Catania between the foot of Mount Etna and the sea. That promises a beautiful view! After check-in at your hotel surrounded by lush vegetation, lemon and orange trees, you will be expected in one of the most beautiful rooftop bars in the city overlooking Etna. After this you will have some time to relax and the SPA or pool before you are expected for dinner in the hotel restaurant for a delicious bistronomic dinner.
Overnight in a boutique hotel.
DAY 2: ETNA AND THE WINE ROUTE (B, L, D)
After breakfast, enjoy a fantastic excursion along the northern slope of Mount Etna, where the best wine estates of this wine region are located. On a thematic route you will discover the wine-making process on the slopes of the highest active volcano in Europe. After a beautiful drive along one of the most panoramic roads around Etna, a guided wine tasting follows. You will visit a beautifully situated winery with its renewed wine cellars surrounded by incredible nature.
After this, enjoy lunch at Cave d’Ox, a small trattoria in the heart of Solicchiata, then stop at another prestigious winery, one of the most successful and recognizable cellars in the Etna wine region and a perfect ambassador in the world of new Sicilian viticulture. Transfer back to the hotel and dinner.
Overnight.
DAY 3 – CATANIA – SYRACUSE – RAGUSA (B, L)
Today, after breakfast, you will be transferred to the beautiful city of Syracuse. Along the way, stop in the heart of Catania and visit the vibrant and colorful local markets. A guide will lead you through the narrow streets, meet local producers and taste some of the famous street food. After arriving in Syracuse, enjoy a nice walk through the Ortigia district with its beautiful churches and boulevard. In the evening you will visit the baroque jewel of Ragusa.
Overnight.
DAY 4 – RAGUSA – MODICA (B, L)
After breakfast, your day starts with a visit to a dynamic and well-known winery run by a winemaker phenomenon. You will participate in a wine tasting and also get the chance to taste their famous olive oil.
For lunch, visit another local organic winery. Organic farming here means not only quality and authenticity, but also the fair use of what nature has to offer. It is not without reason that this winery has included the following in its Mission Statement: “Our winery chooses to respect the health of the consumer, with every possible means and with every productive choice it makes.” Also in this beautiful winery you will have a wine tasting with wines such as Nero d’Avola, Nerello Mascalese and Frappato. Before heading back to Ragusa, we will stop in Modica for a chocolate tasting, one of the best kept secrets in Sicily.
Overnight in Ragusa.
DAY 5 – RAGUSA – AGRIGENTO – MENTI (B, L, D)
After breakfast you will head towards Agrigento. Here you will meet your private guide and visit the famous archaeological site of Valley of the Temples, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Afterward, travel on to Menfi and stay in a beautiful wine resort owned by a noble family of winemakers. Immersed in a harmonious expanse of vineyards and olive groves, the resort welcomes those who want to enjoy a holiday in a peaceful oasis between the beautiful Sicilian coast and the tranquility of the country. Here you will be offered dinner by one of the best chefs in Sicily.
Overnight.
DAY 6 – MENTI – MARSALA AND THE SALT ROAD DIRECTION PALERMO (B, L)
Early in the morning and after breakfast you will get a private transfer to Marsala. Here you will enjoy a nice walk in the city center before being offered a wine tasting tour of Marsala wines in a historic wine cellar along with another excellence of Sicily: the Modica chocolate. The history of this winery goes back more than a hundred years. Since its founding in 1883, stories of nobility and misery, splendor and ruins have enriched its history, a history that cannot be summed up in a few lines. During the tour you will get an explanation of the entire winemaking process in this region, the grapes that enclose the passion of the Marsala area and more. After this you will go to Palermo via the “via del sale” (the salt road) with its famous “Saline” and windmills and a very unreal panorama of beautiful colors. Arrival in Palermo.
Overnight.
DAY 7 – PALERMO AND MONREALE (O)
After breakfast, discover this amazing city today with a private tour of its wide boulevards, traditional Sicilian old quarters and Baroque palaces. We will focus on exploring the historic food market next to the stunning city of Monreale.
Overnight in Palermo.
DAY 8 – DEPARTURE (B)
After breakfast, and depending on your flight times, you will get a transfer to the airport for your flight back home… or an extension of your trip to one of the other beautiful wine regions and islands of Sicily such as the Lipar Islands, Pantelleria or from the Italian mainland. Ask us about the possibilities.
Included / Excluded
What’s included / not included in this wine tour ?
Included
- 5 wine tastings and wine cellar visits
- Flights
- Transfer airport – hotel – airport
- 7 nights in a standard double room in good quality hotels
- Meals where indicated (O = breakfast, L = lunch, D = dinner)
- Transport as described in the program
- Guided walking tour in Catania, Syracuse, Palermo and Monreale
- Chocolate tasting in Modica
- Guided tour of the Valley of the Temples
Excluded
- Specialized wine guide
- Experienced English-speaking guide, other languages on request
- Personal expenses
- Entrance fees to the listed sights
- Alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks unless explicitly stated
- Meals other than stated in the program
- Tips
- Cancellation and travel insurance (we can arrange this for you if desired)
- Taxes that are payable locally, such as the tourist tax
- Everything that is not reported under the heading including
Request a quote for this wine tour and we can work with you to determine what will and will not be included. The choice is yours.
All flights and hotels are always subject to availability until the time of the final booking. The booking will be made when the deposit has been received on our account.
Prices are subject to change without prior notice due to seasonality and availability.
