Entries Tagged "sicily tour"

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Each year many tour operators offer off-season travel to Italy, which is November through April, however they focus mainly on Rome, Florence and Venice.

This year, Perillo released a 9 day deluxe Sicily trip. Deluxe hotels include three nights in Palermo at the Grand Hotel Wagner and two nights in Taormina at the Grand Timeo. A hearty buffet breakfast starts every day, and evenings bring sumptuous, wine-fueled meals. Accompanied by engaging and knowledgeable tour directors, guests will enjoy day trips to Sicily's fascinating sites

Highlights include a wine cellar visit in Marsala, where guests will taste the fortified wine first introduced in 1796. Also on the itinerary is the ancient Greek city of Selinus, an acropolis of majestic temples overlooking the sea. On the road to Taormina, the tour will stop at the aristocratic fourth century Villa Romana del Casales in Piazza Armerina, famed for its intricate mosaics. A morning trip from Taormina will reveal another World Heritage Site, Noto, built in the Baroque period.

Each departure is limited to 40 guests traveling in deluxe motor coaches with extra legroom. Tour price covers airport transfers in Italy, hearty daily buffet breakfast, five dinners and one lunch including wine and beer, Marsala wine tasting, baggage handling, hotel service charges and taxes, professional tour directors and local guides. Plenty of free time is allowed for independent explorations, shopping and relaxing. The Deluxe Sicily Tour is offered at $2,690 per person double occupancy for three departures in January, with the top price of $3,290 offered in April.

For this and other off-season Italy tour, click here

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Are you longing to trace your family tree and visit the birthplace of your ancestors in Italy? We can make your desires happen. Think about a cruise or a tour that departs from or ends in Rome and add a few days to the start or end. We can take you to remote villages anywhere in Italy by private car or train if train access is available. You would be surprised at the local train service Italy offers. Here in the United States we should take lessons from the European train network. Trains leave on time and take you to the most out of the way places.

Saturday, November 15, 2008

Sicily, also known as the "football being kicked by Italy's boot,"  is Italy’s largest Island, & is steeped in history, & possesses an extraordinary range of art, archaeology, culture and folklore.  Sicily offers visitors an extraordinary range of art, archeology, culture & folklore. You will come back surprised with the beauty of the island, history of the ancient world & touches of every Mediterranean culture.

Make sure & visit the archaelogical sites. Sicily has some of the best preserved temples from the ancient Greek & Roman times. This combination of civilizations has created a unique culture with a charm of its own.  Palermo is the regional capital of Sicily, & has some of the region's most important tourist attractions. The city revolves around the Piazza Vigliena, a Baroque square in the city center.  Other highly visited cities include Messina, Catania, Agrigento, Syracuse & Trapani. Mt. Etna, is Europe's highest & most active volcano. The mountains make Sicily perfect for adventure travel including mountain biking, camping & hiking. 

The dining-table is the place of introspection of all the different civilizations that have passed through the island. Popular dishes include locally caught seafood, eggplant, veal & of course olive oil & cheeses. Pastries & desserts are famous for their richness & stuffed with cheese, chocolate & fruit. Sicilian gelato is excellent, & you cannot leave without trying a cannoli which are tubular crusts with creamy ricotta & sugar filling. Sicily with it's warm temperatures, hilly terrain, sea breezes & rich soil, is very similar to the growing conditions seen in the best wineries of California or Australia. Marsala is Sicily's most well-known wine.

You can visit Sicily year round, but April through mid-October are the most popular months. Most coastal resorts close their hotels from November through March. Be careful with July & August, as they can be quite hot.