Western Sicily - The 5 Senses 2026-27

Day-by-day itinerary

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1. 1Day 1Departure > Palermo

   Departure on scheduled ITA Airways flights to Palermo – transfer into the city – street-food lunch at leisure: we suggest taking the chance to try the classics of Palermo street food, such as panelle, crocchè (or cazzilli), boiled octopus, pani ca’ meusa, rice arancini and sfincione – guided visit of Palermo (Piazza Verdi, the Palazzo dei Normanni with the Palatine Chapel – interior visit – the cathedral – interior visit – a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Church of the Martorana, the Teatro Massimo, and the characterful Ballarò market, the oldest in the city) – dinner at the hotel – after dinner, Palermo by night: a walking tour with the tour leader – overnight stay.

2. 2Day 2Monreale and Cefalù, 160 km

   Breakfast at the hotel – full-day guided excursion – in the morning, a visit of Monreale (the cathedral with its famous mosaics and the Benedictine cloister, a UNESCO World Heritage Site – optional visit to the Diocesan Museum housed in the Archbishop’s Palace, with works of art expressing the faith and devotion of the local people – a visit to the northern transept of the cathedral, which preserves the most extensive surviving example of Norman mosaic flooring, along with the royal tombs of Margaret of Navarre and her sons Henry and Roger) – lunch in a traditional restaurant – in the afternoon, a visit of Cefalù (a picturesque town on the Tyrrhenian coast, wrapped in greenery and watched over by a great rock, with the stunning twelfth-century Norman cathedral – a UNESCO World Heritage Site, interior visit – and a historic centre with the remains of the thirteenth-century Osterio Magno and the medieval washhouse) – return to the hotel – dinner – evening at leisure – the tour leader is at guests’ disposal – overnight stay.

3. 3Day 3Segesta – Nubia, “the salt pans” – wine tasting – Erice, “the ancient…

   charm of a medieval village”, 200 km. Breakfast at the hotel – departure for Segesta – guided visit of the archaeological area built in the fifth century BC by the Elymians (the Doric temple, a place of real significance for anyone who loves architecture, and the second-century BC Greek theatre carved into the rock, a remarkable architectural gem) – we then continue to Nubia, where salt pans and windmills compose a landscape like no other, with spectacular reflections and shifting colours according to the evaporation cycle. Inside the distinctive Dutch-style windmill, home to the Salt Museum, the old tools once used to harvest salt are preserved – then, among the vineyards of Baglio Soria Resort & Wine Experience, we enjoy a light lunch with a tasting of wines from the prestigious Firriato estate – a sensory journey through food and wine that lets us feel the vitality of this land – in the afternoon, a guided visit of Erice, an ancient medieval village rich in artisan shops, painted ceramics, handwoven rugs and traditional almond pastries – the historic centre has a classic layout of small squares and narrow winding streets lined with beautiful courtyards – interior visit of the cathedral – tasting of traditional pastries at the historic Maria Grammatico pasticceria – arrival at the hotel in Mazara del Vallo – dinner at the hotel – after dinner, a walking tour with the tour leader – overnight stay.

4. 4Day 4Salemi, “the hidden Sicily, the museum complex including the Mafia…

   Museum” and Selinunte, 120 km. Breakfast at the hotel – in the morning, a guided visit of the archaeological area of Selinunte – we then continue to Salemi – a guided visit of a hidden Sicily, less well known but rich in history and tradition – the village is crowned by a Norman-Swabian castle and ringed by vineyards and hills. Its Arab-influenced layout unfolds through squares, courtyards, churches and historic buildings – a visit of the museum complex, including the Mafia Museum – lunch at a farmhouse inn – return to the hotel – dinner at the hotel – after dinner, a walking tour with the tour leader – overnight stay.

5. 5Day 5Mozia and Marsala, 70 km

   Breakfast at the hotel – full-day guided excursion – in the morning, a visit of the lush island of Mozia (the remains of an ancient Phoenician city of the eighth century BC, destroyed in 397 BC by Dionysius of Syracuse, encircled by salt pans, windmills and vineyards) – we then continue to Marsala, the most important wine-producing area in Sicily – a visit to a winery to discover the secrets of the famous Marsala wine – a visit of the prestigious Pellegrino cellars and a gourmet lunch with food and wine pairings – here sight, scent and taste reveal the secrets and traditions of a timeless land – in the afternoon, a guided visit of Marsala’s picturesque historic centre with its Spanish palaces, churches and monuments – return to the hotel in Mazara – dinner at the celebrated seafood restaurant Da Marmoreo, to savour the exquisite catch of Italy’s most important fishing fleet – overnight stay.

6. 6Day 6The Egadi Islands – Favignana and Levanzo

   Breakfast at the hotel – transfer to the port of Trapani – private motor launch excursion to the island of Favignana – a visit of the town (Palazzo Florio, seen from the outside, and the ancient tonnara) – a visit of the former Florio works, where tuna processing began in the late nineteenth century; the visit is a journey as moving as it is singular into the age-old tuna-fishing tradition that has always shaped life in the Egadi Islands – the boat tour continues past caves and coves with a stop for a swim – light lunch on board (rustic antipasto, Mediterranean pasta, seasonal fruit) – we then make for Levanzo – a short visit of the village – swimming stop at Cala Minnola – return to Trapani and to the hotel – dinner at the hotel – evening at leisure – the tour leader is at guests’ disposal – overnight stay.

7. 7Day 7Favara – Agrigento, “the Valley of the Temples”, 290 km

   Breakfast at the hotel – departure for Favara and a cookery class with Annalisa Pompeo, an authority on Sicilian cooking, preparing a traditional three-course menu to be enjoyed in a vintage 1950s setting – afterwards, a guided excursion to Agrigento – a visit of the Valley of the Temples, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the largest archaeological area in Italy (the Temple of Concordia, the Temple of Juno, the Temple of Jupiter, the Temple of Castor and Pollux, the Temple of Hercules) – return to the hotel – dinner at the hotel – the tour leader is at guests’ disposal – overnight stay.

8. 8Day 8Mazara del Vallo, “la Rocca” – Palermo > return, 290 km

   Breakfast at the hotel – guided visit of Mazara del Vallo, an ancient town of western Sicily (its characterful canal harbour, home to Italy’s largest fishing fleet, and a historic centre of Arab-Norman architecture with Renaissance and Baroque churches, including an interior visit of the Church of Sant’Egidio, which houses the Museum of the Dancing Satyr and its bronze statue, now famous the world over) – tasting lunch with DOC wine, featuring seafood crudités with the celebrated Mazara red prawns and traditional Trapanese fish couscous, at one of the 50 finest places in the world to taste fresh shellfish and crustaceans, products of the very highest quality from the Strait of Sicily – transfer to Palermo airport – return to Rome on a scheduled ITA Airways flight. Please note: the programme may be subject to change because of weather and sea conditions. Motor launch excursions may be slightly varied and the order of visits altered.