Eastern Sicily - The 5 Senses 2026-27

Day-by-day itinerary

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1. 1Day 1Rome > Catania – Aeolian Islands, 145 km

   Departure for Catania on ITA Airways scheduled flights – on arrival, transfer to Milazzo – board the hydrofoil for Lipari – check-in at the hotel – dinner at the hotel – free evening, tour leader at your disposal – overnight stay.

2. 2Day 2Lipari & Salina Tour “myth and passion”

   Breakfast at the hotel – full-day motorboat excursion – leaving behind Lipari Castle, Monte Rosa and Canneto, our first stop is at the pumice quarries, with time for an optional swim – we sail past Acquacalda toward Salina, a UNESCO World Heritage Site – stop at Marina di Salina and visit of the village – we continue along the eastern side of the island to a second stop in the wonderful Bay of Pollara, made famous by Troisi’s film Il Postino – then a light lunch with a wine tasting at Cantine Fenech, producer of Malvasia delle Lipari DOC, paired with local specialties – stop at Lingua, where you can see the salt lake – on the way back, we visit the sea caves of Lipari and make a final stop at Vinci, facing the Faraglioni sea stacks – return to Lipari in the evening – dinner at the hotel – free evening, tour leader at your disposal – overnight stay.

3. 3Day 3Aeolian Islands – Vulcano “black beaches and mud baths”

   Breakfast at the hotel – full-day motorboat excursion – our tour of this UNESCO World Heritage Site begins along Vulcanello, where the lava has sculpted extraordinary shapes: the Valley of the Monsters, the Faraglioni sea stacks, the Grotta degli Angeli and the Black Sands bay, famous for its long stretch of volcanic sand – we continue to the Grotta del Cavallo and the Pool of Venus – the tour ends at Porto di Levante, where we stroll through the little village and you may take a dip in the warm mud pool – traditional lunch at a restaurant – free time to explore on your own, tour leader at your disposal – return to the hotel in the evening – dinner at the hotel – free evening, tour leader at your disposal – overnight stay.

4. 4Day 4Lipari – Milazzo – Etna “the Volcano” & Viagrande “Cooking Class &…

   Wine Tasting” – Catania, 230 km. Breakfast at the hotel – hydrofoil transfer to Milazzo – transfer to the area of Viagrande, a traditional village on the slopes of Mount Etna, for an immersive experience of land, food and wine at the highest level at the renowned Benanti winery – guided tour of the Monte Serra estate: the ancient pre-phylloxera vineyard of Nerello Mascalese, a native grape variety, the old palmento press house and the picture gallery – tasting of the estate’s wines – in the afternoon, guided excursion on Mount Etna, a UNESCO World Heritage Site – we climb to 1,900 meters to discover the wonders and lunar landscapes of Europe’s highest volcano, walking among the Silvestri Craters, now small and dormant – please note: guests who prefer not to make the ascent for health reasons may wait in Viagrande – in the evening, check-in at the hotel in Acireale or Catania – dinner at the hotel – free evening, tour leader at your disposal – overnight stay.

5. 5Day 5Taormina “a town like no other” & Alcantara River Park “hidden trails”, 120 km

   Breakfast at the hotel – departure for Motta Camastra, a small village carved into the rock within the Alcantara River Park – weather permitting, there is the option of a nature walk (about 1 hour / 2 km) to see the gurne, small round pools formed in the bed of the Alcantara River – you can also visit the gorges, up to 25 meters high and 2 to 5 meters wide – in the historic center, far from the usual tourist routes and in close contact with the local community, we are welcomed by the Mamme del Borgo, the mothers of the village, who share the secrets of an ancient place where life, still deeply tied to tradition and in harmony with the land, follows a slow rhythm that gives everyday life its fullness and authenticity – traditional lunch with the Mamme del Borgo, who prepare a great many local dishes served informally in their own homes, where good company brings out timeless aromas and flavors – in the afternoon, guided visit of Taormina (the Greek Theater, the ancient cathedral, the public gardens, the historic center, Palazzo Corvaja, Corso Umberto with its craft shops and old-world cafés displaying baskets of marzipan fruit, and Piazza IX Aprile with its breathtaking view) – free time for shopping – return to the hotel in the evening – dinner at the hotel – free evening, tour leader at your disposal – overnight stay.

6. 6Day 6Syracuse “the Greek city” & Noto “where Baroque takes center stage”…

   180 km. Breakfast at the hotel – departure for Syracuse – guided visit of this UNESCO World Heritage Site (the archaeological park: Greek Theater, Roman Amphitheater and the Ear of Dionysius; the island of Ortigia with the cathedral and the Fountain of Arethusa) – in the afternoon, guided visit of the splendid Baroque town of Noto, capital of European Baroque and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with its magnificent cathedral, churches, monasteries and aristocratic palaces, Porta Nazionale and Town Hall – lunch at a traditional restaurant – arrival in Ragusa or Modica in the evening – dinner at the hotel – free evening, tour leader at your disposal – overnight stay.

7. 7Day 7Ragusa Ibla – Ragusa Alta – Modica, 30 km

   Breakfast at the hotel – in the morning, guided visit of Ragusa Ibla and Ragusa Alta, both UNESCO World Heritage Sites, which together form one of the most singular art cities in eastern Sicily – Ragusa Ibla is the ancient heart of the city, a late-Baroque jewel of evocative views and enchanting lanes; rebuilt on the layout of the original medieval village, Ibla is the setting for the imaginary Vigàta created by the writer Camilleri and for the television series Inspector Montalbano – exterior visits of the Church of St. George, Santa Maria dell’Itria, the Church of the Immaculate Conception, the Purgatory Church, San Giacomo and San Giuseppe – Ragusa Alta is the modern town, built from the ground up on the nearby Patro plateau, where 18th-century architecture found room to breathe within a grid of broad, symmetrical streets, and where we visit the Cathedral of San Giovanni and, from the outside, the Church of the Collegio and the Bishop’s Palace – continuing to Modica – in the afternoon, guided visit of Modica, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and another marvelous treasure chest of Sicilian Baroque, rebuilt on a hexagonal plan according to thoroughly Baroque aesthetic principles – exterior visits of Palazzo San Domenico, Santa Maria and the house of Salvatore Quasimodo – interior visit of the Cathedral of San Pietro, the cave district of Sbalzo and the corpo di terra quarter – finally, a visit to San Giorgio and a stop at a celebrated pastry shop to taste the famous Modica chocolate – traditional lunch at a local osteria – dinner at the hotel – after dinner, Modica by night: excursion by private coach with your tour leader – overnight stay.

8. 8Day 8Donnafugata – Punta Secca – Scicli & The Locations Of Montalbano, 90 km

   Breakfast at the hotel – full-day guided excursion – in the morning, visit of Donnafugata Castle, a sumptuous late-19th-century noble residence whose more than 100 rooms, hedge maze and many artificial grottoes set within the park make it one of the most evocative places in the entire province – walking through rooms that still hold their original period furnishings, you feel yourself stepping back into the age of the last Gattopardi (the castle appears in the TV series as the home of the aging mafia boss Balduccio Sinagra) – continuing to Punta Secca, where the famous terrace of Inspector Montalbano’s house looks out over the beach, a few steps from the lighthouse – then a visit to the Gli Aromi farm for an engaging multisensory itinerary through an estate that over the years has become a reference point for chefs and food lovers throughout Italy, thanks to the 200 species of aromatic and medicinal plants grown here – the route winds through dozens of fragrances, ornamental plants and healing herbs chosen for their rarity: pineapple sage, stevia, lemon thyme, orange geranium and bergamot mint are only some of the varieties to be discovered, smelled, touched and in some cases tasted, revealing flavors that are surprisingly new and unexpected – sensory lunch with tastings of local specialties – in the afternoon, we continue to Scicli, a UNESCO World Heritage Site cradled by hills that seem to stand guard over it. It preserves almost intact its Baroque layout, with numerous palaces graced by splendid, richly carved balconies and finely worked portals, and several churches and oratories whose façades are alive with statues and sculpture – the heart of the town is the broad, theatrical Piazza Italia, framed by beautiful 18th-century palaces, the mother church and the imposing limestone cliff on which the ancient Church of St. Matthew stands (Scicli is also home to Palazzo Iacono, alias the “Mon

9. 9Day 9Buccheri – Palazzolo Acreide “a UNESCO jewel”, 90 km

   Breakfast at the hotel – departure for Buccheri and arrival at the Oro Rosso degli Iblei farm, which specializes in growing saffron, where in a warm and convivial setting we learn to make cavatelli – lunch of local specialties beautifully lifted by saffron – afterward, guided visit of Palazzolo Acreide, set in the splendid scenery of the Iblei Mountains in the hinterland of Syracuse; this picturesque town opens to the traveler like a treasure chest waiting to be discovered, a crossroads of civilizations distinguished by the singularity of its urban layout, rich in traces from many different eras – named one of the Most Beautiful Villages in Italy and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, this extraordinary place steeped in history holds all the fascination of an ancient site gracefully woven into more recent architecture (visit of the historic center with the Baroque churches of San Sebastiano and San Paolo, Piazza del Popolo, the Clock Tower district and the sumptuous façade of the Church of the Santissima Annunziata) – return to the hotel – dinner at the hotel – free evening, tour leader at your disposal – overnight stay.

10. 10Day 10Modica – Capo Passero – Marzamemi “the tuna fishery” – Catania > Rome…

    180 km. Breakfast at the hotel – in the morning, guided visit of Capo Passero, where the Mediterranean and the Ionian Sea meet in an enchanting corner, one of the most evocative in Sicily – continuing to Marzamemi to visit the distinctive fishing village, a charming hamlet of Arab origin – visit of the Marzamemi tonnara, historically the most important tuna fishery in eastern Sicily (its core is Piazza Regina Margherita and the owner’s palace; on the same square stand the old church, built in sandstone, the Arab courtyard and the fishermen’s cottages) – then a visit to an artisan workshop where bottarga, tuna in olive oil and salted anchovies are still made by traditional methods – seafood lunch at a traditional tavern-restaurant – continuing to Catania airport – departure on ITA Airways scheduled flights for the return journey. Please note: the scheduled visits may be rearranged among the various days depending on museum opening hours or operational requirements, but the program itself remains unchanged.