Western Sicily - The 5 Senses 2026-27

Day-by-day itinerary

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1. 1Day 1Departure > Palermo

   Departure on ITA Airways scheduled flights to Palermo – transfer into the city – street-food lunch on your own: this is the moment 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 colorful Ballarò market, the oldest in the city) – dinner at the hotel – after dinner, Palermo by night: walking tour with your tour leader – overnight stay.

2. 2Day 2Monreale & Cefalù, 160 km

   Breakfast at the hotel – full-day guided excursion – morning 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, whose works speak of the faith and devotion of the local people – visit to the cathedral’s northern transept, 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 at a traditional restaurant – in the afternoon, visit of Cefalù, a picturesque town on the Tyrrhenian coast, wrapped in greenery and watched over by a great rock, with its stunning 12th-century Norman cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage Site (interior visit), and a historic center that still holds the remains of the 13th-century Osterio Magno and the medieval washhouse – return to the hotel – dinner – free evening, tour leader at your disposal – overnight stay.

3. 3Day 3Segesta – Nubia “the salt pans” – Wine Tasting – Erice “the timeless…

   charm of a medieval village”, 200 km. Breakfast at the hotel – departure for Segesta – guided visit of the archaeological park built in the 5th century BC by the Elymians (the Doric temple, essential for anyone who loves architecture, and the 2nd-century BC Greek theater carved into the rock, an architectural gem) – we then continue to Nubia, where salt pans and windmills compose a landscape like no other, its light and colors shifting with the evaporation cycle. Inside the distinctive Dutch-style windmill, home to the Salt Museum, the ancient tools once used to harvest salt are still preserved – then, surrounded by the vineyards of the Baglio Soria Resort & Wine Experience, we sit down to a light lunch with a tasting of wines from the prestigious Firriato estate – a sensory food-and-wine journey that lets us feel the vitality of this land – in the afternoon, guided visit of Erice, an ancient medieval village rich in artisan shops, painted ceramics, handwoven rugs and traditional almond pastries – the historic center has kept its distinctive 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 pastry shop – arrival at the hotel in Mazara del Vallo – dinner at the hotel – after dinner, walking tour with your tour leader – overnight stay.

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

   Museum” & Selinunte, 120 km. Breakfast at the hotel – morning guided visit of the archaeological park of Selinunte – we then continue to Salemi – guided visit of a hidden Sicily, less traveled but rich in history and tradition – the village is crowned by a Norman-Swabian castle and encircled by vineyards and rolling hills, and its Arab-influenced layout unfolds in squares, courtyards, churches and historic buildings – visit of the museum complex, which includes the Mafia Museum – lunch at an agriturismo – return to the hotel – dinner at the hotel – after dinner, walking tour with your tour leader – overnight stay.

5. 5Day 5Mozia & Marsala, 70 km

   Breakfast at the hotel – full-day guided excursion – morning visit of the lush island of Mozia (the remains of an ancient Phoenician city founded in the 8th century BC and destroyed in 397 BC by Dionysius of Syracuse, ringed by salt pans, windmills and vineyards) – we then continue to Marsala, the most important wine-producing area in Sicily – visit to a winery to discover the secrets of the famous Marsala wine – visit of the prestigious Pellegrino cellars and gourmet lunch with food-and-wine pairings, where sight, smell and taste reveal the secrets and traditions of a timeless land – in the afternoon, guided visit of Marsala’s picturesque historic center, with its Spanish palaces, churches and monuments – return to the hotel in Mazara – dinner at the renowned seafood restaurant Da Marmoreo, to savor the exquisite catch of Italy’s most important fishing fleet – overnight stay.

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

   Breakfast at the hotel – transfer to the port of Trapani – private speedboat excursion to the island of Favignana – visit of the town (Palazzo Florio – exterior visit – and the ancient tonnara) – visit of the former Florio plant, where tuna processing began in the late 19th century: a visit as moving as it is unique into the age-old tuna-fishing tradition that has always shaped life in the Egadi Islands – the boat tour continues along caves and coves, with a swimming stop – light lunch on board (rustic appetizer, Mediterranean pasta, seasonal fruit) – we then head for Levanzo – short visit of the village – swimming stop at Cala Minnola – return to Trapani and to the hotel – dinner at the hotel – free evening, tour leader at your disposal – overnight stay.

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

   Breakfast at the hotel – departure for Favara and a cooking class with Annalisa Pompeo, an expert in Sicilian cuisine, preparing a traditional three-course menu to be enjoyed in a vintage 1950s setting – afterward, guided excursion to Agrigento – visit of the Valley of the Temples, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the largest archaeological park in Italy (Temple of Concordia, Temple of Juno, Temple of Jupiter, Temple of Castor and Pollux, Temple of Hercules) – return to the hotel – dinner at the hotel – tour leader at your 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 (the distinctive canal harbor that shelters Italy’s largest fishing fleet, the historic center with its Arab-Norman architecture, Renaissance and Baroque churches, and an interior visit of the Church of Sant’Egidio, home to the Museum of the Dancing Satyr and its bronze statue, now famous the world over) – tasting lunch with DOC wine, built around raw seafood, including the celebrated Mazara red prawns, and the traditional Trapani-style fish couscous, in one of the 50 best places in the world to taste fresh shellfish and crustaceans, superb products of the Strait of Sicily – transfer to Palermo airport – return to Rome on a scheduled ITA Airways flight. Please note: the program may be subject to change depending on weather and sea conditions. Motorboat excursions may undergo minor variations and/or changes in the order of the visits.