To be sure, each foray during our stay on this largest and most historically-complex of all the Mediterranean islands, proves new and fascinating. This is due to its unique natural features: white limestone cliffs rise dramatically above an aquamarine sea; deep canyons hold groves of rare Eastern plane trees; greenish-blue rivers feed thick clumps of Egyptian papyrus; and Mt. Aetna, still smoking, towers nearly 11,000 ft. high. On the islands, a different topography awaits us at each disembarkation. The twin peaks of Salina support rare ferns, Lipari gives us lush cliff top meadows, and Vulcano, rugged and lunar-like, allows us to walk the crown of a deep crater.

Our walks are enriched by relics from the past civilizations. Magna Graecia and other civilizations attest to Sicily’s colorful, and at times violent, past. We walk through burial grounds from prehistoric times, enter gold-tinted palaces from the 7th century, and stroll cobbled medieval roads.

The food and drink of Sicily enhance our adventures. Evening meals feature the sea’s bounty--from fresh swordfish and bright orange mussels to couscous, pastas and all the finishing touches, including various pastries and ice creams, that typify the Sicilian palate.

Day 1
Arrival - Catánia; transfer to Syracuse; historic walking tour, approximately 3 hours, easy
Siracusa (Italian for Syracuse) is one of the highlights of a visit to Sicily. Rising on the lovely islet of Ortygia and on the adjoining coastal plain, it is the cultural and administrative capital of southeastern Sicily. Despite modern development it remains one of the island’s more pleasant cities. Renewed interest in the architectural heritage of its historic center has led many residents to move back to Ortygia from the modern suburbs, reversing a trend toward depopulation that had threatened the island’s integrity in recent decades.
The ideal way to view Syracuse is on foot, wandering slowly among the gold-tinted palaces, campanili and church domes of Ortygia, set against a backdrop of low rolling hills with Aetna steaming in the distance. Syracuse is the modern successor of the Greek Syrakusai, which once rivaled Athens as the most powerful city of the Greek world. We visit the major archaeological sites, including the famous Greek Theater, the Archaeological Museum which contains one of the most important collections in Italy, and the Cathedral (incorporating the remains of an ancient Greek temple).

We return to our hotel for an orientation meeting followed by a welcome dinner featuring a bounty of regional specialties.
Grand Hotel, Syracuse

Day 2
Oasi Naturale di Vendicari and Noto; 6-12 miles, easy to moderate with an elevation gain & loss of 50 ft.
After a breakfast of cappuccino, fruit, yogurt and fresh bread we drive one-hour to the Oasi Naturale di Vendicari, a complex of coastal marshes which provides a protected home for large populations of migratory birds. Footpaths lead us through the salt fields of the Pantano Grande to the medieval watchtower known as the Torre di Vendicari. From here the view embraces the entire reserve, from the splendid Isle of Vendicari to Capo Passero in the distance.

After lunch at a seaside citrus estate, we visit one of the island’s more intriguing cities up in the hills above Vendicari. The Sicilian writer Leonardo Sciascia called the town of Noto a “garden of stone, a city of gold, a theatrical city, a Baroque city.” It is indeed beautiful, and there is a story behind its beauty: ancient Noto was destroyed by an earthquake in 1693, and in a singular demonstration of civic pride a new town was built a few miles away, in accordance with the period’s most advanced ideas in city planning. This move increased its cultural status as well as its economic well-being and population. Today the “new” Noto is truly unique for the uniformity of its architectural heritage; most buildings having been built at the same time, in the same style (by the master of Sicilian Baroque, Rosario Gagliardi), and using the same wonderful golden-brown stone. The town has recently come under the tutelage of UNESCO and is preserved as a world-heritage site.

We return to our hotel late afternoon and there is time to relax before a very special dinner nearby.
Grand Hotel, Syracuse

Day 3
Necropolis of Pantalica - Syracuse; 6 miles, easy to moderate with an elevation gain & loss of 300 ft.; transfer to Taormina

After breakfast, we depart for one of Sicily’s most fascinating nature reserves and archeological sites, the Necropolis of Pantalica. This plateau rising between the canyons of the Anapo and Calcinara rivers was inhabited from prehistoric times to the Middle Ages. The burial grounds carved in its steep rock walls comprise the largest complex of its kind in Sicily, with over 5,000 tombs dating as far back as the second millennium BC. Dramatic and fragrant, this landscape is one of the most naturally picturesque in all the Mediterranean.
After lunch, we transfer to our second Sicilian home, far-famed Taormina, where we stay for two nights at a truly magnificent, historical hotel. In the late afternoon there is free time to explore historic Taormina. Spectacularly located on a terrace of Monte Tauro, dominating the sea and with views westward of Mt. Aetna, this is easily Sicily’s most picturesque town. It flourished under the Greeks and Romans, eventually becoming the capital of Byzantine Sicily. Today it is known for its splendid Graeco-Roman Theater, its pleasant medieval ambience and its extraordinary views. We dine in the heart of the village this evening at one of the best known ristoranti in Taormina.
Grand Hotel Timeo, Taormina

Day 4
Mt. Aetna; 6-11 miles, moderate with a challenging option; choices of either 900 or 1800 ft. elevation gains
We begin the day with a one hour drive to Mt. Aetna, which is over 11,000 feet high and occupies an area larger than metropolitan New York. As the largest active volcano in Europe, there is hardly a more fascinating mountain with its unique combination of nature and the uncontrollable essence of fire. We walk through one of the most diverse areas of the volcano’s massive slopes, following pine and beech-lined trails and crossing lava flows.
Our slope-side picnic lunch refreshes us with the fruits, pastries and cakes for which Sicily is famous the world over.
In the late afternoon we return to our home in Taormina. You are on your own this evening for dinner, free to choose from a wide variety of restaurants, trattorias and pizzerias.
Grand Hotel Timeo, Taormina

Day 5
Aeolian Islands - Island of Vulcano; 6-8 miles, moderate; elevation gain & loss of 1200 ft.
After breakfast, we take a 45 minute hydrofoil ride to the Aeolian Islands. These seven volcanic islands dotting the sea off Sicily’s north coast offer a variety of attractions, from the fishing port of Lipari and jet-set resort of Panarea, to rugged Vulcano, spectacular Stromboli with its fiercely active volcano, the fertile vineyards of Salina, and the solitude of outlying Alicudi and Filicudi. Also known as the Lipari Islands, the archipelago has been inhabited since the Neolithic era, when people came here for the valuable volcanic glass, obsidian. The ancient Greeks believed the islands were the home of Aeolus, the king of the winds, and Homer wrote of them in the Odyssey.
Our island hop begins on Vulcano. The lunar landscape of Vulcano’s crater vents sulfuric steam. We climb the Gran Cratere (the only active volcano on the island), stepping on black and red rock and volcanic dust. At the summit, we are rewarded with views of neighboring islands stretching out from the Sicilian coast, one of which, Lipari, becomes our home for the night. Weather permitting, the natural mud baths and hot springs of Vulcano invite us to soak and relax after the climb.
In the afternoon, we explore Lipari town, including the magnificent castle, home to one of the Mediterranean’s more beautiful and extensive museums of antiquities. Dinner is served at a nearby local restaurant.
Hotel Villa Meligunis, Lipari

Day 6
Island of Lipari; 8 miles, easy to moderate with challenging options; elevation gain 900 ft.
We wake rested from our stay in a former patrician townhouse on the island of Lipari. The largest of the seven Aeolian Islands, Lipari proves rich in Neolithic and Mycenaean culture, an affluent Greek colony which lasted until 252 BC, when the island was conquered by the Romans. Inhabited largely by monks in the early Middle Ages, Lipari became the seat of a bishop under the Normans. The present-day town developed outside the old walls at the foot of the castle, in the 18th century.

Our walk takes us through whitewashed villages, a thermal complex (the oldest in the Mediterranean), and vineyards that produce Malvasia, a sweet moscato wine also known as “Ambrosia of the Gods.” We focus on the island’s uninhabited west side where stunning views along the cliff tops dominate. Our walk ends in the village of Quattropani, overlooking the island of Salina with its two extinct volcanoes, Monte dei Porri and Monte Fosse delle Felcias. Later we dine on the yield from the surrounding blue waters, choosing from swordfish, sardines, sea bass and succulent, bright orange mussels.
Hotel Villa Meligunis, Lipari

Day 7
Island of Salina; 12 miles moderate to challenging; elevation gain of 3000 ft.
After breakfast we set out on a hydrofoil for Salina, the central island in the Aeolian archipelago. This double-coned, extinct volcano is now a forest preserve and bird sanctuary and is most famous for its ferns. We climb nearly 3,000 feet from sea-level to the top of the main cone, which is often in or above the clouds. Following a hearty picnic lunch we descend the other side of the volcano, passing through scented groves of rosemary, juniper, scrub pine, and oak to the picturesque village of Rinella, where we pause for refreshments.

We return to Lipari in the late afternoon, and enjoy a final gala dinner at one of Lipari’s finest restaurants.
Hotel Villa Meligunis, Lipari

Day 8
Departure - Catánia

After a breakfast of traditional Sicilian pasticcerie, such as cream-stuffed cornetti, we travel along Sicily’s rugged east coast to Catánia, a business hub earning the name, “Milan of the South.” We say goodbye in the early afternoon at the Catánia airport.

Itinerary Changes

Journey Highlights

Price: $3,398

Departure Dates:
     March 16, 2003    March 30, 2003    April 27, 2003    May 4, 2003   
May 18, 2003    September 14, 2003 September 28, 2003    October 12, 2003

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