Discovering the Best of Sicily

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2 To have seen Italy without having seen Sicily is not to have seen Italy at all, for Sicily is the clue to everything. Goethe Discovering the Best of Sicily True Small Group means Never More than 10 to 16 Guests, Guaranteed. 11 Days Best of Sicily Small Group Tour Our True Small-Group Tour Our Hotels are located in the Heart of the cities ~ No Taxi or Shuttles needed to get to heart of the city. A True Small-Group Tour Experience with 10 to 16 guests, guaranteed. We do not Up-Sell excursions on the tour - ever - admissions are already included per the itinerary. Gratuities are always included for local tour guides, wait staff, and drivers. Gratuities for Tour Captain not included. Select Dinners with wine or other premium beverage, per itinerary. Daily Full Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 4 Dinners. A Very Special Welcome Letter... Dear Travel Enthusiast, Story Land & Sea Tours extends a personal invitation for you to join us on the Best of Sicily Tour - it's the trip of a lifetime, and one tour you won't soon forget. From the time you arrive, your satisfaction and sense of real discovery is what we consider as priority! Let us help you book your "Dream Time" Tour Vacation. ~ Mark Story, Executive Director

3 Transatlantic Flight Departure Day Depart North America on Transatlantic flights. The flight is not included. Can we help you with your Airfare? Yes, we can arrange your air travel from the Story Land & Sea air service department. We'll work with you to get the absolutely lowest fare available based on your travel preferences. We utilize both our own air department and online agencies to find the best rate. At the end of your Sicilian adventure, you should set your flight to return from Catania. Remember, airfare is a completely separate arrangement from your land tour. It is your responsibility to arrive at the point of tour origin (Palermo) on time, regardless of whether Story Land & Sea has arranged your air. We encourage you to consider purchasing a Travel Protection policy.

4 Day 2: Arrive Palermo Airport (PMO) Arrive Palermo, Sicily WELCOME TO THE MAGICAL SICILY TOUR If you've never been to Sicily, then you're in for a real treat. If you have previously visited, then you already know you want to go back and see more. Sitting at the tip of the boot of Italy, Sicily is a place like no other on Earth. The mild Mediterranean climate and the nostalgia are things that must be experienced in person...words cannot describe. A True Small-Group of 6 to 16 Travelers ~ Hotels Really in Center of Town ~ Unique Dining Venues No Set Menus ~ No Up-Selling while Traveling Included Dining: Welcome Dinner Exclusive: Palermo Classic Perspective One of Story Land & Sea 's most popular True Small-Group Italy tour vacations commences at 3:00PM at our featured Hotel. Located in the heart of Palermo is our deluxe hotel, where your Tour Captain meets you for the Included Orientation Walking Tour. INCLUDED ORIENTATION WALKING TOUR: Join your Tour Captain Host for a Welcome Orientation Walk in Palermo. Find out where the major landmarks are located in relation to our hotel, the best ATM machines for Euro and exchange rates, and other helpful information for your stay in Palermo. Walking Level: Light, Leisurely Pace; Volume: Light Story Land & Sea Exclusive: Tonight, join in a Story Land & Sea original experience with our Reception & Welcome from the Tour Captain from one of our classic perspectives ~ unique vantage point to survey Palermo in the company of your fellow travelers. Your Small Group Tour Vacation to Italy is underway! After our reception, we'll walk to our Welcome Dinner in Palermo, where you'll taste the finest cuisine and wine varietals from the region of Sicily. INCLUDED PALERMO WELCOME DINNER TONIGHT: Join your Tour Captain for a Welcome Dinner in Palermo. Experience what can only be described as a tour of the best cuisine and vino from the region of Sicilia. About the Story Way of Dining Our approach to dining is truly unique: We've collected our favorites dishes from the incredible restaurants we visit for each included dinner. No buffets here! Your Tour Captain is there to make sure your dining experience goes smoothly and will help you interpret any menu item. For the five total included dinners, your Tour Captain will select a variety of appetizers, featuring regional cuisine, and will select your vino for the evening ~ a variety of red and white wine from the region you're traveling ~ and yes, "the wine flows."

5 Palermo and Monreale Region: Sicilia Edinburgh Castle Dining: Breakfast included. Palermo, the capital of Sicily, is an architectural delight and gateway to an "undiscovered" part of Italy. In Palermo, you will visit the 9th Century Plazzo Reale, with its beautiful Palatine Chapel. Before our tour concludes, you will be driven up into the Sicilian hills to visit the quaint and ancient town, Monreale. Your visit here will focus on a tour of the magnificent 12th Century Cathedral. This Cathedral has one of the largest and most beautiful displays of mosaic artwork in the world. Following our tour, you will be returned to your beautiful, historic hotel in the heart of Palermo. Dining through the Journey Daily full American breakfasts are included throughout your journey. We feature select Story Land & Sea Exclusive Wine Tasting events and several dinners also included. Enjoy Story Land & Sea 's approach to dining with free-style ordering and premium beverages included. No set menus. No hotel buffets for dinner. Optional Dinner Enjoy an optional dinner tonight: Join your Tour Captain or explore on your own.

6 Temple of Segesta and Erice SEGESTA Included Culinary Experience: Enjoy a special Scicilian Culinary Experience This morning we drive about an hour to visit what is arguably "the best preserved Greek temple in the world" --- Segesta. This large, magnificent Doric temple looks as if it were built just yesterday! Built before 430 B.C., the temple is about 200 feet long and 85 feet wide, with a total of 36 impressive Doric columns. Your guide will provide you all the fascinating history of this incredibly well-preserved temple. Next, we travel to the spectacular town of Erice, a spectacular, medieval city, with cobblestone streets and castles, located 2,400 feet high above sea level, in one of the most picturesque settings you can imagine. Erice overlooks the city of Trapani and the Aegadian Islands --- providing sweeping, spectacular, panoramic views from all around. We shall make a visit to the Antique Convent Pastry Shop, in via Guarnotti, one of the most renowned Sicilian bakeries. There enjoy a taste of the fine Erician pastries first created within the convent walls, and as a special treat, sample some of the typical almond dough desserts filled with candied lemon. Afterwards, a guided walk through the quaint, narrow, cobblestone streets in this picturesque town, perched high above the Sea, with panoramic vistas everywhere. After our guided tour of Erice, you will enjoy lunch on your own at one of the restaurants offering a breath-taking, panoramic view of the beautiful, blue Sea and the surrounding islands. Story Exclusive: We return to Palermo by mid-afternoon to freshen up before heading to our Palermo culinary experience.

7 Don't like cooking? Sit back, relax and enjoy a glass of Sicilian vino, while dinner is prepared for you, all from the perspective of a beautiful villa with stunning views. Optional Dinner Enjoy an optional dinner tonight: Join your Tour Captain or explore on your own. Agrigento & the Sea Agrigento Included Dining: Breakfast (Deluxe & Classic), Dinner with Tour Captain (Deluxe Only) Exclusives: Unique Perspectives Experience We depart Palermo and drive two hours south to Agrigento, a city on the southern coast of Sicily, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. Here at Agrigento you will take a guided tour of one of Sicily's most famous, historical sites --- the "Valley of the Temples" --- a "masterpiece" that stands testament to Greek art in Sicily. This archaeological park consists of not one, but eight temples (along with other remains), built between about 510 B.C. and 430 B.C. Enjoy the balance of the day at leisure. Story Way Dining: Enjoy a welcome dinner in Agrigento this evening. Classic Budget guests: consider upgrading to include all five (5) dinners. Inquire.

8 Piazza Armerina & Ragusa Ragusa Included Dining: Breakfast Exclusives: Admission and tour of Villa Romana del Casale and a Ragusano Cheese Tasting Experience This morning we're bound for Piazza Armerina. We shall tour the famous Villa Romana del Casale, built during the 4th Century. This villa contains the richest, largest, and most complex collection of Roman mosaics in the world. In addition, this Villa is one of UNESCO's World Heritage sites. The precious and beautiful mosaics in this Villa constitute some of the best conserved anywhere in the world today. About Ragusa Ragusa has caused many a visitor's jaw to drop as they first set eyes on the the city's lower regions. Essentially Baroque, the Ragusa you will see today dates almost entirely from The town is part of the UNESCO Heritage site and is breathtaking. Story Exclusive: Enjoy a stop at a local cheese shoppe for a tasting.

9 Siracusa (Syracuse) Included Dining: Breakfast We are bound for the ancient city of Siracusa (Syracuse). Siracusa is well known for its rich Greek history --- culture, amphitheaters, architecture, and birthplace of the famous mathematician and engineer, Archimedes. We begin our experience with a guided tour of the historic heart of Siracusa, the island of Ortigia. After the tour, enjoy time for lunch, exploring at your leisure. Then we continue with our exploration of Siracusa. This 2,700-year-old city is right next to the Ionian Sea. Cicero once described Siracusa as "the greatest Greek city and most beautiful of them all." The Bible mentions that Paul, the apostle, stayed here in Siracusa. In 2005, the entire city of Siracusa was listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Our sightseeing immersion includes the most-famous sites at the Neapolis Archaeological Zone in Siracusa, the historic section of Siracusa, including a visit to the 16,000 seat Greek Theatre, the Ear of Dionysius, and the Roman Amphitheatre. Following our guided tour of Siracusa, we shall continue on to Catania for a wonderful two-night stay. Story Way Dining: Enjoy a welcome dinner tonight. Classic Budget guests: consider upgrading to include all five (5) dinners.

10 Catania Included Dining: Breakfast Exclusives: Sicilian Culinary School We begin today with an included breakfast. Today's highlight is a walking tour of Catania. We begin our tour with a visit to the worldfamous Catania Fish Market, which is as old as the ancient city itself. You'll never forget watching workers unload their catches onto tables full of ice --- octopuses, buckets full of snails and tiny clams, beautiful arrangements of eels and rays, and almost every other form of sea life imaginable! From the fish market, we'll walk to Piazza Duomo, the town's historical center. We will view the unique Elephant Fountain and the Cathedral, with the Chapel of Sant'Agata, containing the saint's treasures. City Hall and Plazzo degli Elefanti are also in this square. Castel Ursino From Piazza Duomo we will walk to the mighty Castel Ursino built in the 13th century to protect the city. It is the only medieval building to survive the great earthquake and volcanic eruption of Originally built on a promontory overlooking the sea, today it sits at a greater distance from the sea due to the earthquake and lava flow from Mt. Etna. Throughout the centuries it has been used as a royal residence as well as a prison. Lunch venues abound in the many piazze... enjoy! Following lunch, Story Land & Sea is proud to offer you a another unique experience, which will be one of the real "highlights" of your vacation in Sicily. We have made special arrangements for you to visit a unique Sicilian Cooking School at a 400-year-old villa/estate (built in 1609). What makes this estate especially unique is that it has been in the same family for 8 generations. Yes, you will have the opportunity to indulge in the memorable meal, which you will create and prepare. This experience is always a highlight, and will be one which you will remember for many years to come! Story Exclusive: Sicilian Culinary School at a 400-year-old estate. Don't like cooking? Sit back, relax, and enjoy a glass of Sicilian vino, while dinner is prepared for you, all from the perspective of a beautiful villa with stunning views.

11 Taormina Sicily's Most Beautiful City Included Dining: Breakfast. Truly Discovering the friend, Mount Etna Following our included breakfast, we shall meet our expert guide and depart for an incredible journey to the top of beautiful Mount Etna. Enjoy the breathtaking views of the Ionian Sea, as we climb higher and higher into a stunning, otherworldly landscape. A walking tour around Etna's craters is sure to be one of the highlights of your tour. This much loved mountain is an integral part of daily life for those who live in its shadows. Mongibello, the beautiful mountain, is viewed as a benevolent, ever-present friend and giver of life and good things (grapes, wine, crops, pistachios), and they downplay the destructive force Etna can become at times. Story Land & Sea Exclusive: Winery Tasting on the Slopes of Mount Etna We continue on and make our way to what is arguably Sicily's most beautiful city Taormina. The site of the old town is about 800 feet above the sea, while a very steep, almost isolated rock, crowned by a Saracen castle, rises 500 feet higher above the Ionian Sea. The vistas from Taormina are breathtaking! Portions of the ancient wall may be traced at intervals all around the brow of the hill. By far, the most remarkable site remaining at Taormina is the "Ancient Theatre," which is one of the most famous ruins in Sicily---on account of its remarkable preservation and its beautiful location. This theatre here is the second largest of its kind in Sicily - after that in Syracuse. It is frequently used for operatic and theatrical performances and for concerts. We then arrive at our luxurious hotel in Taormina, our home for the next two evenings. After arrival and check-in, the tour captain will give you an orientation of this town on the way to an optional dinner. Optional Dinner Enjoy an optional dinner with the Tour Captain, or explore on your own.

12 Mount Etna Taormina at Leisure Included Dining: Breakfast, Farewell Dinner With gorgeous vistas everywhere, it is difficult to not "fall in love" with the magical beauty and ambiance of Taormina. To allow you to absorb the beauty of this place, we have provided you a full "free day" to explore Taormina and the surrounding area on your own. You will enjoy strolling the picturesque streets, spending time shopping in the many shops in Taormina, or just enjoying the sights and sounds in one of the city's parks. Taormina offers one of the most breathtaking, panoramic settings in the world --- with incredible views out across the Ionian Sea, as well as the "picture-perfect" view of Mount Etna. This area of Sicily is also popular for its nearby beaches (accessible via an aerial tramway). You may wish to take a short ride via taxi or public bus to the popular seaside resort of Giardini Naxos. Tours of the Capo Sant' Andrea grottos are also available. Included Farewell Dinner: Enjoy a special time together with your new friends as you reminisce about your adventure through Sicily and dream of your next story of travel. Classic Budget guests: consider upgrading to include all five (5) dinners. Inquire.

13 Mount Etna Arrivederci Sicily! Included Dining: Breakfast (if your flight is not too early!) Optional Transfer to Catania Airport. Inquire with reservations. After your included breakfast, you will be taken to Catania, where you will be dropped off at the Catania Airport for your return flight(s). ***Tour Ends*** Call today to place your reservation at 1 (877)

14 ~ Enjoy a True Small Group of never more than 16 Travelers. Guaranteed. No waiting on big groups on big buses. ~ Hotels in the heart of the cities and towns. Not on the outskirts of town, so no shuttles or special transfers needed. ~ We Never Upsell while On Tour. See any of the mainstream tour operator itineraries to Italy, and you will see very quickly how their "tour directors" make extra revenue. ~ Gratuities are included for your Local Guides, Wait Staff and Drivers. ~ Off-the-Beaten-Path and unique Restaurants throughout the itinerary. Authentic restaurants that fit our group size. Small Group Tour Information YOUR DELUXE TRUE SMALL-GROUP TOUR INCLUDES: ~ All Admissions and Sightseeing as defined on itinerary. ~ Portage Included through your Small Group Tour. ~ Services of professional Tour director called a Tour Captain. The Tour Captain serves as your host throughout the trip to ensure everything goes according to the journey's plan. ~ Services of Professional Guides. We use professional, certified guides for our sightseeing at select venues and sites throughout the Small Group Tour. 11 Days Round-Trip Air (not included), 10 Days Land, 9 Nights Hotel Accommodations. Services of full-time, experienced guides and a professional Tour Captain. SIGHTSEEING Comprehensive daily sightseeing per itinerary via private transportation with experienced, local driver. Admission & entrance fees to all sightseeing as detailed per itinerary. DAILY BREAKFAST, SOME LUNCHES AND DINNERS Full, hot breakfast daily. Lunches and dinner included per itinerary. Coffee or tea included with breakfast only; all other beverages are extra. Select dinners are included at unique restaurants. PORTAGE Portage (one suitcase per person) and all tipping (driver, restaurant, hotel and guide staff) included. Extra bag portaged for $130 per bag. Story Land & Sea luggage tags upon arrival at the first hotel. SOLO TRAVELERS Single Supplement applies. See Dates & Rates Tab. PASSPORTS & VISAS Travel documents are your responsibility, including compliance with customs regulations. PASSPORTS: A valid passport is required and must be obtained in person by each tour member at a local passport office. LODGING & ACCOMMODATIONS Tour prices are per person, based on two persons sharing double or twin-bedded room with private bathroom with tub or shower. Single rooms subject to availability and at an additional cost (tour participants without a roommate will have to pay the single room surcharge). Hotels used are based on your itinerary. SERVICE CHARGES AND TAXES: All departure taxes and tipping are included. INSURANCE Story Land & Sea recommends trip protection coverage. We recommend Enter location code of to associate any purchase with your Story Land & Sea vacation. STORY LAND & SEA TOURS' SICILY TOUR VACATION At Story Land & Sea Tours, we offer hosted Sicily tours with a Tour Captain who provides you with world-class service throughout the tour.