A tour for archaeology lovers, to discover the extraordinary treasures left us by the ancient civilisations. From the Siculi to the Phoenicians, from the Greeks to the Romans a journey trough time and history that only in Sicily can take place.

1° day : Arrival, Taormina and Catania by night
Arrival at Catania airport, greetings with the guide and departure to Taormina, the most famous Sicilian town. Settled by the Greek s on the southern slopes of the Peloritani mountains, Taormina offers breathtaking views on the sea and on the Volcano. Tour of the town and of the ancient theatre.
Free time for a walk and for lunch.
Departure to Catania, the second largest Sicilian town, settled by the Greeks at the foot of Mount Etna. Also if it preserves many archaeological ruins, nowadays Catania is famous for its black and white buildings built in baroque style after the earthquake of 1693 that destroyed the town till its foundations. Walking tour of the city centre (Unesco Heritage) and visit of the Roman ruins.
Dinner and overnight in hotel in the area of Catania
After dinner excursion at leisure: Catania by night. The town is famous not only for its beautiful baroque buildings but also for its night life, the so called " movida catanese".

2° day: Siracusa
Departure to Siracusa (Unesco World Heritage), the most beautiful and powerful Greek colony in Sicily. Full day dedicated to discover this town. Visit of the archaeological park called Neapolis (Greek theatre, Roman amphitheatre, Dionysus ear - a cave with an acoustic producing extraordinary effects-, the stone quarries).
After lunch the tour will continue in Ortigia, a small island where was settled the first colony by the Greeks, nowadays city centre of Siracusa (the temple of Apollo, Cathedral, Aretusa spring).
Opportunity to take a boat tour.
Back to the hotel, dinner and overnight.

3° day: Pantalica and Val d’Anapo
Today we will discover of one of the most beautiful naturalistic and archaeological areas of Sicily. We will start in Pantalica, one of the major proto historic centres of Sicily, which at the time occupied a vast plateau that dominated the Val d'Anapo. Of particular relevance is the necropolis made up of over 5000 cave tombs that make the landscape disturbing and unforgettable.
Transfer to Palazzolo Acreide. Lunch. In the afternoon visit of the archaeological area of Akrai, the oldest of the sub colonies of Syracuse. Archaeological researches brought to light part of the town with the theatre and bouleuterion.

Back to the hotel, dinner and overnight.

4° day: Morgantina and Piazza Armerina
In the morning departure to Morgantina. The ancient site of Morgantina offers the visitor the picture of over a thousand years of history, from the foundation of the city in prehistoric times up to its decline, which took place in the Roman imperial age. Two distinct areas can be identified in Morgantina, which correspond to the two main phases of the history of the city: the ancient settlement and the Hellenistic - Roman settlement in Sella Orlando.
Visit of the Aidone museum containing several works stolen in the archaeological area of Morgantina and returned only recently to the Italian Government.
Continue to Piazza Armerina, lunch and in the afternoon visit of the Villa Romana del Casale, a rural residence of the late Imperial age, which due to the exceptional wealth of architectural and decorative elements, especially for its floor mosaics, is considered to be an important testimony of Roman civilization and for this reason since 1997 it has been protected by UNESCO.
Hotel accommodation in Piazza Armerina - Agrigento area, dinner and overnight.

5° day: Agrigento
Departure for Agrigento, the ancient Akragas of the Greeks, described by the poet Pindar as "the most beautiful city of mortals". Here there is one of the best known archaeological parks in Sicily called the "Valley of the Temples", testimony to the richness and splendor of the Greek city. Visit to the park and the archaeological museum.
After lunch departure to Eraclea Minoa, an ancient Greek city founded according to Herodotus from the Selinuntians. The archaeological excavations have brought to light part of the town and the theatre.
Transfer to the hotel in Selinunte area, dinner and overnight.

6° day: Selinunte, Mazara del Vallo and the dancing Satyr
In the morning we will go to Selinunte, located near the mouth of the river where the wild parsley (selinon) that gave its name to the river and to the city grows. The town took advantage of its position to exercise its fruitful trades especially with the Punics who lived in the westernmost part of Sicily. In only two centuries, Selinunte reached a prosperity and a richness that has few comparisons in the Greek and Great Greece world. Continue to the Cave di Cusa, stone quarries used for the extraction of the materials necessary for the construction of the temples of Selinunte.
After lunch visit of Mazara del Vallo and the Museum that houses the bronze statue of the Dancing Satyr, found in excellent condition in the seabed not far from the city.
Back to the hotel, dinner and overnight

7° day: Mozia, Marsala salt works, Segesta
After breakfast departure to the Imbarcadero storico ( landing - stage ) to take the small boat with which you will circumnavigate Mozia. This small island in the Lagoon of Stagnone, due to its strategic position, surrounded by the shallow waters of the lagoon and naturally protected by the nearby Isola Longa, was chosen by the Phoenicians to found an important colony. The boat ride will allow you to see the main points of interest of the island and the submerged road that connected it to the mainland. After circumnavigation, stop on the island to visit the museum.
Wine tasting with light lunch at a winery in Marsala.
In the afternoon proceed to Segesta. Founded by the Elimi, today Segesta is an interesting archaeological park with a very well preserved temple, in a suggestive position, isolated on a high hillock, and a theatre located right on top of a panoramic fortress.
Transfer to the hotel in the area of Palermo, dinner and overnight at the hotel.

8° day: Solunto -Himera
Lying on the south-eastern slopes of Monte Catalfano, along the coastal strip immediately west of Palermo, the ancient city of Solunto, with its rectangular insulae defined by a regular road system, sets itself scenically on the steep slopes of the hill, overlooking the sea in a rare and suggestive position. The archaeological remains that survived until today are related to the Hellenistic-Roman city. It was only towards the end of the 4th century B.C., following the victory of the tyrant Dionysius of Syracuse over the western Punic cities, that the new settlement replaced the first Phoenician one (dating back to at least the seventh century. B.C.).
In the afternoon visit of Himera. Founded in 648 BC from Greeks of Calcidese and Doric origin, Himera occupies a particularly favourable position for the development of a Greek colony, at the centre of a wide gulf, between the promontories of Cefalù and Termini Imerese, and near the mouth of the river Imera Settentrionale, important artery connecting to central Sicily.
The city had rapid construction and demographic development, documented by large urban systems built from the first half of the sixth century. B.C. and from the monumental sanctuary of Athena in the upper part of the polis.
Hotel in the area of Milazzo, dinner and overnight.

9° day Tindari - Patti
The Greek city of Tyndaris, according to the historical Diodorus Siculus, was founded around 396 B.C. from Dionigi the Elder, tyrant of Syracuse, to install contingents of mercenaries. The city had a very regular plant and perfect sewage system. The theatre leaning against the slope of the hill is preserved in good part.
In the afternoon visit of the Roman villa of Patti. The works for the construction of a pile of the Messina-Palermo highway viaduct were, in August 1973, the occasion of the discovery of a large villa of the late Roman imperial age. The happy territorial location, the breath of the architectural development, the realization, economic and aesthetic commitment (which reaches the acme in the figurative splendour of the mosaic floors) find stringent considerations, also for the correspondence of the historical and socio-economic context, in other two great Sicilian villas of the fourth century A.D, developed at the centre of a vast and complex land system belonging to aristocratic classes (the massae, articulated together of large estates): the Villa del Casale in Piazza Armerina and the Villa del Tellaro near Noto.
Return to hotel, dinner and overnight

10° day Lipari
Transfer to the port of Milazzo and departure to Lipari. The largest of the Aeolian Islands is of particular interest from an archaeological point of view. Its fortress, an imposing dome of volcanic lava that protrudes into the sea, rising up to a height of about fifty meters, known as "the Castle" thanks to its shape, has always constituted a real natural fortress, offering since antiquity a safe place for the inhabitants who settled there when it was necessaty to defend themselves from the danger of enemy raids; in periods of tranquillity, the town has also extended into the plain below, that is to say in the area of the current city.
Thus, with alternating vicissitudes, the Castle of Lipari has been inhabited since the Neolithic age (about 6000 years ago) up to our century. The testimonies of the settlements of every age have overlapped with the ones of the previous periods, creating a notable increase of the ground. The archaeological excavations have in fact brought to light a succession of strata more than 10 meters high due to the overlapping of the remains of the inhabited settlements, well preserved remains thanks to the accumulation of the ashes emitted from the nearby volcanoes and transported by the wind.
Also of great interest is the Archaeological Museum divided into five sections that illustrate the thousand-year history of the archipelago.
Return to hotel, dinner and overnight

11° day After breakfast transfer to the airport