DEPARTING DATES.
August 22, 26, 29
September 2, 5.
1st day: Arrive in Palermo
Arrive at the airport in Palermo and transfer to the hotel. Enjoy a welcome drink in the afternoon. Optional night tour of the city. Dinner later in the evening at the hotel.
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2nd day: San Vito Lo capo/ Palermo/ Mondello
After breakfast at the hotel, put on your swimsuit and get ready to swim in one of the most beautiful beaches in Sicily. We are going to visit San Vito lo Capo, a small town in Southwestern Sicily – part of the province of Trapani. Here you will be free to spend part of the day enjoying the beach and the shops that surround it. There are a lot of really good seafood restaurants near the beach and the main square is really close by, walking distance!
In the afternoon we will return to the Hotel to relax and get ready for an evening in another beautiful seaside town called Mondello. This extraordinary place is really close to Palermo and shops stay open late! Mondello is a favorite destination for many Palermitani in the evening, on the weekends and during the summer. It is the best place to find "gelato con brioscia" to eat! Return to the Hotel in Palermo to sleep.
3rd day: Erice/ Mazzara del Vallo/ Marsala/ Mozia island
From Palermo we will set off for Erice, a medieval village close to Trapani that has strong Greek, Roman and Arab heritages. The village is approximately 1 hour from Palermo, and was recently voted one of the "Best 25 Places You've Never Heard Of" by Frommer’s Budget Travel magazine. Erice is situated on top of a hill just off the coast. On a clear day, it’s possible to see past the nearby Egadi Islands to Tunisia on the continent of Africa! One of the organized activities in Erice will be a pastry demonstration at a local bakery.
After lunch we will continue our tour towards the city of Trapani. This cit
y is an important ferry port which connects the Egadi Islands, Pantelleria, Sardinia and Tunisi. It is also important for its salt, marble and wine. It is an important export city for all of Italy. The nearby coast is lined with numerous salt-pans that we will go to see along with the old but operational windmills.
After allowing time for pictures, we will continue our tour passing by Mazzara del Vallo before stopping in the city of Marsala, famous for the typical sweet wine named after the city. Before stopping to taste the wine, we will take a ferry to reach the small Mozia 
Island, which you will be free to discover at your leisure. Mozia lies in the Stagnone Lagoon and is generally considered a part of Marsala. From there we will visit a winery really famous in Italy called Cantine FLORIO to taste some good wine and local products.
We will then return to the hotel where those who haven’t eaten already can have a nice dinner.
4th day: Sciacca/ Agrigento
After breakfast we will leave Palermo for good, traveling to the southern coast of Sicily. Our first stop is Sciacca in the province of Agrigento. It has wonderful views of the Mediterranean Sea. Sciacca was founded in the 5th century B.C. by the Greeks.
We will continue towards the city of Agrigento and if we have time, we will visit the "Valley of the Temples." The temples are quite famous so don’t worry…we will visit them tomorrow morning if not today! We will spend the evening in the heart of downtown of Agrigento with dinner at a local restaurant. We will stay in a family-owned Bed & Breakfast establishment in Agrigento.
5th day: Agrigento / Noto/ Avola/ Siracusa.
After breakfast we will travel up the eastern coast of Sicily. During the trip we will visit the small cities of Noto and Avola. Noto is at 32 km southwest of the city of Syracuse and it is famous for its fine buildings of the early 18th century, considered among the main masterpieces in the Sicilian baroque style. We will pass through Avola on our way to the very famous ancient city of Syracuse.
Start by visiting the famous Aretusa Fountain and the surrounding ruins, including the marvelous theatre and the "Ear" of Dyonisios. We will go at the hotel where we will have lunch. In the afternoon we will visit Ortigia, the small baroque city center of Syracuse. Dinner at the downtown restaurant.
6th day: Catania/ Etna/ Acireale
Today we'll journey up the side of the largest active volcano in Sicily! Don't worry, it's a slow-erupting volcano (if you're lucky you will see craters full of lava)! But it's an amazing sight to see even if it's only steaming! There are basically two levels on Etna. The first is around 8,500 feet and the peak is over 11,000 feet – reachable by cable car. During our decent, we will stop for lunch – we recommend taking pasta with mushrooms from Etna as one of your plates – they are really a delicacy in Sicily. In the afternoon we will visit a winery to taste the wines of Etna and Catania. Evening and dinner at the hotel in Acireale where you can choose for a night tour in the city of Catania in the night.
7th day: Gole D’Alcantara/ Taormina/ Acireale
Following breakfast, board the bus and head off to see one of the most beautiful Falls close to the city of Catania. This place is called “Le Gole D’Alcantara” and is born from the cone of the volcano Etna, at an altitude of 3,875 feet.
The water here is really cold but Sicilians and other people like to swim in their bathing suits, but you can rent some long plastic boots to go around and discover the beauty of this natural place.
Before lunch we will reach Taormina where you will see one of the most beautiful Greek theatres in Europe! The theatre in Taormina overlooks the Ionic Sea and Mount Etna in the distance. It is famous all over the world and the setting for a recent television ad for Intel Centrino Mobile Technology. So be sure to study up on the special effects on your digital camera because you'll want to use all of them when you see the magnificent panorama! After visiting the theatre, spend the afternoon at your leisure walking around the streets lined with vendors and shops. Be sure to walk down or up one of the corridors off the main street (via Umberto) and discover small hidden walkways. In the late afternoon return to the hotel. As always, dinner will be later in the evening.
8th day: Acireale/ Piazza Armerina/ Enna/ S. Stefano di Camastra
After breakfast we set our sights on yet another beautiful small town, Piazza Armerina in the heart of Sicily. One of the major attractions we will see is the Roman Villa of Casale, famous for its fantastic mosaics. 
The city of Piazza (as it was called before 1862) began during the Norman domination in Sicily (11th century), but the area was inhabited since prehistorical times. The city was flourishing also during Roman times, as showed by the notable examples of the patrician Villa Romana del Casale. We'll enjoy lunch at local restaurant before reboarding the bus to continue the drive to Enna another small town in the center of Sicily.
Enna is called the BELVEDERE (panoramic viewpoint) because the city is concentrated in the top of a mountain. In fact, Enna is the highest provincial capital of Italy.
In the afternoon, we will drive through the countryside of Sicily to reach Santo Stefano di Camastra on the northern coast.
It is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Messina. It is well-known for its ceramic industry, which you will have a chance to experience as a part of a local demonstration! We will stay in typical family B&B. In the evening you are free to explore on your own.
9th day: S. Stefano di Camastra/ Cefalu’/ Palermo
Sadly, our journey is going to end and we must make our way back towards Palermo.
Before leaving the B&B in S. Stefano di Camastra, you will have a chance to test your Italian cooking skills and make your own lunch!
After your delicious (we hope!) lunch we will stop in Cefalu’, a locale that everybody should see! Cefalù is an ancient city in the province of Palermo, located on the northern coast where Sicily touches the Tyrrhenian Sea. The town is one of the major tourist attractions in the region. It has Roman baths, an ancient cathedral, and marvelous beaches in the zone and is home to the sculptor Tommaso Geraci.
In the early evening we will go back to the Hotel in Palermo. Dinner is available for those who chose not to eat in Cefalu’. If there is interest, an evening tour of Palermo can be organized.
10th day: Palermo/ Monreale/ Piana degli Albanesi
All good things must come to an end. On your last day, visit the panoramic city of .JPG)
Monreale located on the slope of Monte Caputo overlooking the beautiful and very fertile valley called "La Conca d'oro" (the Golden Shell), famed for its orange, olive and almond trees, the produce of which is exported in large quantities. From here you can take pictures of Palermo surrounded by mountains and the sea! In Monreale we will visit its downtown and cathedral, which is the greatest of all the monuments of the wealth and artistic taste of the Norman kings in northern Sicily.
In the afternoon, we will visit the nearby Piana degli Albanesi. Here you can sample cannoli specific to this region which are much bigger than average. The town is known for being principally an Arbëreshë community, and is called Hora e Arbëreshëvet in the resident's own dialect of Albanian. The town was founded by refugees from Himarë, Albania between the 16th and 18th centuries. Piana degli Albanesi is also officially bilingual, as the official town documents are written in both Albanian and Italian and its citizens are still today proficient in both languages.
In the evening we will return to the Hotel in Palermo for the BlueSkyItaly ARRIVEDERCI dinner. You will have plenty of time for goodbyes and to pack your bags for your departure in the morning.
11th day DEPARTURE
After breakfast, we will shuttle you to the airport for your return flight.