Trafalgar - Best of Italy and Sicily (SITISN17)

15 Days From Palermo to Venice
Tour Style: Country Explorer
Trafalgar Brochure Price from $4,974.00
Brochures: Europe & Britain 2022, Europe & Britain 2023
Visits: Italy, Vatican City

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Ancient history and fabulous food are the cornerstones of this colourful Italy and Sicily trip. You’ll enjoy all the local seafood flavours in Sicily’s fishing villages, follow the shadow of Mount Etna as you travel around the island and admire the Leaning Tower in Pisa’s Square of Miracles.
Sightseeing Highlights

• VIP Admission to the Vatican Museums
• Explore Palermo, Agrigento, Pompeii, Capri, Rome, Assisi, Cinque Terre and Florence with a Local Specialist
• Discover Taormina, Sorrento and Venice
• Visit the Norman Cathedral at Monreale, the fishing village of Mondello, the Valley of the Temples in Agrigento, the Isle of Capri, the excavations at Pompeii, the amazing Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, St. Peter's Basilica and Colosseum in Rome and a glassblowing factory in Venice
• View Palermo Cathedral, the ancient sites of Rome, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, Santa Croce Basilica and the Duomo in Florence and the Byzantine St. Mark's Basilica in Venice
• Scenic Cruise to the Isle of Capri and by private launch to St. Mark's Square in Venice
• Connect With Locals Learn how to make homemade macaroni and sit down to a delicious local meal with your charming hosts, the locals of Castiglione di Sicilia, a Jewish Village.
• Stays with Stories Built to welcome pilgrims visiting Assisi, Hotel Cenacolo is a fully renovated old Franciscan monastery in nearby Santa Maria degli Angeli.
• Dive into Culture Witness the exquisite craft of glassblowing, a delicate tradition that generations of Venetian craftsmen have perfected over the centuries.
• Dive into Culture Enjoy a private visit inside the Vatican where you will tour the Museo Gregoriano Profano featuring Roman and Ancient Greek antiquities before an exclusive private dinner.
• MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Learn about the history and ancient skill of Venetian glassblowing, playing your role in ensuring the survival of this traditional craft through your visit.

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Trafalgar Tour Itinerary

Day 1	Welcome to Palermo
	The multicultural capital of Palermo launches your journey across Sicily and Italy. You’ll have some free time before meeting your Travel Director and fellow travellers for a Welcome Reception and orientation of the city’s attractions, so why not head straight out to explore its fascinating history on your own?
	Visits: Palermo
	Meals: Welcome Reception
	Accommodation: Mercure Centro
Day 2	Enjoy the Views in Monreale
	Join your Local Specialist for a sightseeing tour, which includes the Teatro Massimo and old 'La Cala' harbour. Later, travel to Monreale on the slopes of Monte Caputo overlooking the almond, olive and orange groves of La Conca d'Oro. Here you’ll visit the 12th-century Norman Cathedral, dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary.
	Visits: Monreale
	Meals: Breakfast
Day 3	Journey to Ancient Agrigento
	Continue to the pretty seaside resort of Mondello. Journey to Agrigento to tour the impressive Greek Valley of the Temples, dating back to the 6th century BC, with a Local Specialist. This evening, dinner is served at your hotel.
	Visits: Mondello, Agrigento
	Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
	Accommodation: Dioscuri Bay Palace
Day 4	Onwards to Scenic Taormina
	Travel through the vineyards of the southern hills towards the seaside resort of Taormina, your home for the next two nights. Enjoy spectacular vistas and a taste of la dolce vita in this hillside town, with some free time on arrival.
	Visits: Taormina
	Meals: Breakfast
	Accommodation: Caesar Palace Giardini Naxos
Day 5	Taormina Your Way
	Spend the day relaxing at your chic Sicilian resort. Dive into the warm Mediterranean waters, shop for exquisite hand-painted ceramics on Corso Umberto or indulge in a mulberry granita. Consider joining an Optional Experience to Savoca, the village made famous by ‘The Godfather', or Europe's most active volcano, Mount Etna. This evening, Connect With Locals over dinner at a Be My Guest experience hosted in the Jewish village of Castiglione di Sicilia as you roll up your sleeves to try your hand at making macaroni and end the day with a traditional Sicilian feast dining with the village locals.
	Meals: Breakfast, Be My Guest
Day 6	Explore Pompeii’s Ruins and Sorrento
	Today we cross the Strait of Messina to mainland Italy by ferry, driving north through rustic Calabria via Salerno to UNESCO-listed Pompeii where a Local Specialist will take you on a walking tour. For centuries, the city was lost to the world – its rediscovery in the 18th century revealed a time capsule of well-preserved ruins that provides insights into the day-to-day life of a Roman city, centuries ago. We continue to our hotel in Sorrento where we’ll spend the next two nights.
	Visits: Pompeii, Sorrento
	Meals: Breakfast
	Accommodation: Grand Parco del Sole
Day 7	A Day on the Isle of Capri
	We cruise to the Isle of Capri where we’ll enjoy a guided walking tour of Capri town with a Local Specialist. Window-shop along Via Camerelle and watch the beautiful people in the Piazzetta before returning to Sorrento, where you will have the evening at leisure to indulge in a little limoncello in one of the town’s many cafés.
	Visits: Capri
	Meals: Breakfast
Day 8	All Roads Lead to Rome
	Admire the dramatic coastline, driving north from Sorrento to the 'Eternal City' of Rome. This evening, an exclusive Trafalgar experience will see you Dive Into Culture and enjoy an al fresco��dinner against the spectacular backdrop of St. Peter's in Rome. Marvel at Michelangelo’s magnificent 16th-century frescoed ceiling in the Sistine Chapel and see the array of exquisite artefacts at the Museo Gregoriano Profano, founded in the Lateran Apostolic Palace at the behest of Gregory XVI Cappellari in 1844.
	Visits: Rome
	Meals: Breakfast, Regional Dinner
	Accommodation: Il Cantico
Day 9	Explore Ancient Rome and the Vatican City
	Rome was once the capital of the world and is a city with an irresistible verve. Join your Local Specialist for a sightseeing tour to admire the city's iconic and unexpected highlights. Head to the Vatican and see Michelangelo’s magnificent Pietà inside St. Peter’s Basilica. Your next stop is Ancient Rome, where you’ll see Circus Maximus and visit the Colosseum where gladiators and slaves once fought to their deaths. Spend the rest of the day exploring the city your way.
	Visits: Vatican City
	Meals: Breakfast
Day 10	Off to Historic Assisi
	Today, we drive north to the mystical medieval hilltop town of Assisi, most famous for being the birthplace of St. Francis. Join a Local Specialist for a tour of the Basilica of St. Francis to view its magnificent frescoes and carvings. Tonight, we'll stay at one of Trafalgar's Stays With Stories - a fully renovated old Franciscan monastery.
	Visits: Assisi
	Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
	Accommodation: Cenacolo
Day 11	Admire Pisa and on to La Spezia
	We venture to Pisa to visit the Square of Miracles and view the Leaning Tower that bears this city's name. A short drive north takes us to La Spezia, known as the 'Pearl of the Tyrrhenian Sea'. Tonight is free to explore as you wish.
	Visits: Pisa, La Spezia
	Meals: Breakfast
	Accommodation: NH La Spezia
Day 12	Enjoy Colourful Cinque Terre and Florence
	Join a Local Specialist to visit Cinque Terre, a series of centuries-old seaside villages clinging impossibly to rugged cliffs that plunge into the Ligurian Sea. Continue later to Florence, once a vibrant republic under the rule of the dynamic Medici family, whose love for art and antiquities created one of the world's most cultural cities. You’ll have the night off to see the sights on your own.
	Visits: Cinque Terre, Florence
	Meals: Breakfast
	Accommodation: Grand Mediterraneo
Day 13	Journey to Venice
	The magnificent marble Duomo, Santa Croce Basilica, Ponte Vecchio and Piazza della Signoria feature on your walking tour with a Local Specialist through Florence's grand boulevards and narrow lanes. Head north to Venice, the 'Queen of the Adriatic'.
	Visits: Venice
	Meals: Breakfast
	Accommodation: Le Boulevard Lido
Day 14	Cruise the Canals of Venice
	Dive Into Culture and witness the centuries-old craft of glassblowing. Your unforgettable MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience helps keep this delicate tradition for which Venice is justifiably famous alive and you’ll watch enchanted how the master craftsmen shape the molten glass into the exquisite pieces that adorn homes all over the world. Next, embark on an orientation cruise by private launch to the gateway of Venice, St. Mark's Square, which Napoleon once called the 'drawing room of Europe'. See the Doge's Palace, St. Mark's Cathedral and the Bridge of Sighs, where prisoners would have one last look at their beloved city before facing imprisonment. The rest of the afternoon is yours to explore more of the sights or consider an Optional Experience, navigating the city's elegant canals from the comfort of a traditional gondola. Tonight, you'll join your fellow travellers for a Farewell Dinner and toast to shared memories that will linger long after the evening ends.
	Visits: Venice
	Meals: Breakfast, Farewell Dinner
Day 15	Farewell Venice
	For now, it's a fond ciao Venezia as you say goodbye to new friends and prepare to depart for our journey home. Find out more about your free airport transfer at trafalgar.com/freetransfers.
	Meals: Breakfast

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Available Room Types: Single, Triple, Twin, Twinshare
Child: ages 5 to 17