7 days escorted Sicily in search of The Godfather on the trail of "Cosa Nostra".

 

 

Itinerary ( B = breakfast, L = Lunch, D = dinner )

 

 

SUNDAY: TAORMINA(D)

Arrive in Taormina area at any time. There are no planned activities so check into our hotel and enjoy the city. Overnight.

 

MONDAY: SAVOCA – FORZA D'AGRO' (B, D)

Departure to Savoca where you will visit the 'Bar Vitelli', the famous bar used by Francis Ford Coppola as location to shot the film “The Godfather”. Before tasting the Sicilian delicacies you will enjoy a short guided tour of the Trimarchi Palace and on the winery you will taste the house wine and the little typical Sicilian snacks. Thereafter you will have the lunch under the pergola of the bar, you will seat under the original setting of the film where you will eat 1/2 crostone and 1/2 muffittuni, drink a glass of Corvo wine, mineral or natural wanter and 1 cannolo. Not far from Savoca you will join another traditional place, Forza D'Agrò, famous also thanks to the film “Il Padrino”. Here you can enjoy some time for leasure before going back to the hotel. Overnight.

 

TUESDAY: MONTALBANO ELICONA – PALERMO (B)

Departure to Montalbano Elicona, a country which become famous on 2015 for being recognized as one of the most beautiful “Borgo” in Italy. Here you can enjoy a walk through the alleys before enjoing the Castle Svevo-Aragonese and its Chapel in Byzantine style, in which the remains of the alchemist, doctor, reformer and  sometimes heretic Arnaldo da Villanova are saved. He used to come here in Sicily, especially in Montalbano, together with the Stupor mundi Federico II. Montalbano has also a symbol of the Stone Ages thanks to the megaliths, situated on the Argimusco Plateau, which probably in the past were used to celebrate rituals or study of the stars and the nature. A stop in Montalbano Elicona is like a throwback, a walking in the Middle ages.

On to Palermo where you will have a walk in the the old city and a Sicilian dinner in the “Antica Focacceria San Francesco”, famous for its owner who used to fight the mafia and rejected the request of the “Pizzo” [protection money]. For several years the Focacceria was protected and surveilled by the police. Here you will taste panelline, crocchette, arancinette, focaccina with milza, Milk-crocchetta, a piece of sfincione ( sicilian pizza), caponata, a portion of Pasta alla Norma or anelletti al forno and a little cannolo. Overnight in the hotel in Palermo.

 

WEDNESDAY: CORLEONE - SAN GIUSEPPE JATO – PIANA DEGLI ALBANESI (B, L)

In the morning we will move to the area where in the last years there was a big concentration of Mafia: Corleone. Now you can see that Corleone is a normal city where young people established a cooperative on the lands, which have been confiscated to the mafia in the last years. On these lands young people produce organic products, that you can buy, helping in this way to keep alive a symbol in the fight against the mafia. After a guided walking tour with a guide of Corleone to discovery all the history of Mafia you will have a light lunch. After on to San Giuseppe Jato, another place where in the past the mafia was very strong due to the alliance with the mafia of Corleone. Here he used to live the man who ordered to kill the Judge Falcone in the highway coming back from the airport of Palermo. Afterwards we will drive to Piana degli Albanesi, a old Albanian colony, where the people still today speak Albanian. Here you can taste the sweet Cannolo Siciliano. At the end of the tour back to the hotel in Palermo and overnight.

 

THURSDAY: POLIZZI GENEROSA- CASTELLANA SICULA- PETRALIA – GANGI (B, D)

Tour through the mountains in the also so-called "lung" of Sicily due to the variety of plants and trees which you will discover in this part of the "unknown" Sicily. First you will stop in Polizzi Generosa with its small streets from where many famous people come. Then you will cross Castellana Sicula, Petralia Sottana and arrive till Gangi, the most beautiful Italian “Borgo” of the 2014 where you can admire some monuments like the Castle or the Duomo. Ganci is also known for Cesare Mori, a prefect who in the past used to fight against the Mafia organization which also in this area was very strong in the past. He was nicknamed as the “Iron Prefect” due to his rough manners to strong attitude agaist the mafiosi. On to the hotel in Taormina area for dinner and overnight.

 

FRIDAY: TIME AT LEASURE or Optional excursion NOTO-SYRACUSE(B, D)

You are free to relax and explore the city, swim and relax by the beach or opt to opt to join our full day excursion to Noto and Syracuse. Noto, jewel of Sicilian Baroque, is in the UNESCO world heritage list for its beautiful baroque churches and "palazzi". The visit goes through the historical centre of the town and reaches the main monuments like the cathedral, the Santa Chiara church, Palazzo Ducezio and the Via Nicolaci, famous road for the yearly Infiorata-flower festival. On to Syracuse, one of the most interesting archaeological sites of the island. Guided tour at the Archeological Park, the Roman Amphitheatre, the Greek Theatre, the Ear of Dionysus, the Cave of the Cordari, Island of Ortigia, the most ancient nucleus of the city with its stunning cathedral. Overnight in Taormina area.

 

SATURDAY: TAORMINA BEACH (B)

Depart at any time or optional exstention in Sicily and the region.

 

 

 

DON'T FORGET:

Please allow three hours for check-in to your international flights and two hours for domestic.

 

OUR TIPS:

1. How much would it cost to fly from an airport not listed as part of this deal?
Please contact us for additional pricing options from any departure airport not listed.

2. Can we extend our trip before or after the promotional dates for the deal?
Yes, you can arrange for that by contacting us either by phone or email.

3. How do I find out if the dates I want to travel are available?
Check the dates listed above to see if there is availability for the specific date you are interested in. If there are multiple dates listed feel free to contact us for the most up-to-date availability.