Sensational Sicily

Saturday, October 3 to Saturday, October 10, 2020

Sicily is an island at the crossroads of ancient civilizations. It’s rich in natural beauty with rocky mountain ranges, olive groves,

vineyards, beaches and azure waters. It’s a place where food, family and festivities flourish.

Day 1— 03 Oct - Catania / Taormina (D) Welcome to Sicily! Upon arrival at Catania Airport transfer by luxury bus and tour escort to Taormina.

Welcome dinner at the hotel restaurant

Accommodation Hotel Mazzaro Palace Taormina, Sea View Room – 3 nights

Day 2—Etna and Sicilian Wines (B, L)

0900 Pick up by private bus and tour escort .

Explore Volcano Etna, the largest active volcano in Europe. Mount Etna is one of the greatest and beautiful volcano adventure tour destinations in Sicily, not only for the volcanic phenomena but also for the breathtaking views and the different kinds of vegetation visible during the ascent.

This volcano has more than 400 craters, split all over the Catania County. The first stop of the tour is Valle del Bove, a

wide valley located on the eastern slope of the volcano and part of the protected area of the Etna Regional Park. Proceeding we will go through old lava flows that date back to 1979 till we reach Mount Fontana, 1300 meters above sea level. This is a great panoramic point, from which you can admire the majesty of the valley and of the Monti Sartorius. A short walk to visit the craters of the Sartorius Mountains, which date back to 1865 and are characterized by seven little eruptive cones.

Transfer to Viagrande and reach Benanti, an internationally renowned winery awarded many times for its wines: the right place for an authentic Etnean experience made of excellent food

and wines. When visiting the winery you can admire the huge Palmento – the typical Etnean millstone – from the 19th century and walk along the ancient vines that grow on an extinct volcano, Monte Serra.

Arrive at winery for a tour with the Benanti family, then take part in a hands-on pasta cooking class guided by our chefs. Guests will learn how to make pasta from scratch and the most traditional shapes used in Sicily: maccheroni, busiate, cavatelli, but also the ravioli and tortelli, which are very famous in all of Italy. The flour used in our class is organic and made only by using local wheat.

After the pasta, you will learn how to prepare a typical Etnean sauce or pesto, such as mushrooms and meat sauce with wild fennel seeds, a pesto with roasted chestnuts or a delicious tomato sauce with basil and riotta salata cheese.

Finally, our chef demonstrates how to realize the famous cannolo siciliano: a crunchy pastry filled with mouth -watering ricotta cheese cream and chocolate and garnished with pistachio and candied fruits.

After cooking, enjoy your meal and the best Benanti wines paired (3 types of wine) with the dishes made with some exclusive local products.

Return to Taormina in the afternoon, dinner at leisure.

Day 3- Siracusa, Ortigia and Noto with Pastry Tasting (B, L, Pastry Tasting)

0900 Pick up by private bus and tour escort.

In the morning, a tour of Noto, one of Sicily’s most beautiful baroque cities, whose heritage, both for importance and beauty, have been declared World Heritage by the UNESCO. Here we

will meet Corrado Assenza, the master of all Sicilian pastry chefs, who will delight us with his amazing and unique pastry creations (gelato, jams, creams). Next stop Siracusa. Lunch will be served in a local restaurant in Ortigia. In the afternoon, guided Tour of Siracusa, a window into the ancient history of the Mediterranean. Its vast archaeological site, on the edge of the modern city, is a rare treasure of temples and amphitheaters. Siracusa

flourished in 480 BC, and soon became the most important Greek city in Sicily both economically and politically. We will visit remarkable Greek and Roman ruins, such as: the cave called “The Ear of Dionysius,” because of its unusual shape resembling a human ear, baroque buildings and classic churches as the Duomo, built upon the old temple of Athena.

Return to Taormina for your overnight.

Day 4 –Piazza Armerina (B)

0900 Pick up by private bus and tour escort.

Arrive in Piazza Armerina to visit the mosaics of the Roman Villa del Casale, named after an agricultural settlement known as casale, or farmhouse, that flourished there in the 15th century. The 3,500 square metres of mosaic pavements perfectly intact fill the Roman Villa. It may have been a hunting lodge and somewhere to entertain important guests. The mosaics include a 60-metre-long hunting scene, in which groups of men struggle and sweat as they track down and capture ferocious animals in India and north Africa before transporting them by boat to Rome for gladiator games.

Early afternoon check in at Verdura Resort 5*

The resort offers a wide range of activities varying from sports to wellness treatments and culinary experiences.

Besides the 18-hole championship golf course, you will have access to tennis and volleyball courts. A shopping area and a golf clinic with a golf computerized studio suite. There is no better way to end the day than with a selection of water sports or a simple refreshing bath at the resort’s private beach with its crystalline Mediterranean waters. Wellness is a key attraction of the resort with a 4,000 square metre SPA equipped with a fully furbished Gym, Steam Bath, large pools for hydro and thalassotherapy and an extensive collection of beauty treatments.

Verdura's 4 restaurants will provide an extensive choice of exceptional menus created by Celebrity Chef Fulvio Pierangelini using locally sourced fresh ingredients.

KPES Seminar - 3 hour afternoon meeting at Verdura

Verdura Resort 5* Deluxe - 2 nights

Day 5 – Valley of The Temples and Extra Virgin Olive Oil (B, L, Olive Oil Tasting) (half day)

In the morning visit the Archaeological Park of Agrigento, the Valley of the Temples, a place where time seems has stopped. Private guided tour visiting all the iconic temples, such as: Juno, Concord, and Castor and Pollux.

Lunch will be served at Mandranova Luxury Olive Estate, the farm stands out among the colors and fragrances of the great olive grove which surround it.

Meet the owners Silvia and Giuseppe and visit the farm, the olive tree groves and the oil press and taste one of the best Sicilian Extra Virgin Olive Oil before enjoying a very special lunch. Return to Verdura Resort after lunch. Afternoon at leisure.

KPES Seminar - 3 hour afternoon meeting Overnight stay at Verdura

Day 6 – Erice and Segesta with stop in Trapani to see the salt pans. (B, L) This morning check out. Before arriving in Erice we will stop in Trapani to see the salt pans.

Erice is a wonderfully preserved Medieval hill town at the extreme north-west corner of Sicily, on the top of “Monte San Giuliano”. The town overlooks the city of Trapani and the low western coast towards the Egadi Islands, where sea salt is made, offering the most breath taking views. On a clear day you can see the African coast.

You will visit the Norman Castle and the Duomo. While walking through the cobblestoned streets you will enjoy the fresh air along with the amazing bakery smells as you pass by the many pastry shops.

A special stop at the Maria Grammatico’s famous pastry shop will lend an opportunity to see the variety of sweets she lovingly creates.

Lunch will be served in a restaurant on the old town of Erice. After lunch reach Segesta and visit the archeological park. Segesta was probably founded by the Elimy people coming from Asia Minor who settled down in Western Sicily by the end of the second millennium B.C. At the arrival of the Greek in Eastern Sicily (VIII century B.C.) and thanks to their expansion towards the western side of it, Segesta started a deep process of "Hellenization" as attested by the presence of its beautiful Greek temple (V century B.C.) and its breathtaking Hellenistic theater. During the Greek-Punic wars Segesta, in the year 409 BC, formed an alliance with Carthage whose army destroyed Selinunte in the same year. Given the submission to the Carthaginians the Doric temple was never

finished and ever since it has been standing in its solitary position on the top of a hill facing the ruins of the settlement. During the first Punic war (III century B.C.) Segesta was in the alliance with Rome living a new thriving period but in the late imperial time its decline started. The site was re-occupied in the IX century by the Muslims who built a little mosque and in the XIII century a feudal lord built there a little castle. The last evidence of life are the ruins of a church dated back to 1442.

Palermo – 2 nights Hotel Wagner

Evening at leisure

Day 7 – Half day tour of Palermo with street food tasting (B, L)

Pick up by private bus and tour escort. This morning follow your guide in a fascinating

exploration of Sicilian culture and cuisine. The itinerary begins with a morning visit to the Capo market, the oldest in Palermo, where we will see and taste the famous Palermo Street Food such as panelle, arancine, crocchette and PaniCaMeusa. Admire colorful stalls featuring an abundance of fruit, vegetables, seafood and meats as the sellers’ cries bid for our attention.

Then visit Palermo, stretched along a beautiful bay on the Tyrrhenian Sea. Founded by the Phoenicians in the 7th and 8th centuries B.C., it was conquered by

Arabs in 831, and a period of immense prosperity commenced. You'll be enchanted by the city’s wide boulevards, traditional Sicilian Old Quarter, and baroque palaces. We will visit the city's main sights, including the Norman section, Quattro Canti di Citta' (the Four Corners of the City), Palermo's extravagant baroque square and the twelfth-century Duomo (Cathedral) of Palermo.

Afternoon at leisure, return to hotel by 2:00pm

Day 8 – Palermo to Messina with stop in Cefalu (B,L)

0900 Pick up by private bus and tour escort.

Just one hour far from Palermo, between its natural bay and the towering rocky granite mass, is Cefalù a charming unspoiled village with winding, narrow, medieval streets and delightful restaurants overlooking a rocky coast. It is dominated by a huge rock known as “La Rocca” - once the site of a Temple of Diane and one of the finest Norman-Arab-Byzantine Cathedrals.

The Duomo of Cefalù was begun in 1131 by Roger II and it was intended as the principal religious seat in Sicily. Though it failed to fulfill this function, the building's magnificence has never been eclipsed. Its fine mosaics (1148), are often celebrated as the purest Byzantine works of art on Sicilian soil.

The views are spectacular, while the walls of the old Saracen stronghold and the remains of a Temple of Diana (which supposedly dates back to Sicanian-Greek times) are of no little interest.

Lunch in a local restaurant

At the end, transfer to Messina Pier to board your Celebrity cruise on the Edge by 5:00 pm, or to airport for your flight home.

MAP AND DISTANCES:

Catania to Taormina – 54 km

Taomina to Noto – 146 km

Taomina to Verdura Resort - 264 km

Verdura Resort to Trapani– 125 km

Trapani to Erice – 13 KM

Erice to Palermo – 102 km

Palermo to Messina – 225 km

7 night tour cost in Canadian funds:

GROUP SIZE LIMITED TO 30 PEOPLE

Occupancy: Book by July 15, 2019 Book After July 16, 2019

1st person in room $8,995 $9,295

2nd person in room $3,295 $3,295

Deposit due at time of booking: $750 per person / $1500 per room Final payment due June 1, 2020

CANCELLATION PENALTIES: Up to July 2, 2020: $1500 per room July 3 – August 3 ,2020: 50% non-refundable August 4, 2020 – departure: 100% non-refundable 6 CE Hours: Dentists: $475 CA Auxiliaries: $140CA Seminar times have been arranged to allow maximum rest, touring and holiday time.

7 NIGHT TRIP INCLUDES: • 3 nights in Taormina at Mazzarò Sea Palace 5*- Classic and Superior Sea view rooms

• 2 nights in Sciacca at Verdura Rocco Forte Resort 5* - Deluxe sea view rooms

• 2 Nights in Palermo at Grand Hotel Wagner 5*- Superior rooms

• 7 breakfasts, 5 lunches, 1 dinner – wine included with lunches and dinners

• Tour Guide and Luxury bus included with Wifi on board with daily Fresh water

• All entrance fees

• Welcome dinner in Taormina beverages included

• Cooking show with lunch and wine tasting at Benanti Winery

• Lunch and pastry tasting in Noto

• Lunch and Olive Oil tasting at Mandranova Estate

• Lunch in Erice

• City tour and Lunch with street food tasting in Palermo

• Farewell Lunch in Cefalù

Price does not include

• Individual extras and meals not shown

• Gratuities for Driver and Guide

• Insurance

GRATUITIES: Suggested amount for gratuity to the drivers and guides will be included with final documents. Gratuities will not be pre-collected – they will be paid directly in Euro cash to the driver and guides. Tipping has been included for the group lunches and dinners.