Sicilian Soul 2026
Tour Essentials
Tour Details
Sicilian Soul is an 11-day private route across western and eastern Sicily designed for travellers who want a more layered, high-comfort experience of the island. It combines archaeology, wine, food, boutique stays, and some of Sicily’s most atmospheric landscapes without rushing the journey.
From Marsala, Mothya and the Salt Road to Erice, Monreale and Palermo, the first half of the itinerary focuses on western Sicily’s history, flavours, and rural landscapes. The route then moves through Piazza Armerina, the Etna area, Catania, Taormina, Siracusa, Ragusa and Modica, combining guided visits with memorable tastings and immersive local experiences.
It is a tour with real breadth, but the pace remains thoughtful thanks to private transport, carefully chosen hotels, and a finish that allows you to choose between two high-end accommodation styles in the Siracusa area or Ortigia.
Inclusions
- Private car or minivan with English-speaking driver from Day 2 to Day 9
- Private arrival transfer from Palermo Airport to your hotel in the Marsala or Trapani area
- 2 nights in a wine-cellar hotel in the Marsala or Trapani area
- 2 nights in Palermo in a boutique hotel in the historic centre
- 1 night in the Piazza Armerina area in the rural heart of Sicily
- 2 nights in the Catania–Etna area in a wine-cellar hotel
- 3 nights in the Siracusa area or Ortigia depending on your selected accommodation option
- Dinner at the wine-cellar hotel in the Marsala or Trapani area on Day 1
- Buggy safari in the Segesta countryside
- Street food experience in Palermo
- Cooking class with dinner
- Orange plantation and wine tasting
- Honey tasting
- Fish street food experience in Catania
- Chocolate tasting in Modica
- Cheese tasting in Ragusa
- English-speaking local guides for Palermo, Monreale, Villa Romana del Casale, Siracusa, Taormina, and Modica & Ragusa
- Entrance ticket to Mothya islet and museum
- Entrance to the Salt Museum in Marsala and Retevacanze assistance
Day-by-Day Itinerary
Day 1: APT PALERMO – MARSALA
Wine tasting Arrival at airport in Palermo. Meet your driver and transfer to the hotel in Marsala-Trapani area.
Accommodation in a wine cellar hotel, visit of the cave, wine tasting and light dinner and overnight.
Day 2: MARSALA – MOTHYA ISLAND - SALT MUSEUM - MARSALA
After breakfast, Boat excursion from the salt pan of the “Stagnone” of Marsala to visit the isle of Mothya that was part of the confederation of Punic cities, today a small archaeological park with an adjoining museum.
Return by boat and Visit of the salt museum to know all the phases of the production of sea salt according to ancient traditions. In the afternoon departure towards Trapani through “the salt road” that allows the view of the famous salt pans and then to Erice to visit one of the few typical medieval villages in Sicily located on the mount Erice.
Free time to visit the historical center with its gothic Cathedral and to admire the suggestive panorama over the Egadi islands and the city of Trapani that divides the Tyrrhenian Sea from the Mediterranean Sea.
Return to hotel, dinner at your own, overnight.
Day 3: MARSALA – SEGESTA
Buggy tour safari of the 5 senses – MONREALE with light lunch – PALERMO
After breakfast, departure towards Palermo. Stop at Borgo di Bruca just 4 minutes away from Segesta.
After a briefing we set off driving the buggies, immersing ourselves in the natural landscapes of western Sicily between the countryside, orchards and vineyards. We’ll enjoy fresh seasonal fruit tasting, exploration of the Mediterranean Maquis, panoramic view of the Egadi Islands, panoramic view of the Temple of Segesta.
Continue to Monreale, situated on a hill at few kms far from Palermo in panoramic position. Light lunch with local specialties. Guided visit of the Cathedral, one of the most beautiful monuments of the world with its Moorish architecture, housing very fine mosaics representing a complete cycle of the Old and New Testaments, and the Benedictine Cloister in Arab-Norman style.
Dinner at Your own, overnight in Palermo in a charming hotel in the historical center.
Day 4: PALERMO
With street food lunch After breakfast, Guided walking tour of the historical centre of Palermo, one of the largest in Europe; with Martorana Church, Piazza Bellini, Piazza Pretoria, “I Quattro Canti di Città – the four corners”, making a pleasant walking along Corso Vittorio Emanuele, the ancient “Cassaro”, Piazza Bologni, the Cathedral (internal visit) and the outside of Norman Palace.
You will have the chance to taste the Palermo’s Street food. In the afternoon, free time at disposal in Palermo, the Capital of Sicily.
Dinner at Your own, overnight.
Day 5: PALERMO – CEFALU - PIAZZA ARMERINA AREA
Cooking class & dinner After breakfast, departure to Cefalù a former fishing village, now a charming coastal town. Enjoy a walk to the city centre and down main street to reach the Arab-Norman Cathedral and the medieval washhouse built in the rock.
Free time for lunch. Departure to Piazza Armerina area.
Accomodation in a agriresort in the heart of the Sicilian countryside. an engaging cooking class will allow customers to learn about some traditions of Sicilian cuisine as well as the pleasant opportunity to dine with what has been cooked.
Overnight.
Day 6: PIAZZA ARMERINA – CATANIA with special ORANGE PLANTATION experience and wine tasting – CATANIA AREA
After breakfast, visit with a local guide the worldwide known Villa Romana del Casale, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, thanks to its well-preserved mosaics depicting mythological themes and hunting scenes. Departure to Catania area Stop in a winery and visit the Citrus Garden, you will discover both the most well-known varieties such as Tarocco and Clementine but also more peculiar citrus fruits such as Myacawa or Mandarino dell’Etna, grapefruits and lemons.
To enrich the experience, you will have the extraordinary opportunity to plant your own citrus tree The day will end with a buffet of typical products that vary according to the season and a toast in the Antico Palmento featuring Etna DOC wines.
Dinner on your own.
Overnight in a beautiful manor house or in a centrally located 4 stars hotel.
Day 7: ETNA and honey tasting - TAORMINA – CATANIA AREA
After breakfast, departure to Mount Etna, the highest active Volcano in Europe.
Weather conditions permitting, across fascinating landscape with different kind of vegetation, a mixture of citrus groves, vineyards and fruit trees. We will reach a height of 1800 metres to visit the Sylvester Craters where we’ll enjoy a spectacular panorama over the Ionian Sea. Stop for a honey tasting.
Departure to Taormina, the charming city called the pearl of the Ionian Sea, the most fashionable place in Sicily frequented by famous people since early 1900s. Enjoy free time for lunch and shopping or walking through its tiny streets. Possibility to visit on your own the Greek Roman Theatre, with its spectacular view of Giardini Naxos and Mount Etna.
Return to your Hotel and overnight
Day 8: CATANIA with fishy street food- SIRACUSA
After breakfast, enjoy a nice walk with a local guide in this beautiful town, stroll through the city centre and visit the famous fish market “A PISCARIA”, one of the largest fish markets in Sicily. As old as the city itself, it’s a great way to experience the abundant fishing and seafood culture of Sicily, with a very special and authentic atmosphere. You will taste a typical sicilian street food lunch.
In the afternoon continue to Siracusa. guided visit of Ortigia, the historic centre and the archaeological area “Neapolis” including the famous Greek theatre, Latomie of the Paradise and the Dionisios “Ear”.
Arrival at your hotel, dinner and overnight.
Day 9: MODICA with chocolate tasting – RAGUSA with cheese tasting- SIRACUSA AREA
After breakfast, Departure to Modica. You can enjoy walking its stairways, getting lost in the maze of alleyways, and overlooking its viewpoints. Strolling along Corso Umberto I, you will see many shops and taverns, delicious restaurants, and pastry shops.
The City of a Hundred Churches, is considered the capital of Baroque in Sicily. Modica is also the Sicilian homeland of chocolate and you will enjoy a tasting of the famous chocolate of the region. Chocolate in Modica is made according to an ancient recipe, of Aztec origins no less.
Continue to Ragusa. You will visit the enchanting historical centre “Ibla”, with its stunning baroque palaces and churches; Walk through the Giardini Iblei, the pleasant public gardens laid out in the 19th century and then visit the iconic baroque St. George Dome located on a rise to emphasize its great height.
We will then stop in a local shop to taste the “Ragusano” an Italian PDO-protected cheese made exclusively in the provinces of Ragusa and Siracusa, Sicily. It is one of the oldest cheeses in Sicily, with evidence dating as early as 1500.
Return to your hotel.
Free time for dinner and overnight.
Day 10: SIRACUSA
Breakfast and full day free.
You can relax or ask us for an optional excursion or experience as a Boat tour, a cooking class, a visit to a farm and olive oil tasting, puppets theatre, full day excursion to Noto and Marzamemi or evening excursion to Marzamemi, etc….
Day 11: CATANIA APT
After buffet breakfast transfer to Catania airport.
End of the Tour
Tour Highlights
Highlights coming soon.
Accommodation
This private itinerary combines distinctive boutique hotels, rural stays, and a high-end Siracusa or Ortigia finish, with the choice between two accommodation styles for the final sector of the journey.
- Marsala / Trapani area: Baglio Donna Franca or Baglio Soria
- Palermo: Palazzo Natoli or Palazzo Brunaccini
- Piazza Armerina area: Agriresort Tenute Leano
- Catania area: Tenuta del Gelso or Hotel Principe
- Siracusa area (Option A): Hotel Il Minareto
- Ortigia (Option B): Grand Hotel Ortigia
Tour Notes
Exclusions
- Airport porterage
- Tour escort
- Entrance fees not specifically listed
- Meals not specifically listed under Inclusions
- Local city tax
- Tips and personal extras
- Anything not indicated under Inclusions
General Notes
- Daily departures operate from April 1 to October 31, 2026
- Departure pricing shown on this page reflects Option B accommodation at Grand Hotel Ortigia, based on 2 pax in double or twin share
- Option B pricing is $13,699 per person from April to June and from September to October
- A July and August supplement of $360 per person applies, bringing Option B departures in those months to $14,059 per person
- Option A with Hotel Il Minareto in the Siracusa area is available on request at $14,999 per person for 2 pax, plus the same July and August supplement where applicable
- Single-use supplement is on request
- Option A includes 2 dinners at Hotel Il Minareto and 1 return taxi boat ride to Ortigia
Cancellation Fees
- 100% penalty for no-show and until 7 days before the beginning of the tour
- 75% penalty from 8 to 15 days before the beginning of the tour
- 50% penalty from 16 to 30 days before the beginning of the tour
- 30% penalty from 31 to 60 days before the beginning of the tour
Cancellations
For information related to cancellations and any associated costs, please refer to our Terms & Conditions.
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