Our Sicilian tour will begin in Palermo, once described by Oscar Wilde as ‘the most beautifully situated town in the world – it dreams away its life in the Conca d’Oro, the exquisite valley that lies between two seas’. Founded by the Phoenicians in the 8th Century BC, called Panormus by the Greeks and known as Bal’harm under the Arabs, Palermo is an exciting and complex city with a rich cultural heritage. Sicily’s capital reflects the history and geography of the island, at the heart of the Mediterranean, a stepping stone between North Africa and Europe, where Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Normans, Germans, French, Spanish and Italians have all passed through and left their mark. As well as giving you a thorough introduction to Palermo, its Norman architecture and exquisite mosaics, oratories, palaces, art collections, and lively street markets, our tour will take you to some of the most beautiful sites in the west of Sicily. The Greek temples of Selinunte and Segesta are among the grandest and best preserved anywhere and the mosaics of Piazza Armerina are magnificent testimony to Sicily’s classical past.
We finish our tour on the eastern end of the island, dominated in antiquity by Syracuse, founded as a Greek colony in 733 B.C. and which quickly expanded in both size and influence, its past glory now still visible in the majestic Greek theatre at the heart of the Neapolis archaeological site.
Dates:
17 - 24 October 2021
Prices:
All prices listed are per person
Twin/double share: from £3395
No flights price: £3245 - call for details
Double room for sole use supplement: £375
Deposit: £250