8 Day Sicily: Island of Treasures Small Group Tour from Catania

About this tour

Eight days tracing Sicily's geological and archaeological layering, starting at Mount Etna's smoking crater before sweeping through Greek temples, Norman cathedrals, and Baroque towns in a small-group minibus. Based in Catania, you'll move between the Tyrrhenian coast, the island's interior plateaus, and the southeastern baroque heartland, staying in mid-range hotels and travelling with a local English-speaking driver who knows where the light hits best at each stop.

Highlights

• Mount Etna cable car and 4x4 ascent to active crater rim
• Taormina's Greek-Roman amphitheatre perched above the coast
• Valley of the Temples at Agrigento—vast Doric colonnade
• Siracusa's Greek theatre and archaeological museum mosaics
• Monreale Cathedral's Norman-Arab interior and Palermo's markets
• Baroque hill towns: Modica, Scicli, Noto with period architecture
• Segesta's isolated Doric temple in remote inland valley
• Pantalica Necropolis carved into limestone gorge

What to expect

A structured but unhurried pace through Sicily's layered past. Each morning you board the minibus after breakfast; afternoons combine guided walks (temples, town centres, archaeological sites) with free time to sit in piazzas or find lunch. The rhythm alternates: one day climbing Etna's slopes, the next exploring a 2,500-year-old Greek theatre on foot, then a coastal village with a cathedral. Your guide contextualises what you see—why the Normans built cathedrals with Arab-influenced arches, how Etna's lava shaped settlement patterns. Expect moderate walking (comfortable shoes essential) and some steep sections, though routes suit most fitness levels. Meals are self-catered; the guide can recommend trattorias but won't shepherd you into them.

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