I will definitely consider another tour. "Our Wow! Moment was in our free time, encouraged by our guide. "The Greek temple was amazing. We were drawn to Sicily primarily by its history, which is so intriguing. Everything from the extraordinary experiences to the special friendships formed made the trip very special. Our tour guide, Stephanie, was terrific and did everything she could to accommodate all of our needs and whims. "It is hard to point to one place/site that I consider my favorite. I had never been on any tour having always traveled independently. We expected the food and wine to be amazing and it was above our expectations. The old town at Syracusa was perhaps the most fun place with its narrow streets and lively shops and cafes.". It was very nice to have some group tours, but time to explore on our own. This was our 3rd Rick Steves tour and quite honestly if this had been our first we would never have done another. Rick Steves' most exotic tour in Italy will immerse you in the distinctive culture, cuisine, and history of Sicily including Palermo, Taormina, Agrigento, Syracuse, Catania, and more! We were fortunate to have two guides; Donald and Andrea (new guide, from Sicily), "It had to be the Monreale Cathedral. "Lunch at Maria Grammatica's home. ), the history of Siracusa (Archimedes and Pericles! She held my hand as I rolled the cookies and praised me when they turned out right. Not too much bus time when compared to other RS tours I have been on. Our leader Stephanie was fantastic, very knowledgeable and personable. Our tour guide was fabulous and kept us informed about everything we needed to know throughout the entire trip. "Hard to say! For instance, we went to a cooking demonstration put on just for our group. It was just stunning.". I was captivated by the ruins of the many ancient conquering peoples. No bus. I really enjoyed all the specialty classes, making pizza, the winery, the bakery all of it!!!". I think the schedule could benefit from an edit to allow people to catch their breath. The whole tour was extremely well organized. Etna, the Mediterranean Sea, the Ruins, the beautiful houses were breathtaking.". I hold a special place in my heart for Palermo; a gritty, real, diverse, beautiful, lively, historical, walkable city. It also was a plus that he loves good food and wine we all benefitted from his knowledge of the best local eateries. It was a great mixture of varied experiences. And he can't help being a Pom, we Aussies didn't hold that against him much! "Cookie baking with Maria Grammatico was the best of many WOW moments. "I loved the Church of St.Peter and St.Paul in Ortigia being able to actually walk through an actual Greek temple (now a church), and actually touch the Greek columns was an incredible experience.". I'm really happy we decided to go to Sicily with RS and really see everything we wanted to see without the hassle of logistics. Here's what you'll see and do on our Best of Sicily tour: Fine print: You are responsible for the cost of your drinks and free-time sightseeing. We had a blast though and it seemed we were surprised every day. Can't wait to book our 2023 tour, "It is very difficult to pick just one so here are a few. The weather was bad the day we were supposed to visit Mt. The weather was great and no crowds. "Ortygia was one of my favorite places to visit. Bus: 1 hour. Nina excellent, very knowledgeable. Every day was a new exciting adventure. No wonder some of the tour members were on their 5th or even 9th trip. There was also a great balance of down time where you could just hang like a local or explore even more! Etna, but let me explain. There were also the 5 course meals included in the tour". My father was a WWII veteran, he fought in Europe, he kept most of his stories to himself, didn't feel "the girls" needed to hear his stories. Overall, Alfio provided both and expert and personal tour of Sicily. I wish my father was alive so I could talk to him about it.". You're in luck. I thought that Sicily was great, but I'm sorry there was not more time spent in Palermo since it is there is such a lot to see there. My favorite site seen would have to be Mt. But the best of all were our guide and her apprentice. My husband would rather not drive so he can enjoy the travel time. I can't wait to return. The tour guide kept the group moving from one event to the next. I can't say it any stronger than that. ", First class tour guide and accommodations. The Sicilian food was everything we imagined and moreI already miss the fresh ricotta filled cannoli and desserts. "There were a lot of wow moments, but my favorite was the Piazza Duomo in Ortigia.". "I enjoyed the time in Ortigia the most.". Each town was interesting in its own way; I particularly enjoyed traveling so much of the coastline and walking the towns, particularly Ortygia and Taormina and the hilltown of Castelmola - and oh, that afternoon view to Trapani and the sea from Erice! We had a small group - only 12 people - and it was a very compatible, friendly and fun group. Alfio's passion, humor and knowledge was enlightening. Alfio was an excellent guide in this museum. We got to climb the Silvestri Crater and were humbled by the scenery at the top, as well as the ride up!". I loved the baking time with Maria, chapel of Monreale, the World War II museum, Temples of the Gods, Taormino, Motza, and many other experiences. My personal wow moment was walking up to Sanctuary of Madonna della Rocca and then to Castelmola. My 7th tour and third in Italy. "Norman Castle in Montreal, near Palermo". I enjoyed the people on the tour, we had an excellent tour guide, and the people in Sicily were particularly welcoming to us as tourists. Try one every day. The group was very pleasant and our guide Tomaso was outstanding. He shared a wealth of knowledge about Mt. His knowledge of the area made the trip special. Our overall tour guide, Karen, did an excellent job of planning, keeping us informed, and making the trip very enjoyable. The cooking lesson was fabulous. Sleep on the island of Ortygia. I consider it my favorite Rick Steves tour so far. Magnifico! Walking inside a Mt. I don't think everything we did added value, but it did add to the exhaustion factor some days. We had a fantastic experience. ", Our 1st RS tour, so every aspect of a group trip was interesting and new. But my aunt has been wanting to go for a long time, and Rick Steves has a lot of cred bc of his guidebooks. Villa Romana del Casale
Our bus driver Angelo, was excellent! The rural location, and the preservation of the temple and amphitheater, was a perfect (and beautiful!) Lead Tour Guide Andrea Vannelli !! We'll gather at our hotel in Palermo at 3 p.m. for a welcome meeting. Excellent guide great people to travel with and the food was wonderful! "The Piazza Del Duomo on Ortygia and the island itself.". Taormina hsd incredible scenic views.". We'll begin our day with a short drive up the coast to Catania, where we'll take in breathtaking views of Mount Etna while learning more about the volcano with a spirited presentation by one of the University of Catania's volcanologists. RST had everything covered and thought out for ussmoothing the post-Covid way for us and still leaving us plenty of room to explore on our own. The Sicily tour was an incredible experience in savoring another culture. Great variety and lots of information about local history, "There wasn't just one wow moment, there were lots. His love for his home balanced with a deep and expert knowledge of its history provided us with wonderful learning experiences at every level, every day. Having traveled to the Italian mainland several times, I now consider Sicily to be the hidden gem that the mainland doesn't want anyone to know about. The food and choice of tourist attractions were varied and all very interesting. Etna were astounding. We were pleased with our fellow travelers and the Rick Steves philosophy seemed to weed out annoying people. "My partner would probably say either making pizza with the award winning chef in Taormina or making almond cookies with Maria. Culture and Life Style. Mt. I liked the mix of city/country times, and tour/on-your-own times. "Seeing the ancient, well preserved - Churches, Temples, Mosaics was the "MINOR WOW" for me. The guide was so polite and the woman so trusting.". "My wow moment was the food, though it is tough to decide whether it was the huge feast with the tour group in Agrigento or the wonderfully tender grilled octopus at Trattoria Don Ciccio in Taormina. This is a fairly new itinerary. I cannot say enough about this tour. The grand piazza in Ortigia, the theater and temple at Segesta and luncheon on the Baroness' farm". Now, tears again.". One month prior to the tour departure, you'll find the directions to your first tour hotel and a complete list of hotels where we'll be staying while on tour in the Documents section of your tour account. "I loved visiting the salt flats and learning the traditional process to harvest the salt from the ocean. Wonderful tour experience! "Hard to pick just one. Self guided, the site was full of impressive well-preserved mosaics and with postings describing how the rooms were used and the activities.". "Everything about Sicily is one big "wow" moment, but if I had to narrow it down, seeing the temples in Agrigento was spectacular. I also loved the talk by the Volcanologist, which was so interesting - who knew that would be good?!". This morning we'll head toward the island's western coast, stopping at the ancient Greek site of Segesta to meander through its magnificent Doric temple and hilltop theater. Nice tour, beautiful historic island. Our guide, Karin, went above and beyond anything we could reasonably have expected to make sure that everyone on the tour had the best time possible. "One of my favorite "wow" moments was sitting in the "bomb shelter" in the Museum of the WWII 1943 Landings in Cantania and imaging what it was like to live through the war. "This has always been a hard question because there are many "wow" moments and I can easily think of a dozen on this trip. A good mix of history, local experience and free time to explore personal interests. Beat expectations. Travel by bus was never onerous, our driver Giuseppe a true professional. We'll focus on Agrigento's Valley of the Temples the largest, best-preserved collection of ancient Greek buildings outside of Greece itself and tour its archeological museum. Our guide, Virginia, was fantastic - helpful, respectful, informative and humorous; we just love her. All in all, a wonderful trip. Then it's on to Syracuse. Had some initial reservations about the cost of the tour sans airfare, but with the expert local guides, wonderful included dinners and lunches, and Alfio's masterful use of classroom (i.e bus) time, concluded the cost was an exceptional value.
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