Mediterranean Passion – Sicily, Southern Italy & Malta
“To see Italy without having seen Sicily is not to have seen Italy at all ! – Goethe
Information for those who have Registered for this tour.
Join us on a fabulously contrasting tour to the fascinating island of Sicily in May/June 2025.
Then choose between Malta ( before Sicily ) or Southern Italy – Naples, Ravello & Sorrento ( after Sicily ), or ALL 3 destinations ( you must choose one, but, of course, you can choose both !! )
This tour is available only to those who have travelled with us before and are active ‘good walkers’. The group will be the smallest ever for one of our tours, set at 17 maximum. ( 25% less than average for our Italy tours )
Jennifer & Stewart at dinner on the terrace of our Palermo ‘palazzo’ hotel
Travel with other music-lovers to our CORE destination, Sicily, and enjoy performances of opera, classical and folk music as well as other cultural specialities including a performance at the Greek Theatre in Siracusa and a show featuring the giant Sicilian puppets…’pupi!’ in Ortigia. Visit colourful coastal and mountain villages, elegant holiday towns, ancient sites with temples, theatres, statues and more, glittering mosaic-lined churches and cathedrals and feel the many layers of history.
There will music throughout the tour…. with a number of our colleagues from previous tours brought in to perform for us ( including the internationally-renowned Sicilian folk group, I Beddi ). There are major opera houses in Palermo, Catania ( and Naples for that matter if you choose the Southern Italy add-on ) and we plan to catch a couple of performances ( awaiting programming releases). Sicily is an absolute feast for the senses with so much to see, do, appreciate and eat !!
Enjoy full buffet breakfast daily (and try to resist the famous Sicilian sweet treats!!), savour a variety of local specialties and wines with many dinners included and at least one spectacular ‘long lunch’ at a small farm which produces everything you will eat…tasty olives, caponata, salami, meats, cheeses, breads, wines, vegetables, even the famous Sicilian Cannoli..all savoured in the shadow of Etna!
Our 3 tours are brimful of history, stories and vast contrasts…in Sicily (our ‘Main’ tour ) visit ancient ruins, grand, vibrant cities, coastal villages and isolated mountain-top towns including stunning Taormina. In option one, Italy’s South, find the unforgettable, history-laden, bustling city of Naples, the elegant town of Ravello, high above with breathtaking views and the charming resort towns of Amalfi and Sorrento..all on the Amalfi coast. Option two gives you another island…. fabulous Malta, with its fascinating history of the Knights of St John, World War 11 (and ancient wars…) centred around the spectacular harbour of Valetta where cannons still fire daily !
These tours give you the opportunity to ‘mix and match’.
We must all go to Sicily and then you must choose to add one of the two options. Southern Italy with Sorrento, Naples and Ravello on the Amalfi Coast will be AFTER Sicily. Malta with 5 nights staying at the stunning 5-star Phoenicia hotel can be added BEFORE Sicily.
For those making the most of leaving home….you can COMBINE ALL THREE for a magnificent 32 day Mediterranean trip…. Malta, Sicily and Southern Italy… in that order!!
Each of our hand-picked 4-star ( and occasionally 5-star ) hotels boasts character and charm and each is centrally located for easy exploration on foot. Hotels are all in place and include the historic Phoenicia in Malta, the elegant Grand Hotel Ortigia in Siracusa and our former ‘palazzo’, now hotel in the centre of Palermo.
The view of the city walls of Malta ( from the infinity pool at The Phoenicia hotel )
General outline
ALTERNATE OPTIONS – With Sicily as our Core/Main tour, choose your ‘add on,’ – Southern Italy OR Malta (or join those who have already added both !)
SICILY ( OUR MAIN TOUR ) – 17 nights – starting in Catania 5th May, 2025 ( leaving Australia on the 4th May, if this is the start of your tour ).
OPTION 1 : In Italy’s South, find the unforgettable, history-laden, bustling city of Naples, with many ‘must visits’, the beautiful monastery of Santa Chiara, the magnificent San Carlo opera house and the wonderfully elegant Bar Gambrinus opposite, (a must for a drink…or coffee and cake!), the Archaeological Museum with many artefacts from Pompei, the Bourbon Palazzo, the Veiled Christ in Sansevero Chapel..and so much more…all within walking distance. Above Amalfi we stay in the elegant town of Ravello, with breathtaking views, a charming square and simply delightful villas and gardens to enjoy. The alluring resort towns of Amalfi and Sorrento..await down on the coast and we are working on chartering small boats from Sorrento, over to the Isle of Capri for the day. From Sorrento ( where we stay 4 nights ), Pompeii and Herculaneum are a short train ride away and we will organise optional visits (and a guide,) for those who would like to see them.
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OPTION 2: We give you another island…. fabulous Malta, with its fascinating history of the Knights of St John, the simply magnificent St John’s Co-Cathedral, World War 11 history, several museums, prehistoric sites, little boat rides and the spectacular harbour of Valetta where canons still fire daily from the upper terrace ! Our 5-star hotel, built right beside the city walls is reason enough to go !
To recap….We must all tour Sicily together and then you must choose to add at least one of the two options. Option 1, Southern Italy is after Sicily and Option 2, Malta, is before. Dates etc are below.
For those making the most of leaving home and travelling so far….you can of course COMBINE ALL THREE into a magnificent 32 day Mediterranean sojourn…. Malta, Sicily and Southern Italy… in that order!! Some clients have already decided to do so!
Pricing indications are below the photo with the Princess !
When viewing these, please remember this is a small, select group of 16 ( max 17 ) people. The hotels are gorgeous and we have so many inclusions planned – private cruises, performances ( in theatres and in our own venues ), wonderful dinners with wine and some visits simply not available on any other tour we know of.
You will also have the 3 of us there with you – all the way !
Jennifer & Stewart with Principessa Carine Vanni Mantegna di Gangi in the famous ballroom of
her Palermo palace ( best-known for being featured in the epic movie, The Leopard )
Current price indications are below ( currently being finalised ). We need final numbers far quicker than normal in order to reach final pricing and in order to pay the non-refundable deposits at some of the hotels esp. Malta, Sorrento, Siracusa, Taormina.
Breakfast in Catania