Adventures in Sicily

Rick Steves Best of Sicily Family Scrapbook

November 2022

For more trip information see the About This Site -> page in the ‘Notes’ Section
Otherwise scroll down to see our tour highlights

Pre-Tour Research

Check out Rick Steves’ books from a local library, buy a personal copy, and don’t forget the complimentary copy is included with a tour purchase! Rick Steves books are constantly reviewed and updated with information that will help you enjoy your travels. The Rick Steves Audio Europe Travel App -> and all its content are available for free. Be sure to download the content you need in advance. If you don’t want to spend free time stuck in the hotel, see researching your trip -> to take adventures to places you might have missed.

As of writing this scrapbook blurb there are no Guidebook Updates -> for Sicily.

AirTags

A device from Apple to help you track personal objects. In case you end up checking luggage it’s helpful. We were able to track our luggage going to the plane in the Heathrow airport while at lunch.

Tour Overview

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Check out our Daily Itinerary -> , Overall Activity Level -> , and Weather -> pages.

Pre-Tour in Naples

We arrived in Naples after 15 hours and over 7,000 miles of flying. Our hotel was accessible by local transport. We took the city bus from the airport and then rode the metro to the stop closest to our hotel. When buying the bus ticket at the airport, we needed to provide our credit card PIN to complete the purchase. The PRACTICALITIES section of the guidebook provides a pre-trip checklist on how to get credit and debit card pins.

A one night stay in Naples was all we had time for before starting our trip in Palermo. We chose to spend the majority of our time in the archaeological museum. Leaving just enough time for a quick walk through town, pizza, and gelato.

If flying Ryanair, be prepared to stand a while to board the plane. After a short flight, we were peeking out the window to get our first look at Sicily.

Dinner: Pizzeria Attanasio. Excellent Neapolitan pizza!

Pictures above (left to right): Toro Farnese in the Naples Archaeological Museum; Downtown Naples; Naples area pizzeria.

See more Pre-Tour Naples Pictures ->

Day 1 - Palermo

The first morning in Palermo was free, so we went on a guided tour of the Teatro Massimo, Europe’s third largest opera house. An English tour was available right after we arrived, so that worked out great for us. We all enjoyed the 60 minute tour and were amazed at the size and beauty of this treasure.

Meeting our guide Stephanie Bergmen and our tour group members on the rooftop terrace in the afternoon with a view of downtown Palermo. Stephanie did a great job of delivering the tour briefing and setting expectations for the tour group. It was clear from the start that safety was job one and she did a good job explaining the masking policy while we are in close company. Our goal was to start and end the tour with negative COVID tests and it was nice to see that everyone else was on the same page. During introductions, Stephanie asked us all what we were looking forward to on the trip. She obviously took good notes as throughout the tour she pointed out the various areas of interest for the group. We had 28 people (the largest group for us on a Rick Steves tour) so we appreciated Stephanie’s efforts in personalizing our experiences.

In the evening, our group toured the Palazzo Conte Federico -> , hosted by the Countess Alwine. This is one of the few palazzos remaining in Sicily that are still occupied by a former royal family. We were very impressed by the Countess, who was very humble and proud of her family’s history.

Group Dinner: Ristorante Italia ->. Excellent start to a tour filled with fantastic cuisine. (dinner pics linked below).

Pictures above (left to right): Rooftop view of downtown Palermo; Teatro Massimo; Palazzo Conte Federico.

See more Palermo Pictures ->

Day 2 - Palermo and Monreale

The tour started out like all the coming days - with a nice breakfast at our hotel. This gave us time to meet our fellow travelers and to get a nutritious meal to prepare for all the walking to come (good thing).

Local guide and author, Jacqueline Alio ->, gave us a walking history lesson around Palermo. A couple of highlights we liked. 1) Fontana Pretoria, also known as the Fountain of Shame, due to the nude sculptures featured in the fountain. It is located next to a monastery and rumor has it that the nuns would regularly come out at night and attempt to cover up the nudes. The fountain has also been featured in a Dolce and Gabbana fashion shoot from June 2017 in Vogue. Sicilians Do It Better: Dolce & Gabbana Present Their Alta Moda in Palermo -> See pictures 28, 38, 39, 41. 2) Ballaro Market. One of the oldest, most authentic markets in Palermo. The colors and aromas were amazing. 3) Quattro Canti (“Four Corners”). Local gathering spot which has many good restaurants, shops, and other tourist attractions.

Next up - Monreale. After a short bus ride to this hilltop town, Jacqueline continued our educational tour at the Monreale Cathedral. The cathedral was built between 1174 and 1189. The architecture is jaw dropping. The interior features mosaics that were one of the highlights of the entire tour. Monreale is also known for mosaic artists and there were many studios and shops selling their beautiful art pieces.

Dinner: Sfrigola ->. Our first dinner of arancini (rice balls). Very good Sicilian specialty. We found this place just wandering around Quattro Canti.

Pictures above (left to right clockwise): Jacqueline Alio (excellent local guide); Fontana Pretoria; Ballaro Market stall; Monreale Cathedral (exterior); Monreale Cathedral (interior).

See more Palermo and Monreale Pictures ->

Day 3 - Ancient Segesta and Mountaintop Erice

Another beautiful day started off with a nice bus ride to Segesta. Our first stop was to the Il Parco Archeologico Di Segesta, an ancient Greek site of a hilltop theater and an unfinished Doric temple built around 420 BC. We were all amazed how the temple could be built in such a remote area almost 2,500 years ago. The theater was just as impressive as we walked down to the stage where some of us gave impromptu Broadway auditions. Sadly, no talent scouts were present.

Next, we boarded the bus and traveled toward the beautiful mountaintop town of Erice. Our first stop was for lunch at Maria Grammatico’s Sicilian cooking school. This was a unique regional specialty lunch and pastry session hosted by Maria Grammatico ->. Maria is well known for her pastries and using 100% Sicilian almonds. Tasting Sicilian food was on a lot of the tour group’s expectation list and this squarely hit the mark. Here we also discovered that many of us have been pronouncing bruschetta incorrectly. It should be broo-SKAY-tah. One of the best meals and experiences of our tour. Maria was a gracious and patient hostess and we felt honored to have been able to meet her.

"My dream has always been to pass on my tradition and teach what I have learned from my experience." Maria Grammatico

We next attempted to work off lunch by walking through Erice. A beautiful example of a small Sicilian town with impressive views of surrounding terrain and seaside Trapani. Most of the tour group then took a cable car down the mountain to meet our bus near Trapani.

Group Lunch: Sicilian specialties at Grammatico’s culinary school.

Dinner: Gelato. We were still full from lunch, so we just had some yummy gelato in Trapani.

Pictures above (upper left clockwise): Segesta Greek theater; Segesta Greek temple (unfinished); Maria Grammatico’s pastry demonstration; Lunch at Grammatico’s culinary school.

See more Segesta and Erice Pictures ->

Day 4 - Salt Harvesting and Seaside Trapani

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Day four started with a quick bus ride to the Salt Museum and boat launch to Mozia Island.

The Salt Museum shows the history of salt harvesting that has been present in the area for over 3,000 years. Fascinating how they used multiple enclosed pools to progressively extract salt from seawater.

The tour group next boarded a water taxi for the 15 - 20 minute ride out to Mozia island. This island has an on-going archeological dig to unearth its past Phoenician structures and relics. Andrea Masi ->, our local guide, led us around the island and the many historical sites. He did an excellent job bringing this past history to life. Just one more example of incredible Sicilian history that we didn’t know about before our trip. Don’t forget your bug repellent. It wasn’t too bad during our visit, but Stephanie warned us about other visits where you definitely needed it.

Group Lunch: Delicious outdoor buffet lunch next to the Whitaker Museum.

Gelato Alert: After the tour, we took a walk through Trapani and found Gelateria Artigianale. Stephanie pointed this place out from the bus saying it was one of the better places for gelato. We agree!!!

Dinner: Late dinner at Sette Sapori, a wonderful wife (chef) and husband (waiter / entertainer) restaurant. Excellent local fish and pasta.

Pictures above (upper left clockwise): Trapani shoreline from hotel rooftop restaurant; Salt Museum / salt piles; Statue of Guiseppe Whitaker, who the museum is named after and owner of the island; Local guide Andrea pointing out ancient the Phoenician port.

See more Trapani and Mozia Pictures ->

Day 5 - Ancient Agrigento and Country Living

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Day five started with an early morning bus ride toward Agrigento. Stephanie did a good job of breaking up the longish bus ride with a gelato stop. Don’t remember the name of the truck stop, but the group made a local artisan very happy by purchasing several handmade olive wood kitchen utensils.

First stop was the Pietro Griffo Archaeological Museum. We met our excellent local guide, Michele Gallo ->, who led us through this fantastic museum showing mostly ancient Greek relics. The main attraction was the Telamon (stone giant) that has been re-assembled and stands about 30 feet high. Hard to imagine that there were once 38 of these positioned around the massive Temple of Olympian Zeus.

Second stop was the nearby Valley of the Temples Archaeological Park. This was a truly impressive site. There are remains of several Greek temples along a ridge above the city that must have been a wonder back in the day (fifth century BC). The most impressive was the Temple of Condordia (built in 435 BC). It is one of the best preserved Greek temples in the world. The Temple of Hercules, which is the oldest temple (2,500 years old), has just a few columns standing and gave us another clue as to the size of the temples built here. Michele ended the tour by showing the scale of the previously mentioned Temple of Olympian Zeus. Just a few foundational stones remain, but you can see the tremendous scale of the temple compared to the others. It was roughly ten times the size of the other temples.

After the tours, we took a short bus ride to our next stay (Baglio della Luna ->). This manor house sits out in the country amongst olive groves. At night you can see the Valley of the Temples in the near distance that are lit up with beautiful lights. Another highlight here was an impromptu happy hour with a few of us where our friendly bartender served up classic Italian apertivo.

Group Dinner: Ristorante Caico. Excellent family run restaurant that served a delicious array of local dishes.

Pictures above (upper left clockwise): Handmade olive wood mortar and pestels; Telamon (stone giant) in Pietro Griffo museum; Face of Telamon; Temple of Concordia; Entry sign for our manor house.

See more Agrigento Pictures ->

Day 6 - Roman Mosaics and Syracuse

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Day six started with a morning bus ride toward Siracusa. The first stop was the Villa Roman Del Casale, an ancient villa built in the 4th century as a country retreat for a wealthy family. It was abandoned in the 12th century after it was covered in a landslide. Finally, in the early 1900’s, excavation efforts started and the site quickly gained fame for its well preserved mosaics and was designated a UNESCO site to preserve its rich history. We could have spent all day exploring this historical site.

After lunch (very good and noted below), we took a brief detour to Caltagirone, a town known for ceramics. We were glad Stephanie added this extra stop in so we could stretch our legs and test our stamina on the town’s famous central staircase that has approximately 150 steps. We made it to the top and were rewarded with a fantastic view. The staircase features beautiful ceramic tiles on the vertical riser of each step.

After arriving in Siracusa and checking into our hotel, the group gathered for a night walk around the historic island of Ortygia. The night view of the Siracusa Cathedral was spectacular. This structure went from a one-time Greek Temple, to a church, then into a mosque over time. Very fascinating how the architecture changed as the occupants changed over time. A great example of how structures were re-used by making subtle changes to fit their traditions. This was a common occurrence in Sicily throughout history as different cultures occupied the island.

Group Lunch: Azienda Turistica Torre di Renda, farmhouse lunch

Dinner: Schiticchio Pizzeria, mentioned in Rick Steves book, that specializes in local ingredients. We split a pizza and salad.

Pictures above (upper left clockwise): Bikini girls mosaic from Villa Romana Del Casale; View from Caltagirone; Stairs at Caltagirone; Night view of Siracusa Cathedral.

See more Mosaics and Syracuse Pictures ->

Day 7 - Syracuse, Past and Present

Day seven started with an excellent breakfast at our hotel (can’t forget about the food…). The group then met local guide Liliana Rainieri -> and took a walking tour of Siracusa (island of Ortygia). Highlights included the Siracusa Cathedral as seen in daylight, the Spring of Arethusa (a freshwater spring that bubbles up next to the Ionian sea and filled with papyrus), and a surprise added visit to the Castle Maniace.

Castle Maniace is situated on the edge of Ortygia island and guarded Siracusa harbor in ancient times. It was well preserved and easy to imagine how daily life must have been for those defending the city. One method used in defense of the city was a chain that was stretched across the mouth of the harbor from this fort to another across the water.

Next up was a visit to the famous local puppet theater. This traditional Italian puppet show -> featured master puppeteers who operate custom made puppets and voice the characters of famous Italian folklore.

After the tour ended, Stephanie suggested other sites to visit in Siracusa. We decided to walk over to the Temple of Apollo, which is one of the oldest Doric style stone temples in Sicily.

Dinner: Sicilia in Tavola. Recommended from friends in the tour group. Excellent local cuisine. We made reservations in advance here, which generally is recommended if you want to visit a specific restaurant. We mostly enjoyed just walking around and finding places during our evening walks and were not disappointed.

Pictures above (upper left clockwise): Side and front view of the Siracusa Cathedral; Papyrus from the Fountain of Arethusa; Outside of the Castle Maniace; Puppet Theater; Temple of Apollo.

See more Syracuse Pictures ->

Day 8 - Mount Etna, Wine, and Taormina

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Day eight started with a bus ride toward Mount Etna. We could see the cloud cover toward the mountain, so we were hoping for a good break by the time we arrived. Unfortunately, the weather was not very cooperative so Stephanie altered our plan to visit an amazing lava field at a lower elevation. This was the first day that rainy weather impacted our tour, so we didn’t mind too much. The lava field gave us an incredible view of how the last eruption flowed through the mountain valleys. One lucky (if you consider having your whole backyard covered in molten lava) home owner had the lava field come within a 100 feet of their house.

Next stop was one of the famous Mt Etna wineries. This was something that we highlighted as one our target destinations. We did an afternoon tasting experience at the Benanti Winery ->. It definitely exceeded expectations in both the tour of the winery and the wine tasting.

Stephanie had a goal to teach us enough Italian (and Sicilian) to be comfortable speaking it by the end of the tour. We checked in our hotel that afternoon and tried to ask for our room keys in Italian. After explaining that we didn’t want to buy 234 bottles of wine, we finally got our correct room keys. Just kidding - we got it mostly correct, but more practice was required.

After getting settled, the group did an orientation walk of Taormina. This was probably the most picturesque town that we visited, which is saying something. We got some sneak peaks of Mt Etna, which was stunning. There is a lot of elevation change in Taormina, but our legs were ready for it from our previous days walking. The Piazzo Duomo at the base of the stairs to our hotel was identified as our meeting place the next morning. This duomo was built in the 13th century and the fountain next it was constructed in 1635.

The last organized activity was a happy hour back at our hotel. Italians love to have aperitivo (light drinks) prior to dinner and since we were now part Italian, we definitely partook in this tradition. The hotel did a great job hosting our group and everyone left with a smile on their face.

Dinner: Group Aperitivo and snacks at the hotel. Followed by gelato on our own in downtown Taormina. Yummy again.

Pictures above (upper left clockwise): Mt Etna Lava field; Benanti winery sign; Old Benanti Wine press and winery guide; View from Hotel; Taormina Piazza Duomo; Piazza Duomo Fountain.

See more Mt. Etna and Taormina Pictures ->

Day 9 - Seductive Taormina

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The next morning the weather had cleared and we had spectacular views of Mt Etna from our hotel patio. We met everyone at the fountain and Stephanie introduced our local guide for the day, Franco D’Angelo. So much to see and do in Taormina!

One of our first stops was the Four Seasons, which was used in many scenes of the television show White Lotus (season 2). We then walked over to the ancient theater of Taormina. The original architecture was Greek, but later was renovated to a Roman style. Either way, the site and views were stunning. Also, for those White Lotus fans this was another site featured in that show.

We stayed with the group for an optional tour through the public gardens, which was originally the private gardens of a 19th century English Noblewoman. She loved Sicily and donated the garden to the city when she passed.

Our next journey was to take the gondola down to the port far below Taormina. We walked along the harbor and watched the local fishermen launch their boats into the Ionian sea to checkout their daily catch. We didn’t see people swimming and found out why by testing the cold water. We ventured back to the gondola and much to our relief, it was still operating.

Group Dinner: Sicilian pizza Lesson and Dinner at Villa Zuccaro ->. The pizzaiolo (pizza chef) here had been voted as one of Italia’s finest.

Pictures above (left to right): Jeff, Pat & Jessica with Mt. Etna; Local guide Franco with Tour guide Stephanie; Four Seasons court yard;The Odeon, small Roman theatre; Ancient Theatre of Taormina.

See more Taormina Pictures ->

Day 10 - Colorful Catania

Last day of the tour started off with a bus ride to Catania, the second largest city in Sicily and an appropriate finale to our circular tour of the island. We started the day off with a walk around the city center. Many of us hiked up a local church’s bell tower and were treated to a wonderful view of the city. Next we roamed through the fish market with its signature aroma and browsed the plentiful butcher shops that featured all the unique Sicilian food that we have sampled during the last 10 days. Catania seemed to be more of a commercial center than what we saw in Palermo.

Next, we rode the bus to the Museo Storico Dello Sbarco (World war II museum). This museum featured a recreation of what Sicily looked like just prior to the war and what happened to the neighborhoods during the allied invasion. Operation Husky was the allied (American and British armies) mission to start the invasion of Italy. It took just 38 days to liberate (capture) Sicily and was the springboard to move up into the rest of Italy. This was a very interesting museum with the details of the invasion and the examples of both sides’ military uniforms and weapons. It is also a requirement for school kids in Sicily to visit this museum.

A separate exhibit within the museum was the photo gallery featuring the works of Phil Stern, an American photographer, who served as an Army Ranger (“Darby’s Rangers”) during the North African and Italian campaigns. His photographs became famous for capturing the daily lives and raw images of those who were impacted during the battles. He also gained acclaim after the war for his portraits of Hollywood stars. See Phil Stern’s Archives ->

We then bid farewell to our outstanding bus driver, Giussepe, who lives in the Catania area. He became part of our tour group and made our tour transportation efficient and enjoyable. Stephanie and Giussepe made a great team and greatly enhanced our tour.

Group Dinner: Curtigghiu, our last group event. Another excellent family restaurant with regional delicacies.

It was fun to see how the group bonded over the past 10 days. We made our goal of having no one having to drop out of the tour because of COVID. We ended the evening wishing all safe travels for wherever they had planned next.

Pictures above (left to right): Catania Market vendor; Umbrellas in an alley at the market; Museo Storico Dello Sbarco in Sicilia sign; No more wars picture from the Phil Stern gallery.

See more Catania Pictures ->

Day 11 - Tour Over After Breakfast

Last day in Sicily and the end of our tour, which both went fast and was loaded with excellent sites and adventures. After breakfast and many farewells to fellow travelers, it was time for the taxi ride to the airport. Stephanie arranged all the taxi’s for the group, which made the logistics very simple and cost effective. Thank you again Stephanie.

Our next destination was a five day visit to Paris. We flew ITA (Italian airline) to Milan and then Paris, which worked out seamlessly. We landed at Charles DeGaulle airport and were familiar with the layout from prior visits. Both train and metro tickets were easy to purchase thanks to the visitor center. After eleven stops on the RER (train), we then transferred to the Metro line and waited another ten stations before arriving at our hotel (Chateau de Vincennes) for the next five nights.

Pictures above (left to right): Breakfast set up at Hotel Romano House (Catania); Catania Airport shop; Piano at the Catania airport.

See Post Tour Paris Pictures ->

Pre-Tour Naples