Only suggestion would be to put where they lived. I had only been on one Rick Steve's tour before - 7 Days in Rome and we were stationary. Highly recommend. The logistics (buses, taxis, hotels, meals, etc) were handled professionally. Our bus driver, Gaetano, was also excellent. Etna. Sicily exceeded our expectations. I have been referring to this as my gastronomic tour of Italy. A catered picnic?". "Polpo bollito at Palermo market, buffet and pastry lesson at Marie Grammatico's, wine-tasting on Aetna, Contessa's home tour, Alberto's presentation at the Museo della Sal, Valley of Temples guided walk (exceptional guide), pizza lesson and dinner with Corado in Taormina, boat ride and Caravagigo's "Burial of St Lucy in Ortygia . The Best of Sicily Rick Steves' Europe Premiered November 26, 2018 The Best of Sicily ... Rick Steves, America's leading authority on European travel, returns to transport viewers to the continent's bustling cities, quaint villages and picturesque countryside. Food so, so. "Standing on the roof top garden at our hotel in Taormina and overlooking the beautiful Sicily coast and being able to see Calabria.". Alfio was a fantastic guide, one of the best and I have been on many group travel tours. What I really enjoyed about the tour was the size of the group. He embraces all the good things-travel, music, food, and witty company. We expected the food and wine to be amazing and it was above our expectations. "Getting up for breakfast the first day in Palermo. I loved it! We saw so many wonderful things, but for me it is always the people you meet that provide the greatest memories. The sites were amazing. We'll explore the local market, stroll through centuries in the Cathedral of Syracuse, and marvel at the masterpiece of the Piazza del Duomo. There was still the schlepping of your luggage through the towns that is my least favorite aspect of the Rick Steves' tours but the Hotels, "I love mosaics and for me the highlight was the mosaics of the Villa Romana del Casale. I experienced more on this trip in 11 days than I could have on my own in a month. "I think the visit to the Palatine Chapel was my favorite moment.". 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. Product Details. So one of my wow moments was at the church in Syracuse (former Greek temple, Mosque, church) and the feeling that we are all the same in our humaness.". It was quite an excursion and I wouldn't have missed it for the world. It was well organized, and our tour guide (Stephanie) did a great job making sure every member of the group was comfortable when we arrived at a new location by giving us a quick walk around our hotel, and making sure that we had adequate knowledge of the restaurants and which ones to avoid. "Mt. Breakfast is provided, but there are no group activities today. The people are welcoming and very vibrant in their approach to life. For a first impression Our tour leader, Jamie, was excellent in leading our group through each days activities and providing meaningful information for each visited site. The balance of touring and free time was well done and appreciated. "The museum on the WWII landing was especially well done. We never waited or were inconvenienced during our trip. Posted by Ron (Cesena, Italy) on 07/15/10 09:34 PM. It was a wonderful tour. The leadership was thoughtful and capable and encouraged us to look deeper than the surface to see the culture and history. This is a intimate low key tour with smaller cities. At Rick Steves’ Europe Tours, where we offer 44 different tour itineraries covering all corners of Europe, Sicily is one of our most popular destinations — with over 50 departures a year. I didn't realize the breadth of cultural influences across the island, from the Greeks to the Phoenicians, the Moors, Romans, Normans, etc. Monreale Cathedral and the cloister garden capitals, the theater at Segesta, the Temple of Concordia and the Telamon in the Valley of the Temples, the mosaic floors in the Villa Romana del Casale, the Cathedral of Syracuse, wine tasting on the slopes of Mount Etna and the town of Taormina were just a few of my favorites. Local guides greatly enhanced our experience & understanding. passion for Sicily, and humor throughout the tour made it very memorable. "It is hard to choose my favorite WOW moment, because every place we visited was a wow moment. Plus, all the wonderful fellow travelers we met during those 11 days. I loved it. He was surprised and a little tearful. "For me, the whole trip centered around history so I would have to say seeing the ruins, especially the Valley of the Temples in Agrigento.". Moderate walking: 2–6 miles throughout the day with some hills and stairs. The presentation of the volcanologist prior to visiting the volcano made the trip up Etna a very worthwhile experience.". "The Greek Temples at Agrigento and Segesta, closely followed by the mosaics at Monreale.". She has the perfect personality to make an excellent guide. I wanted to go to see the Byzantine mosaics in Palermo, the Greek temples, the Greek and Roman theaters and the Roman mosaics - so all WOWS. Author(s): Rick Steves & Sarah Murdoch with Alfio Di Mauro: Dimensions: 8" x 4 ½" x ¾" Weight: 15 oz: Pages: 492: Publication date: This was a very active tour. so hard to choose. Also, thanks to our excellent guide we had a mini course in contemporary Italian culture and recent history. They are very different from traditional Italian food. She was intelligent, witty, fun and full of energy, "Mount Etna. The personalized nature of the tour was not expected and very much enjoyed. The mix of tour activities and free time was about right; I didn't feel like we were being "herded" nor ignored. Monday Night Travel. The locations we visited really brought that to life. This was my 8th Rick Steves Tour over a 20 year period. Tour Questions? The bookings of hotels, local guides and restaurants went very smoothly. The local guides were wonderfully passionate about their subjects and extremely knowledgable. To my right, Mt. Guide was fabulous - very informative and witty. There was a nice mix of ruins and experiences such as the pastry demonstration and wine tasting. We were told that this was the most rigorous of Rick's tours so we brought the correct shoes and walking apparel and while there is a lot of walking in this tour we thought that Greece was more strenuous. The pace was about right. He was insightful, often delivering his info with a fine, dry wit. Unlike previous trips, however, Sicily was an area that we knew very little about so everyday was a learning adventure. It was awesome.". We also appreciated the free time. His knowledge of Italy, and specifically Sicily, was amazing, and made the trip special. Invading Normans asserted their rule by replacing Arab mosques with imposing churches and this was their grandest — wall-papered with exquisite gold-leaf mosaics telling vivid Bible stories. Although we have used Rick Steves' books to guide all of our European travels for over 30 years, this was our first ever experience traveling with a tour group. This was absolutely the best meal we had, with everything fresh and beautifully prepared, and each dish native to Sicily. Moderate walking: 2–6 miles throughout the day with some hills and stairs. We'll end our evening getting to know one another at a "Welcome to Sicily" dinner together. Jump to bottom. Thoroughly enjoyed my second overall visit to Sicily and third trip with RS Tours. "So many good experiences that it's hard to pick out a single moment. "There were so very many but the one that took me most by surprise was the WWII museum in Catania. I loved the Greek ruins. Mount Aetna was certainly very memorable.". Jamie was quite knowledgeable of the area, its history, and as an added bonus, the food and the wine! ", "Taormina, we need at least one more day.". I had a "wow" day visiting the 2400-year old unfinished temple in Segesta, the Maria Grammatico lunch spread and pastry making adventure with walk around Erice and sunset in Trapani. Rick Steves Sicily. Excellent organization, excellent guide, very good local guides, very good hotel selections. ▲▲ Agrigento Town on the southern coast, that's home to Sicily's premier ancient attraction: the Greek ruins at the Valley of the Temples, with a fine archaeological museum nearby. She is a wealth of knowledge. The cities of Palermo and Catania were pretty gritty and at times I felt that they both needed a big power wash. Hopefully, theose cities improve there appearances as Sicily sees the growing importance of tourism. Maybe my real "wow" was how this tour over delivered every single day.". "There were many moments that could be my "wow" moment. Today these substantial ruins offer a textbook study of the elements of the classic Greek temple. We enjoyed the company of the other guests , made some new friends. "There were soooo many! We travel in mainland Europe each year but never to Sicily. "Stacy was able to add several events to our itinerary that were surprises to us! Best of all was our guide Virginia, who is an absolute delight. The tour had a pleasing mix of ancient ruins, churches, delicious cuisine, educational experiences and natural beauty. Enjoyed all the cities and sights (other than Catania) along with the special experiences. It was amazing and the weather even cooperated. Etna, but let me explain. I liked that we were able to rotate in the bus and many have times have our seat to ourselves. Terrific hotels and excellent transportation. Spend the Thanksgiving holiday in Sicily! Also Syracuse, the island of Ortygia was so historic and charming.". For more information about transportation options for getting to and from your tour, see your Rick Steves Sicily guidebook. Since 1973, Rick Steves has spent about four months a year exploring Europe. Product Details. Great mixture of history, cultures, art and cooking. This is Day 15 of my “100 Days in Europe” series. Saw beautiful scenery along the way! No glitches that I can remember, once the airline delivered our lost luggage, that is. Walking inside a Mt. Our guide really took good care of us. I think the tour guide is what really makes the Rick Steves tour invaluable. Sicily is one of the few European destinations that is open year-round. The seafood was phenomenal and discovering local restaurants was great fun. Moderate walking: 2–6 miles throughout the day with some hills and stairs. Go Astros! I also enjoyed walking on the craters on Mt. I was very wrong. I loved the towns of Taormina, and Syracuse because we were so close to the sea.". Between churches, greek temples, salt harvest, to Mt. The WW2 museum on the Sicily campaign was very well done. The tour of the winery and the salt processing facility were prime examples. "The Valley of the Temples was one highlight of many on this tour. I marched right down to the stage and sang our song to my husband. ", "Two: the Valley of the Temples (and museum), and Monreale.". We saw and did so many things that we would never have experienced had we traveled on our own. ", "Maria Grammatico? Tour was amazing! "Valley of the Temples was amazing but also the view of Palermo "My favorite "wow" Moment was the Orthodox portrayal of Christ in the cathedral in Monreale! Sicily is beautiful--we have some of the most breathtaking photos of all our travels. A thousand years ago, after Sicily was conquered by the Arabs in the ninth century, Palermo was one of Europe’s leading cities. Bus: 3 hours. Written and hosted by best-selling guidebook author Rick Steves, each half-hour show takes viewers to Europe's most interesting places, from great cities to off-the-beaten-path discoveries. Sicily gave me an amazing look of it's past history as well as an appreciation for it's modern day amalgamation of it's culture. made this one of the best trips we have taken. I enjoyed participating in the hands-on. We were in 10 locations, each one a treat in my opinion. One of the most unanticipated "hot damn" moments was when the Countness of Federico began to sing...truly an amazing voice and moment!". Because of the car, I had planned that we'd stay at a run-of-the-mill hotel on the other side of the bridge, however, I'd love to stay on Ortigia. The best tour ever, "There were several but visiting the home of the Countess in Palermo and touring her home and her delightful commentary. Lunch and diners were great since they reflected local cuisine and crops. ! I had a wonderful tour and learned so much about Sicily. Rarely do museums cover so many aspects of their theatre of the war.". I recommend "Sicily" Island at the Crossroads of History," by Julian Norwich. Our tours are physically active! These were the most extensive and well preserved mosaics that I have ever seen in one place.". ▲ Taormina Cliffside resort with a Grand Tour vibe with views of Mount Etna in the distance (and the sea just below), a dramatic Greek-Roman Theater, and high-end tourists. As Rick correctly notes, Sicily is "Italy in the extreme." Also enjoyed meeting Sicilians at every opportunity!". I especially enjoyed the coastline views from Taormina and the wonderful views from Erice! It was just unbelievable. Paperback $12.49 $ 12. So I was a bit worried about moving from place to place, however it was seamless! Tour guide alone worth the difference. Then we'll begin our Sicilian adventure together by joining a contessa for a personal tour of her family's home, the Palazzo Federico. Virginia, our guide, was excellent. Finally I was entirely wowed by the going away luncheon and wine tasting at the Bananti vineyard.". "I would have to have to say I was most impressed with the Villa Romana del Casale, and its mosaics. The itinerary was perfect, I enjoyed and learned so much from each place we went. Sadly, in Erice, we followed the wrong street, so no time to see/buy from Maria's array of sweet creations, a personal loss to me. "There were many, so it is hard to pick one. The "Valley of the Temples" and beautiful Taormina.". Our guide Alfio was extremely personable, helpful, and a walking historian, encyclopedia and expert on the culture. The last half of the tour the star was Mt. Loved the farm meal.". There was less "hand holding" than with other tour providers and all the fellow travelers seemed to understand and embrace this. The tour guide was great and took care of every detail. "Cookie baking with Maria Grammatico was the best of many WOW moments. Etna with Boris the Volcanologist and visiting beautiful Taormina! I can't say it any stronger than that. The Sicily tour was an incredible experience in savoring another culture. Touring the Valley of the Temples also impressed us & the local guide was great. The tour participants were friendly and open. Always upbeat & unflappable, his breadth & depth of knowledge impressed us all. It was an amazing tour of Sicily; so many historical sights to learn about and visit! His mission: to empower Americans to have European trips that are fun, affordable, and culturally broadening. This evening, join in the local passeggiata to feel the pulse of Sicilian culture, then find the ideal people-watching spot to enjoy your gelato and dinner on your own. We'll tour the cathedral's interior of glittering, golden mosaics as well as the story-telling columns of the cloister. A true gem! ", This is a fairly new itinerary. Often our free time in local areas was during siesta time during which shops were closed so we couldn't see much. "The Roman mosaic-laden hunting lodge was the biggest WOW for me. 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