Definitely the best of Sicily We have just completed The Grand Tour of Sicily with the fabulous Titziano guiding us every step of the way. I really felt no stone had been left unturned. We saw and experienced so much on this tour. I had no idea Sicily had so many important ancient sites and we weren’t expecting it to be so green in certain parts.In addition to Titziano, we had 3 local guides to show us specific sites. They were all able to bring places to life and tell stories rather than simply quoting a load of facts.
This trip has been running for several years and the itinerary works well. We felt there was a good balance between organized activities and free time to relax/explore on our own. We enjoyed wandering around Ortigia, Erice and Cefalu, but found Taormina underwhelming as, apart from the Amphitheatre, it is basically one long, crowded street of tourist shops and expensive boutiques. The accommodation was generally fine – our favourite was Il Barocco in Ragusa. The agroturismo stay was disappointing; we had expected a meal featuring homegrown produce, which was not in evidence!
This trip was wonderful, especially after being released from Covid issues. Our guide Tiziano Tomasello was terrific. Very cheerful, helpful in every way. My cousin and I had signed on for the May 2020 trip, which was cancelled and again for the May 2021 trip, also cancelled. Many in our group had tried also. We all were very happy to finally get to Sicily. It rained our fist 2 days so hiking on Etna was strange; due to the weather the cable car was shut down and the top was covered with clouds. But there was a fabulous wine tasting after our wet hike. By the time we circumnavigated the island, Etna was erupting and highly visible from Taormina. The rest of the trip the weather was perfect, the local guides were also excellent. The most incredible site was the Villa Romana del Casale with gorgeous mosaics.
