Palermo Tours and Trips

This was my first Collette tour and it was absolutely wonderful. The hotels, food and the people on the trip and in all the lovely villages and towns were exceptional especially Cinzia and her family. The farmhouse was breathtaking and the food just incredible. I can still taste the warm ricotta!The "tutti frutti farm" and pizza making was another joy. The only unfortunate thing was i left my camera behind. It was at the hotel in Agrigento. I used it-along with my phone when we went to the night tour at the temples. it became to cumbersome to use both so i thought i packed my camera in my suitcase but unfortunately it was not there when i got home. i hope whomever found it is enjoying it. It was a gift from my late husband so I guess i will just have to come back to Sicily to visit it. Marney and Liborio was just wonderful. She was a fantastic guide and he was a wonderful driver. i miss the great fun we all had. A truly memorable experience.

Our experience was great! The tour manager, Laura, did an outstanding job as did our tour manager, Anna Lisa, in Rome. They both went above and beyond the call of duty. The trips to local farms, the winery, and the Vatican are memories that will stay with me always.

Our tour guide Laura Pagano was so amazing!!! She always took care of every detail, especially every ones dietary restrictions!!!! She was very helpful and personable. We felt like her family!!! I especially loved how well she kept us informed of our upcoming activities and our schedules. She is a pure gem!!! We stayed for the extension in Rome and Anna Lisa was also truly amazing!!! She helped us find some of the sites in Rome not on our tour. I honestly don't believe we would have had the confidence to find those places!!! That would've been a shame since those were some of my best memories!!! I also loved how she kept us safe in a big city keeping us from unknowingly wandering into areas we should not be! Anna Lisa is so very special, she even helped us celebrate my husbands 70th birthday the last night there!!! Collette is so very lucky to have tour guides like Anna Lisa and Laura!

Our tour guide, Davide was exceptional. He made sure we all had a good time and were safe . Also Diego, our bus driver, was great. Everyone had a good time and my trip was unforgettable. I am so glad I went!

It was first rate! Our guide Michele was excellent as were the tours and excursions. the accommodation was diverse and gave us (well, me anyway) a good feel about the country. The educational aspect was first rate. I would go back to Sicily and any other Backroads tours in a heartbeat!!

The entire trip was fascinating. I never knew how culturally diverse Sicily was. I would never have been able to have these experiences as a traveler on my own. First of all - our guide Rosario was AMAZING!!!! He is knowledgeable, well informed in local history and current events, personable and very caring. He has to be the best guide I have ever had. The high points were: Palermo and our hotel location. It was right in the heart of the city. A wonderful location for exploring solo or with the group. The excursion to Monreale and our guide, Jacqueline Alió made the experience memorable and one of my favorite stops. Her passion about the subject was infectious. It was an honor to have her as our guide. Agrigento was a real surprise. Ancient ruins in Sicily?? Who knew?? It was just a lovely experience. The garden excursion from Marsala could be replaced with a trip to Erice. The gardens were lovely but could have been skipped. The winery visit in Marsala was a really fun experience. We learned a little about wine and pasta making and had a wonderful time. The owners of the winery were exceptionally gracious and made us feel like we were the only group to ever visit. Salina was a unique, low key yet wonderful experience. The hotel was out of a story book! It was wonderful! Great choice. The caper farm was most enjoyable to have the very proud owners share their lives with us. Never had a caper dinner before and it was wonderful. And finally Taormina - WOW! The town was a shoppers paradise!! But the amphitheater overlooking Mt. Etna was a wonderful part of the tour. But the real high point was the excursion to Mt. etna, walking on lava stone paths and then onto the wine, honey and goat camp!! Such a contrast of nature!! It was wonderful. But Rosario was the reason why our group of 20 merged so beautifully and made the entire 2 weeks a very rewarding experience!! Thank you Collette.