Sicily Grand Tour

A well planned itinerary circumnavigating the island to visit the major sites with the odd dart inland for even more. The minibus was comfortable, as were the hotels, which came in a variety of sizes and styles that added to the experience. Most were right in the heart of their communities, so there was never far to walk for sightseeing or amenities, such as restaurants. Apart from a brief period of Saharan wind and sand, we had perfect weather for sightseeing, sunny but not too hot. We enjoyed everywhere we went.

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!

Tour Guide was very good but it was more of a walking trip than we had expected. The hotels were not up to standard and one in particular was very dirty. Breakfasts were very poor.

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.

This was a thoroughly enjoyable trip -- we were lucky to have such fantastic weather in October. The tour offers a great overview of the highlights of Sicily and many ideas for a return visit. We visited both historical and natural sites and had an opportunity to sample fantastic local cuisine. Hotels were comfortable and some offered rooftop terraces with views.

The only criticism of the trip was that a number of hotels which were a good standard and a wide variety of styles and locations had very poor breakfasts of mainly cakes and issues with the rooms. Plumbing problems air con not switched on and difficult to control. One hotel set in a cave was wonderfully appointed in an ultra modern style but the toilet flush was problematic and plaster dropped all over the floor and beds and our hair and faces due to the damp. More attention to detail is needed on the part of management. I was very pleased overall and the tour certainly lived up to expectations in all other respects. This is a very expensive tour and difficult to justify but I loved all the places we went to and would certainly go back for more.

Do this tour! Excellent itinerary, no early starts, relaxed pace but full on interest, guided tours and "guided" free time to wonder, excellent guide, Tiziano and driver Allessandro, great group of 6 people, great food at local restaurants that had lots of character, really good choices. A couple of hotels could have been better standard but they were ok and in a great location so its a choice that I think worked, plus I wasn't there for the hotels. That said a few great hotel picks in the mix too.

The 15 day tour of Sicily was absolutely fantastic. The best tour guide ever, her name is Milena. A wonderful driver Alessandro. I felt that it was a pretty comprehensive tour of Sicily seeing all the highlights plus more. Fabulous food in restaurants where we ere taken by Milena. Verdict EXCELLENT.

fast paced, every day a different town, our guide exceptional, hands on, helping beyond whats expected, every town we had a few hours private down time,first class transportation, charming driver,interesting accommodations.

A good introduction to a wonderful island - its culture, cuisine and history.

A good introduction to a wonderful island - its culture, cuisine and history.