Discover your private secret garden in Sicily, lush with decorative vines, orange groves and olive orchards; explore the rich soil that creates the incredible fertile landscape. Chefs create unique and widely sought dishes using traditional ingredients grown in personalized private plots. Noble families decorate their estates with blossoming white trees and towering palm fronds. Vineyards comb the fertile foothills of Mount Etna. Baroque palaces frame elegant squares and verdant gardens hide behind...
Customizable Itinerary
Day 1
Lushness of Sicily
Sicily is a majestic island with thousands of years of history. Gardens blossom unhindered, and grape vines comb the countryside. You arrive at the airport in Catania, where your private transfer is waiting to escort you to Syracuse. En route to Syracuse, you stop at an elegant boutique winery with vineyards on the lower regions of the Gibellina Mountains. Your tour of the winery takes you along the elegant garden filled with fragrant olive and citrus trees. Emerald leaves glow along the vines like gemstones.
Ivy dangles across the seasoned façade of the estate home. Inside the estate, your guide shows you a range of instruments and techniques used to produce wine since the 12th century. Outside, you can feel the texture of the soil and embrace the semi-sweet aroma of the grape varieties growing along the nearly 50 acres of land. Your guide pours you a sample of the Moscato produced on the property. The wine has a brilliant gold color and an intense aroma of peach and banana. You sip the wine to find a crisp roundness. You continue to Syracuse, and your arrival in Sicily has already made you feel welcome. Consider reading some of our travelers' reviews of Sicily tours to gain more inspiration to perfectly craft your itinerary to your particular interests and desires.
What's Included:
Day 2
Splendor of Syracuse
Day 3
Private Gardens and Sensational Blossoms
Day 4
Farming the Familiar and Unfamiliar
Day 5
Age, Size, and Beauty
Day 6
Learning the Culture
Day 7
Fertile and Dramatic Land
Day 8
Greek Garden and Temple Ruins
Day 9
Framing Botanical Gardens
Day 10
Vibrant Natural Colors of Sicily
Trip Highlights
- Stroll through the segmented walkways and elaborately designated landscape of the Garden of Sangiuliano on a private tour
- Enjoy a unique welcome to Sicily with a tour of a celebrated winery outside of Syracuse, followed by a sensational tasting
- Delight in the traditional cuisine during a private cooking class taught by a local chef, using ingredients easily found in a Sicilian garden
- Explore the stunning differences in the landscape between the lower foothills of Mount Etna and the rugged qualities of the higher altitude hills
- Discover the Baroque architecture of Catania shimmering along the bustling streets
- Relish a hidden Eden-like garden on the fringes of the ancient ruins at the Valley of the Temples
Detailed Description
Immerse yourself in the unique 10-day tour of Sicily’s landscapes and gardens strung across the Mediterranean island of Sicily. Pine trees shade sandy beaches where cobalt blue water brushes against the shoreline. The aroma of fennel and citrus overtake the soft floral scent carried by the breeze. You arrive at Catania airport, where your private transfer is waiting to greet you. The image of Sicily comes to fruition when you stop at a celebrated winery to explore the vineyard and sample a traditional aperitif (an alcoholic drink that precedes a meal) produced on the island. You continue to Syracuse, where you settle into luxury at your hotel.
The next day, your guide meets you at the hotel and leads you on exceptional full day Sicily tours for groups, taking you on an ancient and medieval history exploration. Visit the incredible private Garden of Sangiuliano, located on an estate owned by Sicilian nobility. Continue to the quiet grounds of Il Biviere to witness the unique flora encompassing a global reach. You leave Syracuse behind and tour the grounds of Gli Aromi farm, where your guide presents you with a meal cooked using ingredients locally sourced from their grounds. Once in Modica, you discover the Baroque architecture and the charming chocolate traditions of the city.
Travel to Catania to explore the Baroque streets and experience the boisterous fish market. Outside the city is the fascinating Le Stanze in Fiore gardens, along with the Parco Paterno del Toscano. The latter is a manor house of consisting of garden terraces and marvelous exotic plants. In the evening, you settle into the charming seaside ambiance of Taormina. Your guide is a private chef who leads you on a marketing tour of Taormina before teaching you the local culinary traditions. The day continues at Casa Cuseni, a lovely mansion situated below the cliff of Taormina.
The following morning, you venture up the mountainside of Mount Etna on a guided tour before relishing the flavors of a boutique winery on a tasting tour of the hillside estate of Barone di Villagrande. Then, you make your way to the wondrous ancient ruins at the Valley of the Temples to see the Doric structures, along with the neighboring Eden, known as the Kolymbetra Garden. You follow your guide on a full day tour of Palermo to view the stunning history of the city and experience the culture along the streets, marketplaces, and botanical gardens. Your guide meets you in the hotel lobby on your final day and escorts you to Falcone-Borsellino Airport for your flight home.
Starting Price
$4,500 per person (excluding international flights)
Your Zicasso trip is fully customizable, and this sample itinerary is a starting place for your travel plans. Actual costs are dynamic, and your selection of accommodations and activities, your season of travel, and other such variables will bring this budget guideline up or down. Throughout your planning experience with your Zicasso specialist, your itinerary is designed around your budget. You can book your trip when you are satisfied with every detail. Planning your trip with a Zicasso travel specialist is a free service.
What's Included
- Accommodations
- In-country transportation
- Some or all activities and tours
- Expert trip planning
- 24x7 support during your trip
Your final trip cost will vary based on your selected accommodations, activities, meals, and other trip elements that you opt to include.
Reviews of Zicasso's Referral Service
4.9 stars based on 5973 reviews.
Zicasso's travel agent helped to make our trip to Italy truly memorable. He listened to our interests and formulated a vacation that was unforgettable.
Reviewed By Barbara M.
We booked an amazing trip with Zicasso's travel partner and his travel team, which, pleasantly, far exceeded our expectations. Every detail was perfectly planned out, from the moment we were greeted at the airport in Naples by our driver to the private tours, boat excursions, and Amalfi drive. Our accommodations were top-notch.
He made planning this trip stress-free, and we enjoyed every moment. It was first-class treatment all the way, without the hassle of trying to coordinate all of the logistics ourselves. Thanks to our agent for providing us with an amazing, personalized, trip of a lifetime!
Reviewed By Jeanine P.
Zicasso's tour partner helped put together the trip of a lifetime. She provided many great suggestions of things to do and places to visit in Italy. I was very pleased with her ability to coordinate the details of the trip, from hotel reservations to private transportation and excursions/tours. We were so busy that by the end of the day, we were worn out. When we plan our next trip, I am going to personally ask to work with her again, she became part of our family with her personalized service.
Reviewed By Robert C.
The trip Zicasso's travel specialist arranged for us exceeded all our expectations. It was absolutely wonderful; not a single detail was overlooked. The hotels were excellent, the tours were great, and the drivers were always on time. I totally recommend Zicasso and the agency, and will undoubtedly use them for future travel plans.
Reviewed By Philip S.
Zicasso's travel designer did a terrific job. We had the initial phone consult, after which she delivered a first draft of the itinerary. From there, she helped guide us through a few revisions until we got the details smoothed out. We are experienced travelers and can appreciate a well-constructed trip, and that's what our experience with our agent reflected.
One crucial thing is that all the drivers who are engaged to move you around are prompt. Every one of them was right on time and friendly and helpful to boot. It was much appreciated.
To sum up our experience, I would do it all again with Zicasso and the agency and our agent. Our trip to Italy in the late summer of 2025 was something we will not soon forget!
Reviewed By tony B.
Zicasso's travel partner is very thorough and makes sure the trip is tailored to your vision. They are flexible and very responsive. We would recommend them to anyone traveling.
Reviewed By Evan C.