10 Days Off the Beaten Path Tour of Southern Italy and Sicily

We cannot say enough good things about our 10-day trip to Italy! We can't wait to go back and will be working with the same company next time.

They listened to what we wanted and provided top-class service with a custom trip which exactly fit our needs. It was so refreshing to give minimal guidance on our likes and dislikes about travel and have them find the perfect itinerary. Every driver, tour guide, and winery they set us up with were the best! We really enjoyed our e-bike ride in Sorrento. Our guide grew up there and was able to show us things off the beaten path.

All hotel accommodations were excellent and felt like we got the "best" rooms at each location, no doubt due to the relationship that our travel company has built with each hotel.

We had never used a travel agency before to help us but now will never travel without one.

We had a lovely tour of Sicily and we thoroughly enjoyed the scenic villages, mountains and coastal areas, the delicious food, the history and culture of the region, and, of course, the many lovely Sicilians we met on our journey! This was made possible by the travel company we went with when we first engaged Zicasso. They met with us (online) and developed a great tour, for which a few highlights are summarized below. They were also very helpful during the trip to offer us assistance if we needed it. In short, they made our trip truly memorable!

On our visit to Palermo, we experienced its ancient history and fine cuisine. Touring some of the smaller towns and villages, such as Cefalù, Modica, Scicli, Marzamemi and Noto, we enjoyed many scenic streets and alleys with their many shops and restaurants, and also seeing some beautiful artwork in their ancient cathedrals. The countryside of Sicily is also lovely to see and on our tour, we were privileged to visit some farms and talk with some locals who make their living off the land.

We were captivated by the rich historical underpinnings of Sicily, as we saw when we toured Agrigento to visit the Valley of the Temples. In other larger towns/cities we visited, such as Ragusa, Syracuse and Taormina, we had many opportunities to tour food markets and taste (and to learn to prepare) some specialty dishes of the local area.

Having a walking tour around Mount Etna with a local guide provided us with a refreshing outdoor nature hike that was a great way to learn about the area. Capping off our nature walk with a gastro/wine tour at a local winery was a great finale to our two-week vacation! In the end, our only regret was that we didn't want the vacation to end!

We had an amazing 2 weeks in Italy, from Rome, to Bari, Positano, Sorrento, and Naples. The planning and execution of our trip through Zicasso’s tour operator was flawless! They worked with me quite a bit in the planning phase to make sure this was going to be our dream trip.

We had a fabulous time in Sicily. It was our first visit and Zicasso’s travel company planned an excellent itinerary, with great recommendations on the cities and towns to visit that felt like a truly local experience. (Other agents focus on the big cities of Palermo and Taormina, but the travel company recommended we spend more time in Syracuse/Noto, Ragusa, and Modica.)

We loved our primary driver and the boutique hotels they selected for us. Communication and documents were all easy to follow.

The only piece we wish might have been curated a little more was the recommended dining options. There were too many and not necessarily great restaurants.

Zicasso’s tour company was really great. If I could, I would have rated them at least 4½. There was great interaction during the planning stages, and they were very receptive to our needs and schedule.

Hotel choices were better than what we initially discussed. The first and third were in very nice areas. Our hotel in Palermo was in the middle of all the action, so it was a little noisy, but very convenient. Transfers were excellent. The only glitch was a miscommunication on the pizza-making demonstration in Naples, but they immediately took care of it.

I think it was a great tour of Naples and Sicily, and wouldn’t mind using them for any Italian vacations in the future.

It was a pleasure working with Zicasso’s travel specialist and her team for our recent trip to Italy, including Rome and Sicily. The travel specialist was thoughtful throughout and demonstrated exceptional local knowledge when crafting our itinerary, particularly for Sicily, where we spent seven to eight days exploring the northwest, east, and southeast regions.

The itinerary beautifully blended visits to charming fishing villages with well-paced day tours, allowing for meaningful free time in between. In fact, she strongly encouraged us to include a free day to explore on our own, which made a noticeable difference, as we never felt rushed or exhausted. The hotels were impeccably selected and added greatly to the overall experience.

This was a truly memorable trip that we enjoyed every step of the way.

Thank you to the travel specialist and the travel company for creating such a wonderful experience. We will absolutely turn to them again for our next visit to Italy.