What to See
Taormina, Sicily's most popular resort, boasts a charming medieval ambience and offers shopping, exceptional dining and beaches, but it's not the only place to visit. The area around Taormina, in the provnce of Messina, is dotted with seaside towns and hilltop villages in the shadow of Mount Etna, the greatest natural wonder of Europe and the Mediterranean. Further south along the Ionian coast, Siracusa (Siracuse) was one of the most important cities of the ancient Greek world. Here are some ideas...

Mount Etna and Taormina

Hilltop Taormina, the ancient Taouromenion, was established around 358 BC. It is Sicily's most popular resort, the pearl of the Ionian Sea. In the 18th century the city became, together with other cities of Sicily, the final stop on the Grand Tour, the discovery of Europe undertaken by upper-class European young men of means. Visit the Greco-Roman Theatre from which the majestic outline of Etna in the background takes the visitor's breath away. Continue on to the main street to see palaces and churches of unsurpassed beauty, many built in the Middle Ages. Walk down to the Public Garden to see exotic trees on the hillside and the bay of Giardini Naxos far below. Proceed to Etna, the largest active volcano in Europe (3,350 meters) and one of the most closely monitored in the world, with its lithological boundary at a distance of 250 km and a surface area of 1,260 square km. Snow covered for 6 months of the year, Etna offers both downhill and cross-country skiing. Explore the volcano to see signs of the most violent eruptions which have taken place during the course of the centuries and see the summit for a close-up view of its four main craters. See the extremely rich and varied vegetation that colors the countryside and offers continuous changes because of the readaptation of the sublayer due to lava flows which occur from time to time.

The Godfather Tour: Savoca and Forza D'Agrò

Founded by the Norman ruler King Roger II in 1134, Savoca rises on a hill at 300 metres above sea level. Savoca was the location for the Corleone scenes of Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather, the town of Corleone itself not being considered beautiful enough. Bar Vitelli in Savoca, which is still a functioning establishment, was featured in the motion picture as the place where Michael Corleone asks Apollonia's father to meet his daughter. Enjoy a relaxing walk through the medieval streets of this scenic village. The tour will continue to Forza D'Agrò, another charming village which consists of traditional buldings and stone paved lanes that are impossible to traverse by car. Due to the lack of recent development, the town has also featured as the backdrop in The Godfather Part III.

Siracusa (Syracuse)

Siracusa , a World Heritage Site, was the second Greek colony to have been founded in Sicily in the second half of the VIII century BC (BCE). The city of Archimedes boasts one of the largest concentration of greek ruins outside of Greece. The day begins at the archeological park of the Neapolis where we can see the monolithic Greek Theatre, the sacrificial Altar of Hieron II, the Ear of Dionisyus and the Roman Amphitheatre. We will then continue on to the island of Ortigia to see the temple of Apollo, the oldest Doric style temple built in Sicily, the Cathedral which is one of the most extraordinary buildings in the world due to the different architectual styles overlapping each another. The tour ends at the fresh-water spring of Arethusa where the papyrus still grows abundantly.

Pantalica

Pantalica is located on a plateu surrounded by canyons formed by the Anapo and the Calcinara rivers which lie between the towns of Ferla and Sortino in south-eastern Sicily. (Pantalica is now listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.) The vast Necropolis dating back to the late Bronze Age consists of some 5000 tombs carved directly out of the steep sides of the canyon into small artificial caves. Our sightseeing begins at the North Necropoli of Pantalica, where the millenarian traces of mangive way to a rich and unpolluted landscape. Here the waters of the Calcinara river, which dominates the canyon, are still feeding the acqueduct of the Ninfeo above the Greek theatre of Siracusa. A lovely stroll along the old dismantled railway within the valley of the Anapo river will conclude our visit of one of the most enchanting places in the Mediterrenean.

Cavagrande Cassibile & Noto

The Cassibile River (the Greek Kaciparis) crosses Cavagrande, an extraordinary place from an anthropological, hydrageological, archeological and spelaeological point of view. During the course of the millennia the river has created a long series of deep canyons and a complex system of small waterfalls and natural pools called "uruvi" by the local residents. Our walking tour of the central area of the nature reserve takes place along pathways of unsurpassed beauty, where a visitor can see signs and traces of prehistoric villages hollowed out of the sheer cliffs of the white limestone in an uncontaminated area. In the afternoon we continue our full day trip to the nearby city of Noto for a relaxing walk along the Baroque streets.
You can enjoy a refreshing swim in the waters of the Cassibile river.
Equipment needed for trekking: Backpack, walking shoes, sunscreen lotion, bathing suit, towel, bottled water.

Vendicari & Tellaro Roman Villa

Vendicari is the southernmost representative marshland of Europe. It is regarded as one of the few places where one can still admire the unique Mediterrenean vegetation. One can also observe the migration of hundreds of species of birds coming from northern Europe and Russia heading towards the African continent. Vendicari is also an important place from an archeological point of view. Then on to the Tellaro villa, a fine example of late Imperial Roman mosaics, brought to light inside a17th century farm house.

Palazzolo Acreide & Cavagrande

Palazzolo Acreide, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was the first sub-colony founded by the ancient city of Siracusa in the 7th century BC. It boasts Baroque monuments of rare beauty within a typical medieval urban layout. The visit begins at the archeological park located on the highest part of the ancient city. Then on to the Uccello ethno-anthropological museum to admire a private collection linked to the culture and traditions of the area. The tour proceeds with a lovely walk along the Baroque streets of the historical centre and a scenic drive along the countryside to the stupendous canyon of Cavagrande del Cassibile.