Yes, it's like taking three vacations in one, and that's a great idea if your travel budget is a bit limited this year. Sicily is the magical place where Europe, Asia and Africa meet. The Phoenicians, ancient Greeks and Byzantines came from the East, the Carthaginians and Arabs from the South and the Romans, Normans and Swabians from the North. Each left their mark on the island's culture, architecture and cuisine. A visit to Sicily, with its ancient Greek temples, Norman churches, Swabian castles, Fatimid palaces and Baroque opera houses, is like a journey across places, civilizations and centuries. This year is the perfect time to spend your money wisely by experiencing the entire western world on one fascinating island!

ee Sicily now! Sicily is really is the entire western world in one special place, and we offer three great - and affordable - tours of Sicily for 2009. In fact, our popular Golden Tour is offered at just a few euros more than its 2008 price. So what makes our tours of Sicily so different from all the others?

To begin, the itineraries are well-planned, frequent departures are guaranteed (we never cancel) every two weeks during every month of the year, and group size is small. These aren't "economical" or "mass market" tours, but they are affordable and they include more than you might usually expect at this price. You can read about each tour in the folowing comparison chart on this page with links to more detailed descriptions (another page includes tour faqs and information about our company).

Our Sicily tours are about ancient archeology, medieval civilization and colorful myth. There's no substitute for seeing a place like Sicily, and an escorted tour of offers a long glimpse across the shadows cast by a long multicultural history. It's not just the places and the vestiges of a series of cultures, but even the people and the food that make these tours - and Sicily itself - very special.

When is the best time to visit Sicily? While we offer delightful tours of Sicily throughout the year, we believe that the best months to visit are from early March through May and then from late September through November, avoiding the hottest and coolest months. But any time is a great time to see Sicily!

Best of Sicily Tours Compared
(tours scheduled from January through December 2009)

Tour	Sicilian Impressions Tour	Historic-Cultural Tour	Golden Sicily Tour
Itinerary day-by-day (Outlines only. Link to each tour's full description for details.)	Saturday: Self-transfer to Palermo. Afternoon at leisure, welcome dinner. Overnight at Palermo. Sunday: Monreale and Palermo. Overnight at Palermo. Monday: Cefalù, light country lunch. Overnight in Taormina. Tuesday: Siracusa archeology and Ortygia district, lunch. Overnight at Taormina. Wednesday: Day at leisure at Taormina or optional excursions to Mount Etna or cooking class. Overnight in Taormina. Thursday: Check-out and transfer to Catania airport. Read more...	Saturday: Arrival at Palermo for welcome dinner. Overnight at Palermo. Sunday: Palermo and Monreale. Overnight at Palermo. Monday: Erice, Trapani (salt marshes), light lunch on olive farm, then to Marsala for wine tasting. Overnight at Palermo. Tuesday: Visit of Agrigento, then Piazza Armerina's ancient Roman Villa. Dinner and overnight at rural estate in Leonforte, near Enna. Wednesday: Siracusa archeological site and Ortygia district, lunch, arrival at Taormina for farewell dinner and overnight. Thursday: Excursion to Mount Etna for sightseeing and light lunch at winery. Overnight at Taormina. Friday: Day at leisure at Taormina, with optional market-gourmet cooking class. Overnight in Taormina. Saturday: Check-out and transfer to Catania airport for departure. Read more...	Saturday: Self-transfer to Palermo and welcome dinner. Overnight at Palermo. Sunday: Palermo and Monreale. Evening at leisure. Overnight at Palermo. Monday: Cefalù cathedral and town, light lunch on farm in Madonie Mountains. Overnight in Taormina. Tuesday: Siracusa old city and archeological site. Lunch in Ortygia district. Overnight at Taormina. Wednesday: At leisure at Taormina; optional excursions to Mount Etna or optional cooking class. Thursday: Piazza Armerina (ancient Roman villa) and Agrigento. Dinner and overnight at Agrigento. Friday: Sicilian wine country, Marsala (farewell cocktail) and Erice. Overnight in Palermo. Saturday: Check-out. Read more...
Duration	5 nights.	7 nights.	7 nights.
Meals Included	Breakfasts, 1 dinner, 2 lunches with beverages excluded.	Breakfasts. 3 dinners and 3 lunches. Some beverages included.	Breakfasts. 2 dinners and 2 lunches (beverages not included), 1 cocktail.
Other features	Country lunch in Madonie Mountains, optional excursion and cooking lesson.	2 winery visits, olive farm visit, optional cooking class.	Farm visit, winery visits, optional cooking class.
Entry fees at sites	Not included.	Included.	Not included.
Fully Escorted	Yes.	Yes.	Yes.
Gratuities for Escorts/Guides	Not included.	Not included.	Not included.
Hotel check-ins	2	3	4
Accomodations	4-star hotels.	4-star hotels (sea-view room in Taormina) or comfortable country estates.	4-star hotels.
Lodging (hotels may be substituted by similar ones)	Politeama in Palermo, Lido Caparena in Taormina, or similar.	Plaza Opera in Palermo, Villa Gussio Nicoletti in Leonforte, Monte Tauro or Villa Angela in Taormina, or similar.	Politeama in Palermo, Hotel della Valle in Agrigento, Lido Caparena in Taormina, or similar.
Vendor	Tradizione Turismo Chat & Tour Srl.	Tradizione Turismo Chat & Tour Srl.	Tradizione Turismo Chat & Tour Srl.
Price in euros	€1049 double, €1300 single.	€1750 double, €1990 single.	€1199 double, €1450 single.
Departures	Once or twice every month of 2009, beginning Saturday, for total of 29 start dates.	6 dates in May, June, September, October 2009.	About twice monthly in every month of 2009, for total of 29 start dates.
Guide Language	English.	English.	English.
Group size	2 to 20.	2 to 15	2 to 20
Baggage Porterage	No.	Yes (1 bag at hotels).	No
Airport pick-up	No, but can be arranged separately.	Yes, from 8 AM to 7 PM.	No, but can be arranged separately.
Other costs	Some lunches & dinners. Wine with meals. Entry fees at sites total approx. €35. Excursions.	Wine with meals. Some lunches & dinners. Cooking class if selected.	Wine with meals. Some lunches & dinners. Entry fees at sites total approx. €55.
More Info & Reservations:	Sicilian Impressions Tour	Historic & Cultural Tour	Golden Sicily Tour
Organized by	Tradizione Turismo, Palermo (Italy), with Best of Sicily.	Tradizione Turismo, Palermo (Italy), with Best of Sicily.	Tradizione Turismo, Palermo (Italy), with Best of Sicily.

©2008 Best of Sicily & Tradizione Turismo, Palermo - Italy