Day 2

(Maundy Thursday)

Erice and the Procession of the Mysteries in Marsala.

Breakfast in hotel and visit of the medieval town of Erice settled at the top of the mount of the same name (750 m above sea level), few kilometers away from Trapani.
In the afternoon participation in the Procession of the Mysteries in Marsala, one of the most heartfelt ceremony of Easter in Sicily. The procession starts from the Church of St. Anna. The first character is a hooded man from the Brotherwood of St. Anna who carries a long cross. After him the Veronichette, girls with colored dresses with coppolette (rich golden votive headdresses adorned with jewels) on their heads.
The performance includes the representation of the following episodes: “Children dressed as little angels”, “White-dressed children”, “Group of Peace”, “Jesus accompanied with the Apostles”, “Jesus facing Caifa”, “Jesus facing Herod”, “Jesus facing Pontius Pilate”, “Jesus with the Cross on the way to the Calvary”. At the end of the procession the statue of the dead Christ lying down a long white bed sheet is held up by thirty-two girls, called “Figlie di Maria” (Maria’s daughters), dressed in black with golden cords and white shawls; and lastly the statue of Our Lady of Sorrow ends the procession.
The performance finishes late in the night.
Dinner and night in hotel.

Day 3

(Good Friday)

Selinunte and the Procession of the Mysteries of Trapani

Breakfast in hotel. Tour of Selinunte, the name comes from the Greek “Selinon” which designated a kind of wild parsley growing copiously in the area. The town was founded by Megara Hyblaea during the seventh century BC. Selinunte boasts the widest archaeological site in the Mediterranean area.
In the afternoon transfer to Trapani, participation in the Procession of the Mysteries, the most followed ceremony of Easter in Sicily: the suggestive performance of the Passion of Christ is carried out with wooden statues embellished with precious silver ornaments and elaborate floral arrangements, spotlit so as to highlight the facial features, the moves of pain and suffering. Each statue is carried on shoulders by at least ten men, named Massari. The Massari provide one of the most meaningful aspect of the procession: the annacata (The annacata means the movement of the group that follows the rhythm of the music played by bands).
Dinner and night in hotel.

Day 4

Mozia and the Valley of the Temples in Agrigento

Breakfast in hotel and transfer to the pier for the island of San Pantaleo, today’s name for the ancient Motya (meaning “spinning mill”), where Phoenicians founded a thriving settlement. It is due to an Englishman, Joseph Whitaker, the “rediscovery” of the island. Whitaker’s excavations brought to light the town walls with towers and gateways, an open-air sanctuary – the “tophet” where used to be laid the remains of human sacrifices -, a necropolis and the cothon – a dry dock for repairing ships. You can also visit the nineteenth century Villa Whitaker, now a museum.
In the afternoon visit of Agrigento. Visit of the Valle dei Templi (Valley of the Temples): The place is not a proper valley but rather a mountain plateau along which, during the fifth and sixth centuries BC, where built a series of temples evidence of the welfare the town enjoyed at that time. Notably visit the Tempio di Zeus Olimpico (Temple of Olympian Zeus), Castore e Polluce (Castor and Pollux), the Tempio di Ercole (Temple of Hercules) and the Temple of the Concordia (Temple of the Concorde), which is very well preserved.
Dinner and night in hotel in Agrigento.

Day 5

Villa Romana del Casale in Piazza Armerina

Breakfast in hotel. Transfer to Piazza Armerina and visit of Villa Romana del Casale (a Roman Imperial Villa). The building dates back to the third-fourth century AD and it was first used as a country house and then as a hunting residence. Its importance is due to the well preserved status of the place and above all to the mosaics which floor all rooms.
In the afternoon transfer to Acireale. Dinner and night in hotel.

Day 6

The “garden in stone” of Noto and Syracuse

Breakfast in hotel. In the morning tour of the beautiful town of Noto, known as the “Garden in stone”, rebuilt after the earthquake of 1963. You will admire the scenographic perspective of its flights of stairs, the Cathedral, the churches of San Francesco (St. Francis) and of Santa Chiara (St. Clare), the Monastero del Salvatore, Palazzo Ducezio (the local Town Hall), Palazzo Nicolaci di Villa Dorata, the church of San Domenico (St. Dominique) and the theatre.
In the afternoon visit of Syracuse: the archaeological area, the Greek Theatre, the Latomia del Paradiso (an ancient Greek quarry), the Grotta dei Cordari, the Ara of Hiero II, the Roman Amphitheater. The visit continues to discover the historical centre of Ortigia: the Temple of Apollo, the Cathedral and the Fountain of Arethusa.
Dinner and night in hotel.

Day 7

Taormina, the Ionian Pearl

Breakfast in hotel. Visit of Taormina, the old Tauromenion, founded in 358 BC. The town lies on a hill terrace overlooking the Ionian coast with the majestic and spectacular Etna as a backdrop. Taormina, praised by several poets and famous writers - notably W. Goethe - in the past centuries, is still one of the most exclusive international tourist destinations. The main monuments are: Palazzo Corvaja, at the entrance of the town, with its 15th century facade showing a series of two-mullioned windows; the Cathedral of the 13th century, the Greek-Roman Theatre.
Transfer to Catania airport and departure.