Sicilian Saunter
Hiking Sicily's western shores
| There are two sides to Sicily's raw beauty: one is its rocky coastline, and the other is its mountainous interior. Explore both as you hike along seaside trails and over craggy ridges where traces of ancient civilizations stimulate the imagination. Each afternoon features a line-up of stellar Sicilian wines, from native Nero d'Avola to new Cabernet, to eye-opening Marsala. |
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Highlights:
• Hiking: 3-4 hours on rocky trails, gravel roads, and seaside and inland paths. Hilly terrain. Intermittent van support. (LEVEL: Intermediate)
• Wine estates: Planeta, Donnafugata, De Bartoli & more
• Greek ruins at the archaeological parks of Segesta
• Byzantine mosaics at the Cathedral of Monreale
• Sea-salt produced the ancient way, at the saline of Marsala
2010 dates: [7days/6 nights]
September 26-October 2
Cost: $3,195; Single room supplement $350
Early Bird Discount: Book by February 1 and save $150
Meet: Palermo city center
Depart: Palermo
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Day 1 - The Byzantine Mosaics of Monreale
When Palermo was the richest city in Europe in the 1100s, its outskirts provided hunting grounds for royalty. In 1166, the Norman King, William II built a magnificent cathedral overlooking this fertile valley. Today, the Cathedral of Monreale remains one of the masterpieces of Byzantine art, with floor-to-ceiling mosaics. We begin with a visit to this spectacular church and cloisters. Then we drive to a countryside agriturismo for our complimentary welcome lunch. Fom here, we take an easy hike along back roads towards |
| the sea. After checking into our first hotel, in the beautiful port town of Castellammare del Golfo, we'll have an Introduction to Sicilian Wine, featuring the wines of Planeta, an estate that put Sicilian wine on the international map. Dinner features fish fresh from the Mediterranean. L,D |
Day 2 - Hike Around Mt. Cofano
Today, we explore Monte Cofano, a promontory lush with Mediterranean flora and fauna. This was a Phoenician base several centuries before Christ and its settlements endured into the new millennium. Our hike goes around the promontory, partially on the sea and past some old settlements. Post-hike, we'll have a tour and tasting at the boutique winery Ceuso, a superb example of Sicily's New Wave. Dinner is at a cozy restaurant in Castellammare featuring such dishes as risotto di frutti di mare and grilled fish, followed by cannoli or another of Sicily's famed desserts. B, D |
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Day 3 - The Greeks at Segesta
Segesta is a vast archaeological park that features the remains of a once-powerful Greek colony, including a well-preserved Greek temple and theater. We'll hike through Segesta, marvel at the ancients' engineering skills, and ponder the ephemeral nature of world |
| powers before asking the eternal question, "What's for lunch?" Our afternoon tasting is at Spadafora, an award-winning family-owned winery. Our tasting presents a panorama of Nero d'Avola, Syrah, and some wonderful Cabernet blends. Return to Castellammare for dinner on your own. B |
Day 4 - Marsala and the Salt Ponds
This is a transfer day, so we take it easy. We'll shuttle to the top of Mount Erice for a spectacular view of the coast. The afternoon takes us to the port town of Marsala, where we'll have a tour and tasting at Donnafugata. Named after a character in Il Gattopardo (The Leopard), this top-notch winery is consistently among the Tre Bicchieri winners for its international blends and nectar-like passito, Ben Rye. After settling into our hotel in the Baroque port town of Marsala, we'll have a private dinner at the Baglio Hopps winery. As the courses keep coming, we'll taste their portfolio of wines, from refreshing white Grillo |
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| to nutty dry Marsala Riserva. B, D |
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Day 5 - The Island of Marettimo
Off the western coast of Sicily are three small islands. Today's hike is on the most scenic, Marettimo. We'll take a ferry from Trapani to Marettimo's single, white-washed town. From there, we'll hike to an ancient Norman fortress at the tip of the island, following a path that weaves in and out of the rocky sea cliffs, always in view of the turquoise sea. We'll hike back to town for lunch, then return on a late-afternoon ferry. If time allows, our return will include a detour to a tuna fishing museum on the island of Favignana. B, D |
Day 6 - Marsala & Sea Salt
A steady sea breeze and protected coves have made western Sicily an ideal spot for harvesting sea salt. Since ancient times, Sicilians have used evaporation ponds and windmills to crystallize salt from the sea. We'll visit the |
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| saline, then take a boat to a nearby island, Isola Lunga, for an easy hike. After lunch, we'll return to Marsala for free time in town. Marsala is a lovely little city with Sicilian baroque architecture, an archaeological museum, and good shopping. Then it's on to De Bartoli, the winery that has reinvented and resurrected marsala as a praise-worthy meditation wine. We'll see how marsala is made using the solera system, then sample De Bartoli's array of dry wines, marsalas, and passito from Pantelleria. Our farewell dinner is in Marsala. B, D |
Day 7 - Arrivederci!
A shuttle to the Palermo airport and assistance with your travel plans. B
How to book: Fill out the online Reservation Form along with a certified cheque, Visa or Mastercard for the amount of the desired tour to Harsan Inc., Ste. 902-5790 Patterson Avenue, Burnaby, B.C., V5H 4H6, CANADA.
For tour photos, click here
For Google Map, click here
