Our trip starts this afternoon at our hotel in Palermo with a group orientation and introductions. There will be free time to explore the sights of Palermo before dinner, accompanied by your Sierra and local tour leader. Dinner will be at a local restaurant.

After breakfast at our hotel, we drive to the Madonie Mountains, where we set off for a five-mile hike with a 900-foot elevation gain. These mountains are well-known for their giant holly trees, some of which are more than 300 years old, and the flowering Manna Ash. After a delicious picnic lunch in the forest, we will arrive back at the hotel mid-afternoon.

Following breakfast, we travel to the small hill town of Monreale to behold the mosaics of its Norman cathedral, among the most extraordinary in Italy. This amazing monument is a dazzling mixture of Arab, Byzantine, and Norman artistic styles, a perfect blend of Christian and Muslim art and architecture from the 12th century CE. In the afternoon we drive to Erice, a delightful medieval village perched on a mountaintop. Walking its narrow streets, we enjoy breathtaking views of the Egadi Islands below, where the region's once-famed tuna harvest took place. Our small hotel in the coastal town of San Vito lo Capo will be our home for two nights.

Today we explore Lo Zingaro, Sicily’s first nature reserve, established in 1981. We hike four miles of Mediterranean coastline (gaining 400 feet of elevation), perched high above the sea and delight in wonderful views and carpets of wildflowers. More than 40 bird species nest in this area, including the rare Bonelli's eagle. After our hike we will return to our hotel and dinner in San Vito lo Capo.

In the morning our bus takes us to breathtaking Selinunte, where we enjoy one of Europe's largest archaeological parks set against amazing views of the sea. Founded in the 7th century BCE, Selinunte played a fundamental role in the spread of Greek culture. After lunch we will sample Marsala wine made in this region. We have dinner at our hotel near Agrigento.

Today we visit two UNESCO World Heritage sites. The first is the Valley of the Temples in Agrigento, one of the richest archaeological areas of the world. A passionate and knowledgeable art historian will take us on a tour among the remains of several ancient temples constructed in the Doric style in the 6th and 5th centuries BCE, followed by a visit to the site museum. Now excavated and partially restored, they constitute some of the largest and best-preserved ancient Greek buildings outside of Greece. In the afternoon (en route to our beautiful rural villa near Noto) we visit our second World Heritage site, Villa Romana del Casale. Our expert guide will lead us through this Roman imperial villa, which dates from the early 4th century AD, to view one of the richest and largest collections of Roman mosaics in the world, which are considered the best preserved of their kind. We then arrive at our home for the next three nights, a beautiful rural villa near Noto.

This morning we visit the Vendicari Nature Reserve, Europe’s southernmost wetland, where a naturalist will introduce us to the local flora and fauna. This is a resting place for numerous birds on their migratory journey southward to Africa. We eat lunch in the town of Noto and have time on our own to explore this baroque jewel, built late in the 17th century CE after an earthquake destroyed most of Old Noto. Overnight in villa near Noto.

We travel to Syracuse, one of modern Sicily’s most beautiful cities, an important colony of ancient Greece, and the birthplace of the mathematician Archimedes. We explore the picturesque Piazza del Duomo and the poetic Fonte Aretusa in the morning, and in the afternoon we enjoy the amazing Neapolis Archaeological Park, with its incredible Greek theatre, limestone quarries, and the famous Ear of Dionysus. Overnight in villa near Noto.

Today we travel north to Milazzo to catch our boat to Lipari -- the most diverse of the Aeolian Islands. Quaint streets wind past fortress walls to Castello, a site that was been continuously occupied since Neolithic times and has enabled archaeologists to date other Mediterranean cultures. After lunch, you'll have free time to explore the fortress and archaeological museum, wander the town's labyrinth of streets, shop, or simply enjoy the view from the main square and harbor. A charming local hotel in Lipari will be our home for the next two nights.

In the morning we catch a boat to the dramatic island of Vulcano, where we hike to the top of the dormant volcano and peer down into its crater (five miles, +/-1,600 feet elevation gain). Views from the top are fantastic! After lunch, you'll have time to swim on the black volcanic sand beach or explore the shops before returning to Lipari in the late afternoon.

We cruise back to mainland Sicily this morning and drive to Catania for our farewell dinner. On the way, we will pay a short visit to Mt Etna National Park and maybe the volcano (the highest in Europe) will amaze us with smoke flumes and a lava flow!.

After breakfast, we will say our goodbyes. Our hotel is close to bus transportation to Palermo and a short taxi ride to the Catania airport. You may wish to stay in Catania a little longer to explore the old Baroque section, or take a day tour to Mt. Etna on your own.