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| Day 1: Wednesday - Depart the USA |
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Depart the USA for Italy. Your flight includes meals, drinks, and in-flight entertainment for your journey.
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| Day 2: Thursday - Arrive in Palermo |
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Arrive in Palermo and pick up your vehicle at the airport. Drive to your hotel and enjoy the balance of the day at leisure or explore Sicily`s beautiful capital city. Not to be missed is the old city district, including the Norman Palace, the Palatine Chapel and Cathedral, with its imposing portico.
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| Day 3: Friday - Drive to Segesta and Erice |
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Spend a day at leisure in Palermo or perhaps visit Segesta for a chance to see the astounding Doric Temple, constructed in the 5th century B.C., representing one of antiquity`s best preserved temples. Continue to the medieval city of Erice, situated atop a mountain nearly 2400 feet above sea level. Here, enjoy spectacular panoramic views and visit the Norman castle built on a site once home to a temple dedicated to the goddess Venus. If time permits, visit Marsala, a city most famous for its namesake wine.
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| Day 4: Saturday - Valley of the Temples , Arrive in Taormina |
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Depart Palermo for Catania and perhaps head south to visit the Valley of the Temples. Drive to the area`s most remarkable ancient site where you can see some of the largest and best preserved temple ruins outside of mainland Greece. Continue to Piazza Armerina to view the intricate mosaics of the Roman Villa del Casale, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Then, continue to Taormina.
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| Day 5: Sunday - Mount Etna and Taormina |
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Enjoy a full day at leisure in Taormina or drive to Mount Etna, the highest active volcano in Europe. Ascend the slope to reach the Silvestri Craters, where you can walk throughout the layers of lava that have solidified over the centuries. In the afternoon visit Taormina, one of Sicily`s most prominent attractions, also known as the Jewel of the Ionic. Start off with a panoramic tour including the city`s most famous archaeological monuments and medieval homes. Of special interest is the Greek Theater, one of the most celebrated ruins in Sicily, from which you can enjoy magnificent views of the coastline and countryside.
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| Day 6: Monday - Drive to Siracusa |
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Today, enjoy the day at leisure in Taormina or choose to visit Siracusa. Founded by the Greeks in 734 B.C., Siracusa was home to mathematician Archimedes and today its Archaeological Museum is the most extensive in all of Sicily. The collection includes countless artifacts of Ancient Siracusa, but its jewel is the statue Venus Anadiomene, a striking depiction of Venus rising from the sea. Also not to be missed is a visit to the Archaeological Park, featuring structural remains of buildings dating back to between 5th and the 3rd centuries B.C., including a Greek and a Roman amphitheater.
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| Day 7: Tuesday - Drive to Cefalu and Monreale en route to Palermo |
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Depart Taormina for Palermo and perhaps choose to visit Cefalu, a charming seaside resort. Here, visit the sublime Cathedral of Cefalù, a well-preserved example of Sicilian Romanesque architecture. Painstakingly restored in the 1850s, its splendid mosaics are among the finest examples of Byzantine art. Continue to Monreale and visit the city`s cathedral. Considered the greatest artistic achievement of the Norman kings and one of Italy`s national monuments, the massive Cathedral of Monreale boasts some of the most beautiful and intricate mosaics in the world, which completely cover the interior. Afterward, continue to Palermo.
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| Day 8: Wednesday - Depart for the USA |
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Drive to the Palermo airport and return your vehicle prior to your departure flight.
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