Best of Italy and Sicily

The multicultural capital of Palermo launches your journey across Sicily and Italy. You'll have some free time before meeting your Travel Director and fellow travellers for a Welcome Reception and orientation of the city's attractions, so why not head straight out to explore its fascinating history on your own?

Join your Local Specialist for a sightseeing tour, which includes the Teatro Massimo and old 'La Cala' harbour. Later, travel to Monreale on the slopes of Monte Caputo overlooking the almond, olive and orange groves of La Conca d'Oro. Here you'll visit the 12th-century Norman Cathedral, dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary.

Continue to the pretty fishing village of Mondello. Journey to Agrigento to tour the impressive Greek Valley of Temples with a Local Specialist, dating back to the 6th century BC. This evening, dinner is served at your hotel.

Travel through the vineyards of the southern hills towards the seaside resort of Taormina, your home for the next two nights. Enjoy spectacular vistas and a taste of la dolce vita in this hillside town, with some free time on arrival.

Spend the day relaxing at your chic Sicilian resort. Dive into the warm Mediterranean waters, shop for exquisite handmade lace on Corso Umberto or indulge in a mulberry granita. Consider joining an Optional Experience to Savoca, the village made famous by 'The Godfather', or Europe's most active volcano, Mount Etna. This evening, Connect with Locals over dinner at a Be My Guest experience hosted at a vineyard on the slopes of Mount Etna. Join Maria Marano for a walking tour through her estate and cellars, and enjoy home-made appetisers accompanied by the local wine.

Today we cross the Strait of Messina to mainland Italy by ferry, driving north through rustic Calabria via Salerno to UNESCO-listed Pompeii where a Local Specialist will take you on a walking tour. For centuries, the city was lost to the world - its rediscovery in the 18th century revealed a time capsule of well-preserved ruins that provides insights into the day-to-day life of a Roman city, centuries ago. We continue to our hotel in Sorrento where we'll spend the next two nights.

We cruise to the Isle of Capri where we'll enjoy a guided walking tour of Capri town with a Local Specialist. Window-shop along Via Camerelle and watch the beautiful people in the Piazzetta, before returning to Sorrento, where you will have the evening at leisure to indulge in a little limoncello at Piazza Tasso, with its many cafés.

Admire the dramatic coastline, driving north from Sorrento to the 'Eternal City' of Rome. This evening, an exclusive Trafalgar experience will see you Dive Into Culture and enjoy an al fresco dinner against the spectacular backdrop of St. Peter's in Rome. Marvel at Michelangelo's magnificent 16th-century frescoed ceiling in the Sistine Chapel and see the array of exquisite artefacts at the Museo Gregoriano Profano, founded in the Lateran Apostolic Palace at the behest of Gregory XVI Cappellari in 1844.

Rome was once the capital of the world and is a city with an irresistible verve. Join your Local Specialist for a sightseeing tour to admire the city's iconic and unexpected highlights. Head to the Vatican and see Michelangelo's magnificent Pietà inside St. Peter's Basilica. Your next stop is Ancient Rome, where you'll see Circus Maximus and visit the Colosseum where gladiators and slaves once fought to their deaths. Spend the rest of the day exploring the city your way.

Today, we drive north to the mystical medieval hilltop town of Assisi, most famous for being the birthplace of St. Francis. Join a Local Specialist for a walking tour, which includes a visit to the Basilica of St. Francis to view its magnificent frescoes and carvings. Tonight, we'll stay at one of Trafalgar's Stays With Stories - a fully renovated old Franciscan monastery.

We venture to Pisa to visit the Square of Miracles and view the Leaning Tower that bears this city's name. A short drive north takes us to La Spezia, known as the 'Pearl of the Tyrrhenian Sea'. Tonight is free to explore as you wish.

Join a Local Specialist to visit Cinque Terre, a series of centuries-old seaside villages clinging impossibly to rugged cliffs that plunge into the Ligurian Sea. Continue later to Florence, once a vibrant republic under the rule of the dynamic Medici family, whose love for art and antiquities created one of the world's most cultural cities. You'll have the night off to see the sights on your own.

The magnificent marble Duomo, Santa Croce Basilica, Ponte Vecchio and Piazza della Signoria feature on your walking tour through Florence with a Local Specialist through Florence's grand boulevards and narrow lanes. Head north to Venice, the 'Queen of the Adriatic'.

Dive into Culture and witness the centuries-old craft of glassblowing. Then, embark on an orientation cruise by private launch to the gateway of Venice, St. Mark's Square, which Napoleon once called the 'drawing room of Europe'. See the Doge's Palace, St. Mark's Cathedral and the Bridge of Sighs. The rest of the afternoon is yours to explore more of the sights. Consider an Optional Experience, navigating the city's elegant canals from the comfort of a traditional gondola. Tonight, you'll join your fellow travellers for a Farewell Dinner and toast to shared memories that will linger long after the evening ends.

For now, it's a fond ciao Venezia as you say goodbye to new friends and prepare to depart for our journey home.