Design & Gardens Tour of Sicily

(8 Days - Departs Daily on a Private Basis)
Palermo with Monreale & Agrigento, Taormina with Mount Etna & Syracuse

This private tour of Sicily features the most interesting gardens and cultural highlights of this fascinating Mediterranean island. Learn how Sicily's unique climate, soil and history have shaped its beautiful landscapes while touring top private and public gardens, as well as olive orchards, citrus groves, farms, vineyards and the volcanic slopes of Mount Etna.

Begin in Palermo. One of Italy's great art and culinary cities, Palermo also has abundant gardens and green spaces. During private touring in the historic center of the city, see the Palermo Botanical Garden (Orto Botanico Palermo), one of the oldest and most important plant research gardens and facilities in the Mediterranean region. Also venture outside the city to visit a villa garden that showcases Mediterranean plants, fruit trees and succulents. One afternoon, enjoy a private tour of the stunning UNESCO-listed Cathedral of Monreale, which is filled with glittering mosaic masterpieces. Also see the cathedral's ornate cloister and small garden.

Continue to Taormina, a historic clifftop town overlooking the sea. En route, visit Agrigento and the Valley of the Temples. The outstanding remains of this once powerful Greek city make it one of the most significant archaeological sites in the Mediterranean. Also walk through Kolymbetra Garden, an enchanting valley amid the temples that's filled with aromatic Mediterranean shrubs, almond trees, olive orchards and citrus groves.

Explore Taormina's Greek theater and beautiful Public Garden, a hillside paradise of exotic plants, lava-rock follies and promenades with views. During leisure time, perhaps browse local boutiques or relax at your hotel, which has spectacular views of the Bay of Naxos and Mount Etna from its terraces and lush private gardens.

One day, enjoy a private excursion to Mount Etna, an active volcano synonymous with Sicily whose slopes thrive with gardens, vineyards and farms. Tour a private garden where the rich volcanic soil and traditional irrigation system support a vibrant mix of native and exotic plants, local flowers, Mediterranean shrubs, and fruit and nut trees. Also enjoy a lunch that incorporates the best of Sicily's fresh, regional ingredients accompanied by wines made from unique grapes grown on Mount Etna.

Another day, enjoy a private excursion to Syracuse, a powerful city in antiquity. Tour the city with an expert private guide and explore highlights such as the Greek theater, Roman amphitheater, the ancient cathedral, the cave known as the Ear of Dionysius, the historic center of the island of Ortygia, charming seaside neighborhoods and elegant architecture. Also tour a renowned private garden with the owner, a botany specialist who transformed the grounds of an ancient feudal estate into a fragrant Mediterranean Eden of succulents, roses, jasmine, citrus and palms.

This tour can easily be customized with private garden touring elsewhere in Italy or Europe.