The Arab-Norman Shores

The Arab-Norman city

You are met on arrival and settled into your hotel on the bay. Palermo carries a thousand years of layered history: the gold mosaics of the Cappella Palatina, the red domes of San Giovanni degli Eremiti and the Arab-era palace of La Zisa, all explored privately. Wander Ballarò, a market that has traded since Arab times, and end the day above the city at Monreale Cathedral.

A cathedral above the water

A day along the north coast to Cefalù, where a Norman cathedral rises above an old fishing town. Part of the same UNESCO heritage as Palermo, its mosaics rival any in Sicily. Walk the medieval lanes down to the harbour, then return to Palermo for the evening.

The island old town

Ortigia is the ancient heart of Syracuse, a small island of stone lanes, baroque squares and sea views. Walk the Greek ruins of Neapolis with a private guide, step into the cathedral built around a Greek temple, and spend the evening by the water as the old town settles.

The golden baroque

Rebuilt in honey-coloured stone after the earthquake of 1693, Noto is one of the most beautiful baroque towns in Europe. Its churches and palazzi glow at golden hour, and the town is best seen slowly, on foot, with a granita in the shade of a café.

Above the volcano

Taormina sits high above the Ionian Sea, with Mount Etna smoking quietly on the horizon. Explore the ancient Greek theatre at its quietest hour, then head up onto the slopes of Europe’s most active volcano by private 4x4, among lava fields and silent craters.

The volcanic islands

The journey ends among the Aeolian Islands, a scattering of volcanic islands in a deep blue sea. Spend slow days on a private boat between coves and black-sand beaches, swim in clear water, and watch Stromboli glow against the night sky.