INSPECTOR MONTALBANO TOUR
8 days / 7 nights
DAY 1
Arrival – Catania airport – Siracusa area
Arriving at Catania airport, take your car and drive to your hotel in Siracusa area. Overnight.
DAY 2
Siracusa
Discover the Archeological Park of Siracusa called Neapolis. During the visit you will see the Greek Theatre, the Roman Amphitheatre and the Ear of Dionysius. Take your car and drive towards the oldest part of the city called "Ortigia Island", with its Temple of Apollo and traces of the great Temple of Athena, nowadays part of the Cathedral. Don’t miss the Aretusa Fountain with its legendary secret. Overnight in the hotel.
DAY 3
Noto - Vendicari Reserve - Marzamemi
Departure to Noto , one of the most example of the sicilian baroque architecture. We advise you to visit, the Villa Romana del Tellaro of Noto. Continuation towards the nature reserve of Vendicari, situated on the southern-most part of Sicily’s east coast, Vendicari is a mixture of lagoons, sand dunes, rocky coastlines, and sandy beaches. Down the coast, discover one of Sicily’s prettiest seaside villages: Marzamemi , famous for continues its artisanal fishing and processing activities, producing all manner of delicacies, including canned tuna, dried tuna roe (bottarga), smoked swordfish, marinated anchovies, seafood pasta condiments, tuna salamis and much more. Return to the hotel in the area of Ragusa and overnight.
DAY 4
Scicli - Modica - Ragusa Ibla
Departure towards the area where the fiction “Inspector Montalbano” was set. Visit the baroque village of Scicli. And its beautiful baroque historical center (Montelusa” during the fiction), then arrival at “Palazzo Comunale”, Vigata’s Police station, and “Palazzo Iacono”, Police headquarter. Possibility to visit the main room “Montalbano’s office. After that departure to Modica , famous for its baroque style. Visit a chocolate shop to find out how the Modicans have been making chocolate in aztec way. Drive towards Ragusa, Visit the Piazza Duomo of Ragusa Ibla, church of San Giorgio, which represents the main square of Vigata, the imaginary village of Montalbano, and you continue with San Giuseppe, Palazzo Donnafugata, Circolo Conversazione, where “Gli Arancini di Montalbano” and “The Scent of the Night” were filmed. Continuation to Punta Secca (“Marinella” in the fiction) to visit externally the “House of Montalbano”, nearby the sandy beach where he used to swim (possibility to take a bath at Montalbano's bay). Then you can proceed to Donnalucata, the set of the episode “The shape of water”. Return to the hotel and Overnight.
DAY 5
Donnalucata - Riviera dei Ciclopi - Taormina
Discover the Donnafugata Castle, set in a rolling countryside among rocks and giant carob trees and surrounded by a huge park.Inside the Castle, which has 122 rooms, only the first floor is open to visitors and the large garden, shaded first by large Ficus magnolioides trees and other Mediterranean and exotic species. Continue toward to the Riviera dei Ciclopi (Acireale, Acitrezza e Acicastello) an attractive city of coastline, until its name to a Homeric legend according to which the towering black rocks that rise out of the sea, actually great hunks of solidified lava, were thrown by the blinded Cyclops, Polyphemus, in a desperate attempt to stop Odysseus escaping . Overnight in the area of Taormina.
DAY 6
Etna
Drive to the Mount Etna, the highest active volcano in Europe. Visit of the extinct craters Silvestri at 1.900 Mt. Possibility to go up to 2.900 Mt. with cablecar and a jeep in order to live the most unforgetable experience, and admire a stunning panorama. Return to the hotel. Overnight.
DAY 7
Taormina
Drive to Taormina, with a breath-taking view of the majestic Mt. Etna. Taormina, a small middle age village, called the "pearl of Sicily", is famous for its narrow stone street and for its majestic Greek Theatre. Return to the hotel. Overnight.
DAY 8
Departure – Catania airport
Departure to the airport of Catania. Please, take your car back to the car hire office. Go to the terminal and have a nice flight back home!