| ITINERARY
The tour itinerary has been designed specifically for serious
photographers; to ensure that more concentrated time is spent
in the most photogenic areas. We believe in the idea of applying
photography to curiosity and desire, a mixture, which can
make a highly productive atmosphere of sharing ideas and making
photographs.
While we believe the tour must have a definite outline and
format, a flexible itinerary may be adapted as required to
accommodate for the unexpected opportunities, and the serendipitous
twists, which often transpire during tours. Ultimately the
emphasis throughout is on seeing, and our priority is to ensure
good creative photography, providing an ample amount of time
each day so participants will have the opportunity to explore
without being rushed.
To best discover Sicily, we will use three bases. We will
depart mid morning from Palermo to go to our first base, typical
Sicilian farm house near Syracusa. Here we start slowly, feel
the nuances of the timeless lost villages of the eastern interior
and will have easy access to Etna, the eastern coast, Ibea
mountain range and the architectural masterpiece of Sicily's
Baroque cities. 3 days later, we head to Castelmare del Gulfo
on the north western coast. From here we will explore the
western highlands know for the dramatic landscapes and geometry
of lines, Erice, a small medieval town perched on top of a
mountain and Poggioreale, a ghost town forgotten since it's
destruction in the earthquake of 69. Palermo is our last base
and will give us the opportunity to discover Sicily's most
fascinating city. Explore the ancient markets, the arab quarter
of winding allies and the nearby fishing villages.
Eastern Sicily - Sicracusa
3 nights Farmhouse
Siracusa
Founded in 733 BC by Corinthian settlers, Syracuse quickly
attained wealth and power, commissioned important buildings,
works of art and quickly became the strongest city in the
Mediterranean. The Classical remains of Greek and Roman monuments
are intermingled with more recent baroque style buildings.
Get lost in the town center with its maze of typical narrow
lanes. Or visit the attached island of Ortygia with bustling
daily markets and wonderful views of a very clear sea.
Sicilian Baroque
After the massive earthquake that destroyed almost all of
the eastern Sicily in 1693, major reconstruction resulted
in cities being designed in the Baroque style. Noto, Modica
and Ragusa are the most prized jewels of Sicilian Baroque.
Stone filigree, menacing gargoyles, and wrought-iron wonders
decorate the ornate buildings and churches.
Mount Etna
Mount Etna is the dominant landscape feature of Sicily with
several vast craters and a height of 3,330 m. Looming threateningly
over Catania, Mount Etna's occasional eruptions are a fact
of life, and locals capitalize on the fertility and sturdiness
of the volcanic rock. Prickly pears, chestnut, hazelnut and
pistachio trees, and forests of birch, pine and oak, cut through
in places by long ebony fingers of cooled lava. The geometric
lines of vineyards and citrus groves are a strong contrast
against the haphazard destruction of the lava streams.
Eastern Landscape
On the plains in the southeast, the colour and textures of
the landscape are remarkable. In the upland area, the soil
is marked with white stone out croppings and gorges, while
the lowlands are covered with a layer of red soil that supports
bright green grapevines. Pastures criss-crossed with walls
are marked by stone homes of whites, creams, yellows and greys.
Western Sicily - Castelmare del Gulfo
4 nights Boutique Hotel
Scopello
A small fishing village where the men still mend their nets
in the piazza and the spectacular coloured fishing boats await
in the port for the tuna season. Beautiful white beaches and
crystalline waters gives this medieval a Caribbean feel.
Poggioreale
The town of Poggioreale, founded in 1642 was severely damaged
by the earthquake in 1968 and abandoned, leaving the impression
of a town demolished by poorly targeted bombs; from a distance
it looks intact. The sunlight of a spring morning makes the
deserted Sicilian town, its stone and brick streets overgrown
with wildflowers and weeds, look as though it were part of
a divine medieval experiment. No voices. No old men talking.
No children playing. No cars parked along the narrow streets.
The landmarks of Poggioreale can still be seen and explored,
the gutted church whose Neo Classical facade seems untouched
by disaster, the façade of the theatre fallen to expose
the box seats, and the church whose bell tower stands defiantly.
Erice
With its steep streets paved in characteristic patterns, the
stones worn slick with time, white stone buildings, the remains
of a medieval castle, flower-bedecked houses, quiet courtyards
and medieval walled charm, Erice is an extraordinary town
located on high ground overlooking the northern coast of western
Sicily
Palermo
3 nights Historic Center Hotel
Palermo
Settled by the Phoenicians in the 8th century BC, Palermo
today is a city where the contrasts are harsher, the beauty
wilder, the passions more searing, and the landscape more
breathtaking than any other city in Italy. Explore the Arab
district La Kalsa, with its winding cobbled streets leading
into a world of disparity, where laundry flutters in the wind
above buildings bombed out during the second world war, and
palaces of Palermo’s aristocracy line the Piazza Marina.
Explore one of the many ancient city markets, where farmers
and townsfolk mingle to the sounds of the vendors selling
everything from spleen sandwiches to kitchen sinks. Discover
Palermo’s Norman history, lush gardens, art nouveau
buildings, bustling street life, .
Mondello
The quaint fishing village of Mondello on the outskirts of
the city is set below the towering cliff face of Monte Pelligrino,
just minutes from downtown Palermo. The golden beach, deserted
all but July and August is the home of an art deco bath house.
The main square of the village is busy all year long, with
fishermen selling their catch, and the chic Palermitani come
to be seen and to eat ice-cream.
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