Sitting on the slopes of Monte Caputo, Monreale looks over La Conca d’Oro, or “the Golden Shell,” a richly fertile valley studded with groves of orange, olive, and almond trees. B,Lĭay 5: Palermo/Monreale/Agrigento En route to Agrigento today, we stop in nearby Monreale. We tour the museum here then enjoy lunch at a local restaurant before returning to Palermo. Though the area is a designated Nature Reserve, Sicilians still harvest salt here using centuries-old methods indeed, the oldest of the area’s 60 working windmills dates to the island’s Arabic regime. We continue to Trapani, where we visit the region’s famed salt pans. Perched atop a mountain nearly 2,500 feet above sea level, Erice offers panoramic views of the valley below, the port town of Trapani, and the Tyrrhenian Sea beyond. B,Lĭay 4: Palermo/Erice/Trapani A full day of touring takes us first to the medieval walled town of Erice. With dinner on our own tonight, perhaps a culinary adventure is in order – and thanks to Sicily’s strategic Mediterranean location that lured many invaders, Sicilian food incorporates Italian, Arabic, and African influences into a singular, and delicious, cuisine. The remainder of the day is free for independent exploration.

Following our tour, we enjoy lunch at a local restaurant then return to our hotel in the city center. Along the way we pass through vibrant markets selling arancini, cannoli, and other Sicilian specialties – which of course, we stop to sample. We also see the Church of San Cataldo, another of Palermo’s Arab-Norman treasures. Highlights include Palermo Cathedral and Palazzo Reale, both part of Arab-Norman Palermo, a UNESCO site comprising nine civil and religious structures dating to Norman rule in Sicily (c. Dĭay 3: Palermo On this morning’s walking tour, we discover 2,700-year-old Palermo’s twin claims to fame: impressive architecture and world-class street food. This evening we gather at our hotel for a briefing on the journey ahead, followed by a welcome dinner. Day 2: Arrive Palermo We arrive today in Palermo, capital of Italy’s autonomous region of Sicily.

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