For a 10 day long vacation we suggest the following itinerary:

First day: Caltagirone

An enchanting city, which is 68 km from Catania, known all over the world for the production of craft made ceramics, occupation which still employs a lot of artisans. Through the centuries, this ancient art, whose origins date back to the period of the Arabic domination, has continuously improved yet maintaining practically unchanged the decorative motives and the colours typical of the Caltagirone ceramics.

In Caltagirone the ceramics are an element present everywhere: in the buildings, the monuments, the gardens and the squares.

One of its kind is the splendid Staircase of Saint Maria of the Mountain, completely covered by tiles of painted ceramics. This spectacular stairway of 142 steps, which connects the upper city to the lower one, is the fulcrum of many cultural events organized at Caltagirone.

If you have the possibility, organize a visit to Caltagirone in the spring period: you will be able to assist a fascinated and unforgettable show. Between May and June the festivity of the “Infiorita” is celebrated: the Staircase of Saint Maria of the Mountain gets completely covered by flowers creating a series of suggestive geometric sketches that extend along all of its height.

Another festivity of strong impact is the one of the “Luminaria”, celebrated the nights of July 24 and 25 in honour of St. Giacomo, patron of the city: thousand of lanterns are used to decorate the Staircase, creating even more a spectacular effect.

 

Second day: Ragusa Ibla and Punta Secca

 

Ragusa Ibla is the old part of Ragusa, although we can consider it a town in its own right, formed by houses castled on the side of the iblei plateaus. What characterizes this “out of the time” village is its excellent state of maintenance. This excursion is furthermore enriched by the magnificent buildings and churches in Baroque style and the well taken care of iblei gardens, declared patrimony of the humanity.

 

Punta Secca. To house of the Commissioner of Police Montalbano

An itinerary on the tracks of the most beloved Italian commissioner, plunge yourself first hand in a somewhat oleographic Sicily which nowadays enters all Italian houses with the televised stories of Montalbano, a famous character created by Andrew Camilleri.

 

The house of the commissioner Montalbano is a few kilometres from Ragusa at the tip of the inhabited part of Punta Secca.

 

Third Day: The Villa del Casale to Piazza Armerina

The enormous structure which presents itself to the visitor’s eyes is the greatest testimony of the Roman presence in the Sicilian hinterland. An immense villa of the ancient patrician aristocracy of the III - IV sec. D.C. with sumptuous saloons paved by precious mosaics representing hunting scenes, fishing scenes, of African and oriental suggestion, mythological figures and scenes of daily life. The kitchens and the gym, also with mosaics (the most famous is that of the gymnasts in bikini), as well as the thermal baths built respecting Roman culture with the frigidarium, the tiepidarium and the calidarium and ample external spaces for the otium and for the leisure time of the rich inhabitants of the area. A villa for those people who loved to fortify themselves under the shade of the leafy eucalyptuses at the shores of the river Gela.

 

 

Fourth day: Syracuse

Syracuse “offers such a variety of aspects, such a rich series of itineraries, such a vast aura of myths and charm to bind even the hastiest of visitors". Besides the classical vestiges of the Greek-Roman world such as the Greek theatre, the Roman amphitheatre and the Ear of Dionysus (found in the Archaeological Park 'Neapolis') it is also possible to visit the suggestive island of Ortigia, heart of the city. Passing from Piazza Archimede through a series of narrow alleys one arrives at the baroque Piazza Duomo where, on the rests of the ancient Temple of Athena, the stately Cathedral has risen.

 

Fifth day: Etna the greatest volcano of Europe

One of the greatest active volcanoes in the world, the Etna was considered by the ancients the forge of Volcano, the god of the fire. It is surrounded by a park of 58.000 hectares which embraces different areas: the residual plans of ancient eruptive openings extend centrally and placed lower the lunar landscape of the Valle del Bove (valley of the Ox). Despite the eruptions the vegetation is varied: lichens, poplars, beech trees, birch tree and pines.

 

Sixth day: Catania

In Piazza Duomo, the heart of Catania’s historical centre, one can admire the unusual Fountain of the Elephant. The Cathedral, with the Chapel of Sant'Agata with its treasure and the Palace of the Elephants, the Town hall, face the square.
From Piazza Duomo one can reach afoot the nearby Via Crociferi, one of the most suggestive streets of Catania, in which splendid examples of eighteenth-century Baroque can be admired: the Jesuits' Church, the Church of St. Giuliano and the Monastery of the Benedictines, where the catanese Giovanni Verga set the yearning story "Storia di una capinera."

 

Via Etnea, an elegant street skirted by buildings in Baroque style and boutiques, goes from Piazza Duomo and crosses the centre reaching Piazza Stesicoro, where the Monument dedicated at Vincent Bellini, an imposing Roman amphitheatre, one of the few rests dating back to the Roman period which survived eruptions and earthquakes, and the Church of Sant'Agata “alla Fornace”, one of the eight churches in Catania devoted to its holy protectress, can be admired. The splendid Villa Bellini is one of the most beloved places of the locals: 70.000 square meters with small squares, bridges, flower beds and fountains.

 

Seventh day: Acitrezza and Acicastello

Acitrezza, set of the protagonists of Verga’s novel “I Malavoglia”, a small fishermen port, fascinating for the famous islands of the Cyclopes, the beacons of black volcanic stone which contrast with the blue of the sea. It is a nice experience to breathe the air of this place mixed with the perfume of jasmines.

 

Acicastello is famous for the castle (IX-XI century DC) situated in a scenic position, on a ram of black rock which peaks on the sea and a view which spaces to the islands of the Cyclopes. The visit in the castle is of interest mainly for the panorama: inside there is a small museum of fossils, ancient china and a small botanical garden with succulent plants.

Eighth Day Chiaramonte Gulfi:

 

The name of the town - Chiaramonte Gulfi – refers to two precise periods of Sicilian history: Gulfi is of Arabic derivation, Gulfat, from the root Gulf, meaning pink (therefore, the town of roses). Gulfi destroyed in 1299 by the angioinis, revives taking the name of the noble French family of the Chiaromontes, dominant in the county of Modica. A town of emigrants until to few years ago, Chiaramonte today shares the prosperity of the ragusian province, focusing on agriculture of quality (its olive oil has received the DOP certification from the European Union) and particularly on tourism.

 

 

Ninth day: Marzamemi and Portopalo of Capo Passero

The village arose around the landing, which became fishing port, and developed thanks to this latter activity, still very much practiced today. It possesses one of the most important Tonnara (tunny-fishing nets) of Sicily. The tonnara of Marzamemi dates to the time of the Arabic domination in Sicily. In 1993 the historical village has been used as location by the director Gabriele Salvatores for the film “Sud”, with the Italian actors Silvio Orlando, Francesca Neri and Claudio Bisio as protagonists.

Portopalo of Capo Passero, in the province in Syracuse, it is the most southern village of Sicily (below the parallel of Tunisia). The coast alternates long beaches, characterized by sandy dunes, with tall cliffs falling vertically to the sea. The particularly hot and dry climate of south-oriental Sicily is made milder by the action of the two seas. Very beautiful the small Isola delle Correnti (island of the tides), placed where the seas are meet, which is the most southern point of Italy.