WESTERN SICILY. Thursday 16th – Tuesday 21st May 2024. FULLY BOOKED

3 Nights in Trapani and 2 nights in Palermo

Perched on the northern end of Sicily’s less-travelled western coast, Trapani has an old-world Mediterranean soul. Travellers come to see the traditional salt flats and tuna fisheries along its crescent-shaped bay, and to ride a ferry out to the nearby Aegadian Islands

3 nights in Trapani and 2 nights in Palmero.

Includes a day trips to the wonderful Egadi Islands, Marsala and Selinunte.

Selinunte is one of Sicily’s great Greek archaeological sites and the largest in the world. Situated by the sea in the south-western corner of Sicily, the isolated ruins here have stood abandoned for most of their history. The lack of later development allows modern visitors to imagine the ancient town of Selinus as it would have been two and a half thousand years ago. The archaeological park at Selinunte is huge, incorporating Greek temples, ancient town walls, the ruins of residential and commercial buildings.

If you are interested in Greek Sicily, this is a very important site to visit, and the temples’ setting close to the sea is wonderfully picturesque.

Marsala is nowadays most famous for two things. Firstly, its wine, also called Marsala. After a long period of poverty, Marsala became home to a prosperous wine trade, developed by entrepeneurs at the end of the eighteenth century, led by one John Woodhouse, from Liverpool, who exported the fortified wine.   Marsala’s other claim to fame is as the landing place for Garibaldi and his thousand men (the Mille) on May 11th 1860, starting the chain of events immediately preceding Italy’s unification. Throughout town you’ll find commemorative plaques, and businesses of every description trading under Garibaldi’s name and image.

What’s included:

Airport transfers

Hotel accommodation. 3 nights is Trapani (Secret B&B)

and 2 nights in Palermo (4-star Mercure Palermo)

Day trip to Egadi Islands stopping off in Favignana, Levanzo. Chance to swim in the clear blue sea.

Day trip to Marsala

Day trip to Selinunte.

Italian speaking guide throughout

The Egadi Archipelago, formed by the islands of Favignana Levanzo and Marettimo and the islets of Formica and Maraone,

Favignana is the largest island of the Archipelago: the small village, winding around the harbour, keeps beautiful buildings, such as Palazzo Florio and some Baroque churches.

The island’s name is indissolubly linked with the traditional tuna fishing and processing: here you find the most important Mediterranean Tonnara (netting fence to catch tuna), an important element for the island’s economy since centuries ago. Nowadays it is a museum.

We can cross the island very easily by bicycle, as it is quite flat and largely made of tuff rock , a relatively soft rock traditionally used for construction.

Along the pathways we find the mouth of deep caves – partly dug by man, partly caused by the crumbling of soft rock – surrounded and covered by low bushes.

Palermo is Sicily’s regional capital, a busy port city on the north-western coast of the island. In the Middle Ages, Palermo was one of Europe’s leading cities. With some glorious historic buildings, vibrant, scruffy markets and a sunny climate, Palermo is doing a fairly good job of shaking off its previous bad reputation. It has bohemian boutiques, famously-excellent street food, fine architecture and a lively atmosphere.

https://awaydays.biz/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Western-Sicily.pdf