Historic Sicily

Seven nights half-board from £759 per person

Selected departures June to October 2013

Sicily – that beautiful island off the southern-most tip of Italy is one of the few places in Europe that genuinely can be called unspoilt! Its scenery possesses a natural and varied beauty that is truly breathtaking. Rugged, sometimes snow-capped mountains reaching for the sky are interspaced with rich meadows, adorned with wild flowers: during spring and autumn, spectacularly green and lush, yet during the sun-scorched summer, transformed into pastel shades of greens, yellows and browns. Citrus and olive groves stretch into the distance and abundant pine forests lend the air that unmistakeable Mediterranean aroma. Punctuated by the occasional farmhouse and Tuscan-like hilltop village the countryside is remarkably empty. The island has a spectacularly indented coastline, with sweeping bays and blood-red volcanic rocks plunging into the deep blue sea, and snow-capped Mount Etna providing a magnificent backdrop. 

Although very much Italian today, Sicily has been at the crossroads of almost every Mediterranean civilisation for thousands of years and still retains traces of them all.  Founded by the Phoenicians, home to the richest cities in the Greek Empire, Sicily was then over the centuries conquered by the Romans, the Moors, Normans, Spanish, French and finally the Italians. Their magnificent relics include temples, ancient amphitheatres, churches, monasteries, villas and atmospheric old towns, with many being the most outstanding of their type in the world and, due to the climate, in a truly remarkable state of preservation.

Fully escorted price includes:

• Return flights to Catania

• Seven nights half-board in four-star hotels

• Guided tour of Siracusa – city of Archimedes

• Guided tour of Monreale’s medieval cathedral and cloisters

• Visit to Palermo and stunning Taormina

• Guided tour of Agrigento’s Valley of the Temples

• Visit to Mount Etna – Europe’s largest active volcano

• Executive, air-conditioned coach travel in Italy

• Escorted by our experienced tour manager

• The price of this holiday is per person, based on two people sharing a twin room

• Single rooms are subject to availability at the relevant supplement; please see hotel details for more information

• Occasionally the opening times of the places of interest vary, and if this happens we may have to change the order of events

• Entrance to Valley of the Temples €10, Piazza Armerina €6, Monreale €6, approximate costs, payable locally

• Mount Etna exploration not included: cable car only, approximately €27; cable car, jeep and compulsory guide, approximately €51

Terms and conditions:

The code must be quoted at time of booking to receive offer prices

Prices are per person, based on two sharing and subject to availability. Operated by Riviera Travel Atol 3430 protected, Abta V4744, a company independent of Independent Print Ltd. Single rooms are subject to availability and at a supplement. Optional insurance available at a supplement. When you respond to offers we may use your information to contact you with offers/services that we believe will be of interest. Please give your mobile or email details if you wish to receive offers by sms or email. We will not give your data to other companies without your permission; please let us know if you are happy for us to to so. Prices are correct at the time of publishing. Please call or email for details. 0844 calls charged at 5ppm from BT landlines

Supplier info: Riviera Travel

Since their inception 25 years ago, Riviera Travel have endeavoured to exceed the expectations of the discerning traveller, on their fascinating and innovative European and Worldwide escorted tours.

They have passion for quality and looking after all their guests in the most personal manner possible and really ‘go the extra mile'. Over the years they have received many commendations from many household names in the publishing industry. They have recently been voted by the members of one of the country's most respected consumer organisations in their biannual survey of travel companies, as one of the UK's top two Tour Operators and the most outstanding of all in terms of value for money - by some considerable margin.

Riviera Travel offers European and Worldwide Escorted Tours by Eurostar and by Air.

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Call: 0844 571 1980

Offer Code: The Independent website

The code must be quoted at time of booking to receive offer prices

independent@rivieratravel.co.uk