Sicily's Baroque Beauties: A Tour of Syracuse and Taormina

This morning your expert local guide will meet you at your hotel for a private walking tour of the city. Together you will trace the city back to its origins in 734 BC, when it was colonised by the Corinthians. Once upon a time, it was the largest city in the ancient world and you will peel back the layers of time to discover what life was like three thousand years ago, before moving onto the city's baroque period, when much of what stands there today was built.

After a lazy start to the day, you will set off on the hour-and-a-half drive north to Taormina. Once you arrive at your hotel, we recommend settling in for an afternoon lazing by the pool. Come evening, indulge in that most Italian of pastimes, the passeggiata (evening stroll) around town. Make sure to swing by the ancient Greek-era amphitheatre, with its picture-perfect framed views of Mount Etna in the distance. Again, our local Concierge can recommend the perfect spot for supper, whether you want fine dining or something more low key.

This morning you will meet your expert local guide at your hotel for a private tour of Taormina. Explore the mountainside city's ancient Greek and Roman ruins, as well as the Norman buildings, a perfect architectural evocation of Sicily's long and complex history. In more recent times, the town became popular among northern Europeans who rediscovered it during the era of the Grand Tour. You will wander past cafes and bars where Goethe and D. H. Lawrence drank, while soaking up the Gothic architecture. After your tour we recommend sitting in a piazza-side cafe and people watching for the afternoon.