
Tour · 14 nights · with Explore Worldwide
Two-week escorted tour with historian Antonio Marretta, tracing Sicily’s ancient sites from Syracuse to Palermo, including Mount Etna and Baroque towns, led by a local expert with over 30 years’ experience, offered by Explore Worldwide.
Highlights
Greek theatre and Roman amphitheatre in Syracuse
Roman mosaics at Villa Romana, Piazza Armerina
Ruins of Selinunte and Temple of Segesta
Mount Etna craters and lava fields
Baroque architecture and markets of Palermo
This two-week escorted tour by Explore Worldwide travels across Sicily’s layered past, starting in Syracuse where the Greek theatre and Roman amphitheatre recall a city once larger than Athens. The tour moves through Baroque towns such as Noto and Ragusa, before visiting the remarkable Roman mosaics at Villa Romana in Piazza Armerina.
Journeys
Further west, the ruins of Selinunte and the hilltop temple at Segesta reveal Sicily’s Greek colonial history, while the medieval town of Erice and the Norman cathedral of Cefalù offer a glimpse of later eras. The ascent of Mount Etna provides a stark contrast, with lunar-like craters and volcanic landscapes that few places on the island can rival.
The final days take in the pulsating markets and architecture of Palermo, with its Norman cathedrals and markets, before finishing by the Ionian Sea near Taormina, where the ancient Greek theatre offers views of both snow-capped Etna and the sea. Antonio Marretta’s expert commentary and scheduled lectures deepen the understanding of these complex layers of Sicilian history.
Itinerary
Syracuse
Noto
Agrigento
Selinunte
Palermo
When to go
Lowest price each month, per person.
Explore Worldwide confirms exact dates, availability and prices when you book.
Need to know
For full details of what’s included, check with Explore Worldwide. See the full details on their site
The operator
Small-group adventures, walking and wildlife
Small groups with local leaders, and a fondness for the places at the end of the road. Trips are graded so you know how active they are.
You book with Explore Worldwide directly. They confirm your place, take payment, and look after you from the moment you leave home; Atlas & Passage’s part ends when you click through.
New to Italy? Our Italy guide has the practical essentials: money, plugs, visas and when to go.

Cruise · 8 nights
Greece & Malta and 2 more · Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines
Departs 5 Dec 2027
from£699per person, sharing

Cruise · 9 nights
Spain & Italy and 1 more · Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines
Departs 7 Oct 2027
from£999per person, sharing

Cruise · 10 nights
Spain & France and 3 more · Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines
Departs 16 Oct 2027
from£1,149per person, sharing

Tour · 7 nights
Italy · Explore Worldwide
8 departures · Oct 2026 – Nov 2027
from£1,185per person
Mount Etna
Taormina
These are the places the trip visits, in order. Explore Worldwide publishes the day-by-day itinerary on its own site.