Tailor-made Tours

Gastronomic and cultural tour of Eastern Sicily

NOTE: (Flexible dates) – This tour in completely customizable: it can be extended or shortened if needed and/or special interest visits can be added

Limited number of participants

To register and for pricing information, contacts us at info@isaevents.net

Sicily, a land of contrasts and wonders, offers an unparalleled gastronomic and wine heritage, reflecting its rich history and the different cultures that have influenced it over the centuries. The island’s gastronomic itineraries are a unique way to explore its authentic flavours and culinary traditions, allowing visitors to fully immerse themselves in the local culture. From the fine wines of the Etna hills to the fresh fish dishes of the coast, every corner of Sicily offers unforgettable taste experiences. A gastronomic trip to Sicily is not only a pleasure for the palate, it is also a cultural adventure that reveals the deep soul of this extraordinary land, made up of incomparable flavours, aromas and colours.

PROGRAMME

Day 1: Arrival in Catania late afternoon. Transfer to an exclusive Country Boutique Hotel at the foot of Mount Etna, check-in and dinner at the hotel´s restaurant.

Day 2: After breakfast, half-day jeep excursion on Mount Etna and lunch with home-grown produce in a refuge on Mount Etna. In the afternoon, visit one of Etna’s vineyards and historic cellar, visit an rural tourism farm on Etna, cookery lesson with master chef at the farm, wine tasting and dinner.

Day 3: After breakfast, check-out and transfer to Taormina. Guided tour of Taormina’s Greek theatre and shopping in Sicily’s most glamorous city. Lunch and transfer to Catania. Visit to the Cathedral and Palazzo Biscari. Dinner and overnight stay in a charming B&B.

Day 4: After breakfast, check-out and visit Catania’s traditional food and fish market ‘La Piscaria’, where you can buy local produce and get a real taste of Sicilian life. Lunch: a feast of Sicilian seafood specialities and fresh fish (raw and/or cooked) in a historic trattoria. Transfer to Siracusa, check-in at a charming hotel. Guided tour of Ortigia (Syracuse´s most stunning historical landmarks are located on Ortigia Island). Dinner with culinary explanations in a typical restaurant prepared by a master chef.

Day 5: After breakfast, check-out, guided tour of the archaeological site of Siracusa and transfer to the town of Noto, the capital of Sicilian Baroque architecture. Visit the most famous Baroque buildings and enjoy a light meal with salted ice cream from master ice-cream maker Corrado Assenza, voted the best ice-cream maker in the world by the Financial Times.  Transfer to a charming B&B in the Vendicari Nature Reserve (inside the reserve, you’ll often find breathtaking scenery, dense vegetation that suddenly opens out onto a crystal-clear sea, very long golden beaches that, in just a few hundred metres, turn into rocks overlooking a deep sea). Afternoon shopping in the boutiques of the fishing village of Marzamemi and dinner in a typical restaurant on the beach.

Day 6: Morning walk on the beach of Vendicari reserve and lunch based on authentic flavours of the sea near Sicily’s southernmost cape. Transfer to Modica, stroll through the old town, visit the oldest chocolate-making workshop in Sicily, which still follows the Aztec tradition carried over by the Spaniards, and tasting. Transfer to Donnalucata and dinner (a real culinary experience that delights and surprises) with master chef Carmelo Chiaramonte. Overnight in a “hotel diffuso” in the magnificent old town of Scicli.

Day 7: Morning: cultural walk through the wonderful ancient towns of Scicli and Ragusa Ibla. Traditional light lunch in a historic trattoria in Ragusa Ibla and transfer to Caltagirone. Visit to the historic centre and a one of the world-famous ceramic workshops. Transfer to a charming villa and dinner with tasty local products.

Day 8: Check-out and transfer to Piazza Armerina. Visit the exceptional archaeological site of Villa del Casale, traditional lunch to savour the quality and freshness of local flavours one last time, shopping in Sicily’s best outlet and transfer to Catania airport. Departure from Catania in the morning.

Uzbekistan Tour 11-day Programme

NOTE: (Flexible dates) – This tour in completely customizable: it can be extended or shortened if needed and/or special interest visits can be added

To register and for pricing information, contacts us at info@isaevents.net

Day 1: Arrival to Tashkent airport late evening and transfer to hotel. (Average flight duration from European cities to Tashkent 7 hours with direct flights from London, Paris, Frankfurt, Vienna and Milan).

Day 2: We begin a private guided tour of the capital of Uzbekistan, the largest city in Central Asia. First visit to the Ming Urik archaeological site in the centre of the city. In ancient times the settlement had an area of 43 hectares. In 2008, archaeological research concluded that the main hill of this archaeological site was once a Zoroastrian temple here dating back at least 2200 years. We continue to the Old City part of Tashkent with the Khast-Imam complex, where the famous Koran of Caliph Uthman has been preserved. We then explore the Chorsu Bazaar. We then take the Tashkent Metro to visit the Museum of Applied Arts, visit the Navoi Theatre and stroll through Amir Timur Square, where we end our Tashkent city tour.  Dinner and rest.

Day 3: Morning flight to Nukus, the capital of Karakalpakstan. Arrival in Nukus and a visit the Mizdakhan archaeological complex. Then visit to the Savitsky Art Museum of Karakalpak. The museum houses the world’s second-largest collection of Russian avant-garde art and an exhibition of rare applied art objects from Karakalpak (western desertic region of Uzbekistan). We will then take a short drive to the centre of Nukus where we can admire the statue of the Karakalpak poet Berdakh, the Nukus town hall and the drama theatre. Dinner in a typical Karakalpak restaurant and rest.

Day 4: After breakfast we depart for Khiva with our guide and driver (200 km, 4-5 hours without stops). On the way through the desert, we stop to visit two of the magnificent archaeological monuments of ancient Khorezm: Chilpyk, a Zoroastrian dakhma (burial tower), and the Toprak-Kala fortress and capital of Khorezm dating back to the 3rd century AD. Arrival to Khiva in the evening, dinner and rest.

Day 5: Walking tour of Khiva with our private guide: the day begins with a visit to the Itchan-Kala Fortress, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We continue with a visit to the Kunya-Ark Citadel, the Tash-Khovli Palace, the Mukhammad Aminkhan Madrasa, the Mukhammad Rahimkhan Madrasa, the Kalta-Minor, the Juma Mosque, the Pakhlavan Makhmud Mausoleum and the Islam-Khoja Minaret. Free time in the second part of the afternoon. Dinner and rest.

Day 6: In the morning, private guided visit of Pakhlavan Makhmud Mausoleum, Minaret of Islam-Khoja, then have some free time to explore the city on your own. Lunch and transfer to the Urgench train station to take an afternoon train to Bukhara. Arrive in Bukhara late evening and transfer to hotel.

Day 7: Bukhara – Guided walking tour of the Old City. We will visit the Lyabi-Khauz complex, the Magoki-Attori Mosque, the Chor-Minor Madrasa, the domes of the covered market, the Ulug Bek and Abdul Aziz Khan madrasas, the Kalyan Minaret, the Kalyan Mosque and the Miri-Arab Madrasa, the Ark Fortress, the Bolo-Khauz Mosque. Dinner and rest.

Day 8: The second day in Bukhara begins with a visit to Sitorai-Mokhikhosa – the summer residence of the last emir of Bukhara, a unique site combining Eastern and Russian architecture. It continues with the Bakhoutdin Naqshbandi mausoleum, the house museum of Fayzulla Khodjaev, the Ismail Samani and Chashma-Ayub mausoleums. In the afternoon, transfer from the hotel to the railway station to take the Afrosiyob high-speed train to Samarkand. Upon arrival, the driver will transfer you to your hotel in Samarkand. Dinner and rest.

Day 9: Samarkand: After breakfast, we will start a private guided visit of the spectacular Registan Square, the remains of the Bibi-Khanum Mosque, the Siab Bazaar, the Ulug Bek Observatory, the Shakhi-Zinda Necropolis and the Mausoleum of Gur-Emir, the last resting place of the Turkish-Mongolian emperor Timur.  Dinner and rest.

Day 10: The Samarkand city tour continues with a visit to the Afrasiab Museum and the Tomb of St Daniel. Afterwards, we reach the village of Konigil to learn about the traditional process of mulberry paper production. In the early afternoon, free time with car and driver at your disposal. In the late afternoon, transfer to the railway station to take the Afrosiyob high-speed train to Tashkent (journey time 2 hours 10 minutes). Transfer to your hotel with driver. Dinner and rest.

Day 11: Transfer to airport and morning flight to Europe.