Castelbuono, Cefalu’, Palermo & More 4-day tour by catamaran: 15/05/2025 to 18/05/2025
The northern part of Sicily remains undiscovered for many Maltese who tend to prefer Eastern Sicily due to better, more convenient and more frequent air and sea connections to Malta.
Yet, Northern Sicily has much to offer to the discerning visitor, including breathtaking landscapes, picturesque towns and villages, architectural gems spanning many civilisations and an overall feeling of joie-de-vivre which is quite unique. Needless to say, the culinary delights one finds in this area are to die for.
On this tour, we will be visiting various interesting places in Northern Sicily, including Cefalu', Castelbuono, Palermo, Enna and more.
Visiting:
Cefalu', Enna, Calascibetta, Castelbuono, Santa Stefano di Camastra, Villa Margi, Palermo, Mondello, Acitrezza, Ispica, Pozzallo
Thursday 15 May 2025
Meet at Virtu Ferries port terminal at 5:00am for check in and embarkation on the catamaran. Departure at 6:30am to Pozzallo, arriving there at around 8:30am. We will proceed to the historical centre of the fishing village of Pozzallo, where we will enjoy free time for a coffee / Sicilian pastries at a local dolceria (not included in tour price) and possibly a stroll along the Corso, the main square and the historical Cabrera watchtower on the seafront. Departure at around 9:30am towards Enna, arriving there at around 11:30am. Here we will visit the Lombard Castle, perched at a very strategic point with stupendous views. The town of Enna is the highest provincial capital in the whole of Italy. We will tour the historical centre and have time for lunch at a local trattoria (not included in tour price). After lunch we will head towards the medieval town of Calascibetta, which is one of the Sicilian towns included in the “I Borghi piu’ Belli d’Italia” list. The town was founded in the 9th century as a Muslim military camp in order to attempt the siege of the Byzantine stronghold of Enna, located on the opposite side of the valley separating both towns. Here we will explore the pretty historical centre of Calascibetta. Late afternoon departure to Castelbuono, located on the Madonie Mountains. Castelbuono is a medieval town which is also inscribed in the “Borghi piu’ belli d’Italia” list and is located around 30 minutes drive from Cefalu’. On arrival in Castelbuono, we will head straight to our hotel, the beautiful 4-star boutique Hotel Paradiso delle Madonie (
https://www.paradisodellemadonie.it). Free time at the hotel, followed by dinner at a restaurant within walking distance from the hotel. After dinner, one can enjoy a stroll to the nearby historical centre of Castelbuono, located just 3 minutes walk from the hotel.
Friday 16 May 2025
Buffet breakfast at the Hotel. Departure at around 09:00am to the medieval town of Cefalu’. On arrival, we will visit the historical centre, where we will see among others the picturesque fisherman's harbour, the old Roman laundries, the famous Norman duomo, the Corso Ruggiero main street as also the winding alleyways of this pretty historic seaside town. Free time in Cefalu', including free time for lunch.
After lunch we will proceed to Santo Stefano di Camastra, located around 30 minutes coach drive away from Cefalu’. On arrival, we will head to the little hamlet of Villa Margi, where we will proceed to visit the Monument to a Dead Poet, an enormous sculpture (18×18 metres) which looks out over the sea. The work was created in 1989 by the artist Tano Festa to honour the death of another great artist, Francesco Lo Savio. The sculpture is an enormous blue concrete window which is crossed by a black monolith and forms part of the Fiumara d’arte, one of the largest and most evocative land art parks in Europe consisting of 12 installations by contemporary artists. We will then proceed to the historical centre of Santo Stefano di Camastra. This picturesque village is renowned for the production of ceramics and on arrival we will tour its pretty historical centre which is a gem of urban planning. We will then have free time to browse the many artisan shops which produce wonderful ceramics which are truly veritable works of art. Free time in Santo Stefano di Camastra. Late afternoon departure to Castelbuono. Free time at the hotel, followed by dinner at a restaurant within walking distance from the hotel. After dinner, one can enjoy a stroll to the nearby historical centre of Castelbuono, located just 3 minutes walk from the hotel.
Saturday 17 May 2025
Buffet breakfast at the Hotel, followed by departure by coach at around 09:00am to Palermo, arriving there at around 10:30am. We will visit the historical centre of Palermo, including the Via Maqueda, the Church of St Dominic, the Quattro Canti, the Politeama Garibaldi, the Teatro Massimo and the Cathedral. Free time in Palermo centre, including free time for lunch (not included in price). Im the afternoon, a short coach ride will take us to the seaside resort town of Mondello. Here we will be able to enjoy free time along the lungomare and savour the relaxed pace of this town, which serves as the playground for many Palermitans especially during the summer months. Late afternoon departure back to Castelbuono, arriving there at around 7:00pm. Free time at the hotel, followed by dinner at a restaurant within walking distance from the hotel. After dinner, one can enjoy a stroll to the nearby historical centre of Castelbuono, located just 3 minutes walk from the hotel.
Sunday 18 May 2025
Buffet breakfast at our hotel. This morning we will have time to continue enjoying the historical centre of the mountain village of Castelbuono, including its various highlights, such as the Castle, the main square and the Corso. The town is also well known for the production of “pannettone artigianale” and other sweet delicacies which we will be able to taste and possibly also buy in order to take back home with us. Free time for a stroll or an aperitif in Castelbuono. Check out from our hotel at around 11:00am and departure to the fishing village of Acitrezza, arriving there in time for lunch. Free time for lunch (not included in tour price) in one of the many reasonably-priced seafront restaurants in Acitrezza, followed by free time to enjoy a walk on the promenade or a boat trip (not included in tour price) around the beautiful Fariglioni of Acitrezza. Departure at around 5:30pm to Ispica, arriving there at around 7:00pm. Free time for a stroll in the historical centre of this town which is adorned by various liberty style and baroque buildings. Departure at around 8:00pm to Pozzallo in time for check in and embarkation on the catamaran to Malta, departing at 9:30pm and arriving in Malta at 11:30pm.
Terms and conditions:
Price :
Persons aged 14 years and over: €649
Children aged 4 to under 14 years : €549
Children aged up to under 4 years : €149
Price includes:
Catamaran trip Malta-Pozzallo-Malta
All taxes and port charges
All transfers and excursions by private coach which stays with us throughout our whole stay
Accomodation for three nights, on half board basis inclusive of buffet breakfast and evening four course dinner inclusive of unlimited local wine and mineral water at Hotel Paradiso delle Madonie (
https://www.paradisodellemadonie.it) in the pretty village of Castelbuono. Dinner will be at a restaurant located within walking distance from the hotel. Price is based on twin, triple or quad room sharing.
City tax on hotel stay
Services of Go Sicily Travel tour leader
Insolvency Fund Certificate
Other:
Single Room Supplement: €30 per person per night x 3 nights = €90
Payment terms:
Deposit of €100 per person on confirmation
Balance by 30 April 2025 or immediately on booking for bookings made (subject to availability) after 30 April 2025
COVID-19 measures:
At www.gosicilytravel.com, we pride ourselves in offering quality experiences which are fully compliant with COVID-19 requirements whilst at the same time ensuring that our guests have an enjoyable experience.
COVID vaccination certificates or swab tests are not required to travel to Sicily and back to Malta with effect from 25 July 2022. The compilation of Passenger Locator Forms is also not required.
Refund policy:
A 100% cash refund applies if the catamaran trip is cancelled due to new COVID-19 measures. Cancellation due to adverse weather conditions is covered under the appropriate travel insurance policy, inclusive of adverse weather conditions extension, which guests are encouraged to take from any reputable insurance company. In this regard, www.gosicilytravel.com recommends Citadel Insurance or Atlas Insurance.
Terms and conditions:
Link:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2316066091759498&type=3
For booking contact:
Mario Spiteri at
Go Sicily Travel
Mobile:79742459
Office: 21422275
E mail:
aW5mbyB8IGdvc2ljaWx5cHJvcGVydGllcyAhIGNvbQ==
Office (by prior appointment phoning on 79742459):
Go Sicily Travel, Cube Office Suites, Suite 2,
154, Eucharistic Congress Road, Mosta MST9037
(Around ten doors up from Partit Laburista club on the left hand side of the road facing Mosta Dome)
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