New Year’s Eve 5-day tour by catamaran to Cefalu’, Castelbuono, Palermo and More: Monday 29 December 2025 to Friday 2 January 2026
Further to our successful New Year’s Eve tour to Northern Sicily last year, we are now launching this year’s edition of this tour, which will this year afford 5 full days from Monday 29 December 2025 to Friday 2 January 2026.
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.
PAVI PAMA €20 Ragusa Xpress vouchers can be used on the tours with Ragusa Xpress (marked with 💶 in the above list) up to a maximum of three €20 vouchers per adult or youth over 14 years for a total of €60 per adult or youth over 14 years
Visiting:
Cefalu', Enna, Caltanissetta, Castelbuono, Petralia Soprana, Petralia Sottana, Santa Stefano di Camastra, Villa Margi, Palermo, Marina di Ragusa
Monday 29 December 2025
Meet at Ragusa Xpress port terminal at Valletta Waterfront at 5:00am for check in and embarkation on the catamaran. Departure at 6:30am to Marina di Ragusa, arriving there at around 8:30am. On arrival in Marina di Ragusa, we will immediately proceed to the historical centre of the fishing village of Scoglitti, located around 30 minutes away. Here we will enjoy free time for a coffee / Sicilian pastries at a local dolceria (not included in price) and possibly a stroll along the waterfront of this picturesque fishing village. Departure at around 10:30am towards Enna, arriving there at around 11:45am. 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, visiting also the Cathedral. Free time in Enna. Departure at around 1:00pm to Caltanissetta, arriving there at around 1:30pm. Here we will visit the historical centre and enjoy lunch at a local trattoria (not included in tour price). 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 located in the historical centre within walking distance from the hotel. After dinner, one can enjoy a stroll to the nearby Castle of Castelbuono.
Tuesday 30 December 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.
Wednesday 31 December 2025
Buffet breakfast at the Hotel. Departure at around 09:00am to the two medieval villages of Petralia Soprana and Petralia Sottana, located on the Madonie mountains, both of which are inscribed in the “I Borghi piu’ Belli d’Italia” list. We will explore both villages, where in each case we will visit the historical centre. We will have free time for lunch (not included in tour price) at Petralia Sottana. Departure at around 2:00pm to Castelbuono, arriving there at around 3:00pm. Opportunity to go for a stroll to enjoy the historical centre of the village of Castelbuono or to relax at the hotel in preparation for the evening, where we will be celebrating together the arrival of the New Year 2026 until the early hours of Thursday morning. This evening we will enjoy a sumptuous meat-based Cenone di San Silvestro (New Year's Eve Dinner - included in tour price) at a restaurant in Castelbuono located within walking distance from the Hotel. The menu will be a 5-course one and is inclusive of unlimited local wine, mineral water and sparkling wine to see the New Year 2026 in. The evening will be animated by live entertainment and we will be seeing in the New Year 2026 together. The dress code for the New Year's Eve dinner is smart casual or lounge. Last year’s menu was as follows and we are currently awaiting this year’s menu which should be in hand shortly:
Cupoletta di Manzo Affumicato (CBT), Marinato agli Agrumi con Songino, Melograno e Dressing al Limone
Crostone di Pane ai Grani Antichi con Culatello e Spuma di Mozzarella di Bufala Sifonata, Pomodorino Semi Dry e Olio al Basilico
Flan di Zucca con Crema al Tartufo e Cips di Porri
*****
Riso Acquerello con Rapa Rossa, Salsiccia Croccante, Fonduta di Grana Padano 24 Mesi e Nocciole
Cannellone Ripieno al Brasato di Manza e il suo Ristretto
*****
Tournedou di Filetto da Maialino in Crosta di Pomodori Secchi e Pane Carasau
Petto d’Anatra in (CBT) alla Senape Antica con Croccante al Miglio
La Terrina di Patate allo Zafferano Madonita e Verdurine Croccanti
*****
Brown al Cioccolato di Modica con Crema al Mascarpone all’ Arancia e Salsa ai Frutti Rossi
*****
Lenticchie del Buon Augurio
Bevande:
Rosso di Serramarocco
Prosecco Doc
Acqua minerale
Note: CBT denotes Low-temperature cooking, also calle sous vide, which is a cooking method that combines vacuum packing in special bags with cooking in hot water at a temperature that is not too high, between 48° and 85-90°C.
Thursday 1 January 2026
HAPPY NEW YEAR! Buffet breakfast at the Hotel, followed by departure by coach at around 10:00am to Palermo, arriving there at around 11:15am. 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 tour price). Late afternoon departure back to Castelbuono, arriving there at around 6:30pm. 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 2 January 2026
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. Check out and departure from our hotel at around 10:00am where we will enjoy a drive on the scenic Madonie mountains, arriving first at Geraci Sicilo, where we will stop for a short break to admire the Castle and the historic fountain of this pretty mountain village. We will eventually continue our journey to the mountain village of Gangi, which in 2012 was confirmed as the “Goiello d’Italia”. Here we will tour the historical centre, where we will see the medieval church of Saint Paul and the palace, which we will also visit (entrance included in tour price), which used to belong to the Bongiorno noble family, feudal lords of the village for many generations. We will then proceed to the main square, which is the social fulcrum of the life in this village, where we will see the clock tower as also the Duomo. We will also enjoy spectacular views over the Madonie mountains from the public terrace adjacent to the Duomo. Free time for lunch in Gangi (not included in tour price). After lunch we will start proceeding towards Marina di Ragusa. On arriving in Marina di Ragusa, we will enjoy around one hour in the yacht marina and lungomare area and possibly a gelato or aperitif at one of the many catering establishments located right on the waterfront, just 100 metres away from the catamaran. We embark the catamaran at 6:25pm. Departure from Marina di Ragusa at 7:00pm arriving in Malta at 9:00pm.
Terms and conditions:
Price :
Persons aged 14 years and over: €849
Children aged 4 to under 14 years : €699
Children aged up to under 4 years : €149
Price includes:
Catamaran trip Malta-Marina di Ragusa-Malta
All taxes and port charges
All transfers and excursions by private coach which stays with us throughout our whole stay
Accomodation for four 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
New Year’s Eve 5-course Cenone di Capodanno, inclusive of unlimited local wine, mineral water and sparkling wine
Services of Go Sicily Travel tour leader Liz Chetcuti
Insolvency Fund Certificate
Other:
Single Room Supplement: €30 per person per night x 4 nights = €120
Discounts:
A discount of €120 from the tour price is applicable if one prefers not to attend the Cenone di Capodanno on New Year’s Eve.
Payment terms:
Deposit of €100 per person on confirmation
Balance by 7 December 2025 or immediately on booking for bookings made (subject to availability) after 7 December 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)
You may also like the following events from Go Sicily Travel by Mario Spiteri:
- This Friday, 3rd October, 05:00 am, Sicilian Foodie Experience day trip by catamaran: Friday 3 October 2025 in Catania
- This Friday, 3rd October, 10:15 am, Diamonds of Puglia 4 day tour by air: Friday 3 to Monday 6 October 2025 in Bari
- Next Saturday, 11th October, 04:30 am, Sicily Shopping, Agriturismo & Marina diRagusa Movida daytrip by catamaran: Saturday 11 October 2025 in Catania
Also check out other
Arts events in Enna,
Workshops in Enna,
Dance events in Enna.
