Sicily and the Aeolian Islands

Ten nights around Sicily, from Palermo to the temples of Agrigento, the baroque south-east and Taormina under Etna, with the puppet theatre of Palermo, a sculptor's studio in Noto and an astrophysicist under Etna's night sky. Then a helicopter to Salina for boats, walks, dinner in a MICHELIN-starred kitchen and Stromboli at dusk.

Length: 10 nights
Pace: Five stays
Style: Islands, food and wine, walking, helicopter
Route: Palermo to Sciacca, for Agrigento to Noto to Taormina to Salina

PalermoOne night
Sciacca, for AgrigentoTwo nights
NotoTwo nights
TaorminaTwo nights
SalinaThree nights

Days 1 to 2 · one night

Palermo

A private tour of the city on arrival, and a Sicilian dinner. In the evening, if you wish, the Opera dei Pupi, Palermo's traditional puppet theatre, which the hotel arranges with what it calls the last of the puppeteers.

Where you stay

Villa Igiea, a Rocco Forte Hotel

Villa Igiea is a turn-of-the-century palazzo at the foot of Mount Pellegrino on the Gulf of Palermo, with tiered gardens running down to the port and the Tyrrhenian Sea. Dinner is served in the original Louis XVI hall of the Florio family, and aperitivo in the sandstone vaults.

A Doric Greek temple of golden stone standing against a deep blue sky.

Days 2 to 4 · two nights

Sciacca, for Agrigento

Monreale Cathedral after hours, then lunch at the Regaleali wine estate on the way south, or a day in the Sicani mountains meeting shepherds, tasting ricotta and making cannoli with the bakers of Palazzo Adriano. The Valley of the Temples, and the white cliffs of the Scala dei Turchi.

Where you stay

Verdura Resort, a Rocco Forte Hotel

Verdura Resort spreads across 230 hectares of coastline and countryside on Sicily's southern coast near Sciacca, with rooms and suites that open onto the sea. Eight restaurants and bars draw on the resort's own farm, and there are two championship golf courses and a spa that uses homegrown botanicals.

Days 4 to 6 · two nights

Noto

A private bicycle ride to the fishing village of Marzamemi, chocolate in Modica, the baroque streets of Noto, and granita with a pastry chef. By arrangement through San Domenico Palace, a visit to the studio of the sculptor Sergio Fiorentino, a tour of Noto with Samuele Mazza and lunch at his historic villa.

Where you stay

Il San Corrado di Noto

Il San Corrado di Noto is an old masseria in the Val di Noto, a fortified farmhouse that once belonged to Prince Nicolaci, set among olive trees, palms and orange trees. It has 31 suites, each with a private patio, eight villas with their own pools, two swimming pools and a private beach club nearby.

Days 6 to 8 · two nights

Taormina

Siracusa and Ortigia on foot, with a private cooking demonstration, on the way north. Then a walk up Etna to the Silvestri craters, a vineyard tasting, and a performance at the Greek Theatre. One evening at a winery on the slopes of Etna, an astrophysicist reads the constellations through a telescope over a four-course dinner, cloud permitting.

Where you stay

San Domenico Palace, Taormina, A Four Seasons Hotel

San Domenico Palace is a 14th-century convent on the clifftop of Taormina, reimagined as a hotel with its Italian gardens and period character kept. An infinity pool looks over the Ionian Sea, the Botanica Spa sits within the old walls, and some suites face the ancient theatre or Etna.

A small harbour town beneath a volcanic cone, seen across calm water.

Days 8 to 11 · three nights

Salina

A 45-minute helicopter flight to the Aeolian Islands. Sunset at Pollara, a hike up Monte Fossa delle Felci, a private boat to Panarea with swims along the way, and an evening on Stromboli to watch the lava. Dinner at Hotel Signum's MICHELIN-starred restaurant, where Martina Caruso cooks with Salina's capers and Malvasia, and a cooking class in the hotel kitchen, before the helicopter takes you back to Catania for the flight home.

Where you stay

Hotel Signum

Hotel Signum is a small, carefully restored village of Aeolian houses in Malfa, run by the Caruso family, with pale limestone walls, terraces of bougainvillea and views to Panarea and Stromboli. Martina Caruso cooks in the restaurant, and the spa follows the old Aeolian thermal baths.

Arranged on request

The last of the puppeteers

An evening of the Opera dei Pupi, Palermo's traditional puppet theatre, arranged by Villa Igiea.

A sculptor's studio in Noto

A visit to the studio of the sculptor Sergio Fiorentino, a tour of Noto with Samuele Mazza and lunch at his historic villa.

Etna by starlight

An astrophysicist leads an evening of constellations and mythology at a winery on Etna, with a professional telescope and a four-course dinner.

Shepherds of the Sicani

A drive into the Sosio Valley to Palazzo Adriano, to meet shepherds, taste ricotta and make cannoli with the village bakers.

Martina Caruso's kitchen on Salina

Dinner at Hotel Signum's MICHELIN-starred restaurant, cooking with the island's capers, ancient grains and Malvasia, and a cooking class at the hotel.

Subject to availability.

Ways to make it yours

A day on Lipari and Vulcano by private boat.
A tasting of Monreale DOC wines in the cellars of the Sallier de La Tour estate, outside Palermo.
An extra night in Palermo for the markets and the Palatine Chapel.

This is a sample. The hotels, the pace and the order are where we start, not where we finish: every journey is designed around the people taking it.

Made around you

Most travel is bought. This is designed.

Before anything is booked, we talk: who is travelling, how you like to spend a morning, and the hotel preferences below the obvious, from the kind of bath you like to the time you wake and how much daylight you need in a room. You see options where options matter and clean recommendations where they don't.

The same person remains your point of contact from the first reply to the trip after next. No handovers. No team.