WESTERN SICILY & AEOLIAN ISLANS | anticoitaliantravel

WESTERN SICILY &
THE AEOLIAN ISLANDS

JULY 24 - AUGUST 1, 2025

Life in Sicily is lived in Technicolor. Conversations take place in the sing-song dialect of the south, as vendors in the open air produce and fish markets hawk their wares. Greek, Roman, Arab, and Norman influences can be seen throughout the art and architecture left behind by the many cultures who once called Sicily their home. Enjoy some of the very best culinary gems Sicily has to offer. Eat the best pistachios, couscous, seafood, almonds, citrus, granita, gelato, and wines.

Our Western Sicily tour takes you along the northwestern coast for 5 nights visiting Trapani and it's surroundings, then sail to the Aeolian Islands and spend 3 nights in Panarea with excursions to Salina and to Stromboli to witness it's volcano erupting from the sea. We'll end with 2 night in the city of Palermo to see the historic sites and markets.

DAY 1 WELCOME TO SICILY!

We will meet you at Palermo Airport and transfer to Badia Nuova in the historic center of Trapani, for 3 nights. Get settled in and enjoy aperitivo before we head to dinner to experience North Africa's influence on Sicilian food.

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DAY 2 SALT, OLIVE OIL & WINE

Today we will have an olive oil and wine tasting followed by a tour of the salt flats. In July Trapani's salt pans are ready to be harvested, so you can participate if you would like to! We'll have a sunset seafood dinner in by the lagoon and try a local specialty of pesce sotto sale, usually Orata, a local fish baked under salt.

DAY 3 PASTA & CANNOLI CLASS

Learn to make traditional Sicilian pastas and hand made cannoli in a hands on class today. Recipes are your's to keep.

The rest the day is your's to enjoy in Trapani with dinner on your own.

DAY 4 TRANSFER TO THE AEOLIAN ISLANDS

We say goodbye to Trapani and head to the islands today. We'll hop the ferry to Panarea, (it's about 1 1/2 hour ferry ride), one of Sicily most gorgeous, tiny islands. We'll settle into Hotel Liscia Bianca and have dinner together tonight by the sea at Cusiritati.

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DAY 5 FREE DAY/BEACH DAY & & STROMBOLI'S VOLCANO

Explore the island on your own today. Shops, restaurants, and beaches are all right at your door step. (The island is free of cars except for taxis and a few local's vehicles.) Lunch on your own today. In the early evening we'll hop aboard Vincenzo's boat to sail to the volcanic island of Stromboli. The volcano is active and gives a spectacular lava show nightly. We'll have an aperitivo and wait for the sun to set, then it's back on the boat to see the nightly eruptions from the sea at a safe distance, of course. Dinner together back in Panarea.

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DAY 6 SAIL TO SALINA

Early morning day trip to the little island of Salina for the day. We'll head up the mountain to a caper farm, the product Salina is famous for around the world. We'll have a wine tasting accompanied by snacks prepared with the organic capers.

Free time to visit the shops and relax at a cafe at the island's main strip before we board the ferry back to Panarea. Dinner on your own tonight.

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DAY 7 TRANSFER TO PALERMO. 2 NIGHTS AT PALAZZO DEL POETA

We'll stop for lunch on the way to Palermo and then check into our hotel and explore on your own. Check out the Marrionette Museum, Chairamonte prison, and the giant Banyan trees in Giardino Garibaldi. Dinner tonight at

La Vucciria night market.

DAY 8 MARKET TOUR IN PALERMO

Take a guided tour of the market this morning eating and learning about Sicilian history and culture along the way. The afternoon is you'rs free to explore the city more.

Tonight we will have a farewell dinner together as the locals do at Trattoria da Salvo, where you can choose your own fish and they will grill it right on street for you.