Sicily Magnifica Tour
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Overview
Highlights
- Palermo’s amazing Arab-Norman architecture, including 9 buildings recognized by UNESCO
- Guided visit to Monreale Cathedral
- Corleone: the rebirth of an iconic mafia village
- Wine tasting at Planeta Winery
- Picnic with Poggioreale Antica inhabitants
- The Museum Ex Stabilimento Florio on Favignana Island
- History of salt trading
- Unique mix of cultures and influences
- The slow rhythm of proud people who have experienced many invasions and dominations and have always come out on top
- Traditional Sicilian cannoli made just for us by Signor Nino
What's this trip about?
Details
Travel Themes
Destinations
Attractions
Activities
Trip includes
- Bikes equipped with Garmin GPS (choice Bianchi road carbon or hybrid; Ebike for an extra charge)
- Two professional tour guides throughout the program
- All accommodations
- All breakfasts, all lunches and all dinners
- Wine and beer with meals, coffee, cappuccino, and gelato stops
- Support vehicle during the tour and luggage transfer
- Shuttle at the beginning and at the end of the tour
- All activities mentioned in the day-by-day description
Itinerary
Terrain: Flat
Ride: 15 mi or 24 km
Meals: Lunch and Dinner
Accommodation: Massimo Plaza (alternative Centrale Palace)
One of your guides will meet you at Palermo Airport for a late morning shuttle to your hotel in the city center where ever...
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Accommodations: Antica Stazione di Ficuzza
Terrain: Hilly
Ride: 25/46 mi or 40/73 km
Today we start our bike journey, leaving Palermo and traveling into an unexpected, rural Sicily. Orange, olive and almon...
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Accommodation: Foresteria Planeta (alternative Relais Casina Miregia)
Terrain: Rolling
Ride: 51/66 mi or 81/105 km
Today’s panoramic morning ride involves a gradual descent and a short climb on the crest o...
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Accommodation: Foresteria Planeta (alternative Relais Casina Miregia)
Terrain: Hilly
Ride: 53 mi or 85 km (shorter and longer options available)
Today’s loop ride takes us inland to the ghost town of Poggi...
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Accommodation: Carmine Hotel
Terrain: Rolling
Ride: 51 mi or 83 km
After our breakfast "made in Sicily", following the Ciclovia of the Southern Coast we’ll arrive in Selinunte, one of the most impressive a...
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Accommodations: Relais Antiche Saline
Terrain: Boat and swim day
Ride: none
From Marsala we’ll sail to butterfly-shaped Favignana Island, the largest of the Egadi islands. We’ll learn about the Florio Muse...
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Accommodations: Relais Antiche Saline
Terrain: Rolling with one long climb
Ride: 40/58 mi or 64/92 km
The province of Trapani is known for its coral, tuna fishing tradition, and wine. We will ride south th...
Meals: Breakfast
Terrain: Departure
Ride: None
After breakfast you will be transferred in private taxis to the Palermo airport according to your travel plans and flight schedule.
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Dates & Availability
Check Current Availability, prices, specials with Tourissimo.
The total tour cost includes the tour price (regular or promotional) and the compulsory local payment. The promotional price is subject to change. Check directly with the operator for the latest price offer. The tour operator requires you to pay only the tour price to purchase your travel. The compulsory local payment will be paid when you join the trip. All prices are based on double, twin or triple share occupancy. Solo passengers will be accommodated in a double, twin or triple room according to availability with a passenger(s) of the same gender. Single supplement only needs to be paid if the passenger does not want to share and requests their own room. Discounts can only be applied at the time of booking and cannot be added at a later date, regardless of any changes made to the original booking.
Prices may vary due to local taxes and trip seasonality. Click "Request Info" to inquire directly with the tour operator for the final trip price.
Tourissimo Reviews & Ratings
Outstanding.
Outstanding. They repeatedly went the extra mile. Excellent ambassadors for Italy.
Everything about the tour was great
everything about the tour was great. Wonderful stops and destinations....
The best!
The best! Thank you for such an outstanding experience
The entire team catered to each of our needs and ensured everyone had a good tim
The entire team catered to each of our needs and ensured everyone had a good time. Your keen awareness of how the tour is going and making the necessary adjustment...
This was a WONDERFUL
This was a WONDERFUL blend of cycling, food appreciation and cultural in...
Other Tourissimo Reviews
Great routes, guides, hotels and bikes!
Great routes, guides, hotels and bikes!
I really enjoyed the tour.
I really enjoyed the tour. The bike and cycling routes were great, loved the scenery in Slovenia and appreciated the off-bike tours. I loved the Italian lunch at the...
Tour route was awesome.
Firstly, Beppe is a great tour guide. I appreciated all the stops for gelato and espresso. Tour route was awesome. The first day was on the line of being too long ...
Tour Operator
Background and Mission
Tourissimo is a new deeply authentic Italian travel company whose mission is to provide active travelers a unique way to experience the natural and cultural wonders of this magnificent country. With its highly focused niche approach, Tourissimo aims to become the number one Destination Management Company (DMC) in Italy for active travel by designing, creating and implementing exclusive programs for individuals and small groups, intimately presenting each region with a strong focus on “insider access” and special personal connections to maximize sense of place. Understanding that most travelers today want to be fully engaged and seek memorable and meaningful experiences, all Tourissimo journeys include breathtaking scenery and activities, gourmet food and wine and a range of accommodations that together create an unforgettable taste of Italy.
Tourissimo was founded in 2015 by Beppe Salerno, a former general manager at one of the industry’s leading companies who has carried out (both as a manager and as a guide) hundreds of tours throughout Italy and amassed outstanding experience and knowledge in the field of active adventure vacations in some of the most inspiring destinations throughout Italy. Tourissimo began with a handful of destinations including Piedmont, Puglia, Sicily, the Amalfi Coast and Cinque Terre; new destinations for 2016 include Tuscany, Sardinia and Friuli with the bordering country of Slovenia. Each itinerary is a carefully balanced mix of physical activities, cultural immersion and authentic learning experiences.
The Tourissimo Experience
Tourissimo provides turnkey, fully supported programs primarily serving small (8-14pp) private groups through outbound tour operators, travel agents, and private organizations, such as cycling clubs and affinity groups. All tours are designed to provide extraordinary educational hiking and bicycling in geographical areas where Tourissimo has outstanding expertise. These carefully crafted programs are active immersions into local culture and delicious cuisine for energetic, highly curious, young-at-heart travelers of all abilities who love the outdoors.
Tourissimo’s Signature Tours are ready-to-book programs of six or seven nights offering three activity levels: recreational, moderate and athletic. The cycling tours allow riders to choose a performance road bike, hybrid bike or even an Ebike (bike with pedals assisted by an electric engine). Custom tours are also available, whereby Tourissimo specifically designs programs in any Italian destination based on the individual or group’s specific interests and preferences. Custom tours may include things like kayaking, learning to make ceramics from local artisans, making handmade pasta from scratch or literary city tours in the footsteps of Dante, just to name a few.
Rates typically range from $450 to $750 per person per night, including accommodations, most meals, all transfers, daily cultural activities and two or more professional tour leaders. Programs are usually a weeklong in duration, but there are no minimum number of nights on custom tours. Reservations can be made via www.tourissimo.travel or by calling 857-997-0051.
Additional Background
According to Active Travel Association’s 2015 Industry Snapshot, Italy is the top destination for soft adventure travel in Europe. With its longitudinal, peninsula-like shape, Italy has varying elevations from sea level to mountains reaching 12,000 feet. The country has the most UNESCO World Heritage Sites (47 as of 2015), and with approximately 5000 miles of coastline and two mountain ranges including the majestic Dolomites on Eastern Alps, it’s no wonder that Italy tops the wish lists for those seeking beautiful adventures. In addition to being an unchallenged destination for food and wine aficionados, Italy’s dense network of roads and trails, charming villages, hamlets, castles, monasteries and abbeys make it the ideal destination for active travelers.
Cycling and Walking tours in Italy Tourissimo is the first Italian Destination. Management company specialized in active travel. We are local experts; we rely on experienced Italian guides and staff to deliver authentic travel experiences.
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Logistics
What's excluded
- Airfare
- Personal expenses such as phone and hotel extras
- Guide gratuity
Accommodation
Transportation & Flights
Transportation & flights
If Days Prior to Departure is 91+, then the Cancellation Fee is Admin fee – 250 USD
If Days Prior to Departure is 61-90, then the Cancellation Fee is 25% of tour price
If Days Prior to Departure is 31-60, then the Cancellation Fee is 50% of tour price
If Days Prior to Departure is 0-30, then the Cancellation Fees is 100% of tour price
7 Breakfasts, 7 Lunches and 7 Dinners
Tour Level
Recreational/Active/Athletic - Active: 30 to 55 mi a day along flat and rolling terrain. Additional miles available on some days.
Climate Data
In May, temperatures average 16C (62F) low / 24C (75F) max - precipitation probability is 4%.
In September, temperatures average 16C (63F) low / 25C (76F) max - precipitation probability is 4%.
In October, temperatures average 16C (62F) low / 23C (73F) max - precipitation probability is 8%.
Info about food and wine, and Slow Food products
Sicilian cuisine shows traces of all of the cultures which established themselves on the island over the last two millennia. Although its cuisine has a lot in common with mainland Italian cuisine, Sicilian food also has Greek, Spanish, French and Arab influences. The use of apricots, sugar, citrus, sweet melons, rice, saffron, raisins, nutmeg, clove, pepper, pine nuts, cinnamon (along with fried preparations) is a sign of Arab influences from the Arab domination of Sicily in the 10th and 11th centuries. Normans influences are also found, such as in the fondness for meat dishes. Later, the Spanish introduced numerous items from the New World, including cocoa, corn, peppers, and tomatoes.
In Catania, on the east coast, initially settled by Greek colonists, fish, olives, broad beans, pistachio and fresh vegetables are preferred instead. Much of the island's cuisine encourages the use of fresh vegetables such as eggplant, peppers, and tomatoes, and fish such as tuna, cuttlefish, and swordfish. In Trapani, in the extreme western corner of the island, North African influences are clear in the use of couscous. Sicily is a wine-lover's paradise, such is the variety, complexity and abundance of Bacchus' unique gift! There are 23 DOC zones in Sicily: Alcamo,Contea di Sclafani, Contessa Entellina, Delia Nivolelli, Eloro, Erice, Etna, Faro, Malvasia delle Lipari, Mamertino di Milazzo, Marsala, Menfi, Monreale, Moscato di Noto, Moscato di Pantelleria, Passito di Pantelleria, Moscato di Siracusa, Riesi, Salaparuta, Sambuca di Sicilia, Santa Margherita di Belice, Sciacca and Vittoria. Many grape types are grown, used either in purezza (single grape variety wines), or blended. Some have been around for centuries while others are more recent imports.
The following are some of the main varieties: red grapes - Nero D’Avola, Nerello Mascalese, Nerello Mantellato, Perricone, Frappato, Calabrese and the more recently introduced Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Shiraz (Syrah); white grapes - Cataratto, Grecanico, Grillo, Inzolia, Zibibbo, Damaschino, Trebbiano, Ausonica, Moscato Bianco, Carricante, Corinto Nero and the more recently introduced Chardonnay, Viognier and Fiano. Sicily has the most Slow Food Presidia (local projects) of all of the Italian regions. That means that the island has lots to offer in terms of gastronomical discoveries ranging from greens and vegetables to cheese and artisanal bread. Among a few that we will experience are Trapani Sea Salt, The Menfi Artichoke and the Belice Vastedda that is Italy’s only stretched-curd sheep’s milk cheese.
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