Explore the western side of Sicily with stops in Palermo, Trapani, Panarea, Salina, and one of Sicily's smoking giants, the active volcano on the island of Stromboli.  This itinerary encompasses of the beauty and serenity of the islands along with the big personality of Palermo, and the historic and ecological Trapani.  If you love the sea, crisp white wines, fruity reds, olive oil, capers, pistachios, almonds, pasta, marionettes and markets galore, these areas of Sicily will win your heart over.  

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.

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.   

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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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.