Food, Faith & Wine of Sicily and the Amalfi Coast with Fr Leo

Tonight, we depart for an overnight flight to Palermo via Rome. Dinner and breakfast are served on the flight. Domestic add-on flights and upgrades to Premium Economy and Business Class are available upon request.

We arrive in Palermo, meet our guide and settle into our hotel in town. Enjoy an afternoon at leisure to explore the town on your own. Time permitting, we may visit the Sanctuary of Santa Rosalia, the patron saint of Palermo. Tonight we enjoy dinner at the hotel. Overnight in Palermo. (D.)

Today we have a fascinating full-day exploration of Sicilian cuisine and history. After breakfast, we stroll around the Il Capo market, the oldest in Palermo, where we see and taste the famous Palermo street food, such as panelle, arancine, crocchette, and Pani Ca Meusa. Admire colorful stalls featuring an abundance of fruit, vegetables, seafood and meats amid the sellers’ cries as they bid for our attention. Next we visit Palazzo dei Normanni, the Norman Palace built around the 10th Century by the Arab emirs and later turned into a formal residence by the Norman kings. Inside the Palace, the Palatine Chapel is a real jewel. We stop at the Palermo Cathedral and the Church of the Gesù, one of the most important Baroque churches in Sicily. Our visit to the city includes an ice cream tasting stop. Cones and tubs are popular here, but the most delicious gelato comes served in a giant brioche bun, like a gourmet ice cream sandwich. Dinner tonight is at a local restaurant. Overnight in Palermo. (B.Special dinner.)

We depart Palermo after breakfast, traveling to Monreale to see the famous mosaics. Upon arrival, we celebrate Mass, and then we explore Monreale Cathedral and Cloister. Continue traveling along the coast to the village of Scopello where we enjoy lunch in a local trattoria. Then discover part of the epic story of the Florio family. You may have read The Florios of Sicily, Stefania Auci’s famous novel. To this family, the Sicilians owe not only the internationalization of Marsala wine, the first Italian wine to be recognized as DOC, but also the revolutionary invention of the preservation of tuna in olive oil. We visit a small bay and stop at the picturesque tuna fishery, often used as a film shooting location. Dinner is on our own tonight. Overnight in Palermo. (B.L.)

After breakfast at the hotel, we set out toward the enchanting seaside village of Cefalu, which offers some of the best beaches on the island. Stroll through the historic center, stopping to admire the Molo, a pretty, old fishing port situated on a tiny rock-protected beach. The stunning main square, the palm-and-patio-lined Piazza del Duomo, boasts an authentic Sicilian vibe, offering numerous refreshment options. Here is the shadow of the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Cathedral of Cefalu. Lunch is on your own today. Time permitting, you may wish to stop to see the famous mosaic of Jesus the Savior in the Cathedral. We return to Palermo in the afternoon. Enjoy dinner at leisure. Overnight in Palermo. (B.)

Today we visit the Planeta Ulmo winery. Established in 1995 outside the village of Sambuca di Sicilia, Ulmo was the first of the Planeta wineries. Built near an ancient 16th-century stone farmhouse, the winery overlooks a picturesque estate and houses the Iter Vitis open-air museum, dedicated to the history of Sicilian viticulture. We visit the museum and the Planeta farmhouse during our private tour of the winery. Enjoy a tasting of five wines spanning the five Planeta territories on the island. Then indulge in tasting three Planeta extra-virgin olive oils, followed by an excellent Sicilian lunch. We return to Palermo in the afternoon. Dinner is at leisure. (B.L.)

Today we check out of our hotel in Palermo to take a flight to Naples where we are greeted by a new bus and driver. Our first stop is Bosco de Medici Winery. Enjoy lunch at the winery, based on ancient Vesuvian cuisine. Our visit includes the vineyards and the cellar, where we discover the “amphora” rooms, which contain wines aged according to the ancient Roman traditions. We celebrate Sunday Mass at Our Lady of the Rosary Shrine. Then continue to Sorrento to settle into the hotel which will be our home for the next four nights. Enjoy time at leisure to explore Limonoro, Sorrento’s main pedestrian street. Lined with shops, this area is the perfect place to stop for limoncello, a lemon aperitif, or other liqueurs such as those flavored with fennel, almond milk, or chocolate. We gather tonight for dinner at the hotel. Overnight in Sorrento. (B.L.D.)

Following breakfast at the hotel, we embark on a drive along the beautiful serpentine Amalfi Coast to visit the towns of Ravello and Amalfi. Enjoy the sites of one of Europe’s most magnificent coastlines brimming with hilltop towns, terraced hills, and blue seas. In Ravello, we visit Villa Rufolo, with its cloister and beautiful gardens. In Amalfi, see the Piazza del Duomo, where we explore the Cathedral of St. Andrew to see the relics of the saint and the Crypt, where he is buried. This coast is known as the Citrus Coast due to the abundance of lemon and orange trees. We visit a limoncello farm and learn the way of making this tasty liquor. By a short boat ride, we reach the next village Maiori and then ride our bus back to Sorrento. Tonight enjoy dinner at Lo Parrucchiano, a restaurant created in a “wild” Mediterranean garden that offers traditional cuisine. Overnight in Sorrento. (B.Special dinner.)

Enjoy a magical day discovering Capri and Anacapri, topped off with a private boat experience in the famed Blue Grotto. Our visit begins with a visit to Anacapri, a concentration of Mediterranean colors and the scents of lemon groves. Our guide takes us to the center of Capri, where the little square, Piazzetta, otherwise known as “the drawing room of the world” is located. Stroll Capri’s maze of narrow lanes draped in bougainvillea, winding between traditional whitewashed houses. Next, board our own private boat to visit the magical Blue Grotto, one of the natural beauties of the island. It is best known for the particular play of light created by the blue reflections of water, an effect due to the sunlight that enters the cavity below sea level. Our lunch today is at the Il Geranio Restaurant with a view of the magnificent Augusto gardens near the center of town. Dinner is at leisure. Overnight in Sorrento. (B.L.)

Spend some time at leisure in the natural beauty of Sorrento. Explore the town, hang out at the beach, or visit some of the luxury shops in the area. In the afternoon, you may opt to visit Positano for a leisurely stroll through Italy’s most vertical town and to visit the Church of Assunta in the center of the village. Dinner is at leisure. Overnight in Sorrento. (B)

Following Mass this morning, enjoy a day to relax, stroll through Padua, and pack for your return flight home. Or you may choose to take an optional personal tour of Venice. This day is “on your own,” but our tour guide can assist you in making arrangements. In the evening, we gather at a local restaurant in Padua for a festive farewell dinner with wine and local delicacies—overnight Padua. (B, Special dinner)

This morning, we travel via Naples to our last hotel of the trip which brings us close to Fiumicino airport for tomorrow’s departure. In Naples we experience a pizza cooking class, followed by lunch. In the afternoon, our guide helps us to explore the hidden jewel of the city. Then we continue to Frascati for our last night’s stay and farewell dinner. (B.L.Special dinner.)

This morning, we are transferred to Rome airport for our flights home. (B.)