Sicily tours, Sicily holidays, Etna tour by SicilyLife

(Pick up from Catania port)

The Unknown Sicily around Etna is a different way to explore our volcano and our Island, through typical Sicilian villages on the slopes of Mt. Etna, while tasting several Sicilian products on the way. We will drive from your port through different local villages of the Alcantara Valley. We will visit the Alcantara Gorges, with their wonderful waterfall created from an old Etna lava eruption (40 miles long flow). We then continue the drive to Francavilla, and visit the most charming and unspoiled old Sicilian village of Castiglione di Sicilia and of course the several lemon, orange and olive groves as well as the Etna grapevines. We will have the chance to visit the

famous old Greek fortress, situated on the highest part of Castiglione with a breathtaking view over the Alcantara valley.
We will take the Red wine-route, literally traversing the lava of 1981, passing through the village of Linguaglossa, with its mass of Baroque churches and delicious Almond and nut pastries typical of the area. Here we will enjoy a short stop to try some these fine local products in a traditional pastry shop before heading to the well-known winery "Gambino" to tour the property and the wine cellar and of course have a taste of the unique Etna wine, accompanied by a selection of local Sicilian products (optional).

Driving down from the mount, through a pine tree forest, we get to the highlights of Taormina. Our introduction to Taormina today will take us around the beautiful town of Taormina, situated on a rocky plateau on the slopes of the steeply dropping Monte Tauro, dominating the Ionian coast from Capo Sant'Andrea to Capo Taormina with the Etna Volcano rising majestically in the background. The downtown centre represents a variety of historical periods, from the early Greek settlements and the Roman age, to the remains of Byzantine and Medieval constructions up to the 15th Century Catalan buildings and 17th Century Baroque churches and Palaces.
Not to miss is a visit to the Greek Theatre, a stroll down the main street "Corso Umberto" with its art and designers shops, Baroque churches and Palazzi.