21 April 2020, Tuesday
All participants will meet at Catania airport at 12:00am., this time is coordinated with the Lufthansa flight from Munich. The flight is not included in the travel price, we are happy to book it from your preferred departure airport! Please mark the appropriate field in the booking form!  

If you do not want to fly, you can also travel by train. You will even experience the trajectory of your train across the Strait of Messina between the mainland and Sicily! Departure in Germany is then on Monday, April 20, 2020, arrival in Catania Centrale on Tuesday morning. We will also be happy to provide you with this ticket according to your wishes.

At the airport you will be welcomed by our Sicilian tour guide and motor to the train station of Catania. With our first train journey on this journey we head south through a rather rural area up to Augusta. There the train makes a 180° turn and then runs through an intensive building development to the terminus station of Syracuse, where we will get off. It is only 300 meters to walk to our hotel!

Overnight stay in the 4-star Hotel Centrale.
Meals: Dinner.

22 April 2020, Wednesday
Today we first visit the archaeological park with impressive evidence of the cultural heyday, which was not quite so beautiful for others: in the "Ear of Dionisos" life became hell for the prisoners in the quarries. In Ortigia we take a walk along the port and learn about the inventions of Archimedes, the three-thousand-year history of the Cathedral and the Temple of Apollo. At lunchtime you can visit the famous fruit and vegetable market.

Those who cannot control their interest in the railway today will visit the small Italian State railway (FS) railway depot in Syracuse in the afternoon. All others have the afternoon free and can discover the picturesque old town on their own.

Overnight stay in the 4-star Hotel Centrale.
Meals: Breakfast, dinner.

From today, and until April 27, 2020, we will always travel in the same comfortable coach. Due to the high demand, we would like to offer our customers additional comfort and have made seat reservations possible for the first 5 rows in the bus. You keep this seat during the entire tour and can thus travel completely relaxed on the most frequently requested seats in the bus. The principle here is: first comes, first served. A reservation on the spot is not possible, all other seats cannot be reserved.

23 April 2020, Thursday
After breakfast we take the train on the non-electrified secondary line to Modica. About an hour and a half we can admire the beautiful Sicilian landscape from the comfort of your seat before arriving in the “capital of chocolate”! We will visit the San Giorgio Church and the Cathedral, and then taste the fine chocolate for which Modica is world famous for.

A short bus transfer takes us to the neighbouring town of Ragusa, well known for its baroque houses with light limestone facades. A visit to the San Giorgio church is also planned. We finally reach the medieval town Agrigento, whose historical old town with its narrow, winding lanes we shall explore.
Our hotel is located a little further south, about 8 kilometers from Agrigento, close to the Mediterranean beach.

Overnight stay in the 4-star Hotel Baia di Ulisse.
Meals: Breakfast, dinner.
 
24 April 2020, Friday
The UNESCO declared the archaeological sites of Agrigento a World Heritage Site in 1997. The reason was: "Akragas was one of the largest ancient Mediterranean cities and has been preserved in an exceptionally good condition. Its magnificent series of Doric temples is one of the most outstanding monuments for the Greek art and culture."

The poet Pindar described the city in his Ode to Mida as "the most beautiful city of mortals". We visit the historic sites, and then take the train in the afternoon to Cammarata, passing through the beautiful Sicilian mountains (about 45 minutes) to the "Park of the Sicilian Mountains", then we have dinner in a typical restaurant with specialties from the Sicilian mountains. The bus takes us back to the hotel.

Overnight stay in the 4-star Hotel Baia di Ulisse.
Meals: Breakfast, dinner.

25 April 2020, Saturday
Today Italy celebrates the "Liberation day” - Wikipedia knows everything! We will celebrate, too, and shall visit the highlights of the region today. First we motor to the city of Sciacca, one of the oldest thermal cities in Europe. Here you will first see the Basilica, Calogero, Monte Kronio, where you will have the opportunity to observe a unique natural phenomenon, the "hot fumes of the Daedal caves".

Afterwards you will visit the Piazza Scandaliato, where you can enjoy a wonderful view over the fishing port on a beautiful panoramic terrace, followed by a wine tasting in the former Phoenician trading town of Marsala. Our tour continues to Erice on Monte San Giuliano and its unique panoramic views of the Egadi Islands and Monte Cofano. You will take a walk through the picturesque medieval streets and see the main church "Santa Maria dell' Assunta", the mighty city walls from Phoenician times and the remains of the Venus castle. A sample of the delicious Ericini (biscuits) should not be missed before we continue to Palermo.

Overnight stay at the 4-star Hotel Porta Felice.
Meals: Breakfast, dinner.

26 April 2020, Sunday
Anyone who has ever been to Palermo some time ago will probably hardly recognize the city now: in recent years, especially after its nomination as the cultural capital of Italy in 2018, Palermo has experienced an unprecedented boom. The old town pulsates with life, the performances of museums, galleries, theaters and opera houses are of the highest standards.

Our program starts at the Norman Palace, where the Palatine Chapel is located with gold mosaics and beams decorated with stars and stalactites. The cathedral with the royal tombs, the Quattro Canti in the heart of the old town, also called "Piazza del Sole", the Martorana church and the Piazza Vigliena in front of the town hall are within walking distance. From here we stroll through one of the historic markets of Palermo, Vucciria, Ballarò or Capo - according to experts one of the best street food markets in the world! Here we can taste Pane e Panelle, Arancini and other specialties.

Then we walk to the "Stazione Centrale" and take the train to Cefalù, partly running at the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. After visiting the city, we continue by bus to the next hotel in the picturesque town of Linguaglossa on the east coast.

Overnight stay at the 4-star Hotel Mareneve Resort.
Meals: Breakfast, dinner.

27 April 2020, Monday
The exact itinerary for today has not yet been set: another Tanago group has chartered the  "Littorina" today, the legendary Fiat railcar from the 1930s. We want to join this special photo charter for a few hours but as the timetable for the charter is not yet known, we can only plan our arrival or departure with the narrow-gauge railcar of the Circumetnea Railway at a later stage. In any case the still active Etna volcano will always be in the background of our shots today - there is hardly a perspective on which Etna is not to be seen.

In the afternoon we visit Taormina: the ancient theater, the cathedral, and the Palazzo Corvia. If we still have time, we can also visit the gardens of Taormina with their unique botanical rarities.

Overnight stay at the 4-star Hotel Mareneve Resort.
Meals: Breakfast, dinner.

28 April 2020, Tuesday
Every trip has to end sometime - and unfortunately that happens for us today. After breakfast, the bus will take us back to the airport or train station of Catania. You can either fly back (Lufthansa leaves Catania around 12am, or take the train a little later to your home country). For both options we can book the tickets for you if you wish.

Meals: Breakfast.

Price

2.280 Euro per person sharing a double room
   280 Euro single room supplement
     69 Euro seat reservation in bus row 2 - 3 (per seat)
     49 Euro seat reservation in bus row 4 - 5 (per seat)

Services

• All visits, excursions, transfers mentioned in the itinerary;
• Modern and fully air-conditioned coaches;
• All train journeys in 2nd class;
• 7x overnight stays in 4* Italian category hotels;
• Accommodation in standard double room with bath or shower, ensuite private facilities, air conditioning;
• 4x half board in the above mentioned hotels (extended breakfast + 3 course dinner in the hotel), without drinks;
• 2x dinner at a local restaurant, without drinks;
• 1x dinner in Cammarata incl. ½ liter of wine and ½ liter of water;
• 1x wine tasting in Marsala (Historical Winery Pellegrino);
• Luggage transfer in and out, as well as visitor's tax in all hotels;
• Entrance fees worth approx. 100 € per person;
• English and German speaking local tour guide;
• Multilingual Tanago tour guide;
• Tanago tour brochure.

Not included are all services not listed, arrival and departure to/from Catania, travel insurance, all private expenses (laundry, telephone) and tips.

We will run this exciting tour with a minimum of 12 and a maximum of 25 participants. Please book until 31. January 2020!

A valid identity card is sufficient for EU citizens to enter Italy. Please note that entry regulations may change. Citizens of other countries are requested to contact the relevant embassy regarding entry regulations, health- and safety issues..

We will make every effort to ensure that the tour takes place in accordance with the published program. We reserve the right to make changes to hotels and/or restaurants at an equivalent or better level. All train journeys are based on the timetable valid in July 2019. Changes up to the date of travel are possible and will be incorporated into the program in the best possible way.

Italy is well known for strikes and labour disputes. Changes to the itinerary, also at very short notice, are possible. The charter with the Littorina is organized by another group. The organisation of this tour and the timetable of the Littorina in general are completely out of our control. There is no entitlement to a specific locomotive or route. Failure or changes to these railroad related program items will not result in a substitution or refund of pro-rata travel prices. Should any of the program items have to be changed due to other influences, such as an eruption of Etna with subsequent official orders, it is regarded as “force majeure” and will also not lead to a substitution or refund of pro rata travel prices.

We expect spring-like weather with lots of sun, but also occasional rain.
Italy uses 2-plug sockets but also flat three-pole plugs, so an adapter is necessary! Mobile phone coverage is good in the cities, but might not be available on the countryside or during our train rides.

This trip is generally not suitable for people with reduced mobility. If in doubt, please contact us about your individual needs before (!) booking.
This trip is organised by Tanago Eisenbahnreisen.