Italea

The experience

Preparatevi per un’affascinante panoramica della Sicilia occidentale, una terra che ha vissuto una vita intensa, ricca di avvenimenti storici che si estendono dall’VIII secolo a.C. fino ai nostri giorni. Il nostro itinerario vi porterà attraverso un territorio che racconta storie millenarie, abbracciando l’architettura punico-greca, l’arte arabo-normanna, il barocco siciliano e l’eleganza dell’Art Nouveau.

Iniziamo il nostro viaggio da Marsala, una cittadina che custodisce una storia intrigante. Qui, non sono i siciliani, ma un gruppo di intraprendenti inglesi, giunti sull’isola nel 1806, a segnare un’epoca. Arrivati in Sicilia per contrastare l’influenza francese durante il regno di Ferdinando IV di Borbone, questi inglesi scoprirono un’isola meravigliosa, ricca di bellezze naturali e potenzialità inesplorate.

Da questo incontro di culture nasce la produzione del celebre vino Marsala, un dolce nettare liquoroso che ha conquistato il mondo. Parallelamente, gli inglesi svilupparono la coltivazione del sale, con i suoi scenografici mulini a vento, e trasformarono la pesca del tonno, un antico rituale, in una fiorente industria.

Il nostro itinerario culmina a Favignana, la perla dell’arcipelago delle Egadi. Quest’isola incantevole vi accoglierà con le sue spiagge bianche e le acque cristalline, un paradiso terrestre che incanta i visitatori con la sua bellezza incontaminata.

Lungo il percorso, faremo tappa in alcune delle località archeologiche più significative della Sicilia. Visiteremo Segesta, con il suo maestoso tempio dorico e il teatro greco perfettamente conservato. Mozia, un’isola museo che custodisce preziosi reperti fenici, vi offrirà uno sguardo sulla civiltà antica.

Proseguendo il viaggio, ci addentreremo nel periodo medievale con una visita a Erice, un borgo incantevole arroccato su una montagna, le cui strade lastricate in pietra e le chiese antiche vi trasporteranno in un’epoca lontana. Concluderemo a Trapani, città famosa per la lavorazione del corallo e per le sue tradizioni marinare.

Questo tour vi offrirà un’immersione totale nella cultura, nella storia e nella bellezza naturale della Sicilia occidentale, un’esperienza indimenticabile che vi lascerà con il desiderio di tornare ancora e ancora

Tour

day 1

Day 1: Marsala – Museum and Archaeological Park read more

Arrival in the morning in Marsala, a delightful coastal town that tells a thousand-year-old history. Founded in the fourth century BC by a community of Carthaginians who fled from Motya following a bitter battle, the ancient Lilybaeum was built on an impregnable promontory, later conquered in 830 AD by the Arabs who changed its name to Marsala, the port of Allah.

Modern Marsala experienced a period of great splendour in the mid-1700s when far-sighted English entrepreneurs such as Whitaker, Ingham and Woodhouse, followed closely by the more famous Florio family, gave life to the sweet wine of the same name.

The first part of our visit is dedicated to the exploration of ancient Lilybaeum, an interesting archaeological park that also houses an important museum with the only surviving Punic ship and the evocative “Cave of the Sibyl” in the church of San Giovanni Battista, carved into the rock and characterized by the presence of a spring, probably used by the first Christian community for baptismal rites. At the end we will visit the Hypogeum of Crispia Salvia.

In the afternoon visit of the town, the main street and the cathedral dedicated to St. Thomas Beckett, English bishop of Canterbury, whose cult came here with the first Norman domination of the eleventh century.

At the end, dinner in a typical restaurant, return to the hotel and overnight stay in Marsala.

day 2

Day 2: Mozia read more

In the morning, transfer to the pier, the small and characteristic port, from which we will reach the island of Mozia. The name of this particular archaeological site is closely linked to the name of the English Whitaker family, in particular to the eccentric Pip, who fell in love with the place and was passionate about archaeology, and decided to buy the island to carry out archaeological excavations. Pip is also the founder of the Antiquarium, where he and his wife Tina collected all the artifacts. The beautiful marble statue of the Young Man also comes from Mozia.

At the end of the visit, return to the mainland and visit the Salt Museum, where we will find the ancient tools for extracting salt. The production of salt is a long tradition in this part of Sicily, and the extraction takes place right in the nearby salt pans, wonderful especially at sunset, when the water is tinged with pink, an experience that alone is worth the trip! There will be a tasting of typical products and local wines.

In the afternoon return to the hotel, dinner in a restaurant with typical products and overnight stay in Marsala

day 3

Day 3: Trapani read more

In the morning transfer to Trapani, the ancient Drepanon, the “sickle” that, according to mythology, Ceres lost during her race riding a chariot pulled by winged snakes.

The day will be entirely dedicated to the discovery of Trapani, located in the westernmost part of Sicily. With an insider guide we will visit the main monuments of the city, its fortified walls, ramparts, domes and mills. We will also discover the most authentic aspects of Trapani that in the past have made it important and famous. We will visit, in fact, the workshop of one of the last artisans, or rather, artists, who have dedicated themselves for centuries to the processing of coral, and we will also have the opportunity to “incocciare” the couscous, the traditional dish of Trapani: originally from North Africa, it is an exquisite dish based on semolina, here, by tradition, superbly elaborated in the fish variant.

At the end of the day full of authentic experiences, dinner in the ancient Tonnara di Bonagia, from which you can enjoy a magnificent sunset over the sea.

Overnight at the hotel in Trapani.

day 4

Day 4: Segesta and Erice read more

day 5

Day 5: Favignana read more

Immediately after breakfast, transfer to the port, from where we will reach Favignana, the largest of the islands in the Egadi archipelago. The fame of Favignana, in addition to its natural beauty, dates back to the Florio family, in particular to Ignazio and Franca Florio. An ancient family of Calabrian origin, it moved to Palermo at the end of the 1700s, and – during the 1800s – was the protagonist of an extraordinary economic rise until it became, in the second half of the century, one of the first Italian industrial families to enter the inner circle of the high international financial elite. In Favignana we will visit the ancient Florio tuna fishery, restored and transformed into an interesting museum dedicated to traditional tuna fishing, and we will walk looking at the blue of the sea.

In the afternoon return to the mainland, dinner and overnight stay in Trapani.

day 6

Day 6: Departure read more

After breakfast, transfer to the airport and end of our services.

The English in Sicily : Wine, salt and mills

The experience

In a few words

Tour

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