DURATION: 8 days

GROUP SIZE: 6 people max

Situated in the heart of the Mediterranean Sea, washed by 3000 years of history, and conquered and ruled at some point by all the major cultures in the region, Sicily is like an old manuscript upon which successive scribes have written over and over the story of humanity, a palimpsest of architecture, culture, food, and wine that bears witness to the countless civilizations—benevolent and otherwise—that once called this island their prize. Focusing our attention on the western half of the island we'll dig deeply into this history, tracing the impact of these cultures on Sicily's landscape, architecture, and character. In the company of a Context scholar who has detailed knowledge of the island, we'll consider Sicily at the crossroads of the Mediterranean.

Highlights

• touring Palermo's Vucciria and Capo markets with a trained culinary historian
• visits to the water-filled qanats (Arab aqueducts) on Palermo's periphery for a lesson in medieval hydraulic engineering
• excursions to the atmospheric western towns of Erice, Castelveltrano, and Mazzara del Vallo
• 4 days in Palermo with a historian exploring the city's Norman and Spanish periods
• excursions to the Norman cathedrals of Monreale and Cefalu'
• seminar on the newly-restored mosaics of Palermo's Palatine Chapel
• annotated dinner on the history of western Sicilian cuisine
• chance to see the Satiro Danzante, a Hellenistic bronze masterpiece fished from the sea
• visit to a producer of Marsala wine for a tour and tasting
• trips to Segesta and Selinunte with a classical historian

An immersion in Sicilian history

We begin in Palermo, island capital of the Phoenicians, Normans, Arabs, and the Spanish, where today we can read the history of these conquerors in the art and architecture. We'll devote much of our time to understanding the two golden ages of the city—the 12th-century Norman era and the 18th-century Spanish conquest. Visits to Palermo's Palatine Chapel and excursions to the Cathedrals of Monreale and Cefalu' will reveal the extraordinary sophistication and culture achieved under the Normans when artisans from the far corners of the Mediterranean were brought here to decorate these structures in undulating ripples of glass and gold. Pushing forward through history, we'll also explore Palermo's jubilant Baroque churches and oratories, and, using their fantastic decoration as a textbook, trace the rise and importance of the island under the Spanish.

Taking Sicilian cuisine as our lens, we'll spend time with a culinary historian wandering the Vucciria and Capo markets of the city to learn about the origins of different cooking traditions in this part of the island. The adventurous among us may want to seize an opportunity to consider the lasting impact of the Arabs here and throughout western Sicily by visiting the qanats, underground aqueducts built more than 1000 years ago, that still irrigate orange groves on the city's outskirts.

The second half of our trip covers a circuit of the western part of the island, using the fishing town of Trapani (famous for its salt) as a base. Visits to Erice, Marsala, and Mazzara del Vallo expose us to a rich, atmospheric, and contemporary Sicilian culture often overlooked on traditional itineraries. We'll include visits to the archaeological sites of Segesta and Selinunte in the company of a trained historian where we'll look closely at the origins of the island and its role throughout antiquity. Moving back and forth through history, we'll draw on the monuments and landscape around us—a rich variety of Greek ruins, Arabic engineering, medieval mosaics, modern markets, bronze statues, and rolling farmland—to paint a portrait of a land that, though far from the epicenter of European power today, always figured prominently into Mediterranean culture and conflict.

We'll finish back in Palermo having eaten, walked, climbed, explored, and reflected our way through the many layers of Sicily's past, emerging with a complex but deeply satisfying portrait of this enduring island through time.

Optional add-ons

• wine tasting at a local enoteca (wine bar)
• lesson in preparing couscous in Trapani

Note: This trip can also be booked privately upon request for parties traveling together. The cost of this is €8500 base cost for the group plus €1750 per person. Simply contact us by email if you would like to place a request.

Download a PDF of the entire itinerary.

Cancellation Policies

Included: Lodging, most meals, tours, tickets, etc. Not included: Airfare, dinner on Days 4 and 6, airport transfers