Family Friendly Vacation to Southern Italy and Sicily

Cooking class for kids in Italy

What to expect on this itinerary

Experience Southern Italy and Sicily’s stunning landscapes, historical landmarks, and mouthwatering cuisine with this unforgettable 9-day family vacation. The history and culture of each destination will come to life through private tours and exclusive experiences. Immerse yourself in the beautiful lifestyle of Southern Italy and Sicily, climb Mt. Vesuvius, indulge in a cannoli-making course, and visit the gorgeous island of Capri.

Countries Visited

Italy

Places Visited

Naples, Sorrento, Salerno, Palermo (City), Agrigento, Taormina

Suggested Duration

9 Days

Customizable Itinerary

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Day 1

Naples – Pizza-Making Class

Southern Italy and Sicily are filled with intriguing cities, famous landmarks, and delicious food, making them the perfect destination for a memorable family vacation. Your 9-day journey will begin when you land at Naples International Airport. A quick transfer will lead you to your luxurious accommodation in the heart of the city. After having some time to settle in, you can have a couple of hours to spend at your leisure before transferring to an authentic Neapolitan pizzeria, where you will partake in a private pizza-making class.

What's Included:

Transfer
Accommodation
Tour
Dinner
Day 2

Naples – Discover Mt. Vesuvius

Day 3

Sorrento – Capri and the Blue Grotto

Day 4

Salerno – Visit Mozzarella Factory

Day 5

Palermo – Picturesque Ferry Ride

Day 6

Palermo – Sicilian Puppet Theater

Day 7

Agrigento – Cannoli-Making Class

Day 8

Taormina – Visit the Greek Theatre

Day 9

Taormina – Departure

Trip Highlights

  • Discover your inner chef through an exclusive family pizza-making class in Naples
  • Climb Mount Vesuvius, which is one of Italy’s most famous volcanoes
  • Visit the gorgeous island of Capri and unrivaled Blue Grotto during an excursion from Sorrento
  • Explore an authentic mozzarella factory and indulge in delicious tastings
  • Enjoy one night in Salerno with wonderful views and landscapes
  • Witness iconic sites and delight in delicious cuisine during your ferry ride from Salerno to Palermo
  • Tour the Palermo Cathedral, which is full of intricate details and known for its multiple architectural styles
  • Indulge in a cannoli-making class that will have you learning from an authentic Sicilian baker
  • Discover the ancient Greek Theatre and stunning Isola Bella during your stay in the town of Taormina

Detailed Description

Southern Italy and Sicily are home to some of Italy’s most beautiful cities and famous landmarks, making them the ideal destination for an unforgettable family vacation. Your 9-day journey will begin when you land at Naples International Airport. A memorable afternoon will be in store, and you will head to an authentic pizzeria to learn how to make traditional Neapolitan pizza before enjoying your delicious creation for dinner. The next day will feature a private tour of one of Italy’s most famous volcanoes, Mt. Vesuvius. The climb up the volcano will be exhilarating, and the views from the top will be incredible. After your final night in Naples, you will head to your next destination of Sorrento. Later in the afternoon, you will embark on a short ride to the beautiful island of Capri for a private tour of the island and a visit to the unrivaled Blue Grotto.

As the sun rises over Sorrento the next morning, you will continue to Salerno. Along the way, a visit to an authentic mozzarella factory will allow you to discover a delicious specialty of the area. After one wonderful night in Salerno, you will transfer to Sicily. The next day, you will discover the culture of Palermo with a private tour of the Palermo Cathedral. You and your family will also discover the Sicilian tradition of puppet theater as you visit a local museum and enjoy a live marionette performance before another fantastic day comes to a close.

The next morning, your private transfer will lead you to the historic city of Agrigento. After arriving at your hotel, your expert guide will lead you on a tour of the Valley of the Temples, where you will discover your inner archeologist and explore the many fascinating ruins. Next, you will head to an authentic bakery to learn how to make a traditional Sicilian cannoli. The opportunity to indulge in this sweet confection will be the perfect way to end the day. The next day, you will journey to your final destination of Taormina. Your final full day in Sicily will lead you to the ancient Greek Theatre and serene island of Isola Bella for private tours.

Starting Price

$3,300 per person (excluding international flights)

Your Zicasso trip is fully customizable, and this sample itinerary is a starting place for your travel plans. Actual costs are dynamic, and your selection of accommodations and activities, your season of travel, and other such variables will bring this budget guideline up or down. Throughout your planning experience with your Zicasso specialist, your itinerary is designed around your budget. You can book your trip when you are satisfied with every detail. Planning your trip with a Zicasso travel specialist is a free service.

What's Included

The starting price is based on travel during the low season for a minimum of two travelers staying in shared 3-star accommodations. Please inquire for a custom trip quote based on your travel preferences and travel dates.

4.9

Verified Traveler Reviews

Based on 1146 reviews

Italy Luxury Trip Review: Agrigento, Taormina, Marsala, Cooking Class, Wine Tasting, One-Week Tour
Except for a couple of snafus at the airport in Palermo and the wrong bed set-up in Palermo at the beginning of our trip, everything was excellent. We especially enjoyed our hotels in Agrigento and Taormina.

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Luxury Italy Travel Review: Sicily, Palermo, Catania, Ortigia, Taormina, Mount Etna

Matteo provided exactly the trip we wanted, which was a 12-day tour of Sicily, starting in Palermo and ending in Catania. We spent 3 nights in most hotels and approved of his choices, which gave us different experiences of hotels in Sicily. In Taormina we stayed at Hotel Calipso, Hotel Kore in Agrigento, and A Casa Di Anna in Palermo. He provided us with a cellphone upon arrival and checked in from time to time. His English is excellent. We sometimes had problems with internet, and he would call the hotel to try to get a solution, then report back. We used two guides provided by him for specific tours, but basically did things by ourselves. I would turn to him for my next trip to Italy.

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Italy Trip Review: Taormina, Agrigento, Palermo, 8 Nights

Our Zicasso travel specialist did a fantastic job planning our family vacation for five adults.

Each hotel was top-notch. At the villa in Taormina, the rooms were luxurious, with unbelievable views of the bay and Mount Etna from private verandas. The staff were gracious and the restaurant's breakfast buffet delicious. Lunch and dinner were top-notch. The hotel in Agrigento was modern and the grounds were exceptional. It was close to the Valley of the Temples, with amazing views of the ruins from each room and the beautiful infinity pool. The hotel in Palermo was old-fashioned luxury with up-to-date facilities and close to the old town.

Our tour guides and drivers were excellent.

My only regret is that we only had 10 days to explore Sicily as there was so much more to see!

Our agent did a yeoman's job helping us plan this trip.

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Sicily Italy Travel Review, Palermo, Agrigento, Siracusa, Modica, Ragusa, Taormina, Locals, Food & Wine
My wife and I arranged a trip to Sicily with our trip planner at this tour company and we could not have had a better, more professionally planned trip to this wonderful country.  The history and even the culture in Sicily is very different from the rest of Italy we learned and every aspect of our pre-planned scheduled trip over 8 days was first class.  From the moment we arrived in Palermo and were picked up by a private driver to all the cities we visited, the hotels our trip planner booked us in, the drivers she arranged to transport us every day, to the pre-arranged professional tour guides, everything about this trip was simply exceptional.  The planner even helped us make reservations at highly rated local restaurants in the towns we stayed.  We visited and toured Palermo, Agrigento, Siracusa, Monica, Ragusa, and Taormina.  We really saw a great deal of Italy and the beautiful historical sites in each city we visited were amazing and so interesting.  It was a trip we talked about doing for many years and we finally did it.  I would strongly recommend this tour company for any destination and we hope to be able to do another trip in the future.  We would definitely call our trip planner immediately when this can hopefully happen.  Thank you trip planner for being so responsive to all of our questions and requests during our trip as we made a few changes in the restaurant reservations during our trip as we became acquainted with the towns we visited.  I must add this about Sicily, the food and local wines are beyond good, it is almost impossible to have a bad meal anywhere you go.  Sicily is beautiful and the people there are so friendly and welcoming and surprisingly, many speak pretty good English.  Thanks again to our trip planner for planning such a wonderful trip for us.Bye for now.Tim and Bamie C.Chandler, Arizona   

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Italy Trip Review: Vietri sul Mare, Palermo, Taormina, Naples, Pompeii, Sorrento, Ravello, Capri, Organic Farm Visit, Mt Etna Tour

We had a fantastic trip that exceeded our expectations. We had an excellent trip planned with Marilisa and she was open to our ideas and to our requested changes and implemented them quickly and got back to us with the confirmation that it was done. The travel arrangements at the airports and daily for tours and excursions were always on time and with great drivers who were helpful and had fun conversations about where we were going and in-depth history. Their skills in driving the vans along the Amalfi coast was amazing and we were all so glad that we were in the hands of expert drivers on these extremely tight and curvy congested roads. Each tour guide was extremely knowledgeable about the area we went to. More commentary on the tour guides below.The hotels that were provided were great for the two groups. Each one had a good reason why they chose them. In Naples it was right in the center of the old town beaming with life and restaurants. The hotel had a fantastic breakfast room and a great bar service in the afternoon. The rooms were ok, nothing special.The hotel in Vietri sul Mare was a gem. Great location, great views of the ocean, friendly and helpful staff and had some great restaurants nearby. The hotel in Palermo was also right in the middle of the city center with great restaurants in walking distance, but the rooms were just ok, and the breakfast area was very tight to move around. The Resort in Taormina was fantastic also. Same owner as the hotel in Vietri sul Mare. Great location on the beach, easy to get to downtown Taormina. A great bar cafe on the beach and the breakfast area was overlooking the beach. A great place to spend our two free days at the end of the trip. The hotel in Naples was also beautiful for our last night, but we didn't get to use it much as it was the last night before flying home. Our only real disappointment was the first transportation of the trip from Naples airport to the hotel. The driver seemed to be in a hurry when getting us to the hotel. He didn't know the area very well and said he couldn't get any closer to the hotel due to the small roads. He pointed up the road and said it should be up there. We all had two bags to drag around while searching for the hotel. Luckily, we had our phones to use. He wasn't even on the right street, and we had to walk around to find it. The next morning our driver was right outside the hotel, so there was no problem with the road. 

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Travel Review: Italy Tour, Sicily, Palermo, Agrigento, Catania, Ragusa, Syracuse, Modica, Chocolate Making, Olive Oil Factory
Trip was excellent.  All the arrangements made by the travel company worked flawlessly.  Although we have been traveling for more than 50 years this was the first time we have used a travel agency to both plan and arrange an overseas trip.  We were impressed with the agency because they listened to what we wanted to do and see.  There were discussions and a few iterations before the final itinerary. Take time and speak with them.  Furthermore they were able to accommodate our idiosyncrasies. We spent 10 nights in Sicily in Palermo, Agrigento, Ragusa Ibla, Siracusa and Catania.  All the hotels and B&B's were excellent and centrally located as we desired,  The drivers and guided tours were staffed with knowledgeable, professional and efficient people.  The agency kept in contact with us throughout the trip although this was not easy since we did have a mobile phone.  There were no problems at all.  Superb suggestions from the travel company that we had not thought about such as a chocolate making class in Modica, a market crawl/cooking class/lunch in Siracusa as well as a visit to a top quality olive oil production estate were some of the highlights of our trip.  The archeological visits also were magnificent. The agency even arranged for our attendance at a Bellini opera in the Teatro Bellini in Catania.  The overall trip was wonderful mostly due to the great travel arrangements.  It did not hurt that for the 10 day trip duration there was no rain, only a few rare clouds and moderate temperatures. We would not hesitate to work with this travel company again. 

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Customizable Itinerary

This is a sample itinerary to inspire a personalized trip designed with your travel specialist.

28,000+ Verified Traveler Reviews