Romantic Couple’s Tour to Southern Italy and Sicily

Zicasso’s travel professional crafted an unforgettable Sicily trip for our group of seven. After discussing our preferences, she designed a flawless itinerary, incorporating unique experiences that became trip highlights. Her communication was exceptional, with prompt responses to our questions before the trip and daily updates for the next day's activities, including driver and guide details, which were incredibly helpful.

We stayed at superb hotels in Taormina, Agrigento, Palermo, and Cefalù, each with stunning views and private tours. Sicily’s warm, hospitable people stood out compared to other European destinations. At our hotel on Via Leonardo da Vinci in Taormina, the staff greeted us warmly, setting a perfect tone. Other stops included Mount Etna, Erice, Castelbuono, and Savoca. All of these locations were great, but don't miss Castelbuono!

Two standout experiences were private meals with families. Near Erice, a chef and his family welcomed us into their sea-view home, preparing amazing Sicilian meals that felt like dining with family. In Palermo, another home chef and her husband created a similarly memorable evening, with lots of great conversation and stories.

Every driver was professional, friendly, and informative, while our guides — often archaeologists or historians — were engaging and knowledgeable.

Highlights included a welcome dinner in Taormina, a farm cooking class, two wine tours with lunch, a Mount Etna hike, a Valley of the Greek Temples tour, town and village tours, cheese and pastry tastings near Cefalù, and a farewell dinner. The Godfather tour in Savoca was special, with our guide introducing us to a local who played Apollonia’s mother, waving from her balcony.

Our travel professional's meticulous planning and personal touches made this trip extraordinary. Thanks to Zicasso for matching us with the tour company and we highly recommend them for a perfect Sicilian/Italian adventure!

This was a superb trip that allowed us to combine personal visits to Taormina and Syracuse with a pre-planned group meeting in Catania. Planning and communication were excellent, supported by an app that let us easily view our itinerary, complete with phone numbers for the drivers, hotels, and the tour operator contacts.

The hotels were perfect! They were wonderfully located, with impeccable service in Taormina and Syracuse. Our excursions were private and diverse, and allowed us to combine culture, foodie interests, and free time. The guides were top-notch, knowledgeable, and flexible.

We especially loved seeing the smaller towns of Sicily; Militello, Ragusa, Aci Castello, and Modica. We even arrived in one small town during their annual festival.

We had a dedicated driver for our trip who was, himself, a treasure; always on time, always ready to adjust to changes, and a delightful personality.

This was such a good experience that we have selected Zicasso's tour operator to book another Italy trip next year.

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.

Everything worked out perfectly, from our first contact with Zicasso, through the planning process with Zicasso’s tour operator (our travel agent was the best!), and onto the trip itself.

We liked the process, the ability to work with a specialist with our wants, concerns, and needs, as well as the actual itinerary and follow-through on the ground. The concierge at each location (Rome and Sicily), as well as the use of WhatsApp, was a great thing to have. Not that we had any issues, but the availability was very comforting.

The guides used were fantastic! They were very knowledgeable and very personable. The drivers were prompt, friendly, and helpful. The accommodations picked were what we wanted, in the middle of things and perfect for our needs. I would just add that explaining the differences within the accommodations on room types would have been helpful. I would have probably gone with a bigger room in Ortigia if we'd been aware of the differences. We did know European rooms were smaller than what we're used to here in the States, but there was little light in the room we had and it was very small. We loved our accommodations in Agrigento and the hotel in Taormina!!!

All in all, we can't say enough; we've been telling our friends all about Zicasso and our travel agency. We would definitely use you again.

Our overall experience on our Sicily trip was excellent. Every day's events were amazing and perfect for my husband and me. We truly enjoyed having drivers for most of our tours, as it made it easier for us, and we did not have any worries.

I did have to call the number that was available for problems, and the gentleman who helped me was very good and prompt. Things were easily resolved.

Our only glitch was the inconsistency of English-speaking drivers, or at the minimum, being able to understand English. The driver who drove us from Syracuse to our hotel in Taormina was very bad. She did not speak or understand much English and, worst of all, we felt like she dropped us off at the back of our five-star hotel in Taormina without any instructions except “there’s your elevator.” Fortunately, I called that number and things were resolved. The driver who took us to the airport in Catania had the same issue, no English or understanding. He left us at the airport unable to give us direction as to what to do. It would have been ideal for our drivers to have at least minimal ability to communicate in English.

Zicasso’s travel specialist gave us a full and genuine experience of what Sicily is. Every day was planned out perfectly to suit our needs and abilities. We would recommend her to everyone to see and learn Sicily.

Overall, the trip was fantastic! The hotels in Italy and Sicily were awesome. Most tours were five-star!