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Private Full Day Sicilian Tour: Etna, Taormina, and Godfather Sites with Food Tasting
4.8
5 Ratings
Catania
Experience the best of Sicily on a private full-day tour. Explore Mount Etna, indulge in food tasting, visit Taormina's ancient monuments, and discover the Godfather sites in Savoca. Book now!
Duration:
9 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
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Highlights
- Mount Etna - Your private English-speaking guide will pick you up at your hotel or port at your preferred time in the morning, and you will begin your private tour exploring Sicily. Your friendly guide will explain how the Etna volcano was formed, the history of its eruptions, and the culture, myths, and folklore of “Mamma Etna” and Sicily. Traveling by private, comfortable car through small, authentic mountain villages, you will enjoy unforgettable views of the Sicilian countryside, filled with orange and lemon plantations, olive and almond trees, and houses and old churches built from lava stone. Continue ascending Etna until you reach the “Rifugio Sapienza” station at 2000 meters. Here, you can visit the famous Silvestri Craters, take in breathtaking panoramas, browse souvenir shops offering lava gifts, and refresh yourself at a bar or restaurant. For logistical reasons, guests traveling from Messina Port will visit the Sartorius Craters on the North Side of Mt. Etna.
- Taormina - Next, your guide will drive you to Taormina, one of Europe’s most exclusive tourist destinations. Perched on a hill overlooking the Ionian Sea, Taormina offers stunning views of the coastline and Mount Etna, Europe’s most active volcano. In Taormina, you will have free time to relax and stroll through the charming streets of the city center, admire the blend of ancient Greek, Roman, and Norman architecture, and shop at the many boutiques and local artisan stores.
- Savoca - The tour will continue in Savoca, a must-see Sicilian hilltop village made famous by F.F. Coppola, who filmed his legendary movie “The Godfather” here. The guide will share details about the filming process, trivia, and the real story of the Sicilian Mafia. You will learn about the history and culture of the movie locations and experience the romantically rustic atmosphere of old Sicily. Walk through the authentic streets of Savoca, which have remained unchanged since the movie was made. Visit ancient churches, Bar Vitelli where Michael spoke to Apollonia’s father, and the Church of Santa Lucia where the couple was married. Follow the same path down the hill into town that the newlyweds did, and perhaps even meet some locals who were cast in the movie, like the signora who played Apollonia’s mother! You will stop at a traditional “trattoria”, where you will taste organic, locally produced Sicilian antipasti and a dish of the traditional “Pasta alla Norma,” served with local wines.
What's Included
- Round trip transportation by comfortable air-conditioned car
- Hotel/port pickup and drop-off (Messina)
- Private local English speaking guide
- Private tour of Mount Etna Volcano
- Private tour of ‘The Godfather’ locations in Savoca, including Bar Vitelli visit
- Taormina walking tour
- Food and wine tasting at restaurant with panoramic view in Savoca
- Tasting of Etna honey, jams, olive oil, DOC wines and liquors
- Bottled water
What's Not Included
- Optional ascent to 3000mt on Etna by cable car and jeep with licenzed Alpine guide - 65 euro
- Gratuities
Additional Information
Enjoy a comprehensive full-day tour of significant and eye-pleasing sites in Sicily - Mount Etna Volcano (comprises tasting of honey, jams, olive oil, Etna DOC wines and liquors), Taormina, Europe’s most visited tourist haven, laden with captivating streets and ancient monuments. Experience the ‘Godfather’ tour with Food and Wine tasting in Savoca, near the church where Michael Corleone tied the knot with Apollonia. This tour is exclusively for your group to ensure top-notch quality for our guests, inclusive of pickup and drop-off.
- A minimum of 2 people per booking is required
- Minimum drinking age is 18 years
- We have private tours, only for your party, however at the beginning of the excursion we will give each guest a mask, protective gloves and hand sanitizer.
Location
Mount Etna
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.8
(5 Ratings)
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Priti_r
Apr 7, 2024
Excellent day trip! - Elena was excellent and engaging. She was knowledgeable and gave great at explaining all the history and kept us engaged. We were not rushed at any point in our trip and gave us plenty of time if needed to shop or get coffee during our full day private trip. Will recommend this company and guide to everyone. Day well spent!
Review provided by Viator
Amanda_s
Sep 24, 2023
Great One Day Sicily Highlights Tour - We loved our tour of Sicily. Our guide was amazingly knowledgeable about Mt Etna and that was one of our favorite things to explore. I will say this is a packed day and was exhausting but if you have one day to see all the highlights this is the tour to take. Amazing!
Review provided by Viator
Melanie_h
Jun 18, 2023
Beautiful day with a wonderful guide! - We had a wonderful guide Maurizio! He was easy to communicate with before and during the tour. He was so kind and told us all about his island and the places we visited. He even gave us jackets while we were on the mountain at the volcano lava fields.
There was a misunderstanding in the description of the tour, but the manager took care of us right away! Very apologetic and professional!! So appreciated.
Note that you probably won’t have enough time to go to the Greek theater (long line to get tickets) so let them know if this is important to you.
Highly recommend this company! Thank you for a lovely day!
Review provided by Viator
Foreverbubbles
Jan 22, 2020
Amazing tour with Roberto!!! - We had such a blast with Roberto on this tour! He was so passionate and knowledgeable about his job around where he lives. The honey, olive oil, and liquor tasting was so fun and delicious! Then we visited the top of Etna where we got to learn about the history. And finished it all of with an amazing lunch and wine tasting with great views and a tour of the historic winery. Highly recommend and wish we could be back there now!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Bud_a
Apr 29, 2024
When things go wrong... - Excursions can have lots go wrong from weather to traffic to crowds and even accidents. I judge a tour by how they handle problems. We had an unfortunate communication problem over the meeting location. Nevertheless the tour operator immediately offered us a complete refund. When things go wrong and that will occasionally happen you can't ask for more than that. Thanks to Pasqualle.
Review provided by Viator
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