Detailed Daily Itinerary
Thursday, October 1: Departure
Depart on an overnight flight for Catania, Italy, on the island of Sicily.
Friday, October 2: Catania, Sicily, Italy / Embark Sea Cloud II
Baroque facade of the Cathedral of Syracuse (Duomo di Siracusa
Arrive in Catania, Sicily. After lunch, you will be transferred to the elegant, three-masted sailing yacht Sea Cloud II for embarkation. Enjoy a warm welcome on deck and a champagne toast as the vessel sets sail from the harbor. After settling in, gather for the captain’s welcome reception and dinner. L,R,D
Saturday, October 3: Morning at Sea / Syracuse
After a morning at sea, arrive in Syracuse, the city Roman statesman Cicero proclaimed “the greatest Greek city.” Choose between two expert-guided afternoon excursions
with lunch, returning for dinner aboard Sea Cloud II: Option 1: On Ortygia Island, visit the Duomo di Siracusa, where Doric columns from a fifth-century B.C. Greek temple remain visibly embedded within the cathedral walls. Following your visit, a Sicilian baron extends a special invitation for a tour and refreshments at his 18th-century private residence, Palazzo Beneventano del Bosco, which exemplifies Ortigian Baroque grandeur.
Option 2: Discover the Parco Archeologico della Neapolis, the civic and cultural center of ancient Syracuse. Walk through the 16,000-seat Greek amphitheater, Sicily’s
largest, carved directly from bedrock in the fifth century B.C. Contrast this with the Roman Amphitheatre, built around 20 B.C. for gladiatorial spectacles. B,L,D
Sunday, October 4: Pozzallo / Noto / Modica
From the port of Pozzallo, drive to Noto, a sun-baked town draped across a plateau. An expert guide will lead you along the elegant Corso Vittorio Emanuele, whose sculpted golden limestone façades were captured in HBO’s The White Lotus. Choose to take lunch at leisure in Noto or aboard the ship.
Afterwards, opt to visit nearby Modica and the soaring Cathedral of San Giorgio, once called one of “the Seven Wonders of the Baroque World.” You may also stop for a
tasting of Modica’s intensely flavored chocolate. This evening, enjoy dinner aboard Sea Cloud II. B,L,D
Monday, October 5: Valletta, Malta / Tarxien / Qrendi or Mdina / Rabat
Founded by the Knights of St. John in 1566, Valletta is the only national capital UNESCO has recognized in its entirety, boasting one of the world’s densest concentrations of historic treasures.
The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Blessed Virgin of Ta’ Pinu at Gozo, Malta
A guided tour of the 16th-century St. John’s Co-Cathedral reveals an interior of High Baroque splendor, including a floor composed of nearly 400 inlaid marble tombstones.
In the Oratory, view two Caravaggio masterpieces: The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist, his largest work and the only painting he ever signed, and Saint Jerome Writing. Continue to the Tarxien Temples, megalithic structures from 3600-2500 B.C., among Earth’s oldest freestanding buildings.
Afterwards, choose between two afternoon excursions:
Option 1: Travel to Qrendi to visit two UNESCO-recognized prehistoric sites. At Hagar Qim Temples, built from 3600-3200 B.C., the façade contains Malta’s largest megalith. Nearby, the Mnajdra Temples function as a precise astronomical calendar.
Option 2: Explore the medieval fortifications of Mdina, Malta’s ancient capital, and Rabat’s Wignacourt Collegiate Museum, an 18th-century Baroque residence built for the Chaplains of the Knights of St. John. It houses important paintings by Mattia Preti, an underground complex of catacombs and tombs, and the grotto where St. Paul the Apostle founded Malta’s first Christian community. B,L,D
Tuesday, October 6: Xaghra (Gozo) / Victoria / Afternoon at Sea
Venture to the Maltese island of Gozo for a guided tour of the UNESCO-recognized Ggantija Temples, officially recognized as the world’s second-oldest man-made structures.
Dating to between 3600 and 3200 B.C., they predate both Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids by over 1,000 years. Continue to the Citadel of Victoria, Gozo’s fortified heart since around 1500 B.C. Here, visit the Baroque Cathedral of the Assumption, completed in 1711. Marvel at Antonio Manuele’s 1739 trompe l’oeil ceiling painting, which creates a masterful illusion of a coffered dome. After the citadel, transfer to the Ta’ Pinu National Shrine to admire its neo-Romanesque architecture and peaceful grounds before returning to the ship for lunch as it sails for Sicily. B,L,D
Wednesday, October 7: Porto Empedocle, Sicily, Italy / Agrigento or Piazza Armerina
Sea Cloud II arrives at Porto Empedocle, Sicily, where you may choose between two expert-guided excursions to
UNESCO World Heritage Sites:
Option 1: Explore the Valle dei Templi (Valley of the Temples), Europe’s largest archaeological park, covering 3,212 acres. A highlight will be the Temple of Concordia, one of the world’s best-preserved Greek temples. Its conversion to a Christian church in the sixth century A.D. protected it from the stone quarrying that destroyed many other ancient buildings.
Option 2: Visit the Villa Romana del Casale near Piazza Armerina, a sprawling Roman country estate built in the early fourth century. This luxury villa contains the world’s richest, largest, and most complex collection of in situ Roman mosaics, covering nearly 38,000 square feet. B,L,D
Thursday, October 8: Trapani / Segesta or Erice / Afternoon at Sea
Segesta, Doric Temple
From the port of Trapani, choose between two morning excursions that explore the legacy of ancient Sicily and the Greek colony here, known as Magna Graecia:
Option 1: Visit Segesta to see its famously unfinished Doric temple, constructed by the indigenous Elymian people around 420 B.C. Continue to the adjacent Greek theater, built in the late fourth to early third century B.C., which commands a spectacular panorama over the rolling Sicilian countryside toward the Gulf of Castellammare.
Option 2: Ascend to the medieval hilltop town of Erice, perched 2,460 feet above sea level on an isolated mountain peak. Visit the Castello di Venere, the 12th-century Norman fortress built directly upon the foundations of the ancient Temple of Venus.
Return to the ship for lunch and an afternoon at sea, followed by the captain’s farewell reception and dinner. B,L,R,D
Friday, October 9: Palermo / Disembark / Return
Disembark Sea Cloud II this morning in Palermo and transfer to the airport for your flights home.
