Flying into Catania airport you’ll enjoy a private transfer to your hotel on Taormina’s gorgeous bay. Directly on the beach and just steps from the cable car to the historic centre, it has everything to get off to a great start. Renting a villa is the typical choice for a family holiday and it’s great, but the joy of a hotel is ordering a caprese and a white wine at the beach bar while your kids splash in the clear waters instead of having to go to the supermarket to stock up on food first thing.
DAY 1-4 TAORMINA
Beach, buckets, spades, diving masks, snorkels and fins, followed by dinner at Oliviero restaurant on property will make your first day before tomorrow’s adventures.
Explore marine caves and paddle along the coast on a private sea kayaking excursion and in the afternoon go to Taormina centre for a pizza-making class. Dine out tonight, stroll down the cobbled streets of the old town and buy giant ice creams.
The day after hire a private beach cabana for your whole crew or opt for a in-cabana lunch for two and massage treatments while your kids are having a sand-castle contest at the kid’s club.
In the afternoon your guide will whisk you away for a rafting adventure to the Alcantara gorges.
A DAY IN THE CITY OF ARCHIMEDES
For a historical highlight spend a day in Siracusa, one of the most beautiful Italian towns and recently it has celebrated its 2700th birthday. You’ll explore the city of Archimedes and Greek mythology via a treasure hunt and, one legend after another, stroll from the Archaeological Park to the lovely old town to lunch on wonderful panini at Ortigia’s food market.
ON TO MOUNT ETNA
On day 4 we’ll arrange a private transfer to Mount Etna, the highest (about 3,340m) and most active stratovolcano in Europe and indeed a huge natural playground. Your Etna retreat is a 19th-century villa spectacularly situated on a 60-acre organic farm and dotted with secluded maison and pool villas. For the next four days your driver and naturalist guide will whisk you away for some off-road fun over old lava fields and quad bike riding. You’ll hike along seven alligned old eruptive cones with epic vistas, break for a picnic in a lunar landscape and with your helmets on explore a lava flow tunnel.
Adventurous (and not too young) kids will have the chance to conquer the summit craters. So hearty breakfast and hiking boots on, you have to climb a 3300 mt active volcano. You’ll catch up qt. 2500 by cable car, then by special 4WD vehicles and a vocanologist guide up to 2900, and from there start hiking to the summit craters. It’s hard but it’s well worth it. Arriving at the top is an overwhelming emotional experience. Were Heaven and hell so close? Feeling like intruders and as small as ants in front of such a power, you’ll tiptoe along the edge of the smoking mouth of the central crater, hearing its voice and keeping an eye out for bursting bubbles and yellow sulphur stones.
For the very little ones we’ve set up a granita-making class in a local gelateria, with plenty of tastings, and a donkey trek. Sweet, quiet and affectionate, the donkey is the oldest vehicle on Etna and a great travel partner. On donkey’s back you’ll go through forests, old craters and lava flows.
Before you leave tomorrow, enjoy one more dinner on the restaurant’s fabulous KM0 menu and check out the wine list as it features some of the most exciting natural wines of Mount Etna.
The present itinerary and the suggested accommodation are just examples to give you an idea of what your customised trip may look like. Get in touch to design together your very own trip to Sicily.
when to go
May-Oct
transport style
Private Driver / Self-drive
length
7 nights
with WHOM
Family
where will you stay
Taormina, BELMOND Villa S. Andrea
Enchanting travelers since the 50’s, Villa S.Andrea is a cosy and refined small hotel set in lush, sub-tropical gardens on a stretch of beach on the bay of Mazzarò just below the hilltop town of Taormina. Children will love the beach, the kid’s club activities, the children’s menu and the cable car to Taormina city centre!
ZAFFERANA ETNEA, Monaci Terre Nere
From the Deluxe Estate Suites - 80/100 metre squared in size - scattered on the hills of the estate to the 2 Bedroom Villas, 150 square metres, surrounded by a large, private and furnished garden up to the Pool Villas coming with small private pools, this eco-hotel within olive trees, vineyards, orchards and organic garden is a fabulous base for Etna adventures.
About FAMILY Way of Travel
Splashing in a turquoise sea in the morning and finding potsherds on a archaeological trek amidst Greek temples in the afternoon should get the whole crew on board. Still in doubt? add a couple of active volcanoes as giant playgrounds.
Two more reasons, a serious one: you’ll be in expert hands who have been dozens of times with their families to all these places. A less serious one: no one more than Sicilians “love The Family”!
