Meet at the group hotel in Catania. With its striking baroque churches, stunning buildings and UNESCO World Heritage historic centre, Catania is a great place to spend our first night. The towering giant of Etna is the city's backdrop.

Time allowing you may wish to head out and explore Catania's bustling streets, which are over 2700 years old and overlooked by a striking black and white palazzi tower. Highlights include the Teatro Massimo Bellini (opera house), Fontana dell' Elefante (elephant fountain) and Piazza del Duomo (central piazza). West of Piazza del Duomo lie the impressive ancient ruins of a 2nd-century Roman Theatre. The ruins lie almost hidden in a residential neighbourhood, and are a jumble of vine-covered buildings. Adjacent to the main theatre is the Casa Liberti, an elegantly restored 19th-century apartment now home to two millennia worth of artefacts discovered during the excavation of the site. The Complesso Monumentale Monastero delle Benedettine covers three sites: a Benedictine convent, the Chiesa di San Benedetto and the Museo Arte Contemporanea Sicilia. The church is wonderful and adorned with splendid stucco, marble and a late-18th-century altar. For a stroll, the elegant street of Via Crociferi and relaxing gardens of Giardino Bellini are perfect for escaping the hustle and bustle.

We meet in the hotel lobby before heading out for dinner. The tour leader can help decide on a local restaurant or trattoria. A major part of Sicilian life is a love affair with food and Catania is known for its tasty cuisine.

After breakfast, we will have time to explore some of Catania’s historic old town before embarking on the scenic coastal drive to the small port town of Milazzo, the departure point for the hydrofoil to Vulcano.

Named after the Roman god of fire, Vulcan, Vulcano island is impressive for its dramatic craters with fuming fumaroles emitting sulfurous gases. We'll enjoy a hike of around 3 hours on the active volcano, ascending to the crater rim (390m). Along the way, you will see the impressive fumaroles from a safe distance, and when we reach the top, we will be rewarded with excellent views over the entire archipelago.

In the afternoon, we leave Vulcano and take a 10 minuite hydrofoil to neighboring Lipari. We will stay here for the next three nights, and after checking into our apartments, we can head out to find a restaurant for dinner.

Lipari is geologically fascinating, dotted with pumice mines, koalin quarries and flows of dark, glassy obsidian, which all tell the story of the islands volcanic past. The island's rare obsidian flow defined Lipari as a centre for tools and trading in the middle Neolithic (5,000 years B.C.).

Today's walk begins at the Cave di Caolino, disused kaolinite quarries where kaolin has been extracted as far back as the Greek Age, and takes us along the cliffs on the west of Lipari. We will enjoy splendid view of the islands of Salina, Filiculdi and the Faraglioni rock formations emerging from the sea. We will also pass by the ruins of the ancient Roman baths. The baths, centered around a thermal spring, are thought to be the oldest spa in the Mediterranean, possibly dating from the Neolithic period.

Our walk ends in Lipari Town, where we will have some free time to explore. Lipari town is a charming place, with attractive harbour and citadel. Elegant historic town-houses with flower filled balconies line the streets and there is a hive of local shops selling souvenirs plus excellent quality food and drink. The Necropolis Diana, where many archaeological finds were uncovered, is just behind the centre. Lipari's Archaeological Museum is definitely worth visiting.

With two twin peaks, verdant valleys and charming towns, Salina (or Salt Mill) is considered by many to be the prettiest island in the archipelago. It is known as the "Isola Verde" (the green island) and boasts a number of vineyards that produce sweet Malvasia dessert wine. Salina also produces the best capers in the world, local farmers produce half a million kilos of capers during a good harvest. After arriving at the port of Rinella, we hop on the bus to Leni. From here, we around the Monte dei Porri and over Pizzo Corvo on the west coast of the island, decending down to the cliffs above pretty Pollara. We will have a great view down over Pollara, a sleepy seaside town set at the bottom a steep cliff fromed by a collaped volcano and shaped like an amphitheatre.

Next, we transfer to Lingua where we will enjoy lunch and a relaxed wine tasting where we sample Malvasia, the cream of Sicilian wines. Most varieties of Malvasia are from Malvasia Bianca with its rich colour and slightly sweet taste. Red Malvasia is pale in colour, and as the wine ages it takes on a nutty aroma. Afterwards, we take a private boat from Lingua back to Lipari for our second night on the island.

Late morning we will leave Salina and travel by boat to Stromboli, the journey will be just over 2 hours. Arriving into Piazza San Vincenzo, we will have some time to look around, or take a stroll along the black sand beach, before we meet with our volcanologist guide. We follow a nature trail through the Mediterranean vegetation and we will have lovely panoramic views, with the picturesque sea stack Strombolicchio always in the foreground. The path leads up to a viewpoint at around 400m on the slopes of lava and ash. From the viewpoint, we will have a good view of the "Sciara del Fuoco" and we should also be able to see Stromboli's eruptions lighting up the night sky and hear the rumbling from within the mountain. Tonight's dinner is picnic style, which we'll enjoy on the mountain before descending with our head torches.

Arriving back at Piazza San Vincenzo, we board our boat and set of back to Lipari. Looking back at Stromboli from the sea we will be able to understand why it is known as 'the lighthouse of the mediterranean'. We return to our apartments on Lipari for one last night.

After a leisurely breakfast, we take the hydrofoil back to Milazzo in Sicily and continue on to Taormina. Often described as one of the most beautiful villages in Italy, Taormina is nestled on the side of a mountain, offering a spectacular location. We'll have time to visit the historical center and, if you wish, the wonderful Greek amphitheatre (entrance €10). This horse-shoe-shaped amphitheater appears to sit between the sky and sea, with Mount Etna visible in the background. Built in the 3rd Century BC, the theatre is considered the most dramatically built Greek theatre in the world, divided into three parts - the scene, the orchestra, and the auditorium.

Taormina's main street is Corso Umberto I, a charming street with lovely architecture. Palazzo Corvaja features Arab, Norman, and Gothic buildings with decorated windows and shady courtyards. At the other end of Corso Umberto I is Piazza del Duomo, complete with a 13th Century Cathedral and Baroque fountain. Taormina was home to D. H. Lawrence, who lived here between 1920 and 1923.

In the afternoon, we transfer back to Catania, where we will spend the next two nights and have the opportunity to sample the city's excellent restaurants.

Today we leave Catania and transfer (1hr) to the south slopes of Etna. Dominating the Sicilian landscape, Etna is a giant (3329m) and the highest mountain in Italy south of the Alps. Since 1987 the volcano and its slopes have been part of the Parco dell'Etna, a lunar landscape of black lava and beech woods. Approaching 2000m we'll be rewarded with a fantastic panorama of the Sicilian coast and Etna's craters. There will be plenty of time for photos before descending and transferring back to Catania for our final night. After freshening up we'll regroup for dinner, and if you haven't sampled Italy's famous after dinner grappa, then maybe tonight celebrate with one.


OPTIONAL ACTIVITY: Extended Etna Tour
Owing to the volatility of Mt Etna, the Etna Park Authorities have imposed strict trekking regulations. We are therefore unable to take our walk beyond 2000m. Depending on the weather, and levels of volcanic activity, there is an option to hike with an expert volcanic guide beyond 2000m and explore the summit area. This is at an extra cost of approx €85 per person (paid directly on site). The price includes the cable car, 4x4 transport up to 2900m and a walk with an expert guide up to the central crater at 3350m.. The tour lasts 5 hours and the excursion is run by the Etna Park Authorities.

Depending on your departure time you may wish to have a final stroll through Catania. Your tour leader can assist with a taxi transfer or advise you on the regular public bus service to the airport. Catania is a fascinating city and a great place to explore over a few days. If you would to extend your time in the city, then please contact the KE office and we can book extra nights in the group hotel for you.