Glittering Byzantine mosaics, ornate Baroque churches, domed Arab mosques, and grandiose Norman cathedrals stand shoulder-to-shoulder in Palermo, once the richest city in the Mediterranean. We’ll start with a walking tour of Palermo. After lunch, we visit the renowned estate Abbazzia di Santa Anastasia and have our first sip of Nero d’Avola, Sicily’s most important native red grape. Dinner introduces the multicultural cuisine of Sicily. D

Built in 1166, the Cathedral of Monreale is covered with mosaics, gold leaf, and stone intarsia. After a visit to this awesome sight, we continue to Planeta. After gaining recognition for their intense Chardonnay and Merlot, they subsequently introduced wine-lovers to Sicily’s indigenous grapes: succulent Nero d’Avola, bright berry Cerasuolo, and fragrant Fiano. We'll have lunch at their Ulmo vineyard, then continue to a newer producer, Alessandro di Camporeale. The owner will escort us through the family’s boutique winery and pour their syrah, a symphony of dark berries and spice. B

Day 3 – It's All Greek to Me

Transferring from Palermo to Marsala, we’ll visit Segesta, one of Sicily’s most perfectly preserved Greek Doric temples and amphitheater. Lunch follows at a boutique olive oil estate, where the different types of olives are pressed separately for diverse oils. After a tasting, we’ll dine inside their baglio, or 18th century plantation house. In the afternoon we drive to the picturesque saline, or sea-salt ponds. Here sea salt is made using an ageless technique involving windmills, diked evaporation pools, and a steady sea breeze. A chartered boat will take us past the windmills and the Isle of Mozia, a Phoenician settlement. B, L, D

Day 4 – Alcamo's Boutique Winemakers

Spadafora is an award-winning, family-owned winery with vineyards scattered across the island. Our tasting here will give us a panorama of wines and terroir from shore to shore. For our second tasting, we'll visit Ceuso, a labor of love by three brothers – a farmer, an enologist, and an agronomist. In short order, their oak-aged blends of Nero d’Avola, Merlot, and Cabernet received acclaim and justified their leap of faith. Here our escort will be Giuseppe Melia, who will show us around the baglio they’re renovating and give a first-person perspective on their breakthrough B, D

In 1773, John Woodhouse docked in the port town of Marsala and found the local sweet wine to his liking. Soon Marsala was the most famous wine of Italy. We'll spend the morning in the old city center and visit the bustling outdoor market, then head to Marco de Bartoli. This single-minded producer has done more than anyone to resurrect the reputation and quality of marsala wine. Our afternoon wine tasting is at Donnafugata. Here we'll sample native Sicilian grapes like Nero d'Avola and Ansonica, and see how finely Cabernet and Merlot behave in this Mediterranean climate.  B, D

A shuttle to the Palermo airport and assistance with your travel plans. B

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