Capital for both the Arabs and the Normans, Palermo's monuments reflect the magnificence of two worlds: East and West that come together in clashing contrast. We will visit the 12th century Palatine Chapel, built by the Normans, but decorated with Byzantine- and Islamic-style mosaics. Next, the Church of St. John of the Hermits built to look like a red-domed Mosque. The nearby Cathedral was built by the Normans, but every new ruling dynasty that arrived added their own style to it. Then, we will drive to nearby Monreale where we will visit the Norman Duomo (Cathedral) decorated on the inside with over 6,340 sq. meters (almost 70,000 sq. feet) of mosaics and 24-carat gold!

A revealing tour of the monuments that make Palermo the Baroque capital of western Sicily. The tour starts in the morning with a visit of the Church of Casa Professa. It's interior walls are entirely covered with colorful marble inlay from the 1600's. Then on to the Quattro Canti which is at old Palermo's exact center: the four corners of the buildings that form this octagonal square were decorated in 1617. Not far from here is Palazzo Mirto, witness to how the city's aristocracy used to live during and beyond the Baroque époque. All the original furniture and decorations are still perfectly preserved. The tour ends at the Oratorio del SS. Rosario and the Oratorio di Santa Cita. These two small churches are the local sculptor Giacomo Serpotta's masterpieces: all the interior walls are covered with beautiful stuccoes and statues from the end of the 1600's and early 1700's. Some of the paintings are marvelous and they include one by Anton Van Dyck.

Visit some of the most unusual monuments in the world. We will start at Piazza Pretoria with its beautiful Renaissance fountain originally built for a villa near Florence: a piece of 16th century Tuscany in the center of an Arab-Norman city. Nearby is the Church of La Martorana where 12th century severe Norman architecture clashes with the frivolities of the Baroque style. Then on to the Capuchin Catacombs where you will be shocked by a macabre sight: 8,000 mummified bodies dressed in their best Sunday clothes and propped up against the walls! Next, we'll move on to the Zisa Castle commissioned by the Norman King William I, but built by his Muslim architects who used all their Middle-Eastern know-how. In the afternoon, we'll drive to the town of Bagheria known for its Baroque villas. We will visit the most unusual one built by the Prince of Palagonia who was fascinated with monsters and mirrors.

With a few exceptions, most Renaissance Art arrived at Palermo through Spanish and Northern Italian artists. Nonetheless it is the home of some of the most elegant monuments and art works from that époque. We will start the tour at the beautiful Pretoria Square with its marble post-Renaissance fountain, which was brought over from Tuscany in 644 pieces. Then we will visit the 15th century Palazzo Abatellis which houses the Regional Art Gallery, famous for Antonello da Messina's painting of the "Annunciation". Here you will also see paintings and sculptures that go from the 10th century Arab period to the pre-Baroque period, including many Spanish and Flemish Renaissance paintings. Nearby is the 15th century Church of Santa Maria delle Catene considered a true jewel of the Gothic-Catalan style still common during the Renaissance in Palermo. We will end the tour at the Church of San Giorgio built in the austere post-Renaissance style by the Genovese merchants living here during the 15th and 16th centuries.

There are places in the countryside of Palermo sadly famous for events involving the Mafia and for having been the home of many Mafia bosses now locked-up in prison. This tour allows you to visit some of these sites and to admire them for their monuments and for their natural beauty. We will first visit the tiny village of Ficuzza located within a forest which is now a nature reserve; these were once the hunting grounds of the Bourbon King Ferdinand IV. Here we will visit his hunting lodge, not nearly as large, but built with the same comforts he had in his palace in Caserta, near Naples. Towering over the park is a spectacular-looking mountain called Rocca Busambra, a nature sanctuary where eagles nest, but gruesomely used in the past by the Mafia to hide corpses in its crevices. Then we will move on to Corleone, a medieval town surrounded by emerald hills and waterfalls. Here you can visit the Duomo and the prehistoric Museum. After the visit, it will be hard to believe that this town was home to many terrible Mafia bosses, such as Totò Riina, who is now serving a multiple life-term prison sentence.

With the exception of our volcano Mt. Etna which is 3340 meters (about 11,000 feet) high, the Madonie are the highest mountain range on the island, almost 2000 m (about 6500 ft) high, and they are covered with snow during the winter. Small isolated towns dot the mountains and each one is a unique oasis where life is still very rural and where different artists have left their own personal touch in churches and buildings. Our first stop is Petralia Soprana, 1147 m high, where we will see the Duomo dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul. Then we will walk to the highest point in town where the Church of Loreto stands. The view from behind the church is truly breathtaking. Afterwards we will drive to Gangi, 1011 m high, home of two famous local painters from the early 17th century both referred to as the Lame of Gangi. The Duomo in the main square houses the masterpiece of one of these artists: The Last Judgement, similar but uniquely different to the one by Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel. After lunch, we will move on to Polizzi Generosa, 920 m high. You will visit the Duomo built between the 11th and 17th centuries and then stop to try the Sfoglio, a delicious local pastry made with fresh "tuma" cheese (made with sheep's milk).

Spend the whole day in Palermo's city center to try out the food and the wines that have made it famous all over the world. Sicily has been producing wine and olive oil since the days of the Greeks and the Romans: your guide will first take you to a wine shop where you will sample some of the region's finest wines and olive oil. Then on to the Capo, one of the city's three medieval street markets: this colorful, Arab-like market is the heart of Palermo's food district and the beginning of every savory dish in town. A stop for lunch at Antica Foccacceria di San Francesco, founded in 1836, is a delight to all food lovers: arancine (stuffed rice balls), caponata (Sicilian ratatouille with eggplants) and pane ca' meusa (beef spleen and lung sandwiches) are just a few of the mouth-watering dishes you can try. A journey into Palermo's edible delights cannot end without a stop at Antico Caffé Spinnato: founded in 1860, it's THE place to have a real Sicilian cannoli (pastry with fresh ricotta cheese) and an espresso or cappuccino.