TOURISM>> Palermo Walking Tour and other Sicily Walking Tours

Discover one of the most important and largest historic centers in Europe!

“Balarm" (the name of Palermo during the Arab rule), the beautiful and huge city, the greatest and excellent stay, the largest and most sublime metropolis in the world, a never-ending list of wonders to tell”
(al-Idrisi, 12nd century Arab geographer and writer).

Palermo (Sicily Capital) boasts more than 2700 years of history and a unique richness of art and culture.
It was founded by the Phoenicians and became a strategic location for Greeks and Romans; then it was beautified by Byzantines, Arabs, Normans, Swabians, Angioins, Spanish and French.
All those dominations left in the city a great heritage and today Palermo shows a huge number of monuments, churches, palaces, squares and markets.
This cultural diversity is also reflected in the many local culinary traditions and so our "Palermo walking tour" gives you the opportunity to taste some of Palermo's most unique street foods and best dishes right in the heart of the city.
Start your Palermo walking tour enjoying the Arab-Norman circuit (included in the Unesco World Heritage list in 2015) with the Cathedral, the Royal Palace and the Palatine Chapel.
Visit the Massimo Theatre, Piazza Pretoria, the “Quattro Canti” (the 4 corners), the church of Martorana, San Giovanni degli Eremiti, the 3 old markets of Ballarò, Vucciria and Capo and the other highly recommended stopovers for the discerning visitor.
In collaboration with expert guides, Round Trip Consulting gives you the chance to discover these wonders in a stimulating and relaxing way.
Palermo Guided Visits have a flexible duration to fit the visitor preferences. Anyway, we suggest you to combine this guided walking tour of Palermo with the visit of Mt. Pellegrino (famous for the cave with the church of Santa Rosalia; Goethe described it as “the most beautiful promontory in the world”) and Monreale, a small town famous for its Norman Cathedral: this is one of the finest example of sacred architecture in the world because of its famous painting of Christ Pantocrator (Creator of the Universe), the refined Byzantines mosaics and the cloister built by the Benedictines during the 12nd century.

The mystery of the Middle Ages and the charm of a magnificent view!

Erice was founded by Trojan exiles in the 3rd century BC and became, over the centuries, Roman, then Byzantine and Arabic, and finally Norman.
Erice is a beautiful medieval town "suspended in time" at 750 meters above the sea level where you can enjoy a splendid view of Trapani and Egadi Islands.
In Erice you can walk through the narrow streets that lead to the Norman castle and the numerous towers, churches and old houses built on the rock. Erice is also called the "city of science" because of the Center for Scientific Culture Ettore Majorana.
During the guided tour of Erice you can also taste “cous cous”, an Arabic culinary specialty, now great expression of Trapanese cuisine.

Archaeology among the wild!

The private guided tour in the archaeological site of Segesta is the chance to enjoy the ancient Greek theatre and the Doric temple, two of the most magnificently-sited Classical monuments in the world.
The temple was built in the 5th century BC and it is considered one of the best preserved examples of ancient architecture in the world.
The temple was almost certainly an unfinished building: although traces of the foundations of a “cella” have been found, it does not appear ever to have been completed; the columns have not been provided with fluting and the bosses used for shifting the blocks of stone have not been removed.

Both the archaeological treasures are located at the top of a hill. From the theatre you can enjoy a marvellous view of the picturesque and unspoilt valley below.
From the old road, the view of the Doric temple, on a bare hillside in deserted country amid the rolling west of the Gaggera river, has been admired by travellers for centuries.

The impregnable castle and the town of the 33 churches!

Caccamo is a picturesque small town nestled between Mount San Calogero and Lake Rosamarina.
The guided visit of Caccamo is an opportunity to get out from the classic tourist patterns and breathe the atmosphere of a medieval town in the National Park of Madonie.
You will discover some of its most important churches (such as the Duomo and San Benedetto alla Badia) and monuments (such as Piazza Duomo, an attractive and unusual square on two levels and the 17th Monte di Pietà flanked by the facades of two churches).
While you have a glimpse of the ancient and unique streets, you can taste some local delicacies such as "sasizza ch'i cualuzzi" (sausage with typical Sicilian vegetables). Anyway, the most important moment of this cultural walking experience is the guided tour of Caccamo medieval castle.
The fortress, built by Normans directly on a rocky outcrop about 1000 years ago, is the largest in the island. From the castle you have a breathtaking view of the lake below and the green valley that leads down to the Tirrenian sea.
It represents a unique example of military fortification, having remained unconquered during its entire history; our guides will tell you all the historical anecdotes and legends about this castle surrounded by an aura of mystery and timeless charm.

Where history overlooks a pristine sea!

Cefalù (located on the slopes of the Madonie Natural Park, about 70 km far from Palermo) is surrounded by an enviable promontory that delimits a beautiful beach and a picturesque fishing village.
In addition to the seasides, the town is so attractive because of its medieval architecture: narrow streets paved with cobblestones lead to various Norman palaces and churches.
In fact, after the dominations of Greeks, Romans, Byzantines and Arabs, Cefalù was definitively enriched by Roger II, the Norman king who ruled in the 12nd century (for example the beautiful and). In the main square of its amazing historic center you can take a break to appreciate many Sicilian gastronomic specialties and enjoy the cathedral, built in 1131.
We suggest you to combine the guided visit of Cefalù with the excursion to Castelbuono, a stunning medieval town in the Nature Reserve of Madonie with a great castle from the 13rd Century.

Beautiful Greek art meets magnificent Sicilian nature!

"Seven temples are lying under the sun [...] the most beautiful thing that man has ever invented!"
(Ernest Renan, 19th century French philosopher and writer).

Selinunte, founded in the 7th century BC, was the most western Greek colony in Sicily.
Although it was constantly under attack by the Elymians of Segesta and the Phoenicians of Mozia, the city reached a population of 80,000 inhabitants and a great artistic and cultural richness.
What remains today of the ancient city (after its final defeat by Carthage), is the huge archaeological park covering more than 270 hectares.
You can walk in this unique setting that falls directly on the beautiful beach below and combines important archaeological finds with the beauty of the Mediterranean sea.
The guided visit of the archaeological park of Selinunte starts from the eastern hill, where you can admire the splendid temples of Athena and Hera (perfectly preserved). Then, you will visit the area of the Acropolis: it stands in a picturesque scenic spot overlooking the sea and contains the other important examples such as the Greek temple of Apollo and the Necropolis.
We include in the visit of the park a tasting of the famous olives "Nocellara del Belice" (used to extract a refined olive oil) and the “black bread of Castelvetrano”, that belongs to the “Slow Food Italian Presidia”.

Discover the mythic Akragas during the Valley of the Temples walking tour!

Agrigento, in the south of Sicily, is renowned as the site of the ancient Greek city of Akragas, one of the leading cities of Magna Grecia (the Italian areas colonized by Greek during the golden age of the Ancient Greece).
After the war against Carthaginians (5th century BC), Akragas had a flourishing growth that culminated in the construction of several magnificent temples dedicated to the Greek gods. “Valley of the Temples” is the expression of this period of great prosperity and a splendid archaeological park included in the Unesco Heritage Site list in 1997.
Your private walking tour among the ruins is enriched by the presence of the Temple of Concordia, one of the best examples of Doric art in the world, as well as the best preserved of the 7 temples built by Greeks in Akragas.
The walk ends after sunset, when the temples assume a fire red color. During the guided visit of the Valley of the Temples you will taste the typical almond pastries from the area of Agrigento.
On demand, we combine this guided visit of the archaeological park of Agrigento with the visit of the literary park dedicated to Luigi Pirandello, to find the house, the letters, the pictures and the original manuscripts that belonged to one of the greatest writer and dramaturg of all time.

A guided tour amongst the world's finest pottery and mosaics of the Roman Villa del Casale!

Piazza Armerina, almost in the center of Sicily, is a nice small town with churches and ancient building. It is famous in the world for the Archaeological Park which includes the Villa Romana del Casale.
The Roman Villa (from the 4th century) was originally the hunting residence of a member of the Roman aristocracy; it belongs to UNESCO World Heritage List since 1997.

Its surface is very large (over 3500 square meters) and it includes many magnificent mosaics, from the late imperial period, in excellent condition.
The variety of works is striking: scenes from Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, representations of classical mythology and portrayals of daily life, including the famous mosaics of girls exercising in their “bikinis”.

Among Sicilian Baroque Valleys!

Ragusa was destroyed by a terrible earthquake in 1693 and the most important architects of that time were involved in its reconstruction.
This is the reason why the city retains various artistic wonders and was included in the Unesco Heritage Site list in 2002.
Ragusa private guided tour will takes you to Upper Ragusa and Ragusa Ibla to discover a unique architectural phenomenon in the world: Val di Noto Baroque.
Our guides will show you a timeless Sicily in a maze of narrow cobbled streets, churches, palaces and monuments.
The most of them are adorned with capitals made of local stone and inlaid by the hands of skilled craftsmen.

The most beautiful city of Magna Grecia!

Syracuse, “the greatest Greek city and the most beautiful of them all”, in the opinion of Cicero, was included in the Unesco Heritage Site list in 2005.
The town is almost 2700 years old: it was founded by Ancient Greek Corinthians and Teneans on the island of Ortigia.
Right in Ortigia you will spend the most of the guided tour, admiring the remains of Greek civilization (first of all the temple of Apollo, the oldest one in Sicily) and those of later periods.
In Ortigia cathedral you will see the signs of different dominations such as Byzantine, Arab and Norman. It incorporates the temple of Athena and it is the first Christian church in Europe.
During your private walking tour of Ortigia you will also find churches, palaces and fountains from the medieval and last centuries.
The last necessary step is the guided visit of the archaeological park of Syracuse where you will see the Greek theatre (the largest and the best preserved in the entire Hellenic world), the Ear of Dionysius (famous for the peculiar sound effect) and the Roman amphitheatre.

The elephant at the shadow of Mt. Etna!

Catania is located on the east coast of Sicily, at the foot of the Mount Etna. It is the second largest city in Sicily and the tenth in Italy. It has had a long and eventful history, having been founded in the 8th century BC by the ancient Greeks.
During a pleasant walk you will visit its Baroque city centre (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), famous for the Roman amphitheatre, the historical churches, the Ursino Castle, the Benedictine Monastery of “San Nicolò” and the Piazza Duomo with the famous elephant (symbol of the city).

During the guided visit of Catania you can enjoy a typical Sicilian lunch at a restaurant in the heart of the city and a funny experience at Piscarìa, an authentic outdoor fish market where you will be seduced by amazing colours and flavours.

The jewel of Sicily!

Because of the strategic location and the Greek soul, Taormina is one of the most beautiful places in the world.
The town was built on a fertile hill (200 m above a turquoise sea) and overlooks the beautiful bay of Isola Bella with a spectacular view of Mount Etna, the highest volcano in Europe.
Taormina combines the natural beauty with the artistic and archaeological heritage: in addition to the nice cathedral and the streets of the old town, Taormina is famous for its ancient theatre (built by the Greeks around the second century BC), that is the place of important music and theatre shows, especially during the summer.
Taormina was originally the center of Hellenistic culture, it has attracted the attention of many artists and writers in modern times and today is the most fashionable destination in Sicily.
We combine the private guided tour of Taormina with the escursion to Castelmola, a small village just a few km far from Taormina but in highest position.
In Castelmola you can see the remains of the Roman castle and the massive Normans walls. On a clear day you can enjoy a magnificent view that extends all the way across the most of the Ionian coast of Sicily drinking a fine Etna wine.