Best of Italy and Sicily

This traditional grand vacation of 16 days is perfect for those who wish to see all of Italy, including Sicily. In the cities of Rome, Florence and Venice, highlight visits are included to St. Peter’s, the Sistine Chapel, the Colosseum, Michelangelo’s David, St. Mark’s Basilica, and the Doges’ Palace with the Bridge of Sighs. Admire the Leaning Tower of Pisa and St. Francis’ Basilica in Assisi. After visiting Pompeii, board the overnight ferry to Sicily for four nights where visits to Palermo’s Palatine Chapel and the Norman Cathedral in Monreale, the spectacular Valley of Temples and the 4th-century Roman Villa of Casale await you. A ferry brings you across the Strait of Messina to Calabria. Two nights in Sorrento include a visit to the Isle of Capri with a visit to Villa San Michele in Anacapri. On the way back to Rome, stop at the medieval Abbey of Montecassino.

At first sight the historic Vucciria Market in the capital Palermo has all the flavour of an Arab souk, except that here the glitter of beaten brass is replaced by the glistening skins of all kinds of fish: curly-tentacled squid, huge swordfish with milky blue eyes and small fish called Auccioli with tails perkily curled - held up by a piece of string tied to their heads. Stalls are stacked with brilliant peppers, olives and long thin zucchini, round yellow cheeses, bread, rabbits and a zillion other things that you probably would not recognize.

Much of Palermo is quite grand, with wide avenues lined with palm trees, stylish shops and restaurants and hotels like the Grand Hotel della Palma which has an attractive air of faded elegance. In fact, the city itself has a whiff of past glory as many of its wonderful old buildings are in need of a face lift.

Palaces and churches have been restored and the historic Teatro Massimo, closed for nearly a quarter of a century, reopened in 1998 with Pavarotti singing in Aida.

There’s no singing in the Catacombe di Cappuccini, rather the wail of death. This underground necropolis is packed to the ceiling with thousands of mummified bodies. Their empty eyes stare out from dark niches, from coffins and from shelves. Many are propped up with bits of string. Some with mouths open cry out in dismay; others peaceful, hands crossed, accepting, conversing with each other, or hanging heads in shame.“What did we do to deserve this?” It’s not for the faint hearted.