Malta & SicilY ON Sea Cloud II

• Enjoy the romance and elegance of small-ship cruising aboard Sea Cloud II, with a maximum of 16 in our party

• Discover the inventiveness and interconnectedness of Malta’s Megalithic culture, on visits to temples and the Hal Saflieni Hypogeum

• Appreciate Greek and Roman heritage together with a historian, including the temples and theatres of Syracuse, Segesta and Agrigento

• Admire Mediterranean scenery from the ship’s deck, including the dramatic landscapes of the Aeolian Islands

• Encounter Malta’s evocative prehistoric sites and a powerful late work by Caravaggio

• Marvel at Sicily’s outstanding mosaics, from a Roman villa in Piazza Armerina to Norman magnificence in Cefalù and Palermo

WEDNESDAY 24 SEPTEMBER 2025 – ARRIVAL (D)

Our tour commences at 6.00pm in the lobby of our hotel in Valletta, where we meet tour leader Dr Kathryn Welch and take an orientation stroll of the historic centre. Afterwards, we enjoy a welcome dinner near the hotel. Overnight Valletta.

THURSDAY 25 SEPTEMBER – CATHEDRALS & CARAVAGGIO (B)

This morning we meet our local guide to discover the historic centre of Valletta on a walking tour. Developed from the sixteenth century as a fortified bastion by the Knights of St John, it evolved into an elegant, aristocratic city, reflecting the social status of the men who ruled the organisation from here. From the historically-informed and innovative designs of Renzo Piano for the city gates, to the impressive structure of the cathedral, Valletta presents a streetscape of uniformity, thanks to the glowing limestone from which much of it is built and to the series of colourful gallariji balconies that sit above the streets. The simplicity of Valletta’s facades can hide extraordinary treasures, such as the rich marbles, stuccoes and gilding of the Co-Cathedral of St John. It also preserves a powerful late work by Caravaggio, The Beheading of St John the Baptist. With life-size figures and a powerful use of his chiaroscuro technique, it is his largest canvas – and his only signed work. After lunch at leisure, we visit Valletta’s National Museum of Archaeology. It has fine collections of prehistoric artefacts, many of which were uncovered in sites that we will visit; one of the most powerful is the small sculpture of The Sleeping Lady, uncovered in the Hal Saflieni Hypogeum. The later afternoon and evening are at leisure. Overnight Valletta.

FRIDAY 26 SEPTEMBER – MEGALITHIC GOZO (B, L)

Today we have a full day’s excursion by coach and boat to the nearby island of Gozo. Roughly the same size as the island of Manhattan, it is characterised by dramatic and dry scenery: rock arches that span turquoise waters, and limestone terraces sculpted by erosion. It also preserves one of the country’s most fascinating megalithic sites, which we visit together with our local guide. At the Ġgantija Archaeological Park, we admire some of the oldest religious structures to survive. These UNESCO World Heritage-listed temples are older than those of Egypt, with their construction occurring almost 6,000 years ago, and their dedication to a fertility cult has been deduced from the many statuettes and votives found nearby. Afterwards, we enjoy lunch together before making the crossing back over to the island of Malta. There is a time for a late afternoon stroll in pretty Mdina, the island’s ancient fortified capital. Somewhat neglected after the development of Valletta, the town enjoyed an eighteenth-century revival, which has left it a series of beautiful baroque buildings in sandstone. Returning to Valletta, the evening is at leisure. Overnight Valletta.

SATURDAY 27 SEPTEMBER – TARXIEN & THE HAL SAFLIENI HYPOGEUM (B, D)

We check out of our hotel this morning to embark on Sea Cloud II, but before we leave Valletta, we have a visit of two significant sites. The temples of Tarxien were discovered by chance by a farmer in 1913; these four megalithic structures were built in the Late Neolithic, with fascinating adaptations undertaken in the Late Bronze Age to ensure their continued use. Nearby is the Hal Saflieni Hypogeum, or underground chamber, constructed ca 3,000 BCE as a huge city of the dead – the remains of more than 7,000 burials have been uncovered here. It was carved out by hand with extraordinary effort, using rudimentary tools of obsidian and flint but with a sophisticated understanding of how light would penetrate inside at significant times of year such as the winter solstice. After time for lunch, we continue to Valletta harbour for embarkation on Sea Cloud II. After we have time to settle into our cabins, there is a safety drill followed by welcome drinks and dinner together. First of six nights on board Sea Cloud II.

SUNDAY 28 SEPTEMBER – UNDER SAIL TO SICILY (B, L, D)

Today is spent entirely under sail (weather permitting), as we make our way from Malta to Sicily. There is plenty to do on board, from watching the crew climb the rigging to demonstrate the unfurling of our sails, to the opportunity to talk to the captain about our route or just to relax on deck with a book from the ship’s library. Our tour leader Dr Kathryn Welch gives presentations in the morning and afternoon, introducing the history of Sicily in particular and of the ancient sites that we will visit there. There are also opportunities to gather at lunch and over dinner. Overnight on Sea Cloud II.

MONDAY 29 SEPTEMBER – TRAPANI & PUNIC MOTHIA (B, L, D)

Early this morning we dock at the small harbour of Trapani, an important base for the Carthaginians and Romans in the third century and, according to some sources, the site of the iconic birth of Venus. We transfer from Sea Cloud II to Mozia, a fascinating island and one of Carthage’s most important colonies. It was the scene of fierce competition with Greek and Roman combatants, as we discover on a guided tour of the site. The island’s museum is also the location for one of the ancient Mediterranean’s most superlative works of sculpture. Returning to Trapani, we enjoy lunch on board Sea Cloud II before setting off for Palermo. There is an afternoon talk and dinner together this evening. Overnight on Sea Cloud II.

TUESDAY 30 SEPTEMBER – IN PALERMO (B, D)

In the early morning, Sea Cloud II arrives in the port of Palermo. This vibrant city, the island’s administrative capital, bears many traces of the layers of conquest and civilisation that it has experienced, and the hustle and bustle of its streets conveys more of the atmosphere of North Africa or a Middle Eastern souk than of the cities and towns of the Italian mainland. We meet our local guide for a walking tour of central Palermo, including its celebrated street markets, the small church of La Martorana, its Norman mosaics reframed with elaborate baroque decorations, and the nearby convent of Santa Caterina, famous for its sweets and pastries. After lunch, there is the opportunity to admire Caravaggio’s Nativity in the Oratory of San Lorenzo. The only work by the artist to survive in Palermo, it was stolen in 1969 and the original has never been recovered. Nevertheless, the work’s beauty in its context – entirely surrounded by exquisite baroque stuccoes – is well conveyed by a modern facsimile. We continue to the Regional Archaeological Museum, which preserves artefacts from a number of sites that we visit in Sicily, before returning to Sea Cloud II. Dinner is on board. Overnight on Sea Cloud II.

WEDNESDAY 01 OCTOBER – THE AEOLIAN ISLANDS (B, L, D)

This morning we arrive on Lipari, one of the group of islands associated with the winds of the god Aeolus. The Aeolian Islands have a fascinating ancient history, their volcanic origin ensuring ready supplies of high-value ancient exports, such as obsidian and pumice stone, and we appreciate this source of wealth on a guided tour of the Archaeological Museum. The votive statues and ancient theatre masks of the museum’s collection are particularly fine. Afterwards we admire the dramatic scenery of the Aeolian Islands on a panoramic tour by minibus, together with our local guide. There are sweeping views out to other nearby islands, such as Vulcano, and an opportunity to sample local products made from local herbs, honey and prickly pear. We return to Sea Cloud II in time for lunch, and after we depart Lipari there is an afternoon talk on board. Weather permitting, we will moor in the Aeolian Islands for some time tonight, to enjoy the sciara del fuoco of Stromboli, the stream of fire that predictably erupts from one Europe’s most active volcanoes. Overnight on Sea Cloud II.

THURSDAY 02 OCTOBER – TAORMINA (B, L, D)

There is an early arrival into the harbour of Giardini Naxos this morning, and as soon as possible we make our way up to the town of Taormina. We visit its spectacularly sited Greco-Roman Theatre, which boasts the dramatic backdrop of a smoking Mount Etna in the distance. Until the nineteenth century, Taormina was a sleepy Sicilian village, before it was discovered by Europeans – particularly the English and Germans – looking for both a temperate Mediterranean climate and a more permissive moral code. It has preserved this feel of a European jetset destination in the contemporary moment, only encouraged by the recent success of White Lotus, a television program whose second season was principally filmed here. We return to Sea Cloud II for lunch on board, and an afternoon talk. Dinner and overnight on Sea Cloud II.

FRIDAY 03 OCTOBER – ON ORTIGIA, THE ISLAND OF THE QUAIL (B)

Sea Cloud II arrives in Siracusa this morning, at the small harbour of Ortigia. It is here that we disembark, transferring with our luggage to our hotel on the small “island of the quail”, the origin of Ortigia’s name. We orient ourselves with a walking tour of the island, including the Spring of Arethusa, ringed by papyrus plants, the cathedral – which spectacularly incorporates the columns of a fifth-century BCE Greek temple to Athena – and the baroque splendour of Piazza del Duomo, a pleasant place to enjoy lunch with a view of imposing palaces. In the afternoon we continue into Ortigia’s ancient ghetto, which was probably established in the first century following the Fall of Jerusalem. The Jews lived here on Ortigia until the fifteenth century, when the Spanish occupation of the island led to an order for their expulsion. In modern times, a ceremonial mikveh or bath for ritual purification was uncovered in this district, and we take a private tour together with a guide. Returning to the hotel, we check in and the evening is at leisure. Overnight Siracusa (Ortigia).

SATURDAY 04 OCTOBER – FROM THE GREEKS TO CARAVAGGIO (B)

Syracuse was one of the most cosmopolitan, inventive and prominent cities of Magna Graecia, or Greater Greece, and even today it preserves an extraordinarily rich archaeological heritage. This morning we meet a specialist local guide for a tour of the archaeological park on the mainland, with its famous theatre, sacrificial altars and quarries. After lunch, we have a visit of Siracusa’s archaeological museum, universally regarded as Sicily’s best, with finds from the Paleolithic period to the Middle Ages and a particular strength in artefacts from ancient Greece and Rome. We also call in at Santa Lucia al Sepolcro to admire Caravaggio’s Burial of St Lucy, an exceptional late masterpiece now shown in the church for which it was painted. Returning to Ortigia, the evening is at leisure. Overnight Siracusa (Ortigia).

SUNDAY 05 OCTOBER – THE BAROQUE TOWNS OF MONTALBANO (B)

In 1693, a devastating earthquake struck south-eastern Sicily and its cities and towns were rebuilt over the ensuing decades. The result of this is a string of baroque pearls in the so-called Val di Noto and today we enjoy a guided tour of a landscape familiar to many of us thanks to its incorporation in the Inspector Montalbano television program. At Ragusa Ibla and in Noto, we admire how the warm local sandstone was carved into elegant forms and, together with spacious streetscapes, offers a sense of grand but contained baroque theatre. We return to the hotel, where the evening is at leisure. Overnight Siracusa (Ortigia).

MONDAY 06 OCTOBER – ROMAN MOSAICS IN PIAZZA ARMERINA (B, L, D)

We check out this morning and travel towards Agrigento, heading first to a small town of the interior called Piazza Armerina. It would be unremarkable if not for the staggering series of Late Antique mosaics uncovered at the so-called Villa romana del Casale, an extensive complex of the fourth century that was decorated by the best mosaicists from North Africa. Scenes of hunting, boating, and even exercise (with the famous “bikini girls”!) decorate its floors, and its walls were further covered in coloured stones thanks to complex patterns of inlaid marble. It is one of Sicily’s most rewarding sites. After lunch together in a nearby agriturismo, we continue to Agrigento. There is a light dinner together this evening. Overnight Agrigento.

TUESDAY 07 OCTOBER – THE VALLEY OF THE TEMPLES (B, L)

Of its many archaeological sites, Sicily’s Agrigento is perhaps the most spectacularly sited. Its line of Greek temples, some of which are the best preserved outside of Greece, stretches along a ridge that surveys a series of valleys and the coastline. We have a guided tour of the Valley of Temples, as it is known, this morning before a light lunch. In the afternoon, we continue to the Archaeological Museum with Kathryn, for an introduction to the collection’s highlights. We then make the journey overland to Palermo, arriving in the early evening. Kathryn is at hand after check-in to assist with independent dinner arrangements. Overnight Palermo.

WEDNESDAY 08 OCTOBER – NORMAN PALERMO (B)

Palermo has received UNESCO World Heritage status for its Arab-Norman sites, a unique blend of two of the island’s most important political and cultural conquerors. From the eleventh century, one Norman family rose to prominence as counts and later kings of Sicily, and as we discover this morning on our guided walking tour, their love of luxury, sophistication and foreign learning finds its culmination in the Arab-Norman sites of central Palermo. From the glittering mosaics and Arab-style painted ceiling of King Roger II’s Palatine Chapel to the impressive Norman tombs of Palermo cathedral, the craft, wealth and syncretism of these medieval monuments in Sicily is unsurpassed. After time for lunch, we continue to the nearby fishing village of Cefalù, the site of the first Sicilian Norman royal pantheon. Cefalù cathedral’s grand mosaic of Christ Pantocrator was an imposing but merciful statement of the island’s new rulers. Returning to Palermo, the evening is at leisure. Overnight Palermo.

THURSDAY 09 OCTOBER – MONREALE & SEGESTA (B, D)

Our Norman theme continues this morning with a guided tour of Monreale cathedral and cloister, a staggering monument by William II to the consolidation of Norman royal power on the island of Sicily. Art historians estimate that there is over 2,000kg of gold in the Byzantine-style mosaics here, but the huge bronze doors and inventive sculpted capitals of the adjacent cloister are equally impressive. After lunch at leisure we continue to Segesta, an unfinished Greek-style temple of the fifth century BCE that enjoys, together with its nearby theatre, a beautiful position in the Sicilian landscape. Returning to Palermo, there is time to pack before our farewell dinner.

FRIDAY 10 OCTOBER – DEPARTURE (B)

Tour arrangements conclude after breakfast this morning. It is easy to organise a transfer to the airport by taxi from our central hotel; Kathryn will be at hand to assist. Our partners at Mary Rossi Travel will be pleased to advise on your onward travel arrangements.

The Phoenicia 5* La Valletta, 3 nights
https://www.phoeniciamalta.com/

Sea Cloud II, 6 nights
https://www.seacloud.com/en/sea-cloud-2/

Palazzo Artemide (Hotel Antico Roma 1880) 4* Ortigia, Siracusa, 3 nights
https://vretreats.com/en/palazzo-artemide/

Foresteria Baglio della Luna 4* Agrigento, 1 night
https://www.bagliodellaluna.com/

Eurostars Centrale Palace 4* Palermo, 3 nights
https://www.eurostarshotels.co.uk/eurostars-centrale-palace.html

• 16 nights’ accommodation at 4* hotels, including 6 nights on board Sea Cloud II

• All breakfasts and 16 lunches or dinners, with drinks

• All ground transport, guided tours and entrance fees to sites as mentioned in the itinerary, and tipping

• Expertise of and commentary by an Australian tour leader throughout, including a series of talks

• Contact us to enquire about cabin availability in Category E and Category F (recommended for single travellers).

• We will invoice you for an initial deposit of $2,500 at the time of booking.  

• We will invoice you for a second deposit of $2,500, due on 03 February 2025.

• Final payment will be due on 19 March 2025

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