Palermo to Siracusa: stop at Valley of Temples & Roman Villa

Posted By : U2406BPbrianp
I’m not one to write reviews but, I felt compelled to do so and share our experience.
My wife and I just returned from 2 weeks in Malta and Sicily. The trip was amazing.
While in Sicily, we used the services of Francesco (our driver and tour guide) for a few days, which took us from/to Syracuse > Agrigento > Palermo. He was great!
It was not just the; good driver, punctuality, clean and comfortable van that impressed us, it was the hospitality that blew us away. Francesco was not only extremely friendly and proud of his country, he was excited to ensure we got to experience as many of its treasures as he has - from the various famous historical sites along our journey, to the small food and pastry hot spots, as well. As the three of us drove, listened (to each other and Italian music), talked and walked together for a few days we kind of bonded. My wife and I felt like Francesco treated us like a long lost pair of cousins. It was a fun time.
If you are looking for a driver/ tour guide, he’s your man. You will not be disappointed.
Brian & Rosemarie P. - New York, USA
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Posted On : 2023-10-08 09:11:33

Posted By : E4513JOlauriem
Not only was the tour VERY eventful (we saw everything from Palermo to Siracusa), but our private drivers were amazing, especially Francesco Scilipoti who was EXTREMELY accommodating to us (my dad is 87). I would highly recommend not only Tour of Sciliy, but Francesco! Thanks so much
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Posted On : 2023-09-19 10:11:28

Posted By : kiwibirdjones
Francesco took great care of us on the drive from Palermo to Siracusa via Agrigento.
He was friendly, accommodating, and navigated the roads perfectly!
He explained our stop at Agrigento, timing and meeting place, and was there ready and waiting with a cool van on a scorcher of a day!
Agrigento was amazing! An easy, but hot walk downhill weaving through the temples and ruins.
When we arrived in Ortigia, Francesco negotiated to get us into the pedestrian zone, as close to our hotel as possible, as he couldn't get in with the van. Without his help, we would have been a little lost.
A great transfer option, with great service from Francesco. Highly recommend.
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Posted On : 2023-08-28 06:33:04

Posted By : Victorcosmopolis
My wife and I wanted to travel all the way around the island of Sicily over two weeks in May 2023 but we wanted to relax and enjoy our vacation without dealing with rental cars, parking or navigating the island. I reached out to Valeria Gulotta at Tour of Sicily and they customized our trip with competitively private car hire who also acted as guides in every major city and attraction from Palermo, to Marsala, Agrigento, Modica, Ragusa, Sircusa, Taormina, and the Godfather Tour is Savoca. They managed every detail include each city transfer, fantastic boutique hotel accommodations, a trip up Mount Aetna, and the Gambino Vineyard. Impeccable attention to detail and even helped us transfer to the Port of Milazzo for our DIY second week in the Aeolian Island of Lipari. When we encountered weather on the island of Lipari Valeria's colleague Michela ensure we would have a place to stay and that every detail of our trip went smoothly on the ground when we arrived. Awesome experience! Our thanks to Valeria and Michela. Highly recommend Tour of Sicily if you big plans of or smaller ones for your time in Sicily. They are awesome.
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Posted On : 2023-07-24 12:09:53

Posted By : James_E
Our transfer was with Francesco. He was on time and very professional. He is also very knowledgeable. He provided historical information that we really appreciated. He was very willing to stop and do what ever we wanted. He did not rush us. We would highly recommend him as a driver!
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Posted On : 2022-05-04 06:56:53

Posted By : Barry F
Michelina (Michael) was amazing. We did private transfer tours with stop overs, and he customized the sites and stops on the way based upon what we told him we wanted to do. And he would also change, juggle it, and showed us more than we asked for.
A very safe driver, he was very knowledgeable about the history and was also very personable. He was also thoughtful and concerned with our safety.
We never were in want of great food, and never felt rushed.
I'd ask for him next time.
Our original plan was to rent a car ourselves. We were talked out of it, and I understand. There is virtually no parking in most towns, some roads are two way and look one way, getting lost even with navigation would have been easy. No, in Sicily, let someone else drive. Divorce would have cost more had we driven ourselves
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Posted On : 2021-10-11 18:49:19

Posted By : Dianne G
We just returned from a 12 day private tour of Sicily, arranged by Valeria Gulotta. It was over a year in the planning, and thanks to the excellent constant communication between us, it included everything we hoped to see and experience in beautiful Sicily. Everything was arranged expertly, from wonderful professional English speaking guides in each city we visited, hotel accommodations and locations tailored to mobility issues, to luxurious vans for transport driven by friendly, knowledgeable, and accommodating professional drivers . Both guides and drivers were extremely flexible…. an extra stop here, or an extra time at an interesting location were no problem. They constantly assured us that they were there to make it the best trip possible, and they welcomed any change in plans that we might wish.
It is hard to put into words how amazingly beautiful we found Sicily, with its friendly people, its amazing history, its unique and delicious cuisine, and the breathtaking beauty of the island. Our tours with our guides helped us to quickly understand the many past dominations that influence Sicily, its cuisine, its architecture and its traditions to this day.
It is difficult to select what tour or location is best, but a couple of highlights for us were the visits to two different agriturismo sites, farms where we learned about the products produced there, and sampled some wonderful Sicilian cuisine… one of them was in a thousand year old building on a family-operated olive farm producing the best olive oil I’ve ever had and the lunch of some traditional Sicilian foods was just delicious. Another huge highlight was a cooking class for the four of us. It was held at an ancient farmhouse that had a water wheel for grinding grains. We were greeted with a sumptuous array of local cheeses, meats, bread, olives and delicious wine before we began our cooking adventure. We made our food, guided by Chef Bruno, then enjoyed every bite! Another highlight not to be missed is the Jeep excursion to the North slope of “Mama Etna” as the Sicilians call it. Amazing!!
We had looked into Sicily tours with agencies from the US, but chose to go with Tour of Sicily based on their responsiveness, ability to book experiences more in depth than US tour operators offered, and, best of all, at less expensive cost. I would highly recommend Tour of Sicily. They planned for us the best trip we have ever taken. I can’t say enough good things about them.
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Posted On : 2021-09-20 13:15:27

Posted By : Angela G
Michele was our wonderful driver who provided a professional, courteous and beautiful ride from Palermo to Taormina. We stopped to view the Turkish Steps, the temple ruins of Agrigento and the Villa Romana. While we were encouraged to stick to the schedule, we were not rushed when requiring a bit of extra time and enjoyed soaking in each experience. Perfect way to travel from one part of Sicily to the other. While it's a long journey - you never tire. Just looking out the window at the beautiful scenery is entertaining. Suggestion: pack a picnic lunch (as we did) to enjoy in the car or at one of the sites. Don't waste a minute of your adventure sitting in a restaurant for an hour plus. Highly recommend this service!
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Posted On : 2019-11-24 07:32:27

Posted By : Jane E
Francesco was a great driver. He provided us with materials on the 2 sites we wanted to see and knew the most convenient spots for drop off and pick up. Even though he was not billed as a guide, he was knowledgeable about the areas we drove through and answered our many questions. Picked a reasonable place for lunch and pointed out local favorites. Then bought us popular pastries to try for dessert. We highly recommend him.
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Posted On : 2019-10-23 11:46:20

Posted By : Margaret_K
Francesco excellent driver and very informative. It is a long day but well worth the stops along the way. Thank you again Francesco you were great and we enjoyed your company. Bruce and Margaret Kirk
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Posted On : 2018-12-29 01:36:15