2012
£3,720 (2011), £3,860 (2012) (deposit £350). This includes: air travel (economy class) on scheduled Alitalia flights (Boeing 737); travel by private coach; hotel accommodation as described below; breakfasts, five lunches (including one picnic) and seven dinners with wine, water and coffee; all admission charges to museums, sites, etc.; all tips for restaurant staff, drivers, guides; all state and airport taxes; the services of the lecturer and tour manager. Single supplement £720 (2011), £580 (2012). Price without flights £3,600 (2011), £3,640 (2012).

Palermo (6 nights): a 16th-century palazzo renovated to become a 4-star hotel in the centre, furnished to a high standard. Taormina (4 nights): a 3-star, charming, family-run hotel, in the old town, with its own garden (rooms vary in size and outlook). Syracuse (2 nights): a 4-star hotel, centrally situated on the island of Ortygia.

A lot of walking, some of it over rough ground at archaeological sites and cobbled or uneven paving. Fitness and sure-footedness are essential. Some long journeys. Average distance by coach per day: 69 miles.

We regret that applications from people aged 81 or over at the time of the tour will not be accepted.