This 10-day tour includes a stop in Cherrye’s favorite part of Calabria – her adopted home province – Catanzaro. We’ll visit an ancient olive grove, a thriving mulberry orchard, the Swiss-like La Sila mountains, we’ll have award-winning wine, delicious Calabrese food, cocktails, and more before traveling south across the Strait of Messina to Sicily.
We’ll spend some time in Ortigia, the historical heart of Siracusa. From there, we head to Malta where we’ll explore the UNESCO city of Valletta, hit the water with a private boating excursion, visit a Maltese farm, cook local specialties, and have a private dinner curated just for our group based on ancient recipes from the Knights of Malta.
(Have something else in mind for your trip? Consider a Custom Vacation in Italy.)
You will arrive at the Lamezia Terme Airport for your group transfer at 11:00AM, or, if you take our advice and arrive a day early, we’ll meet you directly at your airport hotel. You will be greeted by your bilingual travel host and private driver and will transfer to your hotel in Catanzaro Lido.
You’ll have a few hours to rest and recover, then we’ll meet for a tour of Scolacium, one of the most significant monuments in Medieval Calabria. The 12th-century Byzantine Basilica of Santa Maria in Roccelletta sits proudly amid an olive plantation. We’ll explore ruins they say *may have been* discovered by Ulysses and walk through time with a visit to the archeological museum which features statues, coins, columns, and other relics that were discovered beneath the olive grove that date back to the 6th Century BC. We’ll have a Welcome to Calabria apericena and settle in for the night.
Overnight in Catanzaro Lido.
This morning we’ll take an in-depth look into Catanzaro’s ancient silk tradition. Since the 1600s, Catanzaro has been home to one of the most important silk industries in Europe, and once supplied tapestries to the Vatican. We’ll join our good friends, Miriam and Domenico, who have brought new life to this dying tradition. From their base nestled in a beautiful Mulberry Tree orchard, they breed silkworms and give visitors hands-on experiences in extracting silk.
Following our visit, we will be their special guests for a delicious multi-course lunch, with wine.
After lunch, we’ll return to Catanzaro Lido and you’ll have the evening on your own.
La Sila Mountains are divided into three areas – La Sila Grande (Big Sila), La Sila Piccola (Little Sila), and La Sila Greca (Greek Sila). Today we are heading into La Sila Piccola where we’ll explore the town of Taverna and learn more about its most iconic citizen – the world-famous Italian Baroque artist, Mattia Pretti. Born in this small mountain town in 1612, he became well-known for his Caravaggio-esque influence. His works can be seen all over the world and as we will discover later on in the tour, he has a strong connection to Malta where he was appointed as a member of the Order of Saint John!
We’ll have a fabulous multi-course mountain lunch (Davides), complete with homemade products from the La Sila area at one of our family’s favorite mountain stops.
In the early evening, we’ll return to Catanzaro Lido. Evening on your own.
Today, you’ll step into the world of Calabrian olive oil with my dear friend Lucia, whose family has been perfecting the craft for generations. Nestled among rolling hills and ancient olive groves, her family’s farm is more than just a business—it’s a legacy of passion, tradition, and some of the finest extra virgin olive oil you’ll ever taste. (It’s so good, we’ve gotten our Calabrian neighbors hooked on this stuff!)
Lucia will guide you through the art and science of olive oil production, sharing how her family expertly tends to their trees, harvests their prized olives, and produces award-winning oil that has earned a spot on the tables of top chefs. But what makes their operation truly unique is how they integrate their dairy farm into the olive business—a rare and fascinating combination that highlights Calabria’s deeply rooted, sustainable farming traditions.
After touring the groves and mill, you’ll learn how to spot real, high-quality olive oil. Then, it’s time to put your newfound knowledge to the test as you learn to taste and identify certain flavors.
Once you’ve worked up an appetite, you’ll settle in for a picnic-style feast right in the heart of the grove, enjoying local cheeses, cured meats, fresh-baked bread, and seasonal specialties—all drizzled with their extraordinary olive oil. With the warm Mediterranean breeze, the hum of nature, and a glass of local wine in hand, this lunch is a sensory experience you won’t forget.
After soaking in the flavors and the hospitality of Lucia’s family, you’ll return to your hotel for a well-earned siesta or a leisurely evening to explore on your own.
You’ll have breakfast, then bid farewell to Calabria and cross over the Strait of Messina to Sicily. We’ll stop at Mount Etna – Europe’s largest and most active volcano. We’ll ascend its volcanic slopes, then tour an 18th-century winery where we’ll have a late lunch and wine tasting amidst chestnut trees.
We’ll continue our journey to Siracusa and settle into our seaside hotel on the Island of Ortigia. You’ll have the rest of the evening on your own.
Overnight in Ortigia.
After breakfast, we will explore the historical center of Siracusa located on the island of Ortigia. The island, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a labyrinth of charming side streets that take you through the numerous important monuments and along the beautiful coastline. You’ll have time for lunch in the characteristic market of Ortigia before saying arrivederci, Italia as we make our way to Malta, an archipelago in the central Mediterranean Sea between Sicily and the North African coast.
Following a 90-minute ferry ride, we’ll arrive in Valletta, the capital of Malta, (also a UNESCO World Heritage Site) known for its rich history and culture. You’ll check into your hotel and have the rest of the day on your own. Overnight Valletta.
*Please note: this day might change to accommodate the ferry schedule to Malta.
This morning we will make our way to the northern region of Malta on the western coast for a day trip to Dingli Cliffs. You will be mesmerized by these stunning cliffs that rise over 250 meters above sea level offering some of the most spectacular panoramic views along the coastline and out into the seemingly never-ending horizon of the sea. Afterward, we’ll roll up our sleeves and learn how to make authentic Maltese dishes with fresh seasonal vegetables and herbs that we’ll harvest ourselves. We’ll feast on our home-cooked three-course meal and get a real taste of traditional Maltese family cuisine.
After lunch, you’ll return to Valletta and have the evening on your own.
This morning you will visit the famous St. John’s Co-Cathedral. This Baroque-style church was built in the 17th Century and is one of the most important landmarks on the island. We’ll admire the work of Calabrian painter, Mattia Preti, who was commissioned to paint the vaulted ceilings with images depicting the life of a St. John the Baptist, as well as other paintings on display in the cathedral. Along with Preti’s works of art, you’ll also find two masterpieces by Caravaggio.
You will have time on your own for lunch, shopping, and other solo sightseeing before boarding our private boat for an unforgettable excursion through Malta’s harbor. Don’t forget your swimsuit because you’ll have time to swim and snorkel before being treated to a very special Maltese “BBQ” lunch grilled by our skipper.
We’ll return to Valletta where you’ll have the rest of the evening free.
After breakfast, we will cross the island and have a guided tour of Rabat and Mdina. Rabat, an ancient city dating back more than 2000 years, was once part of the old Roman colony of Melita. During the Arab period, the walled city became known as Mdina, but an area just outside the gates was named Rabat, which means suburb in Maltese. Rabat has a rich cultural history with its Catacombs of St. Paul and many remains dating back to the Roman period.
Next, we’ll enter the walled city of Mdina, once the capital of Malta, and see one of the finest examples of a medieval walled city in Europe. Surprises await us at every turn, but none more delicious than where we’ll make our pit stop, complete with drinks, appetizers, and desserts.
We’ll return to the hotel and rest before heading to our farewell dinner – an exclusive, private experience where we’ll dine inside the former Royal Naval Bakery on ancient recipes that were passed down from the Knights of Malta.
You’ll have breakfast, then you’ll have a group transfer to Valletta Airport. Saħħa, Malta!
We love private tours and can often include extra fun elements that aren’t available to individual travelers. If you’d like a bilingual escort or driver, just let us know. We’ll be happy to plan your custom vacation accordingly.
This is a great question because there is sometimes overlap amongst the three which leads to confusion. To keep it quick though, a travel consultant is a local expert, meaning she only focuses on a specific part of the world, in some cases one country, in other cases (like mine) part of one country. This person usually lives (or has lived for an extended amount of time) in the place she consults on and has an intimate knowledge of the area.
A travel agent is similar in that she helps her clients put their trips together. A travel agent can specialize in a country but oftentimes hasn’t lived there and/or may not have traveled to all of the places her clients are going. A travel agent can search for and book flights and cruises that travel consultants can’t or choose not to book.
I often work with travel agents who want to ensure they are offering the best service to their clients. The travel agent will contact me and together we’ll put the Calabria/southern Italy section of their client’s vacation together.
A tour operator packages trip elements into travel packages that they either sell directly or through travel agents. Some travel consultants (like me) are registered as a tour operator for legal business purposes.
When you book a custom vacation, there is more going into your trip than simply recommending a hotel or a cooking class. I am invested in my clients’ trips and I work with them to choose the right base locations, to map out their ideal route and to ensure the hotels, guides, excursions and activities are right for them.
It’s been estimated the average person spends 100 hours researching, planning and booking a vacation. My clients either don’t have this kind of time to devote to planning their trip or they want to ensure they are making the right decisions for their vacation.
Besides the fact that I’m being paid by my clients to plan their trips, I choose not to accept commissions from hotels, car companies, chefs or other vendors because I don’t like the potential conflict of interest. If I don’t accept commission from anyone, then my clients know I always have their best interest in mind.
I don’t – but I can either coordinate with your travel agent, recommend an agent to you for group travel or tell you about the airlines I personally choose when I’m traveling.
