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Welcome to Palermo, Europe's wealthiest city
in the 12th century.
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Our first destination: The Cathedral in
Monreale, where Byzantine splendour reaches its apex.
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Pagan beasts and Christian symbols decorate
each unique capital in the cloisters of Monreale.
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A view from Sambuca towards Monte Adranone,
site of a Greek colony that is our hiking destination on Day 1.
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Day 1 wraps up with an introduction to
Sicilian wine and its native varietals, from nero d'avola to inzolia.
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Day 2's hike is in the hills surrounding the
Planeta estate, nestled next to Lake Orange.
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Heading down to the winery, post-hike, for
lunch and a tasting.
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Planeta's grape skins squeezed dry and ready
for the distillery, where grappa is made.
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Chiara Planeta, an extended family member,
working at the Planeta winery, offers her guests an inside view of its history
and reasons for success.
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Queueing up for lunch at the Planeta winery.
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Desserts include these classic Sicilian
sesame biscotti. Molto buono!
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Among the Greek colonies on Sicily's southern
coast was Selunite, today a vast archaeological park with three temples.
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A town road at Selunite dating back 2,600
years.
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Hike with a view: in the distance, another
Greek Doric temple.
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The ageing room for Mille e una Notte (A
Thousand and One Nights), one of Donnafugata's award-winning wines.
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A few of the bottles sampled at the acclaimed
Donnafugata winery.
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Visiting the cantina at the Baglio Hopps
winery.
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Dinner is served! The private chef at Baglio
Hopps winery dishes out course after course of fantastic food, from homemade
lasagna to roast lamb.
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Cincin! A toast with Balgio Hopps's
delectable, Sicilian-style cabernet.
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The 'saline' or salt-flats near Marsala,
where sea salt is made the antique way: using windmills and evaporation ponds.
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Workers collecting the sea salt, which takes
many months to be transformed from saline water to crystal form.
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At the saline, wind is the ultimate form of
renewable power.
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Cruising by the salt-ponds. Final
destination: Long Island (Isola Lungha) for a short hike.
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After the hike, there's time to explore
Marsala, a small port city with lovely baroque architecture.
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Among Marsala's sights-to-see is its market,
brimming with fresh fish, cheese, olives, and other island goodies.
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The catch of the day, at Marsala's outdoor
market.
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The "solera" system, seen here in the
DeBaroli cellar, is used to age Marsala wine up to 10 years.
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DeBartoli's Marsala Superiore brings back the
magic of this meditation wine.
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Near the city of Trapani is Mt. Cofano, a
promontory from the Triassic period that's rich with animal fossils, rocky
pinnacles, and steep coastal walls.
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Monte Cofano is now a Natural Reserve that
offers untrammelled hiking.
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Tour co-founder (left), with a local guide on
the trail.
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Admiring Sicily's splendour along its rugged
coast.
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Spaghetti with clams -- a perfect end to a
seaside hike.
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Dinnertime means fresh seafood in a coastal
town like Bonagia, once a bustling port for Sicily's tuna-fishing industry.
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Marettimo is a small island off the western
coast of Sicily. Today's coastal hike goes from the port to an ancient Norman
fortress on Point Troia.
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Switchbacks on the trail, and a view heading
back to town.
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Spot the trail, snaking along the sea cliffs.
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Our halfway point: the beach at the base of
the Norman fortress.
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Fortress ahead! Atop that peninsula! First
one to reach the top wins an extra scoop of gelato.
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Back at Marettimo's port and the end of our
journey.
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