Whether of noble or humble origins, Sicilian writers were all sons of their land, of which they passionately described landscapes and men. A trip to the places where they were born will help the visitor enter what Sciascia called “Sicilianness”.
Day 1
Palermo
Arrival in Palermo, dinner and overnight stay.
2
Palermitan Nobilities and Art Treasures
After breakfast, tour of the capital of the Viceroy, described by Tomasi di Lampedusa in The Leopard. The city offers a
noteworthy artistic panorama: Arab domes, Norman churches and buildings, medieval markets, Renaissance and Baroque gardens, and 18thcentury and art deco masterpieces.
3
The Contrada Caos of Agrigento
After breakfast, departure for Agrigento, the birthplace of Pirandello. We will admire the splendour of the Valley of the
Temples and the city described by the writer, born in contrada Caos, where there is a memorial stone commemorating him,
under a cluster-pine tree.
4
Sciascia and Racalmuto; the Baroque of Ragusa and Ibla
After breakfast, transfer to Racalmuto, where Leonardo Sciascia was born, to visit the Norman castle and the sulphur
mines, often mentioned by the writer, who was sensitive to the miners’ environment. After a stop at Caltagirone, the
ceramics centre, continuation on to Comiso, where Gesualdo Bufalino was born and worked for decades here on his first
novel The Plague Spreader’s Tale. Then we proceed to Ragusa Ibla, to admire the remarkable example of Sicilian Baroque, San Giorgio.
5
The “Quasimodotheque” at Modica; Noto and Syracuse
Breakfast and departure for Modica, the birthplace of Salvatore Quasimodo; visit to Palazzo Polara, the convent of San Domenico, the “Quasimodotheque” in the writer’s house, and the Benedictine monastery. Continuation on to Syracuse, with two short stops along the way, at Pachino, Brancati’s city, and Noto, famous for its Baroque décor. Check-in at the hotel in Syracuse.
6
Mastro Don Gesualdo at Vizzini; Capuana’s World 
After breakfast and a tour of Syracuse, transfer to Vizzini, which claims, together with Catania, to be Verga’s birthplace and where his Mastro Don Gesualdo is set. Continuation on to Mineo, where Luigi Capuana was born. In the evening, arrival in
Catania, a pole of attraction for numerous writers who set their novels here. Examples are Verga’s Story of a Blackcap and
Capuana’s Giacinta.
7
Catania
After breakfast, a tour of the city’s historic streets: Via Etnea and Via dei Crociferi. Catania was the city of choice of
Brancati, who set his Il Bell’Antonio (Antonio the Great Lover) here. We will also visit Verga’s museum-house and Aci Trezza, setting of the Malavoglia. Dinner in Taormina, loved by Goethe; overnight stay in Catania.
8
Return
After breakfast, free time to roam the city before departure from the airport.
