Meet the Makers: Italian Road Trip

Fly into Palermo and begin by driving south to Sciacca to stay at the Verdura Resort for two nights. As a generously sized and luxurious hotel, it offers impressive bedroom views of the Mediteranean, white-sandy beaches, spa, tennis and golf. Escape the hotel to visit the Valley of the Temples, only 50km from the hotel. Let this World Heritage Site captivate you with its preserved temples dedicated to Greek gods, and unearth the most profound evidence of Sicily’s’ ancient and classical culture. A visit to Sciacca is an outstanding destination for a day trip, especially if you love creating ceramics.

Snake across to the eastern side of the island and spend three nights at the Donna Coraly boutique hotel, a romantic hotel with five beautiful and elegant suites in the centre of a historical estate, with unspoiled nature, orange and olive groves and a swimming pool. Organise a Sicilian cooking class and prepare a menu using seasonal produce from the garden and traditional local flavours. Dip into the waters with an exclusive experience on a small sail boat. Within easy reach of the hotel, explore the baroque towns of Noto, Syracuse, Modica and Ragusa. Alternatively, enjoy a relaxing day on the beach.

Travel north along the east coast to the historical and coastal town Taormina and spend three nights at the Belmond Villa Sant Andrea. Relax at an intimate and immaculate hotel with style and class, set on a pale sandy beach surrounded by sub-tropical gardens. Explore the surrounding beauty of this hilltop and seaside town by foot; stroll along the cobbled streets and uncover why it’s famous for ceramics. For theatre lovers, we can supply tickets to sunset performances at the amphitheatre. For walkers, the hotel is in reach of hiking up the volcano Mount Etna. For water babies, boats are available to whisk you off to nearby islands for full-day tours.