Sicily and Sardinia 2024 is simply an unmissable itinerary.

In this tour, we’ll visit the best of both old and new gardens, from the ancient muscularity of Villa San Giuliano in Sicily to the newest experimental work of Sardinian designers Marco Scano and Maurizio Usai.  We’ll explore the delights of natural plant communities on Mt Etna and the wildflowers of its agricultural surrounds, along with those of the wild limestone coast of Sardinia, and discover how this landscape continues to influence its garden design.

We’d love you to join us to be inspired, to learn, and to simply lap up la dolce vita of Sicily and Sardinia.

Please note, the final itinerary is subject to change.

DAY 1 | Monday 6th May

The tour will start with pre-dinner drinks and a three course meal in our water-side hotel, at which Michael will set the scene for the tour to come.

Meals included: Three course dinner and pre-dinner drinks

Accommodation: Hotel Atlantis Bay, Taormina

DAY 2 | Tuesday 7th May

We start the morning in Taormina, our first ‘host city’, and an extraordinarily beautiful and historically important hilltop town overlooking Sicily’s east coast and Mt Etna. The town itself predates Greek settlement in Sicily, but its most notable ruin is a stupendously sited Greek/Roman theatre, still used for live performances, which we’ll visit with a local guide, along with Taormina’s many other significant sites.

Then we’re off to the private garden of Le Stanze in Fiori, where we’ll be hosted for lunch by the owner, artist Rossella Pezzino de Geronimo.  It’s an extraordinary and ever-expanding achievement, with a very current-day take on an old site, incorporating rediscovered Arab irrigation infrastructure.

Gardens: Taormina & Le Stanze in Fiori

Meals included: Lunch at Le Stanze in Fiori

Accommodation: Hotel Atlantis Bay, Taormina

DAY 3 | Wednesday 8th May

We begin today by visiting one of the most influential private gardens in Sicily - Parco Paterno del Toscano, which, under the innovative guidance of its creator, set the tone for the truly exotic and botanically broad garden style, focussing on palms and succulents, which has dominated the east coast of Sicily.  We’ll be shown around by Stena Paterno, daughter of the creator, who will speak to us of her father’s vision and influences.

Then we’re off to the amazing resort of Donna Carmela for lunch, with it’s fabulous mediterranean and exotic planting, before spending the afternoon exploring the truly incredible range of plants grown by Piante Faro nursery.  Along with a vast range of beautifully grown nursery lines are vast quantities of established trees, some of them truly ancient.  They have a carob tree - potted! - that’s 1,500 years old!  We’ll also take a look at the very impressive site of the biennial Radicepura Garden Festival, featuring cloud-pruned olives well over 500 years of age.

Gardens: Parco Paterno del Toscano, Donna Camela Resort, Piante Faro Nursery and the Radicepura Garden Festival

Meals included: Lunch at Donna Carmela

Accommodation: Hotel Atlantis Bay, Taormina

DAY 4 | Thursday 9th May

Today we’re off to Mt Etna, to check out the wildflowers that clothe this remarkable landscape, in the company of specialist local guides.  We’ll take a walk on the lava flows from eruptions several years back, to examine the recolonisation process, and drive through post-agricultural settings that are passing through phases of vast bulb meadows.

Then we’re off to a well-earned lunch at the boldly contemporary Pietradolce winery, along with a tour of its cellars and remarkable art installations.

In the afternoon we’ll visit Villa Giulia on the slopes of Etna for its spectacular views and interesting garden focused on drought plants, which are rarely irrigated (more to come on this), after which we’ll head south to the ancient city of Ortigia.

Gardens: Wildflowers of Mt Etna & Villa Giulia

Meals included: Lunch at Pietradolce winery

Accommodation: Hotel Mercure Siracusa

DAY 5 | Friday 10th May

Today starts with a walking tour of Ortigia, a small island forming the historical centre of the city of Syracuse.  Syracuse was founded by the Greeks earlier than 700BC, and was for some time stood as the most powerful Greek city anywhere in the Mediterranean, so contains many important historical landmarks.

After free time for lunch in the old city, we’ll head to the wonderful garden at Le Case del Biviere - a garden created by Principessa Miki Borghese on the long-dry shores of an ancient lake, partly around an ancient port. 

Gardens: Ortigia & Le Case del Biviere

Meals: Three course dinner in Siracusa

Accommodation: Hotel Mercure Siracusa

DAY 6 | Saturday 11th May

Our day starts with a visit to the remarkable Villa San Giuliano, whose plantings perfectly match the muscularity of the old villa itself.  The garden is largely the creation of the previous Marquis, in collaboration with the English head gardener Rachel Lamb, who together mastered the art of strong, repetitive use of bold, exotic plants.

After lunch in the garden, we’ll head to the airport for our transfer to Alghero, Sardinia.

Gardens: Villa San Giuliano

Meals: Lunch at Villa San Giuliano

Accommodation: Hotel Catalunya, Alghero

DAY 7 | Sunday 12th May

Alghero, in the north west corner of Sardinia, is perched on the edge of a remarkable coastline. This morning we’ll visit Capo Caccia, with a botanist, to check out the wild communities that thrive in this magically dramatic location.

The rest of the day is at leisure, to hang out in beautiful Alghero.

Gardens: Capo Caccia

Meals included: Dinner in Alghero

Accommodation: Hotel Catalunya, Alghero

DAY 8 | Monday 13th May

We head south this morning, on the breathtaking coast road, through hillsides of wild pear, wormwood and euphorbia.  Every twist and turn of the road provides another ‘ooh’ and ‘aah’ moment.

We’ll stop for a coffee in beautiful Bosa, then on to lunch at the incredible creation of Lucia (?) - Ros’e Mari Farm and Greenhouse in Oristano (the name reflecting the Lucia’s love of roses and the ocean). The restaurant and nursery border a remarkable garden built within the framework of a commercial greenhouse.

Garden: Ros’e Mari Farm and Greenhouse

Meals included: Lunch at Ros’e Mari Farm and Greenhouse

Accommodation: Aquae Sinis, Cabras

DAY 9 | Tuesday 14th May

In the morning, we’ll head out on the lovely Sinis Peninsula - the burial site of the Giants of Mont’e Prama (stone statues discovered in the 1970’s, and dating back 3000 years) - for further botanising, and a look at the planting by our hosts this afternoon.

Vivaio I Campi is the wonderful nursery and garden of Leo Minniti and Italo Vacca, with whom we’ll spend our afternoon.  Vivaio I Campi specialises in a range of Mediterranean plants that are otherwise very difficult to source in Sardinia, and these guys really know how to put them together!

Gardens: Sinis Peninsula & Vivaio I Campi

Accommodation: Aquae Sinis, Cabras

DAY 10 | Wednesday 15th May

Today we’ll head off to Olbia, on the west coast, via the remarkable Pozzo Santa Cristina, an archeological site containing the best-preserved Nuragic well and village in Sardinia, dating back three millenia.  

Gardens: Pozzo Santa Cristina

Meals: Three course dinner in Olbia

Accommodation: Grand Hotel President, Olbia

DAY 11 | Thursday 16th May

Today starts with a visit to a wonderful private garden by garden designer Marco Scano.  In addition to garrigue gardening at its best, with a desaturated palette of woody plants clipped as they might be on a wild cliff-face, Marco is experimenting with various forms of meadow-inspired matrix planting.

After stopping for lunch at the beautiful village of San Pantaleo, we’ll then head inland, to check out some of projects of Marco’s, including his Ph.D project supervised by Prof. James Hitchmough.

Gardens: Private gardens of Marco Scano

Accommodation: Grand Hotel President, Olbia

DAY 12 | Friday 17th May

Our garden visit today - the creation of designer Maurizio Usai, for his own pleasure - could not be more different from that of yesterday.  Maurizio eschews ‘dry’ gardening, and chose the location of his private garden to give him access to water, and to allow an entirely different garden garden ethos.

After lunching in Telti, we’ll head north to check out the stupendously beautiful Archipelago di La Maddalena, then back to the hotel to prepare for our Farewell dinner.

Gardens: The Garden of Maurizio Usai & Archipelago di La Maddalena

Meals: Farewell dinner in Olbia

Accommodation: Grand Hotel President, Olbia

DAY 13 | Saturday 18th May

Heading home, or onwards! Check out of the hotel at your convenience.