Living and Learning in Sicily: Independent Stay and Study
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At a Glance
What You'll Learn
- Live like a local in independent apartment accommodations in Cefalù and discover nearby shops, restaurants and more.
- Join your group leader for weekend field trips to the Valley of Temples in Agrigento and to the Baroque villages of Ragusa, Noto and Modica.
- Improve your cooking skills through a hands-on Sicilian cookery class.
Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.
Activity note: Hotel check-in is at 3:00 PM. On this Living and Learning program, you will walk daily over cobblestones, uneven terrain, slopes and steps. While buses may be available, it is usually faster and more direct to walk. Please note that orientation walks may exceed the expected 2.5 miles per day for this program.
Afternoon: Meet in the hotel lobby at 5:00 PM. The program starts with the welcome orientation and group introductions. The Group Leader will greet everyone and lead introductions throughout the orientation weekend. We will review the program theme, the up-to-date Daily Schedule and any changes, discuss safety guidelines, emergency procedures, roles and responsibilities, and answer any questions you may have. Indicated times are approximate. Program activities, schedules, and personnel may need to change due to local circumstances. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding.
Dinner: Welcome Happy Hour with drinks and a snacks
Evening: At leisure.
Activity note: Walking approximately 3 miles, uneven terrain, cobble stones, some steps.
Breakfast: At the hotel restaurant. On this program, included breakfasts will offer a typical European style breakfast buffet with breads, cheeses, cold-cuts, yogurt, fruit, cereals, juice, milk, coffee, tea and water.
Morning: With our Group leader we will enjoy a short walking introduction to Palermo and Sicily. Later, at the hotel, we will continue with orientation to the program, with plenty of helpful information for your stay in Sicily.
Lunch: Enjoy the Italian cultural tradition of a long and leisurely Welcome Sunday lunch with the group.
Afternoon: This afternoon we continue with the orientation of the program, you will receive information on the language school, group activities, cultural differences. You will also receive your apartment assignments.
Dinner: Dinner at leisure.
Evening: At leisure
Activity note: Getting on and off a motor coach, driving 45 miles from Palermo to Cefalú. Walking of up to 1.5 miles during orientation walk; extent and duration of free time activities dependent on personal preference.
Breakfast: At the hotel
Morning: This morning, we will depart early morning by motor coach to Cefalú, where we will arrive in time for our first language class session, which will include an assessment, placement and introduction to the course.
Lunch: Plated meal at a local restaurant.
Afternoon: After lunch, you will move into your individual apartment in Cefalú. Once checked-in you will receive an orientation to your apartment with the apartment agency staff.
Dinner: Dinner at leisure.
Evening: At leisure.
Activity note: Walking up to 2 miles round trip to the language school; extent and duration of free time activities dependent on personal preference.
Breakfast: Independent meal
Morning: Language class. Meet at your language school for your language lesson
Lunch: Independent meal.
Afternoon: On your own to see and do more of what interests you most.
Dinner: Independent meal.
Evening: At leisure.
Activity note: Walking up to 2 miles round trip to the language school; extent and duration of free time activities dependent on personal preference.
Breakfast: Independent meal.
Morning: Language class.
Lunch: Independent meal.
Afternoon: On your own to see and do more of what interests you most.
Dinner: Independent meal.
Evening: At leisure.
Activity note: Walking up to 2 miles round trip to the language school; extent and duration of free time activities dependent on personal preference.
Breakfast: Independent meal.
Morning: Language Class
Lunch: Independent meal.
Afternoon: On your own to see and do more of what interests you most.
Dinner: Independent meal.
Evening: At leisure.
Activity note: Walking up to 2 miles round trip to the language school, plus additional walking in Monreale and to the cafe for happy hour; some steps, cobbles stones. Driving 45 miles, just over one hour each way to Monreale.
Breakfast: Independent meal.
Morning: **Classical Language Course: language class. **Beginners Italian Course: On your own to see and do more of what interests you most.
Lunch: Independent meal.
Afternoon: This afternoon we will depart by motor coach to the town of Monreale, dating from the 12th C, when it was founded by the Normans. Led by a local expert, we will visit the cathedral - Il Duomo - considered to be one of the finest surviving examples of Norman architecture. Here we will also learn about the interplay between Norman, Latin, Arab and Byzantine cultures following the Norman conquest of Sicily in the 11th and 12th Centuries
Dinner: Independent meal.
Evening: At Leisure.
Activity note: Extent and duration of free time activities dependent on personal preference.
Breakfast: Independent meal.
Morning: On your own to see and do more of what interests you most.
Lunch: Independent meal.
Afternoon: On your own to see and do more of what interests you most.
Dinner: Independent meal.
Evening: At leisure
Activity note: Extent and duration of free time activities dependent on personal preference.
Breakfast: Independent meal.
Morning: On your own to see and do more of what interests you most.
Lunch: Independent meal.
Afternoon: On your own to see and do more of what interests you most.
Dinner: Independent meal.
Evening: At leisure.
Activity note: Walking up to 3 miles round trip to the language school, plus walking to cooking class; extent and duration of free time activities dependent on personal preference.
Breakfast: Independent meal.
Morning: Language Class
Lunch: On your own
Afternoon: Attend a cooking class. For the cooking class, you will be split into 3 smaller groups. In the late afternoon, Group 1 will meet to learn the ins and outs of Sicilian cooking. Group 2/3, on your own to see and do more of what interests you most.
Dinner: Group 1 Enjoy what you have prepared. Groups 2 & 3 Independent meal.
Evening: At leisure.
Activity note: Walking up to 3 miles round trip to the language school, plus walking to cooking class; extent and duration of free time activities dependent on personal preference.
Breakfast: Independent meal.
Morning: Language Class
Lunch: At leisure
Afternoon: Group 2 will meet to learn the ins and outs of Sicilian cooking. Groups 1/3, on your own to see and do more of what interests you most.
Dinner: Group 2 Enjoy what you have prepared. Group 1 & 3 Independent meal.
Evening: At leisure.
Activity note: Walking up to 2 miles round trip to the language school, plus additional walking to cooking class for those in group 3. Extent and duration of free time activities dependent on personal preference.
Breakfast: Independent meal.
Morning: On your own to see and do more of what interests you most.
Lunch: At leisure
Afternoon: Group 3 will meet to learn the ins and outs of Sicilian cooking. Groups 1/2 on your own to see and do more of what interests you most.
Dinner: Group 3 Enjoy what you have prepared. Group 1 & 2 Independent meal.
Evening: At leisure.
Activity note: Walking up to 2 miles round trip to the language school, ; extent and duration of free time activities dependent on personal preference.
Breakfast: Independent meal.
Morning: Language class.
Lunch: Independent meal.
Afternoon: At leisure
Dinner: On your own
Evening: At leisure.
Activity note: Walking up to 2 miles round trip to the language school, plus walking round trip for group get-together; extent and duration of free time activities dependent on personal preference.
Breakfast: Independent meal.
Morning: Classical Language Course: language class. Beginners Italian Course: On your own to see and do more of what interests you most.
Lunch: Independent meal.
Afternoon: On your own to see and do more of what interests you most. Meet for a happy hour to share your experiences and ask questions of your local Group Leader. Your Group Leader will be able to give suggestions in planning your free time and individual weekend excursions.
Dinner: Independent meal.
Evening: At leisure.
Activity note: Extent and duration of free time activities dependent on personal preference.
Breakfast: Independent meal.
Morning: On your own to see and do more of what interests you most.
Lunch: Independent meal.
Afternoon: On your own to see and do more of what interests you most.
Dinner: Independent meal.
Evening: At leisure.
Activity note: Extent and duration of free time activities dependent on personal preference.
Breakfast: Independent meal.
Morning: On your own to see and do more of what interests you most.
Lunch: Independent meal.
Afternoon: On your own to see and do more of what interests you most.
Dinner: Independent meal.
Evening: At leisure.
Activity note: Walking up to 2 miles round trip to language school for class and lecture; extent and duration of free time activities dependent on personal preference.
Breakfast: Independent meal.
Morning: Language class.
Lunch: Independent meal.
Afternoon: We will meet up at the language school, where we will join a local expert to learn all about the ancient and fascinating myths and legends of Sicily - a land of nymphs, Greek gods and tales handed down over centuries.
Dinner: Independent meal.
Evening: At leisure.
Activity note: Walking up to 2 miles round trip to language school, plus additional walking on the field trip; extent and duration of free time activities dependent on personal preference.
Breakfast: Independent meal.
Morning: Language class in the morning.
Lunch: Independent meal.
Afternoon: Independent exploration
Dinner: Independent meal.
Evening: At leisure.
Activity note: Walking up to 2 miles round trip to the language school; extent and duration of free time activities dependent on personal preference.
Breakfast: Independent meal.
Morning: Language class.
Lunch: Independent meal.
Afternoon: On your own to see and do more of what interests you most.
Dinner: Independent meal.
Evening: At leisure.
Activity note: Walking up to 2 miles round trip to the language school; extent and duration of free time activities dependent on personal preference.
Breakfast: Independent meal.
Morning: Language class.
Lunch: Independent meal.
Afternoon: At leisure to prepare for our weekend away.
Dinner: Independent meal.
Evening: At leisure.
Activity note: Getting on and off a motor coach; driving 170 miles, approximately 3 hrs 45m to the Ragusa area. Cobble stones, steps and some steep slopes
Breakfast: On your own.
Morning: No language class today - 1st November is a national holiday. School closed.
Lunch: On your own.
Afternoon: With our Group Leader, we will depart by motor coach to Ragusa. On arrival, we will visit the town by trolley car, and enjoy a bird's eye view of many of the city's Baroque buildings, before heading to nearby Modica, where we will check in to our hotel for two nights.
Dinner: At the hotel
Evening: At leisure.
Activity note: Walking up to 3 miles, uneven ground, some steep slopes, steps without hand rails; getting on and off a motor coach, driving approximately 70 miles over the course of the day,
Breakfast: At the hotel restaurant.
Morning: After breakfast, we will depart by motor coach to Noto, where, with our local expert, we will visit this UNESCO World Heritage site. Described by the art critic, Cesare Brandi as the "Stone Garden", many of the town's structures are built from a soft tufa stone, which gives the town a unique, honey-colored glow under sunlight.
Lunch: Your main meal today will be lunch at a local restaurant.
Afternoon: After lunch, we will visit a local chocolate factory, where we will learn about the origins of chocolate on the island and the traditional chocolate-making process, with a chance to sample some of the products!
Dinner: On your own
Evening: At leisure.
Activity note: Walking up to 2.5 miles; getting in and out of coach. Riding in a motor coach approximately 150 miles/3hrs 45m over the course of the day. Uneven terrain, steps and slopes during the field trips
Breakfast: At the hotel restaurant.
Morning: Check out of the hotel. We will drive to the town of Caltagirone - renowned for it's ceramic and terra cotta production dating from antiquity, Here we will visit an artisan ceramic factory and learn about this ancient art.
Lunch: Traditional group lunch in the countryside.
Afternoon: Transfer back to Cefalù via private coach.
Dinner: Independent meal.
Evening: At leisure.
Activity note: Walking up to 2 miles round trip to language school for class and lecture; extent and duration of free time activities dependent on personal preference.
Breakfast: Independent meal.
Morning: Language class.
Lunch: Independent meal.
Afternoon: Meet at your language school for a group event on Sicily in the Movies and the Movies in Sicily.
Dinner: Independent meal.
Evening: At leisure.
Activity note: Walking up to 2 miles round trip to language school for class and field trip, plus additional walking on field trip; extent and duration of free time activities dependent on personal preference.
Breakfast: Independent meal.
Morning: Language class.
Lunch: Independent meal.
Afternoon: At leisure
Dinner: Independent meal.
Evening: At leisure.
Activity note: Walking up to 2 miles round trip to the language school; extent and duration of free time activities dependent on personal preference.
Breakfast: Independent meal.
Morning: Language class.
Lunch: Independent meal.
Afternoon: On your own to see and do more of what interests you most.
Dinner: Independent meal.
Evening: At leisure.
Activity note: Walking up to 2 miles round trip to the language school; extent and duration of free time activities dependent on personal preference.
Breakfast: Independent meal.
Morning: Language class.
Lunch: Independent meal.
Afternoon: On your own to see and do more of what interests you most.
Dinner: Independent meal.
Evening: At leisure.
Activity note: Walking approximately 2 miles round trip to the language school, plus additional walking to the cafe for happy hour; extent and duration of free time activities dependent on personal preference.
Breakfast: Independent meal.
Morning: Classical Language Course: language class. Beginners Italian Course: On your own to see and do more of what interests you most.
Lunch: Independent meal.
Afternoon: On your own to see and do more of what interests you most. Meet for a happy hour to share your experiences and ask questions of your local Group Leader. Your Group Leader will be able to give suggestions in planning your free time and individual weekend excursions.
Dinner: Independent meal.
Evening: At leisure.
Activity note: Extent and duration of free time activities dependent on personal preference.
Breakfast: Independent meal.
Morning: At leisure
Lunch: Independent meal.
Afternoon: On your own to see and do more of what interests you most.
Dinner: Independent meal.
Evening: At leisure.
Activity note: Extent and duration of free time activities dependent on personal preference.
Breakfast: Independent meal.
Morning: On your own to see and do more of what interests you most.
Lunch: Independent meal.
Afternoon: On your own to see and do more of what interests you most.
Dinner: Independent meal.
Evening: At leisure.
Activity note: Walking approximately 2 miles round trip to the language school for class, and lecture; extent and duration of free time activities dependent on personal preference.
Breakfast: Independent meal.
Morning: Language class.
Lunch: Independent meal.
Afternoon: At leisure
Dinner: Independent meal.
Evening: At leisure.
Activity note: Walking up to 2 miles round trip to the language school; extent and duration of free time activities dependent on personal preference.
Breakfast: Independent meal.
Morning: Language class.
Lunch: Independent meal.
Afternoon: On your own to see and do more of what interests you most.
Dinner: Independent meal.
Evening: At leisure.
Activity note: Walking up to 2 miles round trip to the language school; extent and duration of free time activities dependent on personal preference.
Breakfast: Independent meal.
Morning: Language class.
Lunch: Independent meal.
Afternoon: On your own to see and do more of what interests you most.
Dinner: Independent meal.
Evening: At leisure.
Activity note: Walking up to 2 miles round trip to language school; extent and duration of free time activities dependent on personal preference.
Breakfast: Independent meal.
Morning: Language class.
Lunch: Independent meal.
Afternoon: On your own to see and do more of what interests you most.
Dinner: Independent meal.
Evening: At leisure.
Activity note: Walking up to 2 miles round trip to class, Getting on and off a motor coach. Driving approximately 85 miles/2.5 hours to Agrigento. Uneven terrain, steps and slopes during the field trip.
Breakfast: Independent meal.
Morning: Classical Language Course: language class. Beginners Italian Course: On your own to see and do more of what interests you most.
Lunch: Independent meal.
Afternoon: This afternoon we will drive to Agrigento, where with our local expert, we will enjoy a sunset visit to the Valley of the Temples - without doubt the most important vestige of ancient classical culture and archaeology in Sicily. Later, we will check in to our hotel for the night
Dinner: We enjoy a group dinner at the hotel
Evening: At leisure.
Activity note: Walking up to 3 miles, standing at the museum. Uneven terrain, steps and slopes during the field trip. Driving approximately 85 miles/2.5 hours to Cefalù.
Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel
Morning: Today we will learn about Sicily's colonization by both the ancient Greek and Roman empires, during an expert-led visit to the Archaeological Museum of Agrigento.
Lunch: Free time for lunch in Agrigento
Afternoon: We drive back to Cefalù in the afternoon
Dinner: Independent meal.
Evening: At leisure.
Activity note: Extent and duration of free time activities dependent on personal preference.
Breakfast: Independent meal.
Morning: On your own to see and do more of what interests you most.
Lunch: Independent meal.
Afternoon: On your own to see and do more of what interests you most.
Dinner: Independent meal.
Evening: At leisure.
Activity note: Walking up to 2 miles round trip to the language school
Breakfast: Independent meal.
Morning: Language class.
Lunch: Independent meal.
Afternoon: This afternoon we enjoy a group event focusing on the musical life of Sicily.
Dinner: Independent meal.
Evening: At leisure.
Activity note: Walking up to 2 miles round trip to class; extent and duration of free time activities dependent on personal preference.
Breakfast: Independent meal.
Morning: Language class.
Lunch: Independent meal.
Afternoon: On your own to see and do what interests you most.
Dinner: Independent meal.
Evening: At leisure.
Activity note: Walking up to 2 miles round trip to class; extent and duration of free time activities dependent on personal preference.
Breakfast: Independent meal.
Morning: Language class.
Lunch: Independent meal.
Afternoon: On your own to see and do more of what interests you most.
Dinner: Independent meal.
Evening: At leisure.
Activity note: Walking up to 2 miles round trip to the language school; extent and duration of free time activities dependent on personal preference.
Breakfast: Independent meal.
Morning: Language class.
Lunch: Independent meal.
Afternoon: Meet in the language school for a last group session to share your experiences of 6 weeks living and learning in Sicily.
Dinner: Independent meal.
Evening: At leisure
Activity note: Walking up to 2 miles round trip to the language school; extent and duration of free time activities dependent on personal preference.
Breakfast: Independent meal.
Morning: Classical Language Course: language class. Beginners Italian Course: On your own to see and do more of what interests you most.
Lunch: Independent meal
Afternoon: Prepare for your departure to Palermo tomorrow.
Dinner: Independent meal.
Evening: At leisure.
Activity note: Getting on and off a motor coach, driving 45 miles from Cefalú to Cisini, Palermo
Breakfast: Independent meal.
Morning: We will depart Cefalù by motorcoach and head to the Palermo airport area (Cisini) for our last evening
Lunch: Share memories with new-found friends during today's farewell lunch at a local restaurant.
Afternoon: Check in to our hotel in the afternoon. Prepare for your departure home the next day.
Dinner: Independent meal.
Evening: At leisure.
Breakfast: Independent meal.
Morning: If you are returning home, safe travels. If you are staying on independently, have a wonderful time. If you are transferring to another Road Scholar program, detailed instructions are included in your Information Packet for that program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on another rewarding program in the future. Don’t forget to join our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram. Best wishes for all your journeys!