Sunday 14 – Sunday 21 March 2027
Explore all corners of the Italian island in search of Sicily’s Jewish story
For more than 1,500 years Jews lived in Sicily, until they were expelled during the Inquisition on the orders of the Spanish monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella. During this week-long tour, we will be based in a luxury hotel on the coast near Catania, with day trips to Messina, Syracuse and Agrigento. We'll discover how Jewish history is entangled with Roman, Byzantine and North African culture, explore archaeological remains and, of course, dine on wonderful food.
Over the weekend, we'll stay in a charming boutique-style hotel in Palermo, which, in Medieval times, was a cosmopolitan city where there was a cultural exchange between Jews, Muslims and Christians. The Jewish quarter, known as Harat al Yahud, which was a place of study, now contains the municipal historical archives and is where a new modern synagogue – the first in Palermo since the 1492 Expulsion – is about to open. We will spend Shabbat here, enjoying historical walking tours and typical Sicilian Jewish food.
Tour highlights
Day trip to the medieval villages of Erice and Trapani;
Walking tour of Palermo's historic Jewish district;
Tour of the Valley of the Temples, Agrigento's magnificent Greek ruins;
Visit to the city of Acradina, site of the earliest Jewish settlement on the island;
Trips to the Greek theatre and Jewish quarter of Aci Trezza, a village located on the coast of the lonian Sea;
Fine Sicilian dining and wine tasting.
This tour is arranged in association with Travel Counsellors and is for Jewish Renaissance subscribers only. Not currently a subscriber? Click here to subscribe.
REFUNDS DISCLAIMER
Please note that due to the multiple bookings involved in organising a JR tour, we are unable to offer refunds, except in the event that the tour does not go ahead. We recommend that you arrange your own travel insurance to cover any individual circumstances. There is a possibility, but no guarantee, that we might be able to refund you if there is a waiting list for the trip and we can fill your space.
Pictured: Valle Dei Templi, Agrigento, Sicily © Luca Cignoni
Tour info
Destination: Sicily
Dates: Sunday 14 – Sunday 21 March 2027
Cost*: £3,265pp (sharing double/twin room), £3,990pp (inc single supplement)
Flights**: £360pp British Airways return from Heathrow
Deposit required: £950pp by 21 August 2026
Final Payment: 14 December 2026
Booking: To reserve your place, please click the relevant button above and complete the form.
*Price includes:
Comfortable, well-equipped and well-located accommodation;
Group transport within Palermo and its outskirts to the various venues during the trip. Please note that your return travel to and from Sicily is not included and is your own responsibility;
All entrance tickets to museums;
Entry fees and guided walking tours;
Additional expert lectures contextualising our explorations;
A JR-style private musical Friday night service, Shabbat study and havdalah. (No instruments, to allow those who are Shabbat observant to participate. Prayer books will be provided);
All applicable taxes and tips;
All breakfasts, plus two dinners and two lunches (not inclusive of alcohol), including Friday night dinner and Shabbat lunch. All food provided will be vegetarian or pescatarian (no seafood/non-kosher fish);
All single travellers will be given sole occupancy of a double room.
**Flight package:
JR’s partners, Travel Counsellors, will be happy to book UK to Sicily travel on your behalf – these will be British Airways flights from Heathrow. The baggage allowance for each flight is one bag for check-in (max 23kg), one cabin bag (56 x 45 x 25cm) and one handbag OR backpack (40 x 30 x 15cm) per person. If you book your flight package with us, it will be ATOL protected and, should anything go wrong, our travel agents will arrange alternative transport and adjust the land-based itinerary appropriately. If you are a member of the BA Executive Club, you can claim your Avios points so long as you provide us with your Executive Club membership number on the booking form.
Please note that although Jewish Renaissance is arranging this trip, the travel company you are contracting with is Travel Counsellors, who is making all the bookings within the above package and providing your package protection (IATA and PTS registered and bonded) – this covers all elements of the tour as described above, but does not include individual circumstances or issues caused by flights if you choose to book flights separately from our package flights above. It is highly important that you also arrange your own individual travel insurance.
This is a high-end tour, in both comfort and quality, however Jewish Renaissance has partially subsidised the single supplement to help lower the cost and overall has set the price as low as possible, so that cost isn’t a barrier. If you would like to support this tour or JR’s work with a voluntary contribution, please donate here.
This tour involves a substantial amount of walking. If you have mobility or accessibility issues, please contact us via tours@jewishrenaissance.org.uk before booking.
ARE YOU A SUBSCRIBER?
JR Tours are open to subscribers only. Subscriptions start at £33/a and can be purchased at subscribe.jewishrenaissance.org.uk.
RESERVE YOUR PLACE
Please complete the form below to reserve a place on this tour. If you require assistance completing the form, please contact the JR office on +44 (0) 7340 137 450 (calls, texts or WhatsApp welcome) or tours@jewishrenaissance.org.uk. Once your form is received and your JR subscription confirmed, you will be contacted regarding payment for your deposit.
