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Southern Italy & Sicily             September 12-24, 2025

Guest Price

    $9,750.00 USD 

               Per person double occupancy

               International Airfare INCLUDED

 

Single Supplement 

    $800.00 USD

 

Deposit

     $2,450.00 USD due at booking

 

Tour Guest Limit

    10 Guest Maximum

 

Registration Deadline

    90 Days before departure   

This price is inclusive of Round Trip economy airfare from USA gateway city. See below for more details.

Tour Pricing Info

This tour will let you discover two of Southern Italy’s most photogenic, fascinating, and rich in history and culture area: Puglia (Apulia) and Sicily.

This is a tour designed for those who have already visited Italy’s most famous destinations – like Rome, Venice, and Florence – and want to experience places that are a bit off-the-beaten-path and less subject to mass tourism.

We have decided to focus on two regions because they encompass, within territories that are reasonably compact, traces of historical eras that range from the neolithic settlements that were at the origin of the city of Matera, to the magnificent Greek temples of Agrigento, incredibly well-preserved mosaics of Roman villas, Arab mosques later transformed into Christian churches, Norman castles and cathedrals, medieval gothic towns, and majestic examples of Baroque architecture.

Sicily is arguably the Italian region with the most varied historical past. Over the centuries, it was ruled by Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Normans, Swabians, French, Spaniards, and Austrians, before becoming part of the Kingdom of Two Sicilies and finally Italy, after the unification of the country in 1861.

All of those rulers left indelible traces in the region’s cultural and architectural character, sometimes stratified atop each other, like in Syracuse’s baroque cathedral – whose nave’s pillars are made from the columns of a Greek temple – or in the unique mix of Arab and Norman architectural styles present in many of the churches and palaces of Palermo.

Those with a penchant for etymology can entertain themselves trying to guess from which language Sicily’s toponyms come from. While Palermo, Syracuse, and Agrigento, to name a few, are derived from Greek names, the city of Gibellina owes its name to the Arabic “jebel”, meaning “mountain”, and the Zisa castle to “al-Aziz”, meaning “splendid.”

While Sicily is famous worldwide, also due to the many movies that were shot there, Puglia is less well-known abroad, but it has an incredible number of artistic and historical treasures to offer to the discerning visitor.  Most of them can be found in the seaside cities that dot its long coastline, like Bari, Trani, and Monopoli. Others, like the strikingly geometric building of Castel del Monte, and the unique, cone-shaped “trulli” of Alberobello, are found in the interior, characterized by wide plains and gently rolling hills.

Outside Puglia, but just a few kilometers from the regional border, lies Matera, one of the longest continuously inhabited cities in the world. The first inhabitants of Matera dug their dwellings in the side of a deep ravine and those homes have been occupied for thousands of years, making the city quite unique in the world and a Unesco World Heritage site.

By the way, did you know that Sicily boasts 7 Unesco WH sites and Puglia 4?

About the Tour

M&M Pro Photographer

    Mike Gulbraa

Guest Pro Photographer

    Ugo Cei  www.ugoceiphotography.com

 

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Tour Leaders

Included

  • International RT economy airfare from USA gateway city

  • All airport transfers

  • Internal airfare

  • Tour program and services per itinerary

  • All meals

 

Accommodations

Not Included

  • Tips to drivers/guides

  • Meals outside of those specified in the itinerary

  • Passport and visa fees & applications

  • Airport taxes

  • Additional drinks and other personal expenses (alcoholic drinks, laundry, phone calls etc.)

 

Tour Highlights

  • Sicily 

  • Matera

  • Agrigento 

  • Palermo

  • Bari

  • Trani

 

We use local boutique hotels and other establishments that give us excellent access to great photos, transport, and food.  For this trip we will post lodging soon.

 

Tour Itinerary

BASIC ITINERARY

Sep. 12 - Depart from US

Sep. 13 - Arrival in Palermo (PMO).  One stopover in FCO or other European hub required from most US hubs.  (BLD)

Sep. 14 - Photo walk of Palermo.  (BLD)

Sep. 15 - Photograph surroundings of Palermo: Monreale, Segesta.  Sunset at Marsala salt flats.  (BLD)

Sep. 16 - Transfer to Agrigento.  Blue Hour & evening shoot at the Valley of Temples.  (BLD)

Sep. 17 - Transfer to Ragusa.  On the way, stop for visit of Villa del Casale and Modica.  (BLD)

Sep. 18 - Transfer to Taormina.  On the way, stop for visits of Noto and Syracuse.  (BLD)

Sep. 19 - Transfer to Bari (BRI) via short internal flight from Catania (CTA).  (BLD)

Sep. 20 - Photo walk of Bari.  (BLD)

Sep. 21 - Day trip to Trani and Castel del Monte.  (BLD)

Sep. 22 - Day trip to Polignano, Monopoli and Alberobello.  (BLD)

Sep. 23 - Day trip tp Matera.  (BLD)

Sep. 24 - Return flight from BRI.  One stopover in FCO or other European hub required to most US hubs.  (B)

Helpfull Info

What To Take (These are only suggestions; they are NOT required!)

Our list of Recommended Gear for your Photo Tour

·       2 camera bodies—the same manufacturer that will fit all your lenses

·       Camera battery charger and cords

·       Bring as much memory as possible

·       Card Reader for file transfer

·       External hard drives for back up (we recommend a minimum of 1TB)

·       Black Rapid camera strap

·       Extra batteries 

·       Lenses -- Medium telephoto & Wide-angle lens that give you a wide range of focal length -- 10mm to 200mm

·       Tripod and head

·       Flash—strobe with automatic TTL fill flash capabilities or Reflector

·       Photo backpack

·       Lens cloth and cleaning fluid

·       Blower bulb

·       Circular polarizing filter

·       Grad ND filters

·       Rain sleeve for camera and lens

·       Cable or electronic shutter release

·       Laptop computer loaded with Photoshop or Lightroom

·       International power adapter

·       Multiple plug power strip & adaptor to gain electric outlets in your room for simultaneous downloading & recharging

·       Sensor cleaning supplies

 

 

GUESTS SHOULD PACK LIGHT.  YOU WILL BE EXPECTED TO CARRY, ROLL, SCHLEP, AND/OR OTHERWISE TRANSPORT YOUR OWN BAGS AT ALL TIMES AND IN ALL PLACES ON THIS TRIP.  PACKING LIGHT WILL MAKE YOUR TRIP MUCH MORE ENJOYABLE.

LAUNDRY SERVICES ARE ALWAYS AVAILABLE.

M&M RULE OF THUMB IS ONE BAG FOR CAMERA GEAR AND ONE 22"" ROLLER FOR YOUR CLOTHES AND TOILETRIES.

INVEST IN A TRAVEL TRIPOD - BENRO HAS MANY OPTIONS AVAILABLE.

MEDICAL DEVICES SUCH AS CPAP MACHINES ARE EXCLUDED FROM THIS RECOMMENDATION.

 

 

Tour Difficulty = Moderate

Easy = less than 2 miles walking/day and a little climbing;

Moderate = up to 5 miles walking per day with some climbing;

Strenuous = more than 5 miles/day of walking and several climbing/hills/rough terrain expected.

You should know your health and ability to carry your gear in hot, cold, humid, and dry conditions and be able to walk 5 miles or more per day and make climbs in elevation of up to 1000 feet in gain and be OK climbing many steps or steep terrain.

 

 

Cancellation Policy

Pursuant to Clause 2 under Enrollment: If you need to cancel within a stated refund period, M&M Photo Tours, Inc. may allow you to apply all monies paid to a future trip, within 12 months.  We must receive written notification (E-mail is accepted) of your cancellation and your desire to apply the funds to a future trip.

 

We strongly recommend that you purchase trip cancellation insurance as this policy is strongly adhered to. The purchase of travel insurance covering baggage, accident/life and trip cancellation is highly recommended.  M&M Photo Tours, Inc. reserves the right to cancel any trip/tour/group due to insufficient registration at any time.  In the even of such cancellation, those with reservations shall be notified as soon as possible and a full refund of trip payment will be given.  It is agreed by registering for any M&M Photo Tours, Inc. tour that M&M Photo Tours, Inc.   assumes no responsibility for refund or additional expenses incurred in preparation for a trip.

 

Travel Insurance

Travel Insurance is suggested.  We recommend www.insuremytrip.com

 

Click below for

Booking Terms & Conditions

 

What's Included
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