Please note that each day’s riding may take place in a different order than described below and it is an example of day-by-day program. Changes in the program can also occur due to local circumstances.
Most often you ride 2-3 hours in the morning and the afternoons are for sightseeing by car. You will perhaps visit the town of Corleone, made famous in the “Godfather” film. Or you might go to either a lovely beach resort (depends on time of the year) or a visit to the “Valley of the Temples”. On one day there will be an all-day ride.
Day 1. Airport pick up. In the evening, you are invited to dine at a local restaurant.
Day 2. Today you take a two-hour ride in the morning so you can sense whether you feel comfortable with your horse or if you want to try another one. In the evening, you will enjoy the food prepared by a popular Sicilian chef in a beautiful garden restaurant.
Day 3. After breakfast, you will ride through the valley, passing some wind turbines that supply the whole area with electricity and then across to the nearby valley to a town called Valledolmo. In the evening, you eat al fresco in a nearby town.
Day 4. Today you take a break from riding to spend the whole day in Palermo, Sicily's exciting capital. Mark will take you to local markets for shopping, show you the main attractions and offer you some typical local specialties. Lunch is served in a special restaurant in the heart of old Palermo. In the evening, Mark will take you to one of his favorite restaurants.
Day 5. After breakfast, you ride up the mountain and continue along the trail to a nearby village. The ride is about 2-3 hours long. The afternoon is free. In the evening you go to the nearby village of Roccapalumba. The clear Mediterranean night sky is a lovely appetizer. You dine in a restaurant located in a converted seventeenth century mill.
Day 6. After breakfast, you take a morning ride down into the valley until you come to the nearby village of Mercato Bianco. This small village, with about 500 inhabitants, is a place where "time stands still." With the exception of the car, not much has changed here in at least a hundred years. You visit Mark's friend, in his quaint little farmhouse. Lunch is fresh, home-grown, organic, authentic Sicilian cuisine. After a several courses with homemade wine, you take a well-deserved rest and ride back again. In the evening, you will probably go into town for a light meal and a few drinks.
Day 7: After breakfast, you ride down and cross the nearby valley - canter mixed with a relaxing walk pace. On your last evening, you will be served a BBQ grill and drinks on the terrace overlooking the Gurfa Valley(weather permitting).
Day 8. After an early breakfast (and bags packed), you head out on a short final ride (if you have a late flight home). After lunch, you will be driven to the train station in Alia or to the airport if you have booked a transfer.
Alternatively, and depending on the time you have for the journey home, you can spending the day at one of the many typical Sicilian ‘festas’ or parades, where horses often plays a big role.
