Shores of Sicily: Catania – Palermo – Taormina – Catania
Catania → Palermo → Taormina → Catania
The Shores of Sicily aboard the Orient Express La Dolce Vita is a circular island odyssey that traces Sicily's most storied coastlines and hilltop towns in a single luminous overnight arc. Departing from Catania — baroque queen of the eastern shore, set against the looming silhouette of Mount Etna — the train sweeps west across the Sicilian interior to Palermo, capital of the island's Arab-Norman civilisation, before curving back east to Taormina, the pearl of the Ionian coast, returning guests to Catania refreshed and enchanted.
The journey unfolds over two days and one night aboard one of Europe's most celebrated new luxury trains. La Dolce Vita Orient Express draws its aesthetic from the golden age of Italian design — the 1960s — blending polished wood, brass accents, and soft Sicilian palettes with every contemporary comfort. Dining is curated by three-Michelin-starred Chef Heinz Beck, and each meal is a love letter to the island's sun-drenched larder: wild-caught seafood, volcanic-soil citrus, pistachio from Bronte, and the finest Sicilian wines.
This is not merely a train journey; it is a moving salon through a UNESCO-saturated island where Greek temples, Norman cathedrals, baroque piazzas, and volcanic drama collide at every turn. For travellers who want to absorb Sicily's essence without the pressure of self-driving, the Shores of Sicily itinerary offers a perfectly paced immersion — effortless, sumptuous, and deeply Sicilian from first course to final farewell.
- ✦Panoramic Greek Theatre in Taormina with Etna and the Ionian Sea as a backdrop
- ✦Guided exploration of Palermo's UNESCO Arab-Norman historic centre
- ✦Gourmet dining by three-Michelin-starred Chef Heinz Beck
- ✦One night aboard La Dolce Vita's 1960s Italian-inspired luxury cabins
- ✦Circular Sicilian route: Catania, Palermo, and Taormina in one seamless journey
- ✦Cocktails and live music in the Bar Car as the train glides along the Sicilian coast
- ✦Immersion in Sicily's volcanic landscapes, baroque architecture, and street-food culture
Day-by-Day Itinerary
Day 1 — Catania to Palermo
The journey begins in Catania, Sicily's second city, whose dramatic black-lava baroque streetscapes earned it a place on the UNESCO World Heritage list. Guests board the Orient Express La Dolce Vita at Catania's central station and are welcomed into their beautifully appointed cabins — polished-wood walls, soft upholstery, and picture windows framing the Etna foothills. As the train pulls west through the Sicilian interior, lunch is served in the restaurant car: a curated à la carte menu by Chef Heinz Beck celebrating island produce — swordfish, caponata, cannoli — paired with carefully chosen Sicilian wines.
By afternoon the train arrives in Palermo, Sicily's teeming, magnificent capital. Guests disembark for a guided exploration of the historic centre: the gilded Cappella Palatina (Palatine Chapel) inside the Norman Palace, the golden mosaics of the Martorana church, the theatrical crossroads of Quattro Canti, and the riotous Ballarò street market where the city's Arab-Norman-Baroque heritage is most viscerally alive. The evening brings a gourmet Sicilian dinner showcasing the island's finest flavours before guests return aboard for cocktails and live music in the Bar Car. The train departs overnight, gliding east along the Tyrrhenian coast, and guests sleep to the gentle rhythm of the rails as Sicily passes in the moonlight.
Day 2 — Taormina and Return to Catania
Morning light reveals the unmistakable profile of the Ionian coast as the train arrives near Taormina, Sicily's most photogenic clifftop resort perched 200 metres above the sea. After breakfast served in the cabin or the elegant restaurant car, guests are transferred to this hilltop jewel for the morning's centrepiece: a visit to the Ancient Greek Theatre (Teatro Antico di Taormina), a spectacularly preserved 3rd-century BC amphitheatre framed by Mount Etna's volcanic cone and the brilliant blue of the Ionian Sea — one of the great views in all of the Mediterranean. Guests may also explore Taormina's chic Corso Umberto, ducking into artisan ceramic shops and espresso bars between panoramic terraces.
A traditional Sicilian lunch awaits — fresh pasta alla Norma, grilled fish, and cassata — either aboard or at a carefully chosen local restaurant, celebrating the culinary traditions of this singular corner of Italy. The afternoon brings the return journey to Catania, with the broad flanks of Etna once again dominating the horizon as the train eases back into the city's baroque heart. Guests disembark in the late afternoon, returning to their hotel or onward connections with lasting impressions of Sicily's extraordinary landscape, cuisine, and history.
Destinations & Highlights
Catania
Catania is Sicily's dynamic second city, rebuilt in gleaming white lava stone after the catastrophic 1693 earthquake, earning its UNESCO World Heritage baroque cityscape. The city lives in the long shadow — and constant creative tension — with Mount Etna, whose ancient lava flows form the very foundations of the streets. The volcanic black stone of the Piazza del Duomo, dominated by the elephant fountain (Fontana dell'Elefante), is the city's most iconic image. The fish market at La Pescheria, spilling down from the piazza each morning, is one of the most theatrical markets in the Mediterranean. Catania is also the gateway to Etna, Europe's tallest active volcano and a UNESCO Global Geopark.
Palermo
Palermo is one of Europe's great crossroads cities — Phoenician, Greek, Roman, Arab, Norman, Swabian, Spanish — and its architecture tells every chapter. The Cappella Palatina, a 12th-century Norman chapel encrusted with Byzantine gold mosaics, is among the most ravishing interior spaces in Italy. The Palazzo dei Normanni (Norman Palace) that houses it remains the oldest royal residence in Europe still in use. The Arab-Norman Palermo and the Cathedral Churches of Cefalù and Monreale are collectively a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Beyond monuments, Palermo's street food culture — arancine, pane e panelle, sfincione — is a living culinary tradition rooted in centuries of cultural fusion, best experienced in the labyrinthine Ballarò, Vucciria, or Capo markets.
Taormina
Taormina has been drawing visitors to its clifftop perch above the Ionian Sea since Goethe immortalised it in his 1787 Italian Journey, and its allure has not dimmed. The jewel of the town is the Teatro Antico di Taormina, a Hellenistic-era theatre enlarged by the Romans, whose stage opens onto a panorama of unrivalled drama: the deep blue bay of Naxos below and the perfect volcanic cone of Etna behind — a scene that has inspired artists, writers, and travellers for two and a half millennia. The town's Corso Umberto is a pedestrianised parade of boutiques, cafes, and flower-draped balconies, while the Giardini della Villa Comunale offer shaded terraces overlooking the sea. Taormina has attracted luminaries from DH Lawrence to Truman Capote, and remains one of southern Italy's most coveted addresses.