Etna - Taormina - Castelmola

Okay.. our cruise docked at 10 and it took a bit to get off the ship, I think we got to the designated spot about 10:15 but our guide (Riccardo) was stuck in traffic when he should have been there waiting for us. I think he got there around 10:35. We were on a tight schedule as it was and needed to be back on the ship by 6 so that was 20 minutes wasted. The plan (for my group) was to go up Mount Etna, take the cable cars further up the summit and then hit Taormina and Castelmola but from the start Riccardo seemed intent on talking us out of things. "The cable cars will be 2 hours for the round trip, and you won't have enough time for Taormina or Castelmola." Okay, so we got talked out of that and then had to eat breakfast at the souvenir shop because a nice place to get a pastry would "waste more time". And during it all, Riccardo stopped for a major lesson on the volcano which took around 45 minutes. If I was on a time crunch, he should have been aware of that and done it while driving. We then went to Taormina, and I asked him about making our last stop in Castelmola and of course the answer was "if I take you there, you'll have less time in Taormina and you won't have time to visit the honey farm." He was REALLY pushing for us to go to the honey farm, which was nice but once again we got talked out of a destination. I would have liked to stick to my original plan. And because we stopped there, we didn't "have time" to stop in Castelmola. We had to find lunch on our own. No recommendations. he just said "there's lots of places you can eat in Taormina, just walk down the main street." And on the way back to the ship, we asked about food and he said, "I can drop you off about a mile from the ship near some nice places and then you can walk from there." Are you kidding me? He should have offered to wait and then drive us back. At this point, my entire group had enough and just decided to cut things short rather than have to continue the private tour - if you can even call it that since we didn't make it to half of the places we thought we would. For our Italy and Greece cruise, I booked eight private tours. I feel bad because this was my family's first time in Europe and I wanted them to love every minute of it. This tour can only be described as a "not good" experience. We were expecting so much more and in the end, got very little.

This is not quite what we expected. The description makes it seem like you get a guide to all of these places. You don’t. You get a driver who drops you off and you have to find all of these things by yourself and walk to the meeting point. Our driver was nice and very knowledgeable about the volcano, but was not a guide.

Ricardo was absolutely fantastic - we learned more about volcanos and culture in an overload fashion. A complete gentleman with great English language shills.

Ricardo made this a great experience- great personality with right amount of information! Great driver & guide who is very knowledgeable about the region. We can not recommend him high enough and his tour will be a bonus to tour trip!

Ricardo was fabulous! He is so friendly and knowledgeable He made sure our expectations were met. Our day was amazing!

Ricardo was a fantastic guide to Etna, Taormina and Castelmora. He grew up near the volcano and still lives nearby, so has a myriad of interesting and wonderful information. He knows the best places to go! In Taormina, he made dining recommendations and gave us plenty of time to explore, all while keeping in touch. At Castelmora, he double checked our climbing abilities and took us to fun and interesting places. He was extremely knowledgeable, genial, and is a great driver. His vehicle is extremely comfortable and he arrived early to start our tour. He provided us with a fabulous experience out of Catania!

We had an amazing day with Riccardo! He is so knowledgeable and really spent time educating us on the location, volcanos, history of Etna, etc. It was a wonderful pace and experience. We couldn't have had a better experience while visiting Taormina/Etna!

Martino was our driver, he was early, courteous and very friendly. We visited Etna, walked around Sylvestrie crater. Then climbed the next crater for some stunning views of the countryside. On our way to Toarmina we stopped at a honey farm, tasted many types of honey and Etna wines. Then off to Toarmina for a few hours and lunch. Some recommendations from Martino. Then off to Castelmola for stunning views and an afternoon buschetta toast overlooking the entire area. Thanks for an entertaining day!

Traveling with family 15-75 years old and everyone enjoyed this day. Martino was a great driver. We started at the Silvestri Craters at Mt Etna which were stunning. Maybe just a light jacket needed in June, it was a nice break from the heat. Then stopped at a local honey and wine shop which was sooo good, bought several bottles of wine, olive oil, some honey and bread dips….don’t miss this stop! Then went Castelmola-lovely stop, wish it hadn’t started to put rain! Ended in Taormina which has so many good places for lunch and shopping.

Excellent experience! Giuseppe was a wonderful guide.. the wine/oil/honey tasting was spectacular! Taormina was extremely interesting.. ofc the food was delicious.. highly recommend! If you’re looking to be more autonomous with your time.. this is the way to go 😊

Wonderful experience beginning to end. Martino was absolutely most excellent ambassador of his home. Would have no hesitation recommending this company and look forward to future trips to Sicily!

We had a great day exploring Etna, Castelmola, and Taormina. We also enjoyed a stop at an apiary for honey. Highly recommended! Ricardo was very informative!

The ancient theatre and beautiful sights. We found a little restaurant to have lunch which was perfect. The rainy day did not dampen our experience.

Personal attention in comfortable sedan, local knowledge of sites and peoples of Mt Etna, casual conversation with locals, Martino was a gracious host, Bravo. No Cruise line queues!! Plenty of time for shopping in Taormina.

Richard from Taxi Catania NCC, provided a perfect day for our family in Sicily. By the end of the day, he seemed like one of our family. He drove us to Mt. Etna and stopped at his favorite place to eat arancini along the way. His expert driving skills made us feel safe and his sense of humor and willingness to share his experiences kept us entertained. He also took us to Castelmola and Taormina, which are beautiful beyond description. If we are lucky enough to return to Sicily one day, Richard will be our guide of choice. His love for Sicily was evident and he taught us so much about this enchanting place. We enjoyed the Granita in Castelmola, the Pasta Alla Norma in Taormina and we would not have found any of these culinary delights with Richard. Grazie Mille Richard for a day that we will never forget. You are the BEST :)

My experience was a 4.5 as a result of the weather not the tour operator. Ricardo arrived right on time to whisk us to Mt. Etna. While I had hoped to use the cable car for a panoramic view of the area , the low hanging clouds killed that idea. Still, as a geologist, I enjoyed what I saw of the volcano and since Etna had spewed ash on the surroundings a few days earlier, I was surprised by the size of the ash particles since my area of study involved ancient fused ash deposits. We then went to Taormina where we browsed the shops and ate lunch before returning to our ship in Siracusa. All in all it was a lovely day but fro the rain

We had a very nice trip with our drver, Joseph. He took us to mt Etna and explained some of history of the recent eruptions. He also drove us to Taormina and Castelmora. Spectacular views

This tour is the best one for sure! The ETNA is an absolute must see and we fell in love with Castelmola... Our guide, Armando, was very helpful, answered all our question about the culture, the history of Sicile and made everything possible to please us. Even found a nice typical italian restaurant for us for lunch. I highly recommend this tour and the driver also!

Taxi Catania NCC Our friends from Nova Scotia whom we were traveling with to Taormina Sicily booked a day trip with Taxi Catania NCC. From the outset , we were collected on time from our hotel and were very impressed by the welcome we received, the quality of the car/ van we traveled in, fully air conditioned and a very safe driver in Gieuseppe. We visited Mount Etna and got a great insight into history and geography from our driver. We were dropped to cable car entry point and spent about 2 hours at “close to top”. It’s quiet expensive but well worth the money. Gieuseppe was waiting for us and then brought us on lovely journey to the Gambini Vineyard. This is also a must do... great experience and will write about this separately. THERE IS NO DOUBT IN ALL OF OUR MINDS , there were four of us, WAS MADE EXTRA SPECIAL BY THE COURTEOUSNESS OF OUR DRIVER AND HOW PERSONABLE HE WAS. He was in-no rush, took his time and was just so kind.

Giuseppe whisked us away from our chaotic cruise ship to the lava fields of Mount Etna. His knowledge of the local volcanic activity and his special stops en route really brought the place to life for my eight year old daughter. She also loved the honey place on the way to Taormina. So fun for her. Taormina was stunning! Thanks for the top tips and for being patient with my walking difficulties. A real professional. Car was immaculate. Service was brilliant. Will be seeking out Giuseppe again to discover more of his beautiful island. Thanks for everything and we’ll see you soon!! Sarah

We had a wonderful day. Our guide, Martino, was very nice and knowledgeable, he made the tour a success for the whole family.

Great service, sociable and prepared driver. Punctuality and efficiency that allowed us to enjoy three wonderful days of stay.

Thanks to Danilo for letting us discover and learn about so many beauties of Sicily! Punctuality, kindness, friendliness and professionalism and fantastic explanations. See you soon!