Etna Wine And Taormina From Messina

This was an excursion from port while on NCL Epic during our Meteranian cruise. Meet us at the port and went to Taormina for some window shopping. Had a canonole at Roberto recommended by Pepe. Great stop in town. Then left for Etna wine tour where they gave a great tour of the winery and finished off with plenty of samples and lunch. We had great time and would highly recommend anyone to do this tour.

One of the best tours we’ve been on. The Guide Pepe was fabulous and the wine at Patria Wines is so good. Highly recommend.

We had the most excellent experience on this tour! Peppe, our guide, was incredible! He was knowledgeable about the area, available exactly when he was needed. We went to the winery first to taste delicious wines along with an unexpected elaborate lunch which included an antipasto board, a second course and then lunch which was grilled sausages and roasted potatoes. Each course was accompanied by a delicious wines along to be paired with the course. It finished with a delicious dessert and dessert wine. Lunch and wine pairing was beyond wonderful. After the wine tasting lunch, Peppe took us to Taormina where we had plenty of time to explore. He told us where to get the best gelato and he gave us other tips on where to get the best priced souvenirs. Peppe was a super guy and a wonderful person. We finished our time in Taormina a bit early and we stopped by the pier to pick up souvenir’s in Messina. People gave us delicious cookies to end our tour and we were back on the ship in plenty of time. Peppe arrived on time to pick us up as well. Do not hesitate to book this tour. It was FANTASTIC! Thank you, Peppe. You helped make our day in Messina very special.

We had an amazing experience from start to finish. The van met us right at the dock as we exited the ship. We got lucky and only had one other couple on the same tour. Pepe, our guide, was wonderful. He was so passionate about his country and history. We learned a lot but he also knew when to let us just relax and enjoy the scenery. He gave excellent recommendations while in Taormina, including where to go for the best canoli I ever had! The Mt Etna wine tour was also great, especially the multi-course lunch with all products originating from their farm. I would highly recommend this tour.

I cannot say enough amazing things about Peppe and Jachamo. They were fabulous tour guides. The tour was everything we could have asked for and so much more!!!!! The winery was simply fantastic. They treat you so well and feed you so well. I hope everyone books this tour.

Peppe was our guide and driver and we couldn’t have been happier. He is a lovely, open person who was a genuine pleasure to get to know. He “read” us perfectly- his communication was excellent, informative and reassuring. The winery was superb- I’ve been to hundreds of wineries so the tour was obligatory, but the tasting and accompanying charcuterie were wonderful. Thank you, Peppe- you are the best!

Pepe was awesome ! This tour was so much fun. We loved the site seeing and especially the winery we went to and we made it back with plenty of time to our cruise ship. We had like 8 total people in our tour which was a great number to have. Could not recommend this tour and Pepe more!

Carmelo and Alessandro were wonderful guides. Carmelo was very informative, fun and knowledgeable about the areas we visited and suggestions while in Taormina. The wine tour and lunch was very nice although the wines weren’t our favorites. He shared some pictures of Mt Etna erupting and it was fascinating. We thoroughly enjoyed our tour we took.

Peppe was our driver for the day. He communicated well to find him when we were arriving at the port of Messina. He was extremely friendly and knowledgeable about the area and this history. He drove us to Taormina and showed us the area and gave us history before we had some free time to explore. He gave us suggestions for free time and where to get the best cannolis. We used the free time to go to the Greek Theater, which was very impressive. He then drove us up to Mt Etna area to one of the great wineries. We had a tour and finished with a wine pairing with lunch. Food was excellent and wine was very good. I would highly recommend Peppe and Messina Tours.

Peppe was an amazing tour guide. He was a lot of fun and shared great information about the area, history, and culture. He even had umbrellas when it started raining. It was a great day that exceeded our expectations.

What a day in the best way! Giuseppe aka Peppe our guide as well as our driver, also named Peppe were fantastic. Extremely welcoming, knowledgeable, and kind. I can not reccomend this tour enough as it certainly exceeded my expectations. Taormina was gorgeous and they got us their before the crowds then they proceeded to take us to the winery. The winery had some better wines then we get in southern California. If you are debating a tour while on a cruise at port or even while staying in Sicily I would highly reccomend.

My husband and I enjoyed our tour so much. We were treated right on the dock after disembarking. Peppe was our guide and he made it fun, informative and very welcoming. We loved the town of Taormina, Peppe gave us suggestions on where to eat and what to see based on our wants. The winery was great. We were greeted with sparkling white wine, taken on a tour of the winery, then sat for a 4 course lunch. We were stuffed. Lunch is different everyday as they source locally grown foods for their meal. We all enjoyed the honey so much our guide arranged for a stop for us to buy honey before being dropped off at the ship.

Many thanks to the best tour guide, Carmelo, and the best driver, Alessandro, for the informative private tour and historical information. We were treated like royalty the entire day!

My family of 13 took this tour led by Sara and our driver Giuseppe. Sara was in constant communication and was an excellent tour guide. She was very knowledgeable, super friendly and very accommodating. The winery & restaurant was beautiful and our tour of Taormina was very informative. Would definitely recommend.

We had a wine tour and Taormina tour with Julia. It was a wonderful day. She was very engaging and informative. The wine we tasted was delicious. We had some time to explore Taormina on our own and then back to the ship. We very much enjoyed our day with Julia.

This was truly the best day of our entire trip! We were picked up directly from the cruise port in a spacious, air-conditioned van and were welcomed with water, snacks, and lots of interesting history during the drive to Taormina. Claudia was an amazing guide and showed us a few must-see spots before giving us free time to explore the city on our own. Afterward, we visited a beautiful winery where we had incredible food and got to try so many wines. Everything was seamless from start to finish, including the ride back to the cruise port. Highly recommend this tour!

Need winery contact info - have not received product we paid for and was to be shipped. Also no shipping or tracking info was sent as they said would be. please email me ASAP vicki.pulsifer@ycoe.org

We had the best time with Giuseppe (Peppe) on our tour. We were shocked that just the two of us got to enjoy the day with him. He was very proud of Sicily and shared lots of hidden nuggets that most would not get in a larger tour. We couldn’t have asked for better. The winery (Cantine Patria) is amazing. The winery tour was interesting, the food was fabulous and the wine was awesome. Most of all, the hospitality of the owners and tour guide was second to none!

This tour was outstanding! The winery tour, tastings and lunch (made from local produce) was just divine. Taormina was a gorgeous town too and we had plenty of time to explore the main street and many shops. The communication from the tour company was amazing, very easy pick up and drop off at the cruise ship port. Driver Peppe and tour guide Peppe were fantastic too. Highly recommend!

My son and I had a wonderful day with Peppe, our great tour guide. He met us at the cruise ship port in Messina. We enjoyed the drive to the Patria winery near Mt. Etna and enjoyed a tour of the grounds and facility followed by a wine tasting and a three course luncheon. We learned a lot about Sicily from Peppe who is a life long native of this area. We spent time walking around Taormina in the late afternoon which is a very scenic charming town. Peppe made this experience very memorable for us and I highly recommend him to future visitors!

Our guide, Serena, was absolutely wonderful and made the trip so much fun. In Taormina, she guided us to the ancient ruins and made sure we had plenty of time to explore and truly enjoy them without feeling rushed. The views from Taormina were out of this world!! She was knowledgeable, engaging, and clearly cared about giving us the best experience possible. A nice surprise was when she gave us a delicious cookie, best we had on the entire trip! Those thoughtful personal touches made the tour unforgettable. Highly recommend — Thank you, Serena!

Absolutely wonderful! Our tour guide and driver were fantastic! Winery tour and food was outstanding. Well worth the trip. We had a great day!

Sara and Pepe’ offered us a fun, learning experience at these two wineries. The wine making process was interesting to hear about especially at the larger winery where we learned more detail. The food was delicious! We were served antipasto platters and a meal of sausage and delicious rosemary potatoes. The wines were very good too and we purchased several. We also learned about the local area including the geography and culture. The guides spoke fluent English and even helped us with questions we had about Italian. We will without question recommend them to our friends and family and look forward to seeing them again if we return to the area. They were not only excellent tour guides but became our friends! Thank you Sara and Pepe’!

Peppi & Peppi did an absolutely wonderful job guiding and driving us on our tour for an unforgettable day! It felt like an intimate family tour. Beautiful scenery, great food and wine. I must admit, the wine may have contributed to the laughter and fun sing-along on our trip back. Recommended!

Our tour guide was Julia and she was wonderful! We loved hearing about her family’s traditions and her love of Messina and Sicily. Taormina was such a beautiful town. We loved walking around but it does get very crowded. I thought we would be able to at least see the outside of the Greek theatre but it is blocked off unless you buy tickets. The line was too long. The ride to the winery was amazing with the view of Mt Etna. It was interesting to learn about how the wine was processed. I wish we actually walked through the vineyard and was hoping to be sipping wine during the tour. Lunch was very nice and the wine was delicious but would have loved to have been asked if anyone wanted a refill at any point. My sister and I had a lovely day and highly recommend this tour and Julia.

Fantastic tour! Both our guide, Mariagrazia, and driver Giuseppe were top notch. Our comfort and enjoyment were their primary concern. Taormina was lovely. We were so pleased to visit. The winery was one of the best we’ve ever visited! One of the best days of our Italian vacation.

We had a wonderful day doing this tour a our shore excursion from our cruise stop in Messina. We really wanted to do a combination of a wine tour and a visit of the surroundings of mt Etna. After some research this Tour suited us perfectly I thought. And YES it did! I do guess we were a bit lucky that we were the only 2 persons who booked this tour. So it became a private tour for us with our guide and driver Giuseppe (or Peppe). This made the experience so much better for us as we got a more personalised tour like this and we could do everything at our own pace and do whatever we wanted as long as we would be back in time for the departure of Our cruiseschip. Taormina was a lovely little town with stunning views of the sea and the mountains. We had a nice espresso together and Peppe insisted that it tried a local cannoli once more after I told him I don’t like them. He couldn’t believe I said that 😂. So I did give it another try, and I must say it was the best one I ever had, it’s still not my kind of food. For the second part we drove into the mountains Etna region the have the wine tasting. It came with a visit of the winery and then a lovely lunch with local products during the wine tasting. We did find some wine that suited us and made an order afterwards to ship some to our home. Then we drove back to Messina where we got back on time for our cruiseschip. We had a great time with lots of laughs and conversation with Giuseppe. Everything we wanted to do was fine for him and he did everything with a smile. We wish every tourguide would be like him. Thanks again for a great day!

Great experience, our guide Giuseppe was amazing. Saw the bells at Messina cathedral, Wow!! The countryside was amazing Mt Etna wine was the best wine I have ever had Super recommend it

If you love shopping, history, and most of all WINE tasting in a Beautiful, Scenic Winery! DO NOT MISS THIS EXCURSION! I cannot emphasize more the hospitality, kindness, graciousness of Carmelo and Giuseppe. They were knowledgeable, professional, friendly, and over and above when it comes to a perfect day in Sicily!

What a wonderful experience with Alessandra and Guiseppe (Peppe). Taormina is a fantastic town and the wine tasting at Mount Etna amazing. Alessandra and Peppe are bubbly, chatty and very knowledgeable. They gave us absolute attention and made sure our day was filled with wonder. I highly recommend Alessandra and Guiseppe.

This excursion was awesome. The transportation was waiting at the port for us as we arrived. We were greeted by several staff and introduced to our tour guide Peppe. Peppe, was very courteous, knowledgeable, detailed, and humorous. He melted us informed and provided entertainment on our ride into town. We could not have asked for a better guide. We also got a little shopping in and Cannolo (Singular).

Giuseppe loves to share his knowledge of Sicily and the Eolis - especially Salina - and to create a deeper awareness of the people, the landscape and the local products. A great pleasure and a delicious experience (e.g. for all foodies). Grazie!

This was the most perfect day in Sicily and by far our favorite experience of our entire cruise!! The vans are wonderfully air conditioned, there's plenty of water, and you can even charge your phone in the van as they have accessible charging ports! Onto the experience: Taormina was STUNNING. An absolute MUST when you dock in Messina! We only had 45 minutes so we got to see all the wonderful pieces of Taormina, however did not get to explore the Greek Theatre so be mindful of that. We did have the most incredible gelato I've ever had in Taormina, though so definitely enjoy some during your visit. Our tour guide, Carmelo was so wonderful, knowledgeable, and gave us such great information on our trip to Taormina and the Etna winery. Also, the winery is fabulous! Not only do you sample 6 different wines, but the staff will give you a refill upon request. We bought three bottles! AND with every wine you taste, you get a culinary experience with it! The lunch ALONE was worth the money of this experience. We got to relax, enjoy Sicily, and returned on-time with no rush back to our cruise ship. This was a 12/10 experience and I HIGHLY recommend it to everyone. My only feedback is maybe allowing more time in Taormina because it was such a stunning destination.

Our ship had a last-minute change with its port and Discover Messina handled it flawlessly. Pepe, our guide, was awesome! We really enjoyed this excursion and highly recommend it.

My husband, my mother and I were on a NCL cruise and this was an excellent excursion!! We had originally booked a similar shorter tour with this company which was cancelled. Communication was very good and we were changed to this tour. I was concerned about the walking portion of the tour for my mother but was reassured that this was optional. Our tour guide, Andrea, went above and beyond to accommodate my mother's needs. He sat and had breakfast with her in Taormina while my husband and I walked the town. At the winery Andrea brought the van around to the cellar and drove my mother to the tasting room so that she could avoid the stairs. Andrea was excellent as a tour guide. He had a lot of knowledge about the history of Messina and was great to talk to in general. His driving made us feel comfortable. I highly recommend this company and this tour. I liked the small group size of the tour and we were picked up right at the port. The winery was beautiful, we enjoyed lunch and the good wine. We brought home a couple bottles, but if you want more the winery has shipping service.

We had a great trip!!!!!! Katia was our guide and was wonderful!I recommend this tour! It is a lot of driving in one day though.

We actually were switched from this tour to one going to Caselmora and Taormina with lunch because not enough people signed up for this tour on our given day. I say this to have an idea of an alternate tour they offer in case the group doesn’t have enough people. I thought they would go ahead with the people who did book but I understand why they canceled. Nevertheless, had a great time!

This was by far more than expected. Guisepee & Alesandra were both AMAZING! Very detailed with so much information & pictures. The winery was beautiful. A little dissapointed that the grapes werent in season, but just another excuse to go back. Highly recommend.

Awsome tour guide ( Sara Lisciotto). Perfect tour of Sicily with plenty of free time. She was personable and so knowledgeable. Would highly recommend

This was a great tour with Andrea. She pointed out where to get the best food and Taormina is beautiful. The winery was fabulous- great food and wine. I highly recommend this tour and would do it again.

We had a wonderful time on our tour. Our guide, Giuseppe, and driver, Andre, were excellent! They were friendly, informative, funny, and very helpful. We had a small group and traveled comfortably in a minivan. In Taormina, we arrived ahead of the crowds and Giuseppe offered to show us the bakery he liked for cannolis. They were huge and delicious. From there we went to the Patria winery for a tour, samples and lunch. At the winery, Alto, explained the winery's history, their processes and everything we sampled. This tour was well worth it!

Although it rained all day we had a great time with our tour guide Giuseppe and Princess Sun travelers from Montana, Toronto and Temecula, CA. Taormina and wine tasting your highly recommended.

Sara was lovely! We travelled from Palermo and they came and picked us up from the train station and dropped us back.

Sara met us at the cruise terminal. The directions could not have been more clear. This tour was better than any of the tours booked through our cruise. Sara assured us we would be back before the ship left, and we were with time to spare. This tour size is much smaller than the big tours the cruise offers, so we had a group of only 8 people. Toarmina was breathtaking. The vineyard on Mt. Etna could not have been a better atmosphere. The panoramic views, fresh, exquisite food, and of course renowned wine made the visit incredible.

This tour was substituted the day before our scheduled tour booked 2 months prior. Although the winery was fantastic, especially the lava rock wine cellar and lunch was wonderful, there was only 30 minutes to tour Taormina. The drive was long and somewhat boring. Our guide and her assistant talked more to one another rather than explain what we were seeing. If you are mostly interested in a wine tour it is perfect. If you want to tour the local sights, not so great.

Overall there is not enough time to do all of these things in one day successfully. I would recommend either Etna OR Taormina but not both. We signed up for this tour months in advance as we were traveling on Celebrity Infinity and knew we had a short window to see as much as possible. Our excursion happened to fall on a Sunday meaning when we disembarked and found our tour guide they informed us that the wine aspect was not actually available. They stated they did not have our contact information to reach us in advance. So instead of the ETNA Wine and Taormina excursion we were automatically put with the Etna and Taormina group. The trip is not 100% laid out for you. You will drive 1.5-2 hours to the base of Etna. Then if you chose pay an additional 30 euro you can take a 30 minute tram up to "Etna". This is not entirely accurate. At that point you need to take a round trip 1 hour jeep ride up to the rim of Etna. With this tour you do not have the time to do that. We then went back down the tram and left for the "wine experience". We stopped for about 30 minutes to try wine, olive oils, and honeys. This was nice. Once we left we were told that we would only have 20-30 minutes in Taormina, which is super nice. Overall 70% of this excursion is simply driving. Again I would recommend picking one or the other, but not both.

Une guide vraiment passionnée par sa région. Une très belle journée dans notre langue. Belle découverte des produits et beautés locales.