Sicily Tour and Excursions by Franco Group

April 03, 2015

So you have booked your flight and your hotel ... you have packed your swimsuit, suntan lotion and flip flops and you are ready to discover and fall in love with Sicily.

At White Almond Sicily I only use and recommend the finest contacts with local inside information and knowledge and one of my favourite contacts is Sicily Tour and Excursions by Franco Group ... they are pretty amazing.

Based in Giardini Naxos, and founded in 1950 Vincenzo Franco Senior was granted the first chauffeur license, that allowed a private car service with driver on the island to accommodate the requirements of exclusive clientele.

Those that have used the services of this distinguished company have been many, some of the VIP's include The Onassis family and King Farouk of Egypt amongst others. They also continue to provide drivers for the annual Taormina Film Festival every June, escorting Hollywood and international movie stars.

Vincenzo senior was a special person who envisioned what would play an integral part of the local tourism industry,and with great passion he invested all his energy into passing his knowledge onto his son Nunzio who, impressed by his father’s passion took the same devotion and began the opening of hotels and restaurants, which helped to enhance the companies progression.

Franco Group has continued to flourish with the purchase of luxury cars, minibuses and coaches for tourism creating an impressive fleet of vehicles. In the 1980s Nunzio created a travel agency using the names of his beloved children Vincenzo and Valeria called VIVA Travel.

Now Nunzio’s children are a part of the company and are giving a new and important contribution to the business always using the same passion that was once their grandfathers and thereafter, their father.

Tour Sicily and Excursions by Franco Group today organizes tours and itineraries in Sicily's most fascinating destinations.

On the Road with Vincenzo

You will enjoy a unique experience with their drivers, including the Aeolian Islands, Mount Etna, Alcantara Gorges, just to name a few, using the most suitable means of transport for clients. This allows itineraries in Sicily to be experienced through executive cars with a private driver, coach and minibus tours, boat and yacht tours and helicopter flights.

Franco Group also specialises in transfers to and from airports. Their private chauffeur driven vehicles are a perfect solution so you can relax and enjoy your journey to your destination with no worries of having to find a rental car, bus or getting lost and they can accommodate any party from 2 people in an executive car, to minibuses for 15 to 20 people and coaches seating 52 to 75.

They also accommodate as a local taxi service.

Shore tours are also popular, book a driver for when your cruise ship docks in Sicily and he will be waiting for you when you disembark at the port to help you explore the island.

The Fleet

Their fleet of vehicles are immaculately maintained and updated to offer consistency in the high level of service that they provide.

The drivers are all stylishly dressed, devilishly handsome and ooze Sicilian charm.

They are multilingual including English and Russian. Everyone at Franco Group is completely passionate about their island and this is evident in their top class service.

Other services includes cars for weddings and events, they can source any style of vehicle …. These guys know everyone in Taormina and surrounding areas.

We have known and loved them for six years and are always made to feel part of the family.

Vincenzo, who is Nunzio’s son and liaison officer for the company, is passionate about their business and family. “Family is of the utmost importance” he always tells me.

Their most popular tours are Mount Etna with wine tasting, also a firm favourite is The Godfather movie locations and becoming increasingly popular are excursions to the filming locations of the Inspector Montalbano series.

Vincenzo tells me that his favourite excursions are to Syracuse and Noto “These towns absolutely embody the history of my island”.

On asking him which is his favourite restaurant in Taormina, his reply is “mine” followed by cocktails at the glamorous Morgana Bar until the small hours. (Vincenzo owns Ristorante Duca di Cesaro on Via Bagnoli Croci opposite the main entrance to Taormina's Public Gardens, think fine dining with traditional Sicilian recipes using local produce with a modern twist in a peaceful location)

Vincenzo with our VIP (Very Important Pet) Daisy

One of his most unusual requests was for a wedding where the English bride wanted to arrive at the church in Taormina on a vintage pink Vespa …. So he sourced a white Vespa for her big day and sprayed it pink then back to white the next day.

Visit their website at www.francogroup.it and please click and love their Instagram page, these guys are amazing.

www.instagram.com/francogrouptaormina/

For quotes on excursions and transfers contact me at sarah@whitealmond-privatesicily.com