Culinary Tour of Sicily with Cooking Lessons

This unique Culinary Tour of Sicily reveals Sicily’s complex past through visits of amazing historical sites, while savoring a wonderfully varied cuisine influenced by the many cultures that have dominated the island. We connect you to Sicily through food at its source, as we learn about making cheese on a family farm and traditional breads and focaccia at a flour mill. Shop at the open-air food market, taste some of Sicily’s best wines, and participate in hands-on cooking lessons during this unique culinary tour of Sicily.

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Trip Length 7 days

Walking Level Stroll

Trip Cost $5280

Walking Levels

Our walks are rated for their level of difficulty as follows:

Stroll – Daily distance of 2-5 km (1-3 miles) through archeological sites and in towns with stone stairways. Footwear: Lightweight walking shoes.
Easy – Daily distance of 8-10 km (5-7 miles) on dirt paths and gravel roads, with short ascents & descents. Good van access for assistance along the route. Footwear: Sturdy walking shoes.
Moderate – Daily distance of 12-16 km (8-10 miles) with longer ascents & descents. May include cobblestone paths and steps, or narrow paths along terraced hillsides. Some van access or options for shorter walks. Footwear: Sturdy walking shoes or lightweight boots.
Fitness – Daily distance of 12-16 km (8-10 miles) with steep ascents & descents. Walks are at altitudes of 1200-2450 meters (3500-8000 feet) on trails and forest service roads, some rocky or exposed sections. Limited van access, options for shorter or longer routes. Footwear: Lightweight boots.

“The Savoring Sicily adventure exceeded all expectations. As always, Anita made the traveling easy, stimulating and delicious. We are still afloat in wine and olive oil.”
– C.C., U.S.A.

Trip Highlights

Shop for lunch in a colorful food market , then cook lunch in the kitchen of a friendly chef
Feast on Sicilian seafood couscous cooked to order in a huge pan, then stroll on a deserted beach below an ancient Greek town
Enjoy a wine-paired lunch among the vineyards while watching the smoking volcano of Mt. Etna
Knead bread made from heirloom wheat at a flour mill, then be guests in our home for lunch prepared by Emanuele, overlooking our Mediterranean garden.
Pick olives and watch them being pressed, breathe in the fruity fragrance of new green oil, then pour it over warm bread for a snack of the gods (autumn only)

Trip Details

Dates
October 20-26, 2020

Meet
Catania

End
Palermo airport

Best Time to Go
Spring, Fall & Early Winter

Single Supplement
$660 USD

Meals
Daily breakfast /6 lunches with wine / 5 dinners with wine

Maximum Participants
12

Accommodations
Signature

Itinerary
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Day-by-Day Itinerary

Savoring Sicily

Where We GO: Catania, Mt. Etna, Syracuse, Palazzolo Acreide, Ragusa, Modica, Agrigento, Selinunte, Erice

Day One

Meet at a centrally located hotel in Catania, and stroll through town to the raucous food market, where sellers hawk everything from fresh artichokes to whole tuna. Transfer to the dusky slopes of the Mt. Etna volcano, where we’ll be guests at a winery. Taste prestigious Planeta wines complemented with rustic Sicilian appetizers and freshly-made pasta. Continue to the seaside town of Syracuse, where we spend 2 nights. Join the passeggiata as we stroll through the labyrinthine streets to an inviting restaurant, where you order what you like from their menu of Sicilian specialties.

Day Two

Take a short walking tour of Syracuse on the way to the market, where we’ll meet our cook and shop through the stalls picking the best produce. Walk to our cook’s home for a cooking lesson and lunch. In the afternoon, visit a bit more of ancient Greek Syracuse before time at leisure and dinner on your own.

Day Three

Today will be dedicated to the great cheeses of Ragusa, including the freshest ricotta from the morning’s milk, to the aged Ragusano, bearing the prestigious PDO stamp from the European Union. Head through the farmlands to the home of Italian Connection’s founders Anita & Emanuele, and enjoy a sumptuous home-cooked meal in our kitchen, overlooking our Mediterranean garden. After lunch, visit the town of Modica and taste its Aztec style chocolate spiced with hot pepper or, if available in autumn, visit an olive press where olives become olive oil right before your eyes

Day Four

Visit a traditional flour mill, and learn about the heirloom varieties of Sicilian wheat that make for its crusty bread. Learn the special kneading techniques for making both bread and focaccia, taste the local olive oil on just-baked bread, and seasonal vegetables in stuffed focaccia. Explore the backstreets of Ragusa, then dine with the locals on classic dishes such as ravioli in a rich tomato sauce studded with pork.

Day Five

Depart for Agrigento, and a guided tour of the Valley of the Temples, with one of the best preserved Greek temples in the world. Dip into a huge pan of seafood couscous with lunch overlooking the sea before continuing westwards. Check-in to our boutique hotel on a wine-producing estate, and enjoy a leisurely wine-paired dinner.

Day Six

After breakfast, meet in the kitchen for a hands-on cooking lesson with chef Angelo Pumilia, an engaging Sicilian who will teach us the tricks of preparing a superb Sicilian meal, and we’ll test out our results at a leisurely lunch. In the afternoon, tour the magnificent Greek site of Selinunte, with is powerful Greek temples standing in regal splendor above a turquoise sea. This evening we’ll dine at a seaside restaurant known for serving the freshest fish in the area, and celebrate our week at a festive dinner.

Day Seven

Head to the west coast to the “via del sale” where sea salt is still gathered as it has been for centuries and the warm scirocco wind blows from North Africa. Visit the beautiful town of Erice, a maze of twisting cobblestone streets perched on a lofty hilltop, with breathtaking views stretching to the Egadi Islands. Tour the inviting pastry shops where marzipan is decorated by hand, and enjoy a light lunch of arancini and spicy caponata.

Transfer to the Palermo airport, arriving in mid-afternoon. Arrivederci!