SAVORING SICILY

Day 1_Arriving in Wine Hotel
Upon your arrival at Catania airport you’ll be drive to Mount Etna. Accommodation in a historical dwelling, today a beautiful agriturismo. Dinner and overnight stay.

Day 2_Cooking Class on Mount Etna
Breakfast and departure for Viagrande on Mount Etna. Here you will meet Mrs Eleonora Consoli in her La Cucina del Sole (The Sun’s Kitchen). Eleonora has written several cookbooks on Sicilian gastronomy and she is an official expert on Sicilian cooking in the world. She will held an hand-on cooking class, teaching to the class several classic Sicilian dishes as “Appetizer Sicilian style”, Pasta Norma Style (with eggplant, tomato sauce and salted ricotta cheese), Breaded veal rolls or meat-balls Sicilian style, Cassata Siciliana. The lunch will be served at Eleonora’s home.
After lunch, you will explore the Volcano Etna, largest active volcano in Europe, and admire a unique combination of nature and the uncontrollable essence of fire. Return to the agriturismo where we suggest to have the dinner. Overnight stay.

Day 3_Relax and shopping in Taormina
Breakfast and departure for Taormina the Sicily’s most famous city. Dating from the fourth and third centuries B.C., Taormina is perched dramatically high on a rocky promontory overlooking the Ionian Sea. It’s a charming medieval town with typical cobblestoned streets leading into spacious squares. You can admire the extraordinary classical Greco-Roman theatre and the historical centre.
The historical centre is rich in luxurious shops that enjoy your shopping. Lunch at leisure. In the late afternoon you will visit the Scilio Winery with the owner Luisa Scilio and you will taste their best wines, and olive oil from organic agriculture. Dinner at winery and return to your agriturismo.

Day 4_Cooking Class and Chocolate Tasting
Breakfast and transfer to eastern Sicily through the Baroque, whose heritage, both for importance and for beauty, has been declared World Heritage by the UNESCO. Arrival at Palazzo Failla a beautiful charming historic dwelling in historical centre of Modica. In the morning you can visit Modica, (on your own) where you will admire picturesque lanes and arrows streets, with plenty of old workshops, St. George’s Church, the only one including a nave and as good as four aisles. You can visit the Antica Dolceria Bonajuto, the oldest confectionary shop of Sicily and taste the very famous chocolate of Modica. Lunch at leisure.
Return to the hotel and meeting with the Chef Fatima Failla, that will organize your hands-on classes, you learn how to prepare “Scacce Ragusane”, typical Sicilian food, or Rabbit “ a stimpirata”, typical Sicilian plate (rabbit meat served with vegetables). Finally, making and tasting of typical Chocolate of Modica (the recipe coming from ancient Aztecs). The chocolate of Modica is special and very particular because of the lack of cacao butter, the only ingredients are cacao and sugar. Dinner at exclusive restaurant La Locanda del Colonnello. Overnight stay at Palazzo Failla.

Day 5_Sicilian Olive oil
Breakfast and transfer to Agriturismo Mandranova situated in the surroundings of Agrigento. The firm has a long tradition of specialized cultivations, and the family transmits the deep love for the care of land from father to son. Today, after a reclamation and cultivation, 40 hectares are dedicated to olive trees, with extremely innovative cultivation, gathering and processing systems. You can visit the oil press and relax your self in a beautiful garden. Lunch in the garden. In the afternoon you will visit the beautiful Valley of the Temples, one of the most representative sites of Greek civilization in the Mediterranean area. Visit to the Temple of Hercules, the Temple of Juno, the Temple of Castor and Pollux, the wonderful Temple of Concord and finally the beautiful Garden of Kolymbetra. Accommodation in hotel and relax. Overnight stay in Agrigento.

Day 6_Wine & Sweets
Breakfast and departure for The Salt Road and its Salt Pans located on the coastline between the cities of Trapani and Marsala. Locals extract the salt from the seawater following the same procedure used by the ancient Greeks and Phoenicians who once colonized this part of the Sicily. Transfer to Erice, a wonderful and mysterious medieval town made famous in ancient times as the birthplace of Venus. Walking through the cobble – stoned streets of the town, smelling a variety of aromas emanating from the numerous pastry shop for which Erice is famous. You will see the Norman Castle and the Duomo. Stopping at the world famous pastry shop by Maria Grammatico, to learn with Maria, how to prepare special Cannoli Siciliani with ricotta cheese and then taste almond sweets, genovesi and nougat to match with Marsala wine. Accommodation at Baglio Donna Franca a little and charming wine hotel where you can visit the winery and taste delicious wine. Overnight stay.

Day 7_Arrivederci
After breakfast, transfer to the airport or choose to extend your stay in Palermo.