(Option: Customized Itineraries)
Sicily, Italy - 7 nights
Available year round (excluding August)

Discover the secrets of Sicily with this unforgettable seven night experience. Stay in three different accommodations while immersing yourself in the tastes and flavors of this very special land. Take hands-on cooking classes with wonderful instructors, including a Duchess and the famous Eleonora Consoli's daughter, Monica, visit areas of interest including The Valley of the Temples and enjoy the culinary side of Sicily! You will be pleasantly surprised at how much Sicily has to offer.

You will visit the historical food market of Palermo with a Duchess and admire the most important points of interest all around Sicily, taste fabulous wines and learn to cook "Sicilian" style.

Palermo, Erice, Agrigento, Taormina and Siracusa are also on the itinerary with a visit to a special pastry shop and two famous wineries. A culinary experience is awaiting you in beautiful Sicilia!

SAMPLE ITINERARY

Arrival Day: Fly into Palermo International Airport (Punta Raisi)
Departure Day: Fly out of Catania International Airport (Fontana Rossa)

Day One

ARRIVAL IN PALERMO

Upon your arrival at Palermo International Airport, you will be met and transferred by private car to your charming four star hotel.

After checking in you are free to relax and unwind. Day at leisure and dinner will be on your own.

Overnight stay.

Day Two 

MARKET VISIT, COOKING CLASS & PALERMO 

Breakfast at the hotel and pick up by private driver to meet the Duchess of Palma. Follow the Duchess in a fascinating itinerary through Sicilian culture and cuisine. You will have a morning visit to the Capo market, the oldest in Palermo, where we will buy fresh seasonal ingredients, chosen amidst the colorful stalls glowing with fruit, vegetables, fish, meat, resounding with the "abbanniate", the sellers’ cries to attract customers. You will see foods you have never seen before! Then a short stroll home to savor the hidden beauty of Palermo, one of the most intriguing and mysterious cities of the Mediterranean. Once home, the spacious kitchen of the palazzo by the sea, comprising of the warmth of the shining old copper pots together with the coolness of the blue and white Sicilian tiles, welcomes us. Enjoy the cooking class, where you will create a mouthwatering Sicilian menu under the Duchess’s expert guidance. Afterwards you will enjoy the fruits of your labor in the comfort of the Palazzo’s elegant dining room. 

After lunch you will meet your local guide to visit the most important monuments of Palermo as Quattro Canti (the Four Corners), Palermo’s extravagant baroque square and the twelfth-century Cathedral of Palermo. Finally return to hotel around 5:30pm and overnight stay. 

*Option: A visit of Monreale instead of Palermo. Please inquire. 

Monreale is a historic hill town close to Palermo. It is known for its Norman cathedral with its many beautiful mosaics.

Day Three 

ERICE, WINERY VISIT & AGRIGENTO

Breakfast at the hotel and check out. Pick up by your English-Speaking driver and transfer to Erice, a wonderful and mysterious medieval town. Walking through the cobble – stoned streets of the town, you will see the Norman Castle and the Duomo.

We will stop at the world-famous pastry shop “Maria Grammatico”, where you will taste almond sweets, genovesi and nougat to match with Marsala wine.

At 1.00 pm we visit Donnafugata Winery for a winery visit to taste 5 of their best wines paired with 5 typical Sicilian dishes.

Finally we head to Agrigento area to check in at a beautiful olive estate. The farm stands out among the colors and fragrances of the immense olive groves which surround it. We suggest having dinner at their restaurant (not included). Overnight stay.

DAY FOUR 

VALLEY OF THE TEMPLES & COOKING LESSON & OLIVE OIL

Breakfast at the hotel and at 11.30 am get ready to pull up your sleeves and join a cooking class with your hostess at the olive estate: on the menu - perhaps some Cavatelli all’Agrigentina with eggplant and basil, one of the most ancient Sicilian dishes. We will also learn to cook panelle with chickpea sour, fritto di latte and finally a typical cake.

Before dinner we will meet with the owner of the olive estate to visit the farm, the olive tree groves and the oil press. We will learn how to distinguish between 4 different kinds of Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Lunch is included. (Beverages not included). 

During the afternoon pick up by your English-speaking driver to transfer to Agrigento to visit, on your own,  the beautiful Valley of the Temples, one of the most representative sites of Greek civilization in the Mediterranean area. You can 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.

Dinner on your own.

DAY FIVE 

 

SIRACUSA & TAORMINA

Breakfast at the farm and check out.

Pick up by your English-speaking driver and departure for Siracusa. Until the Arab conquest of 878, the city was the capital of Sicily. It was by far the most important city on the island. On your own, you will visit the Ear of Dyonisus, the Greek Theatre, the Altare di Ierone. Walk through the historical center on the Ortigia Island to admire the Cathedral, constructed over the ancient Temple of Athena, the Aretusa fountain and the ancient streets. We suggest to have lunch at the exclusive restaurant Don Camillo.

Transfer to your charming four-star hotel in Taormina and walk through the historical center of this beautiful town, famous for its Greek-Roman Amphitheatre.

Dinner on your own. Overnight stay.

*Option: A visit of Villa Romana del Casale instead of Siracusa. Please inquire.  

Villa Romana del Casale is extraordinary piece of history, another UNESCO World Heritage Site listed in Sicily.The Villa Romana del Casale is a residential building from the late ancient period. Although the original owner is not known exactly, the currently most accepted hypothesis identifies the owner with a prestigious figure of the Constantinian age, Lucius Aradio Valerius Proculus Populonius, governor of Sicily between 327 and 331 and consul in 340. This beautiful Roman Villa consists of 3,500 square meters of mosaic pavement, still perfectly intact. It may have also been a hunting lodge and a location to entertain important guests. The mosaics include a 60-meter-long hunting scene, in which groups of men struggle and sweat as they capture ferocious animals in India and North Africa before transporting them to Rome for gladiator games. 

DAY SIX 

COOKING CLASS WITH MONICA CONSOLI & WINE TASTING

Breakfast at hotel. Departure for Viagrande. During the tour you will admire the beautiful volcanic landscape of the biggest European volcano. You will meet Monica, the famous Eleonora's daughter, in her La Cucina del Sole. Eleonora has written several cookbooks on Sicilian gastronomy and she was an official expert on Sicilian cooking in the world. Her daughter will do a hands-on cooking class, teaching the class several classic Sicilian dishes. Your lunch will be spent with Monica in her home.

During the afternoon you will explore with your driver escort the Mount Etna, the largest active volcano in Europe. There is hardly a more fascinating mountain with its unique combination of nature and the uncontrollable essence of fire. 

Finally transfer at 3.00 pm to an ancient wine estate located on the slopes of the volcano Etna. You will meet with the owner to visit the winery and taste their best wines.

Return to Taormina and overnight stay.

DAY SEVEN 

TAORMINA AT LEISURE

Breakfast at hotel. Today you will be free to enjoy Taormina, 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 is a charming medieval town with typical cobblestoned streets leading into spacious squares. You can admire the extraordinary classical Greco-Roman theater and the historical center.

Dinner on your own.

Overnight stay. (no services on this day)

DAY EIGHT 

ARRIVEDERCI

Breakfast and departure with your English speaking driver for Catania International Airport.

*The content or order of the itinerary may change depending on dates, availability of services or activities, local festivals/holidays, weather constraints, etc. Menus are samples and may vary according to the season

GROUP SIZE

A minimum of 2 participants is required to run this tour and the tour is limited to a maximum of 12 participants.

(The number of participants refers to how many persons are required to run the tour, not to how many persons you must have in your party. Please inquire.)

HOW TO ARRIVE

Airports

Palermo Airport Punta Raisi (33km - 35 minutes from first accommodation)
Catania Airport Fontana Rossa (60km - 40 minutes from last accommodation)

BOOKING INFORMATION

For further inquiries or to register, click here.

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CANCELLATION POLICY

Please contact us for cancellation policy information. Travel insurance is highly recommended.

CLIENT REMARKS

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MAP*

This exciting region is depicted below. You can also access Google MapsTM by clicking HERE. 

*In some cases mapping may give clients a general sense of location due to changes in venue. Please inquire about specific location.

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