A Week of Culture in Sicily

Highlights

  • Experience life in the heart of Palermo and a charming historic residence in Erice
  • Explore enchanted seaside villages and nature reserves
  • Visit a boutique winery and a social farmhouse
From £2178 pp
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What you'll do

Overview

Enjoy a week in the beautiful region of Sicily where you will be able to experience authentic Sicilian culture with the warm hospitality of local people and great food!

Join us on a 8-day unique Italian responsible and cultural escorted tour to visit one of the most stunning Italian regions – Sicily.

For anyone eager to live an immersive adventure in the Italian and Sicilian culture and traditions, where you really get to know the food, region and people, your hosts and loca...Read All

Welcome to Sicily!

Welcome to Sicily!

You’ll be picked up at Palermo airport at 2:30 pm, where you’ll then be taken to Palermo downtown.

Once you’ve arrived, you can check in and relax at your centrally located hotel. You’ll be introduced to your local guide Chiara and learn more about this 8-day Italian cultural and responsible vacation.

Once you’ve settled in, you’ll be taken on a short visit to the historic centre of the city to learn how to go around ...Read All

Visit Palermo

After a delicious breakfast we’ll visit the historic centre of Palermo through a walking tour. Among the narrow alleys and airy squares you will see fountains, churches and historic buildings, but also the colourful market stalls, shops and laboratories where the artisan and gastronomic traditions are still active today.

During our visit to one of Palermo’s market, you’ll have the opportunity to taste the typical specialties of Palermo street food, such as panelle and arancini, f...Read All

Wine Tasting and Capaci Tour

After breakfast we’ll leave the city for the countryside.

Natalia will welcome us in the middle of the green, among the hills overlooking the Gulf of Castellammare, to tell us about the history and typical features of the farm where she lives and which she manages with passion together with her Finnish husband Rami.

The events of the estate, which has belonged to the family for almost a century, intersect with the human events that Natalia unravels among her private and profes...Read All

Visit to Corleone

After breakfast you’ll explore the hinterland by visiting Corleone, a town nestled in the rock, immersed in the countryside as far as the eye can see, and characterised by a breathtaking landscape.

Among the alleys of the town we will experience the kindness of its inhabitants and the commitment of those who fight for the change of a community that wants to redeem itself from the stereotypes conveyed by cinema and literature.

The history of the city is in fact linked to th...Read All

Sicilian Cooking Class

After breakfast you’ll say goodbye to Palermo to travel to the province of Trapani, stopping in a Baglio (traditional Sicilian farmhouse).

Daniela, even before being an excellent cook, is the perfect hostess – she will welcome us with an aperitif on the terrace (which was also chosen as a film set) and then will introduce us to the discovery of the secrets of authentic Sicilian cuisine.

Together we will prepare lunch based on typical recipes (i.e. homemade pasta, cap...Read All

Walk inside the amazing Nature Reserve of Zingaro, Scopello and exploring Erice

After a pleasant and fresh morning wake up in the village of Erice, we will move for an exciting naturalistic trekking experience within the Zingaro Reserve.

You’ll walk along the coastal path, about 7 km (4.3 miles), which can be easily travelled in no more than two hours, dotted with broom, thyme, almond trees, ash trees, dwarf palms and carob trees, to fully enjoy the typical Mediterranean landscape overlooking the marine cove.

We will be able to make stops for a swim o...Read All

Explore Mazara del Vallo

After breakfast we’ll drive to the fascinating Mazara del Vallo, which contains the most typical features of Mediterranean culture: located less than 200 km (124 miles) from the Tunisian coast, only the sea separates it from Africa, but in every corner you can sense the multi-ethnic atmosphere of the city.

The labyrinthine Arab-North African layout of the historic centre will immerse you into the culture of this town, with its maze of alleys and inner courtyards of the buildings. The...Read All

Departure

After breakfast, you’ll be transferred to Palermo airport for your flight at around 9am. The distance is around 70 minutes driving from your hotel, so make sure to get a late morning or afternoon flight, or your next destination in Sicily if you want to explore more fascinating places of this island or other Italian regions (don’t hesitate to let us know and we’ll be happy to support you to continue your Sicilian and Italian trip!)

What's included

Included

  • 4 nights in Palermo at Bio Hotel Palermo
  • 3 nights in Erice at Il Carmine in an historical residence
  • 7 breakfasts
  • 6 full meals (starters, a first or second dish, dessert, water, coffee, house wine and liqueurs) and a light lunch (a special “panino” plus water and house wine on day 6) in selected restaurants, farmhouses, and a bakery based on traditional regional dishes. The other meals are free for you to explore the towns by yourself
  • 2 aperitifs (a glass of wine or a cocktail or a beer or a soft drink plus some traditional appetizers)
  • 3 guided tastings of wine and vinegar, “pane cunzato” (a sort of stuffed bread), traditional Erice desserts and visits to the producers
  • 1 hands-on authentic Sicily cooking class and associated food costs
  • Personalized cooking booklet and apron
  • Daily trips, excursions and guided tours of Palermo, Monreale, Corleone, Erice, Segesta, Mazara del Vallo
  • Entrance tickets to the Cathedral and cloister of Monreale, Corleone Legality Laboratory, Segesta Archaeological Park (including internal shuttle), Nature Reserve of Zingaro
  • All transports for daily trips and excursions in an air conditioned minibus or car (just for the day in Corleone, in case there were only 2 or 3 travellers, we will go by public bus together with our tour leader)
  • Pick up and drop off in Palermo airport in an air conditioned minibus or car
  • English-speaking professional tour director and licensed local guides as per itinerary
Your local host

Fabrizio and friends

Fabrizio is your tour guide and host extraordinaire on his Italian gastronomy holidays. Native to the region of Abruzzo in central Italy, he is immensely proud of its history and heritage. Fabrizio’s passion for keeping everything local also means that guests on his holidays will be joining his family for cooking lessons, meeting local producers and using only locally sourced products.

This is not your typical cooking school or indeed cookery holiday. All cooking activities and gastronomic experiences take place in the local’s homes, on local farms, or in the hills on the lands of local suppliers and families. There is no “professional chef” on this holiday – you are learning from housewives, mothers, fat... Read All

Fabrizio is your tour guide and host extraordinaire on his Italian gastronomy holidays. Native to the region of Abruzzo in central Italy, he is immensely proud of its history and heritage. Fabrizio’s passion for keeping everything local also means that guests on his holidays will be joining his family for cooking lessons, meeting local producers and using only locally sourced products.

This is not your typical cooking school or indeed cookery holiday. All cooking activities and gastronomic experiences take place in the local’s homes, on local farms, or in the hills on the lands of local suppliers and families. There is no “professional chef” on this holiday – you are learning from housewives, mothers, fathers, brothers, farmers and fisherman, as well as wine makers, olive producers. Pretty much everyone in the community and what you’ll learn, see and experience are not taught it in schools but refined and passed down through the generations.

Location

Sicily is one of the most beautiful and culturally rich regions of Italy, famous for its art, music, literature, cuisine and architecture. We’re sure you’ll fall in love with its beauty and its people.

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