| DAILY ITINERARY: |
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| Day 1: |
Arrive in Palermo, Sicily |
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| Sunny Sicily greets our arrival today. After settling into our hotel in the historic centre, we'll explore the city on foot. You'll be enchanted by Palermo's wide boulevards, traditional Sicilian Old Quarter, and baroque palaces. You'll see the city's main sights, including Quattro Canti di Citta' (the Four Corners of the City), Palermo's extravagant baroque square and the twelfth-century Cathedral of Palermo, which houses a pantheon of royal tombs. Our dinner this evening is a splendid introduction to Sicilian cuisine. |
| Overnight: Excelsior Palace, Palermo |
| Meals: Dinner |
| Special Note: Flights from Canada to Italy are overnight flights. Your flight will depart Edmonton in the morning of October 8, travelling overnight to Sicily. |
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| Day 2: |
Palermo |
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Early this morning, we'll meet Chef Clemente and venture out to one of Palermo's historic markets were we will purchase all the ingredients necessary to prepare lunch. Along the way, we'll taste some of Palermo's most typical foods, such as "panelle" and "pane con la milza". The hands on cooking class are held in a typical restaurant. The dishes you've prepared will be served with just the right Sicilian wine, and dessert accompanied by local biscotti and Sicilian dessert wine.
In the afternoon we'll visit Monreale to discover the Arab-Norman splendour of the Monreale Cathedral and the Cloister. This treasure dates from the 12th century and shows the diverse architectural influences of both the Normans and the Arab population. |
| Overnight: Excelsior Palace, Palermo |
| Meals: Breakfast & Lunch |
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| Day 3: |
The Salt Road |
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This morning we'll drive out to the Salt Pans located on the coastline between the cities of Trapani and Marsala. Locals extract salt from seawater following the same procedure used by the ancient Greeks and Phoenicians who once colonized this part of the Sicily. We'll visit the historic windmills used to move the salt through the pans.
Later in the afternoon, we'll visit 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 shops for which Erice is famous. We'll visit Maria Grammatico's shop a former nun who became famous in Italy when she wrote Bitter Almonds, a story of her life. Her almond creations are celebrated in these parts; they are works of art, shaped into a variety of whimsical animal shapes. We'll have dinner this evening with at the restaurant of Chef Carmelo Tilotta who'll share some wonderful recipes with us. |
| Overnight: Hotel Elimo, Erice |
| Meals: Breakfast & Dinner |
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| Day 4: |
Country House Stay |
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| Today we leave for Sambuca di Sicilia and our appointment with the oenologist of the Planeta winery. Founded in 1995 on the banks of Lake Arancio, the winery has won numerous prestigious awards. We'll visit the presses and witness the bottling process. Finally, we'll visit the barrel cellar, which consists of around 1,200 barrels and taste with the oenologist. In the afternoon we'll travel to Agrigento to explore the Valley of the Temples. Along the "Sacred Way" we'll see the magnificent Ancient Greek temples, standing on a hill overlooking the sea. We'll walk in the wonderful Garden of Kolymbetra, an old water reservoir of the Greeks now used as an organic fruit orchard, reviving heirloom oranges. The end of the day brings us to our Country House for a three night stay. |
| Overnight: Mandranova Country House, Agrigento |
| Meals: Breakfast & Dinner |
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| Day 5: |
The Olive Harvest |
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The farm stands out among the colors and fragrances of the immense olive groves which surround it. In Sicily, the olive harvest begins in late autumn when the olives are mature but still green. They are picked by hand or with the aid of a baton. We'll take part in the harvest morning; nets are placed under the trees, and baskets are brought to collect the olives (subject to harvest conditions). It's a wonderful way to learn about this timeless feature of Sicilian life. And if you prefer to relax, the setting is absolutely delightful. In the afternoon we'll bring olives to the oil press to see how oil is produced. Our work is rewarded with a tasting of oil with bread, garlic and oregano. In the later afternoon, we'll join our hostess for a cooking lesson
preparing "anelletti al forno" with eggplant, sauce, and fresh basil, the traditional polpettone di carne and some of Sicily's wonderful vegetable dishes, fresh from the garden. |
| Overnight: Mandranova Country House, Agrigento |
| Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner |
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| Day 6: |
Sicilian Cheeses |
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| The whole day will be devoted to Sicilian cheeses! We'll drive to Sant'Angelo Muxaro, an enchanting little village near Agrigento. We'll start where cheese begins; visiting a shepherd to see how ricotta cheese is made and taste the still warm ricotta cheese as it is finished. We'll learn all about the distinctive characteristics of Sicilian cheeses and have lunch at the farm. This afternoon we'll travel back to Agrigento with some free time to enjoy the historic city centre. |
| Overnight: Mandranova Country House, Agrigento |
| Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner |
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| Day 7: |
Sicilian Chocolate and the Baroque |
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The Baroque towns of eastern Sicily have been designated as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. These are dramatically beautiful streetscapes with exuberant architecture. We'll start off in Modica, strolling the picturesque lanes and narrows streets. Modica is as famous for its chocolate as it is for its architecture. No butter is used; the only ingredients are cacao and sugar. We'll meet with Pierpaolo Ruta who'll show us how the chocolate is prepared.
The end of the day brings us to Ragusa. The landscapes here are among the most memorable (and eerie) in Sicily. Many are crisscrossed with low-lying stone walls, pieced laboriously together without mortar, and lying in impoverished solitude beneath the punishing sun. These are the landscapes most often evoked in Sicilian literature and cinema, an oft-filmed terrain that has positioned Ragusa and its outlying districts in the forefront of Italian filmmaking. |
| Overnight: De Stefano Palace Hotel, Ragusa |
| Meals: Breakfast & Lunch |
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| Day 8: |
Sicilian Sweets and Noto |
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| In the early morning we'll set off for Noto, destroyed by earthquake and now one of Sicily's most beautiful baroque cities. The town appears like a stage set, with curvilinear accents and exuberant wrought-iron balconies. Many Sicilian artists and artisans have worked hard to rebuild Noto into a baroque gem, with uniform buildings of soft limestone. Here we'll meet with master confectioner Corrado Assenza who will dazzle us with a tasting of his many products (ice creams, jams, sauces). |
| Overnight: De Stefano Palace Hotel, Ragusa |
| Meals: Breakfast & Dinner |
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| Day 9: |
Cooking on Mt. Etna |
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| This morning we make our way to Viagrande on Mount Etna. Here we'll meet Mrs Eleonora Consoli in her La Cucina del Sole (The Sun's Kitchen). Eleonora has written several cookbooks on Sicilian gastronomy. She will lead a hands-on cooking class, featuring several classic Sicilian dishes including appetizers, pasta alla Norma (with eggplant, tomato sauce and salted ricotta cheese), breaded veal rolls or meat-balls Sicilian style, Cassata Siciliana. Lunch is served at Eleonora's home. In the late afternoon we'll visit with the owner Pietro Scammacca and you will taste their best wines and olive oil from their organic orchard. |
| Overnight: Hotel Murgo, Mt Etna |
| Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner |
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| Day 10: |
Taormina |
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| This morning we'll visit Taormina to admire the amazing Greek Theatre set on a hill overlooking the sea and the Duomo. The historical centre is a wonderful place to stroll, shop and enjoy the views over the Mediterranean. In the evening we return to our Mt. Etna farm to enjoy a special dinner this evening. |
| Overnight: Hotel Murgo, Mt Etna |
| Meals: Breakfast & Dinner |
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| Day 11: |
Honey and Passito |
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| We'll spend the day discovering the gastronomy of Mt. Etna. This still active volcano yields a rich soil that has spawned vineyards and plantations. Pistacchio trees and prickly pears are common place. We'll travel up to 1900 metres to visit the inactive Silvestri craters it's an incredible lunar landscape of transcendent beauty. We'll visit the Honey House where organic honeys are produced and the Scillio family winery to taste the olive oils form their organic orchards and their famous Passito dell'Etna. |
| Overnight: Mt Etna |
| Meals: Breakfast & Dinner |
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| Day 12: |
Depart Catania |
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| This morning, we'll drive to Catania airport for homeward flights. Or continue on with Gail to Torino where the second part of our Culinary Adventure begins: Slow Food's definitive Salone del Gusto. |
| Meals: Breakfast |
