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The Soul of Sicily
Sicily, Italy
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Tour
Description |
 About
the location: Beyond the tastes of Sicily, this journey ventures
inside the soul of the island, delving into its history and
culture. All week you are introduced to an insider’s experience
of Sicily as you visit small hill towns, taste special menus or
explore local places. In addition to offering top cooking
programs with world-famous chefs, you are invited to meet home
cooks, shepherds, cheese makers and others who will share their
secrets and philosophies of cooking and living, as well as their
dreams.
Your accommodations for the week will be a charming three-star,
family-run hotel nestled in the dramatic landscape overlooking
the Mediterranean and lemon groves, and is just a short drive
from the Baroque town of Noto (a UNESCO world heritage site as
well as a nature reserve). The area is known for Sicilian
almonds and Italy’s best pastry shops. Colors, light and
atmosphere are warm like the Sicilian sun and you enjoy sweeping
views of the countryside (and a glimpse of shepherds too
sometimes) from the terrazzo. The friendly Sicilian staff will
make you feel right at home at this Mediterranean oasis with
unforgettable views. All rooms have a private bathroom, TV,
mini-bar, telephone, private safe and hairdryer. Amenities
include an outdoor swimming pool (overlooking the countryside)
and bikes that you can borrow to explore the area. Archeological
areas and a private beach are just minutes away. Olive groves in
front of the hotel welcome you each day. Superior rooms
(limited, but available upon request) come with canopy beds and
plush robes for the week.
About the cooking lessons: Renée Restivo’s passion for Italian
regional food led her to be selected as TV Chef for the
introduction of the Italian classic cookbook, The Silver Spoon.
Restivo worked for several years as a chef instructor at a
cooking school in Tuscany before heading to Sicily to launch her
authentic culinary adventures. The Restivo family owns a farm in
southern Sicily with heirloom vineyards located just minutes
from the Greek Temples. Renée collaborates with an Italian
painter (and excellent cook!) who shares her deep passion for
Sicilian food, land, art and culture. Together, they lead you to
taste some of the Mediterranean’s most incredible flavors and
envelop you in authentic daily Sicilian life for a week. Your
lessons will be with local food artisans who are experts in
their craft. This is a unique opportunity to see Sicily through
the eyes of Italian artists, chefs and farmers who will help you
discover the recipes and the deep soul of Sicily.
Sicily, the Mediterranean’s largest island, boasts some of
Italy’s most pristine countryside, important archeological
sites, stunning nature reserves and parks. You learn all about
the fascinating history of this island, where Africa meets
Europe, where eastern and western civilization began to mingle
centuries ago and where the Ancient Greeks worshipped the gods
and built great temples and theaters. Your itinerary begins with
exploring small, ancient villages rich in Sicilian tradition
that is rooted in 3000 years of mixed and layered civilizations,
from the Bronze Age to the Greek and Romans to Arabian traces
still found in recipes, to the Spanish baroque-style towns of
Noto, Ragusa Ibla and Modica.
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Included
in the Program: |
- Seven nights
accommodations at a three-star hotel
- All land transportation
- Daily breakfast
- Six lunches or dinners,
wine included
- Two hands-on cooking
lessons
- One cooking demonstration
- All tastings as per
itinerary
- All excursions, museum
fees and walking tours
- All visits to local
markets, food shops and vineyards
- Taxes
- Arrival transfers from
Catania airport around 2:00 p.m.
- Return transfer to Catania
airport around 9:00 a.m.
Please note: The program
may be altered slightly due to weather and opening and closing
time of establishments.
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Tour
Itinerary |
Day One - Saturday
Arrive in the late afternoon where you are welcomed with an
aperitivo in the traditional palmento (a place where grapes were
once stored before wine making). Settle into your accommodations
(you are able to upgrade to the superior room, featured on the
left). Time for your welcome dinner — filled with local
specialties, accompanied by red wine.
Day Two - Sunday
After a relaxing breakfast, head to the archeological area of
Noto Antica to discover the history of this corner of the
island. After lunch, indulge in a professional dessert tasting
and lecture led by a world famous pastry master. Discuss and
taste gelato, granita and dolci Siciliani. Return to the hotel;
you have the option to enjoy dinner prepared by Chef Giuseppe at
the hotel or on your own.
Day Three - Monday
After breakfast, depart for the Sicilian countryside to visit a
small, yet important town filled with history of the contadino
(farmer). Enjoy a Sicilian lunch prepared by one of the area’s
most talented young chefs, who is a genius at finding the
perfect balance between the traditional and the modern in his
menu. Taste and learn about rare ingredients from the mountains
of Sicily during an interesting discussion between Renée and the
chef. Stop at an archaeological site before your evening dinner
at a typical Sicilian pizzeria. Return to hotel and overnight.
Day Four - Tuesday
Breakfast is enjoyed overlooking the countryside. Depart for a
visit to the ancient town of Ragusa, famous for both its
architecture and the production of Sicily’s prized cheese,
caciocavallo ragusano. Following, enjoy a professional wine and
cheese tasting where you will learn about the regional wines and
cheeses of Sicily, observing the entire cheese making process.
In the afternoon, enjoy a hands-on cooking lesson with Sicilian
ladies whose personalities are described by one word –
peperoncino, spicy hot peppers! They make you laugh as they work
their magic with bread dough, creating true works of art for
sacred feasts characteristic only of Sicily. Learn how to make
hand-made ravioli and sfoglia di ricotta, which you will enjoy
for lunch. Following, drive to Modica to delve into its famous
chocolate and enjoy some shopping before returning to the hotel.
Dinner on your own and overnight.
Day Five - Wednesday
Breakfast. Sicilians are very improvisational in nature, and we
want you to experience Sicily their way...so this day is a
surprise! You may visit a boutique winery owned by Renée's close
friends, learn about local food production and recipes, or
indulge in a special tasting!
Day Six - Thursday
After breakfast, you have a few hours to linger in the lemon and
olive groves by the sea in the morning. Today you are invited
inside a private liberty-style villa for a special lesson about
herbs and traditional home-cooking. Visit the herb garden,
filled with fragrant lavender and thyme, and enjoy the
incredible views paired with stories and legends of this special
place, which was once the home of a Sicilian poet. After
sampling the flavors of Sicily, time at leisure until dessert is
served. Dinner on your own and overnight.
Day Seven - Friday
Following breakfast, depart for the vibrant market of Ortigia
and the beautiful city of Siracusa. You will have time to shop
for food, fashion and Sicilian crafts before lunch and a guided
visit to the archaeological park and museum.
As you explore the ancient capital town of Magna Grecia,
discover how the Greeks left their everlasting classical imprint
on the island’s culture, archeology, food and wine. Return to
the hotel for your farewell dinner party with all your new
friends. Overnight.
Day Eight - Saturday
Breakfast followed by departure. Arrivaderci!
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Dates and Rates |
2008 Price Per Person
US$3460 per person based on double occupancy
US$500 single supplement
US$300 upgrade to superior room
Please note: this program requires a US$700 per person deposit.
2008 Tour Dates
May 10-17 (Hidden Flavors of Sicily)
May 24-31 (Wild Mediterranean Herbs)
September 13–20 (Sicilian Wine Week)
October 11–18 (Sicilian Olive Harvest)
October 18–25 (Sicilian Olive Harvest)
Join a week others have booked: May 10-17.
Small private group experiences during the 2nd, 3rd and 4th week
of June.
Prices and details available upon request.
Any other date available upon request for a minimum of four. |
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