Ice cream for breakfast. Evening aperitivos. Leisurely late-night meals: Lean in to the rhythms of Sicilian life with an unparalleled food bounty shaped by the Mediterranean and centuries of conquest and exchange. Many of Italian cuisine’s best-loved dishes are rooted in Sicilian soil—join us for a tour of some of the best ingredients and meals Europe has to offer.
Private transfer to our hotel in Viagrande, nestled between Mt Etna and the sea
Welcome cocktails and dinner
Day
2
Veni, Vidi, Vulcano
Relais San Giuliano
Via Giuseppe Garibaldi, 280, Viagrande 95029
+39 095 989 1671
Leisurely morning, beginning to mimic Sicilian rhythms of life: a good slow breakfast; a short, dark espresso; good conversation and much relaxation.
Lunch in the tavola calda humble Sicilian eatery tradition
An afternoon with Salvo Foti, champion of indigenous grape varietals, in his vineyards in Milo. We’ll lunch and walk the volcanic terrain that makes Etna such a prized wine region.
Dinner at Quattro Archi, an legendary trattoria high on the slopes of Mt Etna, in the care of the charismatic host Saro
Day
3
Granita, the gem of Sicily
Relais San Giuliano
Via Giuseppe Garibaldi, 280, Viagrande 95029
+39 095 989 1671
A morning with Giovanna Musumeci in the village of Randazzo, a master of traditional granita—that flaky, icy, smooth confection that is one of Sicily’s best-kept secrets.
Private lunch at the Etna wine estate of Giralamo Russo with Carmelo Chiaramonte, the charismatic, effervescent Sicilian chef
There is no exceptional granita without exceptional fruit, so in the afternoon we’ll visit some of the young producers who give their products to Giovanna. Also: there will be wine.
Day
4
A day in Catania
Relais San Giuliano
Via Giuseppe Garibaldi, 280, Viagrande 95029
+39 095 989 1671
Up early to visit the brilliant, buzzing fish markets of Catania
Free time in Catania for walking and shopping
Lunch at the great Materia in Catania
An afternoon swim or siesta back at the Relais with plentiful Sicilian wines
Private masterclass at the Relais on Sicilian pasta-making
Day
5
Cheese, ricotta, cannoli
Palazzo Santamarina
Via del Celso, 21, 90134 Palermo PA, Italy
+393206829275
An indulgent breakfast, a lazy morning, a slow start toward Palermo
Piana degli Albanesi is considered the best place to eat Italy’s pastry staple, the cannolo siciliano—the secret is the extraordinary local sheep ricotta
Lunch with the Spera family, multigenerational farmers at Balzo Rosso, with breathtaking views of the Aeolian Sea and an extraordinary dairy that help make the region’s cannoli what they are
Check in at our accommodations at the newly renovated but still gorgeously ancient Palazzo Santamarina in the heart of Palermo
Dinner at a creative, modern seafood trattoria in the heart of the city
Optional after-dinner drinks in the buzzing, captivating small bars of Palermo
Day
6
The Grandeur of Palermo
Palazzo Santamarina
Via del Celso, 21, 90134 Palermo PA, Italy
+393206829275
Wake up in one of the most atmospheric port cities on earth: Palermo, a city so beautiful the Phoenicians just called it Flower.
Morning walk discovering the Ballarò and Capo markets, and the food traditions of sfincione, pane e panelle, pani ca meusa. In every bite, the soul of the city unfolds.
Marsala tasting and masterclass with the great Filippo Cosentino at CiCala
Last night dinner at Corona Trattoria, a full-throated celebration of the seafood and the culinary life of Palermo
Day
7
Departure
Palermo
One last great Sicilian breakfast
Private transfer to Palermo’s Falcone-Borsellino Airport
