There is no better time to eat in Sicily than Holy Week. From Palm Sunday to Holy Saturday, the island’s deepest culinary traditions surface all at once. Designed for travelers of any faith or none at all, this journey moves from the wild northwest coast through the vineyards of Marsala and the wheat fields of Selinunte, arriving in Trapani and Erice at exactly the right moment—to taste these traditions at their most alive, in the week Sicily saves them for.
There is no better time to eat in Sicily than Holy Week. From Palm Sunday to Holy Saturday, the island’s deepest culinary traditions surface all at once: pastry shops fill with marzipan lambs and centuries-old convent sweets; fishing villages observe the ancient fast with extraordinary cucina di magro; the streets of Trapani fill with the Processione dei Misteri, a 24-hour Good Friday procession dating to the 1600s.
Designed for travelers of any faith or none at all, this journey moves from the wild northwest coast through the vineyards of Marsala and the wheat fields of Selinunte, arriving in Trapani and Erice at exactly the right moment—to taste these traditions at their most alive, in the week Sicily saves them for. Light activity level. Meat-centric itinerary.
Breakfast at the hotel—Palm Sunday morning in Sicily, when the pastry shops begin filling with agnello di pasta reale, the marzipan lambs that are among the island’s most iconic Easter sweets
Cheeseand ricotta experience with the Spera family, multigenerational farmers at Balzo Rosso, whose extraordinary sheep dairy is the foundation of the region’s legendary cannoli
Lunch with the Spera family at Balzo Rosso, with breathtaking views of the Aeolian Sea
Return to the hotel for a languorous afternoon on the coast
Via Sebastiano Cammareri Scurti, 16, 91025 Marsala TP, Italy
+39 0923 020487
Wake up and begin to mimic Sicilian rhythms of life: a good slow breakfast; a short, dark espresso; good conversation and much relaxation
Transfer to Erice—the cloud-draped medieval hilltop town above Trapani, where the convent pastry tradition is inseparable from the Easter calendar: almond sweets, marzipan sculptures, and the genovesi that have been made by the town’s nuns for centuries
A morning among the Holy Week confections and dolci di riposto of Erice’s pastry shops, many still following the recipes of Maria Grammatico, who learned to make them as a young girl living in the convent
Private transfer to Marsala, where we check in at the elegant Dome Hotel
Welcome aperitivo on the hotel rooftop overlooking the old town
Dinner in a private villa with Marsala wine pairings
Via Sebastiano Cammareri Scurti, 16, 91025 Marsala
+39 0923 020487
A full day at the Saline Ettore Infersa—among Sicily’s oldest salt pans, where the centuries-old practice of harvesting sea salt still unfolds between pink-tinged lagoons and ancient windmills
Via Sebastiano Cammareri Scurti, 16, 91025 Marsala
+39 0923 020487
Breakfast at the hotel—Good Friday morning, when Sicily’s Holy Week reaches its peak
Relaxed morning in magnificent Marsala
Couscous lunch in Trapani—where the Arab-Norman heritage lives on every plate, and where Good Friday has a singular meaning
Witness the opening of the breathtaking Processione dei Misteri—Trapani’s 24-hour Good Friday procession, one of the oldest and most moving in all of Italy, in which 20 sculpted wooden groups depicting the Passion are carried through the streets by the city’s ancient confraternities
Extraordinary finale dinner overlooking the procession route
Day
8
Arrivederci
March 29 · Monday
One last great Sicilian breakfast
Private transport to the airport or wherever your journey continues
Arrivederci!
What’s Included
All breakfasts, lunches, and dinners, as well as snacks and beverages between meals
All accommodations and transportation during the trip (except when taking a taxi or ride app independently during unscheduled time)
Expertise and services of our experienced trip leaders: at least one guide and one host per trip
Additional guides and experts from the region
Transfers to and from the airport or wherever you are on the day the trip starts and ends
Daily Roads & Kingdoms gifts, notes, and playlists related to the themes, activities and narratives of each trip
All gratuities for accommodations, meals, guiding or transport
What’s Not Included
International airfare to and from the journey (note: some trips begin and end at different airports)
Personal bar tabs (when not with the group)
Personal laundry or spa services
Personal travel insurance
Meet Our Hosts
Local Guide
Eugenio Signoroni
Celebrated Food Writer
There may not be a single person in all of the Republic better qualified to know what to eat, at what time of year, and with whom, than Eugenio Signoroni. After a long editorial career at the iconic Slow Food, he branched out to write prolifically on Italian food culture in all parts of the boot. The former editor of the authoritative Osteria d’Italia guide, he is the host of Lievito Madre, one of Italy’s top food podcasts. A perfect guide for this journey.
R&K Host
Gonzalo Gil Lavedra
Scout, Poet, Gourmand
We first met Gonzalo Gil Lavedra in the smoky courtyard behind a family’s butcher shop in the meat-obsessed pueblo of Temozón, Yucatán. Referred to us by Noma chef René Redzepi, Gonzalo had sweet-talked the family into taking us all behind the scenes of some of the best smoked meat in Mexico. His unassuming charm, curiosity, and ability to talk his way into and out of just about anything have made him a perfect addition to the League of Travelers and an ideal host for this journey on the island he now calls home.
Where You’ll Stay
Tonnara di Scopello
Living History
Few places in Sicily carry more atmosphere than the Tonnara di Scopello—a centuries-old tuna fishery carved into the cliffs above one of the island’s most dramatic coastlines. The stacks of volcanic rock rising from the sea, the whitewashed courtyards, the rooms that once housed the tonnara’s workers: this is Sicily before the postcards. A singular base for our opening days on the island.
Dome Hotel
A View to Remember
Overlooking the iconic baroque domes of Marsala’s historic center, Dome Hotel is an elegant boutique property with 15 individually designed guest rooms that reflect the beauty of their surroundings. Dome boasts natural materials, top-notch amenities, and exceptional attention to detail. But the real draw here is the rooftop and its panoramic views over magnificent Marsala.
This trip exceeded anything I could have imagined. Food and sights were incredible. Our hosts were next level.
Matt P.
La Vita Siciliana 2023
I did not anticipate the extent of our exceptionally curated tastings, the cultural authenticity and immersion of experiences.
Carrie M.
La Vita Siciliana 2023
The personalities—their commitment to serve us like hosts, hang out with us like friends… I had an absolute blast.
The heel of the boot has mainland Italy’s longest coastline, white-sand beaches, winds from the Sahara desert—and the perfect climate for its centuries-old olive groves. Puglia’s rich agricultural legacy includes the fairytale stone villages of the Valle d’Itria and a hearty cuisine that gave the world burrata and orecchiette. Spend some time in Puglia’s laid-back embrace.
Tuna hauled fresh from the sea. Cheesemaking that has no equal in Europe. Crystalline waters, lighthouse hotels, beautiful traditions from south to north on the island. Leading this culinary adventure is the celebrated food writer Eugenio Signoroni, promising a journey as rich in narrative as it is in flavor.
