8 days
Gourmet Sicily

Day 1: Palermo

Upon your arrival in the Palermo Airport you will be welcomed by your driver. You will be privately transferred to Palermo City where you will check-in at a charming four-star hotel. This evening you will enjoy a relaxed dinner at the hotel.

After dinner, a sightseeing tour of "Palermo by Night" will be arranged for you, after which you will return to the hotel for the night.

4-Star hotel: Residenza d’Aragona
(Or similar star rating hotel)

Day 2: Segesta Cooking Lesson, Wine Tasting & Erice

After breakfast this morning you will depart with your driver/guide for Segesta - an ancient village in the Western part of Sicily - for a visit to its magnificent Greek Theatre and Doric Temple, both masterpieces of Greek architecture in Sicily.

You will then transfer to Baglio for a cooking lesson. Baglio is an 18th century country villa recently restored and converted into a charming and exclusive little hotel surrounded by palm trees, olive trees and vineyards. The chef at Baglio will lead a lesson in the preparation of some of the typical recipes representative of the local culinary traditions of the province of Trapani. You will be introduced to dishes such as "Cous Cous alla Trapanese" and "Sarde Beccafico". All participants will have an opportunity to help in the preparation of the dishes, which you can enjoy for lunch.

After lunch, you will visit a famous winery, Cantine Pellegrino, where guests will enjoy a wine tasting. Learn about local production of Marsala Wine, a sweet, Sicilian wine, exclusively bottled in this unique landscape of Western Sicily.

Continue to the nearby medieval town of Erice for a walking visit of its characteristic historical center located at the mountain top at 751m above sea level. The city affords a panoramic view overlooking the entire western region, the Mediterranean Sea and the Egadi Islands in the distance.

Return to your hotel in Palermo at the end of the day.

Day 3: Agrigento & Piazza Armerina

After check-out this morning, you will depart with your driver/guide to Agrigento to see the beautiful Valley of the Temples, one of the most important archaeological sites of Greek civilization in the Mediterranean area. You will enjoy lunch on your own in Agrigento.

In the afternoon you will continue to Piazza Armerina, a small town in the south-central part of the island where you will visit the Villa Romana del Casale: a Roman country villa of the 3rd century famous for its precious mosaics. You will then be transferred to your accommodations at a charming Farmhouse between Piazza Armerina and Caltagirone. After check-in, you will have some time to rest before a typical dinner of local dishes in the characteristic restaurant room of the farm.

4-Star Hotel: Farm House - Valle dei Margi
(Or similar star rating hotel)

Day 4: Siracusa - Taormina

After breakfast at the farmhouse this morning, your driver/guide will take you to Siracusa, which was one of the more powerful cities on the island during the Greek Age. You will walk through the historical center on Ortigia Island to admire the Cathedral, the Arethusa Fountain and the ancient streets, and have some free time for shopping and lunch on your own.

In the afternoon, your driver/guide will transfer you to Taormina, where you will check-in to your hotel and spend the balance of the day at leisure.

You may enjoy a walk through the historical center of this beautiful town, famous for its Greek-Roman Amphitheatre and its enchanting view of the Ionic Sea and Mount Etna. Enjoy dinner on your own or in one of the local restaurants.

4-Star Hotel: Hotel Villa Riis
(Or similar star rating hotel)