Discover Western Sicily

Our first two nights are spent in Palermo, which is over 2,700 years old and surely worth discovering with a local guide over an informative walk through the historic center.

Palermo exemplifies the mosaic of cultures that have come to shape the island, and among the sites we visit here are the open-air food markets and the UNESCO Arab-Norman churches, dating to the twelfth-century and representing a blend of Western, Islamic and Byzantine architecture and ornamentation. They are a testament to how different cultures inhabiting Sicily managed to coexist peacefully. 

We top our stay here with a live performance to the local puppet theater, inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity, in addition to the Mediterranean Diet to be enjoyed during our dinners in restaurants featured in the Slow Food Osterie di Italia guidebook.

Our tour continues with a transfer near Trapani and our home for the next two nights is a hotel next to the museum of salt. Here, we learn how three generations have harvested the salt by hand. The World Wildlife Fund manages this land; it’s a wonderful example of nature and industry sharing the land harmoniously.

We’ll also ferry to Favignana to visit a tuna fishery, the town and enjoy a hike in this beautiful area. Other highlights here include a visit to Trapani with a cous cous cooking demo before dinner and a stroll in the cliff-perched hamlet of Erice topped with delicious samples from a local pastry shop.

For cheese lovers, on these days we also feature a cheese maker not only making pecorino (sheep milk cheese) but also ricotta and the Slow Food Presidium of Vastedda del Belice (the only spun curd made with sheep milk–it’s usually made with cow milk for the famous “mozzarella”).  

From Trapani, we continue on to Marsala for a walk in town and visit the museum of Marsala wine. Our accommodation for the next two nights is at a country resort near Agrigento, where we can enjoy a tasting and learn about the producers over a yummy 0-km ingredient dinner. Surrounded by vines and twittering birds, bask in the fresh air and sunny open countryside.

We’ll make a day trip from here to Agrigento, to visit the UNESCO site of Valley of Greek Temples and lunch will be at Diodoros, where we sample locally-produced delicacies such as housemade pasta, olive oil, capers, bread, and wine over a delicious meal. Fabio, the manager is one of the visionaries of this quite recent project helping to lift up the local soil that is quite fertile but was ignored for decades because of the UNESCO site of the Greek temples: 

On these days, it is also possible to stop at the Staircase of the Turks, a coast rock formation resembling an enormous staircase. Legend tells that Saracen pirates (mistook, or misremembered, as Turks) scaled it in order to attack the region. Save some appetite for our final dinner and let’s celebrate sharing our great memories of an unforgettable tour in western Sicily.

At 8am we offer one 2-hours group transfer to Catania airport. Should you have more time, please join us on a post-tour extension to the UNESCO site of the Aeolian Islands.

DATES (2 nights following our Sicily Tour)    
For more info, dates and availability please contact us.

TOUR PRICE 
Per person in double occupancy: from $1090

Single Supplement: from $190

For travel in 2021 and beyond, your tour is carbon neutral! In addition, we donate more than 1% of your trip price to food-literacy and environmental non-profits that share our values. (Details here)

The Aeolian Islands draw their name from Greek mythology and Aeolus, God of the Winds. Today, just two of the seven islands of this volcanic archipelago still experience eruptions: Stromboli and the aptly named Vulcano. In 2000, the Aeolian Islands earned UNESCO status.

Your two-day extension begins with a transfer to Milazzo port to catch your ferry and start the exploration of the island of Lipari where our hotel is based. Enjoy lunch on your own in a romantic little piazza before checking in at your hotel.

In the afternoon feel free to join us for a hike, affording breathtaking sea views of the caldera of the nearby Vulcano island. Dinner tonight will be in a restaurant offering typical Aeolian recipes.

Start with a morning ferry ride from Lipari to the island of Salina. The tiny, charming village where we disembark is worth a look around. From here, we head inland for a hike to admire the views. If the landscape seems familiar it may be because it was featured in the film “Il Postino” that was filmed here!

One of the highlights today will be lunch featuring locally-made products, including caponata (a kind of sweet and sour cold salad of eggplants, celery, bell peppers, capers, and olives), fresh oregano, cucunci and capers (the fruit and the flower of the plant, respectively, both cured in salt), pasta and other delicacies, all served with Malvasia wine. Capers are a Slow Food Presidium, a local initiative to protect a unique food that was at risk of extinction. 

After our ferry back to Lipari, we’ll share a second dinner to commemorate our delicious experience visiting and tasting this enchanting corner of Italy, the heart of the Mediterranean!

On your last day, you have a ferry ride back to Milazzo and then we offer one 2-hour group transfer to Catania Fontanarossa airport to catch your next connection. Buon viaggio! (Safe travels!)