Explore Sicily:

Layers of Art Food & Culture.           sold out provisional dates for 2023: 4 -14 May .. pricing TBD 

       20 - 30  November 2022

    

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               itinerary

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Sun 20 Nov arrival 

Arrive at your leisure to Palazzo Planeta in the center of Palermo. First group meeting 6 pm at Palazzo Planeta for an orientation cocktail. Walk to group welcome supper at our favorite fish restaurant.  

 

Mon 21 Nov Palermo, cooking lesson

We’ll walk through the Vuccirìa and Ballarò markets to choose ingredients for a group cooking class / supper. Pit stop at the Martorana with the most spectacular and earliest byzantine mosaics on the island. Casual group lunch and afternoon free to explore on your own or go with Elaine for an optional visit to the regional paintings gallery at Palazzo Abatellis. Evening cooking  lesson and group supper.

 

Tues 22 Nov Selinunte and Mazara

Day trip to the evocative archaeological site at ancient Selinunte: bastion on the western edge of Greek ruled Sicily with the remains of temples and civic areas on a bluff above the Mediterranean Sea. Casual lunch on the beach followed by a visit to Mazara del Vallo to explore the casbah and see the ancient Greek bronze Dancing Satyr. Evening free in Palermo.

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Wed 23 Nov Segesta, cooking lesson

Morning excursion to Segesta, an ancient  Elimian settlement on the Greek/Carthaginian border with a spectacular temple and theater with sea view. Casual lunch in the lovely piazza at Alcamo and a visit to the seaside village of Scopello for a gelato and a coffee. Evening cooking lesson and group supper at our palazzo in Palermo.

 

Thu 24 Nov to Noto via Piazza Armerina

Transfer to Noto with a stop in central Sicily for a visit with an archaeologist who is an expert on the area’s ancient remains: the most extensive ancient Roman mosaic cycle ever discovered at the Villa Romana at Casale and the artifacts now housed at the museum at Aidone including spectacular objects recently recovered from US museums. Thanksgiving supper with one of the best chefs in SE Sicily.

                        

 Fri 25 Nov Noto & Siracusa

 Morning to explore Noto with a brunch created by the most influential pastry chef in Italy. Afternoon in Ortigia, the lovely peninsula that was ancient Siracusa with archaeological sites, optional visit with Elaine to see the Basilica of Santa Lucia and Caravaggio’s Burial of St. Lucy. Evening free in Noto.

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Sat 26 Nov Modica & Scicli

In Modica, county seat during centuries of Spanish dominion, see medieval frescoes, baroque architecture and learn about and taste Aztec chocolate and traditional pastries. Lunch with a young chef in Modica and time to explore the baroque jewel that is Scicli. Evening free in Noto.

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Sun 27 Nov Palazzolo Acreide

Day trip to Palazzolo Acreide with Greek ruins, Baroque churches, a great cheesemaker, a museum of farm culture and the best arancini on the entire island, really. Evening free in Noto.  

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Mon 28 Nov Catania & Taormina

Transfer to Taormina via the amazing show of culture that is the fish market in Catania. Visit the Duomo, via Etnea and have lunch in the market.  Afternoon and evening free in Taormina.

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Tue 29 Nov Mt. Etna & Taormina

Go up onto the volcano with a naturalist, visit a winery on the northern flank and have a tasting of historic tavola calda / savory snacks and sweets. Free afternoon in Taormina and group farewell supper. 

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Wed 30 departure Taormina

Transfers to Catania Fontanarossa CTA airport can be arranged. 

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Please note that this is an initial itinerary to provide a template of what to expect.

Specific visits are subject to change depending on producer availability and as new opportunities present themselves. The people and places that we will be visiting are not

typical tourist destinations so plans may be modified  at the last minute.

We will craft the final itinerary to provide the experience as described above.

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details

Planned in collaboration with Celia Cerasoli, this is an exclusive Sicily visit for  just 10-12  travelers. In Palermo we’ll stay at a private palazzo with self-catering apartments with kitchens for group cooking lessons and suppers, you will find breakfast supplies in your apartment, there is a coffee bar on our block and one of the best pastry shops in the city is just a few minutes walk from the palazzo. In Noto and Taormina we have chosen centrally located boutique hotels. We will have a private van and driver for all ground transportation.

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total program cost per person in double hotel rooms $6,185; in single hotel rooms $7,035

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