Stirring Sicily: Cooking in Sicily 2024 (Tour 2)

Palermo, PA, Italy

ES
14 reviews
Sep 11 - 18, 2024
Group size: 1 - 12
Stirring Sicily: Cooking in Sicily 2024 (Tour 2)
Palermo, PA, Italy

14 reviews

Sep 11 - 18, 2024
Group size: 1 - 12

About this trip

Delight in hands-on cooking classes, wine tastings of Sicily’s outstanding vintages, and interaction with locals. You’ll learn time-tested recipes of traditional Sicilian dishes while relishing the beauty and enchantment of central and western Sicily’s UNESCO sites and hidden communities. We’ll savor moments in Palermo’s vibrant markets, among the trees at an organic olive farm, with singing sheep at a family-run dairy (mmm… fresh ricotta!), and by getting our hands in the dough with home-schooled mammas and trained chefs. Co-hosted by chef Antonino Elia of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, you’ll be entertained while having the peace of mind that we’ve taken care of all the details.


Ask us about our Eastern Sicily prelude tour! 

Stirring Sicily Highlights

  • Delight in hands-on cooking classes of time-tested Sicilian dishes with home-schooled mammas and trained chefs
  • Drink in the winemaking process among the vines at a sun-kissed vineyard in the Alcamo wine region
  • Be enchanted by UNESCO sites Valley of the Temples and Palermo’s Arab-Norman patrimony
  • Feel the wind in your hair on the Tyrrhenian Sea during a breathtaking boat excursion
  • Sing with the fish mongers’ choruses heard in Palermo’s vibrant markets
  • Savor the ambrosia of a family-run sheep farm and barbecue freshly made sausage in the forest
  • Laugh with the locals of Western Sicily and your fellow travelers
  • Enjoy peace of mind because we’ve taken care of all the details

What's Included?

Land only. 

8 days, 7 nights. 

Includes everything but one dinner (Includes seven breakfasts, six lunches, and six dinners.).

Eastern Sicily Prelude

Email allisonscola@experiencesicily.com to express your interest in adding the Eastern Sicily Prelude to your package!


*more details to be added soon*

Available Packages

Double Occupancy
Deposit:$1,000
Available until August 12, 2024Sold Out

Early Registration Incentive Pricing! Pay in-full by February 15, 2024 and receive $300/person off the cost of your tour. Use code STIRRINGEARLY300 to apply your discount.

$4,325
Deposit:$1,000
Single Occupancy
Deposit:$1,000
Available until August 12, 2024Sold Out

Early Registration Incentive Pricing! Pay in-full by February 15, 2024 and receive $300/person off the cost of your tour. Use code STIRRINGEARLY300 to apply your discount.

$4,825
Deposit:$1,000

Available options

Eastern Sicily Prelude(Double Occupancy)
$1,995

5 days, 4 nights. Includes everything but four breakfasts, four lunches and one dinner.

Eastern Sicily Prelude(Single Occupancy)
$2,345

5 days, 4 nights. Includes everything but four breakfasts, four lunches and one dinner.



Your Organizer


ES
Experience Sicily
14 reviews
Experience Sicily is a boutique tour operator based in the United States with an office in Palermo, Sicily. Together with her Sicilian cousins and deep network of local contacts, Owner and Curator Allison Scola specializes in experiential travel in Sicily through leading small-group tours of Sicily and custom Sicily itinerary planning. Sicily is our passion. We want to share it with you. Let’s Experience Sicily together!

Reviews

Experience Sicily! We are home now, adjusted to our local time zone, with time to reflect and appreciate the wonderful time we had in Sicily! The entire Experience Sicily team is extremely customer oriented, very responsive and exceptionally knowledgeable. Allison Scola, who is an amazing individual, adds an unprecedented passion and excitement to this incredibly talented and dedicated team. The entire Experience Sicily team is wonderful! They understand the vacation industry. Trip pre-planning activities are well documented, coordinated and communicated. Once we arrived in Sicily the local team was equally organized! These two weeks we just spent in Sicily, were some of the best vacation days we’ve had! The entire ES team delivered a wonderful customer experience. On our tour we saw many wonderful things; Including UNESCO sites, archaeological parks, ancient theaters, valley of the temples, museums, churches, and cathedrals! Excursions were lead by certified professional tour guides. Their knowledge and expertise helped us understand and appreciate what we were seeing and learning. We had the privilege of meeting and traveling with world-class chefs and wine experts. We were treated to the best gelato ever! We participated in several cooking classes! We learned how to make different kinds of pasta, caponata, sausage, panelle, and of course Arancini. In Ortigia and Palermo, we walked through the open markets. Fresh fish, fresh meats, fresh vegetables, fresh fruit, fresh breads, fresh pastries, fresh everything!! Vendors chanting and competing for your attention… hard to describe, easy to enjoy! For sure, Sicily has the best cannoli in the world and fortunately for us we found a couple pasticcerias where we treated ourselves! We visited a working sheep farm where they were making fresh ricotta. We actually tasted some of the fresh ricotta curd. What a treat! We stopped at a local butcher shop and to make fresh sausage, we bought homemade salami, chess, and then headed off for lunch. Our hosts, Giuseppe and Valeria, treated us to an unbelievable Barbecue-Picnic lunch in the mountains. A trip to Trapani to visit the salt flats included a walk through the salt beds with a view into some of the ancient technology (Archimedes screw) that was used to move water from one flat to another. We took a boat excursion on the Tyrrhenian Sea where we were able to jump into the sea to enjoy the cool refreshing waters. Hiking on Mount Etna, visiting wineries… On our winery tours we experienced the entire process of how fresh grapes are turned into wine. We tasted wine drawn from the cask. We bottled, corked, and labeled our own bottles. Eating in amazing trattorias, enjoying passeggiata, learning the differences between Buongiorno, Buonasera, and Buona note! With love and appreciation, Grace & Andy DeMore
By Andrew D for Stirring Sicily: Cooking in Sicily 2024 (Tour 1) on Sep 07, 2024
If you want to see , feel and taste Sicily…. You must go with Experience Sicily. Alison Scola’s knowledge of the history, culture and charm of Sicily is a joyous journey. You will love every moment you spend with her! Thank you for the best and most informative vacation experience 💕👏👏
By Cheryl S for Stirring Sicily: Cooking in Sicily 2024 (Tour 1) on Sep 06, 2024
Experience Sicily's Enchanting Sicily 2024 tour was one of the most delightful vacations my wife and I have ever had. Every day we experienced something new. We marveled at the beauty and diversity of Sicily. Our tour leader Allison attended to every detail. The tour bus driver was not only an excellent driver, but also warm, personable, and fun-loving with us. Every hotel was comfortable and well-located, with friendly, responsive, helpful staff. The various activities and the tour guides who led us through them were engaging and knowledgeable. Their enthusiasm for what they were sharing about the site, museum, place, art, music, food, or wine greatly enhanced the experience. We especially appreciated the visits to out-of-the way places, to take in life in the countryside or enjoy one of the best cannoli on the island. We will be forever grateful to Allison, for joyfully sharing her love of Sicily and inviting us to discover its fascinating history, amazing beauty, and wonderful people through her discerning, playful eyes. We are excited about returning to Sicily and will look to Experience Sicily to plan our future visits.
By Peter M for Enchanting Sicily 2024 on Jun 23, 2024
The trip of a lifetime! Siciliy is so beautiful with centuries of a multi-cultural history and of course amazing food everywhere. Being on an escorted tour made the planning so simple and so perfect. You need local detailed knowledge to know where to go, when to go and how to get there. When someone else is driving we have the opportunity to stare out the window and enjoy the countryside. As one who has often planned trips and events, I so enjoyed giving up that responsibility and letting Allison and her team steer the ship. Every detail is thoroughly thought out including restroom breaks on travel days, luggage handling, meal planning and hiring local English-speaking guides almost every single day. The accommodations were all perfectly situated so we could enjoy the town we were in. The few meals on our own were all in easy walking distance from the hotel. I also enjoyed the variety of activities from ritual bread making, to walking on an active volcano, to seeing an Ancient Greek play in an ancient Greek theater, to a disco dance party on a boat! We toured museums, churches, stopped for scenic overlooks, tasted fresh sheep milk cheeses and enjoyed amazing cannoli too! I cannot recommend this enough!!! Allison is the best!
By Philip C for Enchanting Sicily 2024 on Jun 19, 2024
"Enchanting Sicily: A Journey Through Time and Culture" ★★★★★ My experience with Enchanting Sicily's 14-day, 13-night tour was nothing short of extraordinary. From the moment I arrived in the picturesque town of Taormina for the optional pre-tour stay, I knew I was in for a treat. The breathtaking views of the Mediterranean Sea combined with the charm of the cobblestone streets set the perfect tone for what was to come. Throughout the tour, I was taken on a captivating journey through Sicily's rich history and vibrant culture. The itinerary was thoughtfully curated to include off-the-beaten-path towns, allowing me to truly immerse myself in the local way of life. Interacting with locals provided invaluable insights into Sicilian traditions and customs, making each encounter a memorable experience. One of the highlights was attending a world-class performance of a classic Greek play in Siracusa's Ancient Greek theater. The combination of ancient architecture and timeless storytelling created a truly magical atmosphere that I will never forget. The accommodations were top-notch, ranging from 4-star hotels to characteristic inns, each offering its own unique charm. And let's not forget the food! Dining at family-run trattorias introduced me to Sicily's diverse culinary scene, where every meal was a delightful journey of flavors and aromas. Overall, Enchanting Sicily exceeded all my expectations. With its authentic experiences, vibrant flavors, and enchanting melodies, this tour truly captured the essence of Sicily's 3,000 years of human history. I highly recommend it to anyone seeking a truly unforgettable travel experience.
By Michael G for Enchanting Sicily 2024 on Jun 11, 2024
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