Food and Wine Grand Tour of Sicily – 10 Days
Food and Wine Introduction: Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean, just off the ‘toe’ of Italy’s boot. It’s also an island with a unique, eclectic, and rich history: Sicily was first ruled by the Phoenicians, followed by the Greeks, followed by the Romans. After the Romans came the Muslims, followed by the Normans, Muslims, Normans, Spanish, and finally, Italians. Each of them made an indelible imprint on Sicilian Culture, Gastronomy, Wine and Olive Oil. Sicily represents the set of all the Mediterranean culinary traditions concentrated in a single small and amazing island!
Tour Recap
Season: all year available on request
9 nights/10 days
Palermo (3 night) Agrigento (1 night) Syracusa (3 night) Taormina (2 night)
Accommodation: Not Included. You can either book your hotel on your own, or we can help and include it in your package.
Airline Tickets: not purchased by us
Land: Palermo airport – West Side
Leave: Catania airport – East Side
Day 1 (Sunday) Palermo airport > Town
Day 2 (Monday) Monreale and Palermo Street Food Walking Tour
Day 3 (Tuesday) Palermo > Marsala Winery, Lunch and Erice > Palermo
Day 4 (Wednesday) Palermo > Countryside Cooking Class and Meal Experience > Agrigento
Day 5 (Thursday) Agrigento, Winery, Olive Oil and Lunch > Syracusa
Day 6 (Friday) Syracusa Half Day Walking Tour. PM relax in Syracusa
Day 7 (Saturday) Relax in Syracusa or Optional Day Tour
Day 8 (Sunday) Syracusa > Modica Chocolate Tasting, Ragusa Ibla and Lunch > Taormina
Day 9 (Monday) Taormina > Etna Volcano, Winery and Lunch by WD4X4 Land Rover > Taormina
Day 10 (Tuesday) Taormina > Catania airport
DIFFERENT WEEK TRAVEL DATES: are available on request and subject to open/close of wineries, olive oil and availability of our partners
LEGEND AND IMPORTANT INFORMATION
TOUR DETAILS & BOOKING INFORMATION
TOUR CODE: GRAND10
- Grade
- Days10
- Nights9
- CategoryMulti Days
- Tour TypePrivate Tour
- SeasonAll Year
- AvailabilityOn Request
- AccommodationNot Included
- Airline TicketsNot Purchased by us
to visit the Dome (admission fee included), a wonderful example of the Arab-Norman art and architecture. Founded in 1174 by William II, the Dome represents scenes from the Old and New Testaments all in golden mosaics.
we will have the opportunity to observe local people in their daily activities and to savor foods that a real Sicilian people love to eat! Tasting of typical street food is included. The walking tour through the ancient center of Palermo is around 3-4 hours, and we will visit several monuments including Piazza Pretoria, the Four Corners and a short visit to the Cathedral.
Today meet the driver at hotel. Then we travel to Marsala region along the Salt Way Road. While travelling we will be fascinated by this unusual landscape: panels of mirror-like water, held by thin strips of earth and white windmills. In Summer now as then in some areas between Trapani and Marsala it is possible to admire piles of salt just harvested.
Almond marzipan
Upon arrival we meet the country-chef, wash our hands and, 
Today guided visit of the finest of all ancient Greek sites (Admission fee: included), the whole Doric Temples, one of Sicily’s most famous historical attractions. This is one of the most outstanding examples of Greater Greece art and architecture, and is one of the main attractions of Sicily as well as a national monument of Italy. The area was included in the 
through the streets of Ortygia Island, the heart of the city center, to visit the Dome (admission fee included). This delightful pedestrian square is home to the wonderful Cathedral built on the site of an ancient Temple of Athena, as can clearly be seen from the original Doric columns that were incorporated into the building’s main structure. Later to the colorful daily Street Market, which sells a fantastic array of fruit, vegetables, fish and meat.
dog hurriedly through the forest as he sniffs about and experience the surge of excitement as he starts digging for these edible treasures. Once some truffles have been found, you will be treated with a delightful meal that incorporates the fresh truffle you just discovered along with a wine tasting of local area wines. 
A full day experience with the visit of an authentic Sicilian farm, cheese tasting, traditional food tasting – olive oil, cheese, sun dried tomatoes – and a typical Sicilian lunch, followed by the visit of a local winery and wine tasting, ended by a sunset walk in an amazing fishermen village.
Today departure for Modica. Like the other towns in the Val di Noto, it was badly damaged by the 1693 earthquake and largely rebuilt in Sicilian Baroque style. Palazzi and houses rise from the bottom of the gorge seemingly stacked one on top of the other. Magnificent churches, with their inspiring domes, bell towers and intricate facades, punctuate the red-tiled roofs and one is struck by the uniform beauty of the whole. Modica is also famous because it is the custodian of a 400-year tradition of Sicilian chocolate-making. 
This afternoon we then visit Ragusa Ibla: Ragusa has caused many a visitor’s jaw to drop as they first set eyes on the lower part of the town. Essentially Baroque, the Ragusa you will see today dates almost entirely from 1693. Indeed, it was in this year that Ragusa was razed to the ground by a terrible earthquake that hit most of the eastern side of Sicily. Public opinion on where to rebuild the town was divided, and so a compromise was made. The wealthier, more aristocratic citizens built a new town in a different site, now Ragusa “Superiore”, while the other half of the population decided to rebuild on the original site, now Ragusa Ibla. While the upper part has its fair share of architectural delights, it is the smaller Ragusa Ibla down below that really draws visitors.
The Alcantara’s vertical cliffs reach 30 meters in height and its structures have been forged by high intensity geological and geothermal events. In prehistoric times, a river flowed here over clay sediments until a massive volcanic eruption channeled magma into the river bed forming the current canyons.
Traveling through one of the wine roads of Sicily and crossing large expanses of vineyards (Etna D.O.C.), we will arrive at a local winery. This is the ideal place to enjoy relaxing moments surrounded by nature while sampling a lunch and excellent wines.
