| Discover mountain & sea cuisine in 3 cooking lessons with 3 chefs, wines, laugh with many warm, fun Sicilians, enjoy exotic, very beautiful nature in Mount Etna, Taormina & Aeolian Island, Stromboli. |
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| Price from 2375 EUR /person |
| Phone: 1-800-557-0370 PST |
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Day 1 - Arrive in Catania airport. Private transport to the modern, four star Hotel Capo dei Greci, about 12 km from Taormina, set high above the sea with a wonderful sea views.
Drive to a hill town, Forza d'Agro, where the movie, The Godfather was partly shot, to enjoy our welcome dinner at a lively and very good seafood restaurant where the plates just keep coming and coming. (included)
| Day 2 - Leave Hotel Capo dei Greci at about 6:00 a.m. to catch the 8:30 boat in Milazzo to get to the island of Stromboli by lunch time. Three hour boat trip among the Aeolian Islands off the north east coast of Sicily.
Stromboli is the last island and has an active volcano. It is small and incredibly beautiful and picturesque with black sand, white buildings with hidden courtyards in a style like southern Spain or north Africa and gardens full of flowers. The hills are green, black and gold falling to crystal clear blue sea.
Check into 3 star Hotel Villaggio Stromboli right on the beach.
Light lunch on your own in Stromboli (not included). Free time to walk and explore.
4:00 Full menu cooking class on simple island plates with Chef Bartolo or Maria, the mother of the family owners at B & B Villa Petrusa, a pretty, down to earth property surrounded by gardens.
7:30 Dinner of your creations.
| Day 3 - Two hour excursion around the island with one hour stop to walk in hamlet of Ginostra with 27 residents. They got electricity only two years ago. Boat takes you close to the Sciara del Fuoco, the hillside where the volcanic fire and rocks run down from the crater to the sea. Very interesting and scenic!
OR if you wish
Free time in the morning in Stromboli to go to the beach, shop, or just hang out in the piazza high up with a view of the harbour and neighbourhoods.
Lunch on your own (not included).
4:00 or so. Start hike up Stromboli in the light to a restaurant to see the volcano spouting his fire into the sky as darkness falls. You can choose one of three levels walks or hikes or you can go up later to the restaurant in a taxi.
The restaurant is perched above the sea with a perfect view up of the volcano and the sea below. At sunset time, watch the sky turn pink and orange over the blue sea. When it gets dark, marvel at volcano's fireworks, the colourful fire it spurts high into the air. A spectacular experience!
We walk 30 minutes down a stone road in the dark using our flash lights and through the town which has no lights to our B & B. Or take a taxi down.
| Day 4 - Leave Stromboli on the boat for nearby island of Salina. Drive to Hauner winery, famous for Malvasia for visit and tasting.
Driving tour around the Salina and lunch in a local restaurant (lunch not included).
Take the boat from Salina back to Sicily mainland. Private transport in minivan to your modern lovely, 3 star villa hotel, Hotel Villa Schuler in Taormina, set on the hillside with a spectacular view of Mount Etna and the sea. It has gardens full of flowers, a scenic terrace and about 30 rooms, which are modern but tastefully furnished.
Dinner at a restaurant in Giardini Naxos on the sea with great seafood, sea views and a lively atmosphere. (included)
| Day 5 - Visit Taormina including Greek theatre with an entertaining, informative local guide and story teller for about 1 1/2hours. Free time for shopping.
Lunch on your own (not included) perhaps at a nice wine bar near Villa Schuler.
3:00 p.m. Drive to seaside town near Taormina to a restaurant at the beach that specializes in seafood for a full menu cooking class on seafood and fish like marinated seafood appetizers, risotto di pesce,involtini of swordfish.
Walk on the beach after the class and dinner of your creations with good local wines. Music and dancing too!
| Day 6 - Walk/hike on the north side of Mount Etna. The walk/hike we do depends on how long and how difficult a hike you'd like. There are options for all levels of walking.
Light lunch of cheeses, olives, salamis and a variety of antipasti at a cosy mountain restaurant with rustic wood panelling and a fireplace. (included)
Visit a winery for a tour and tasting of their Etna wines.
Drive to Etna foot hills town of Linguaglossa (pop. 5000) to see a local town, visit with our tour partner, Lara who tells you about the 2002 eruption and her family's experiences.
Optional if time: sample local almond pastries at a pasticceria. (not included)
4:00 p.m. Full menu cooking class on mountain cuisine with the effervescent, very hospitable and informative Signor Pippo and Chef Gaetano at their nicely restored restaurant on a hillside in the Etna area. Sample dishes: peperonata, breaded mushrooms, pasta alla Norma, involtini (rolls) stuffed with vegetables, chick pea soup, semifreddo with local pistacchio nuts.
Dinner of your creations with good local wines.
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| PHOTOS (click on the thumbnail to open a bigger version) |
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| Duration:
6 days - Starts at:
N/A - Finishes at: N/A |
| Payment Types:
Credit Cards |
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| Inclusions: |
- 6 nights hotel accommodation with breakfast
- 3 full menu cooking lessons with 3 chefs
- 2 wine tastings
- all transport land and sea
- local guide & a local driver
- all meals except as noted below
- 2 guided walks/hikes & Taormina walking tour
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| Exclusions: |
- 4 lunches
- 1 dinner
- wines with meals
- pastry tasting
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This is a Sicilian cultural immersion adventure with a food focus! You'll meet so many warm, fun local people and laugh and laugh!
2008 Dates
May 23-29
May 31-June 6
Sept 20-26
Oct 4-10 Special Wine Festival and Harvest Tour!
Or by request for 4 people or more--If these dates don't suit you, please ask us for dates you like. Subject to hotel rooms being available.
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