sicily

A Different Italy



	Spring 2008– Sicily: A Different Italy
	May 2 –10/ $5,370 (single), $4,995 (double)

	Fall 2008– Sicily: A Different Italy
	October 23–31/ $5,370 (single), $4,995 (double)
	All prices are per person.

	TRAVEL INFORMATION (transportation, lodging, weather, etc.)

Prices include: accommodations, three meals per day, all cooking instruction, tours, tastings, and ground transportation during the program. Airfare is not included. Please inquire about rates for spouses and guests who choose not to participate. Prices subject to change without notice.

In Sicily, one finds oneself in a different Italy; rough and wild with an untamed terrain. Upon entering the entroterra, one senses that the past is stronger than the present. She begins to show her many-textured dress – woven by ancient influences of the Phoenicians, Greeks, Turks, and Africans. Her rustic beauty is robust and passionate, as only a volcanic island could be.

Her fertile soil has been drenched in the Mediterranean sunlight for millennia. An agricultural oasis, Sicily's edible offerings are intensely rich in flavor. The simplest of dishes can provide the utmost gastronomic pleasure.

She opens her arms to us. Feeds us well. Smiles are found easily. We love to visit her. She treats us like family. Like welcomed guests she pulls out all the stops. Nothing is too good or too special for us to taste and enjoy. After all, this is what she has been waiting for. Us. To come and eat at her table and bathe in her hospitality.

Points of interest:

It's not what you think it's like from the movies
It's the largest region in Italy (9,923 sq. miles)
The terrain is mostly hilly
Mt. Etna is the largest active volcano in Europe
Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean
The island of Pantelleria, off the coast of Sicily is 43 miles from Tunisia.
The ancient name for Sicily is 'Trinacria', the three cornered island

Modern Sicilian character manifests itself in a curious combination of dignified reserve and exuberant hospitality. Dominated for more than 2000 years by various rulers, each succeeding culture left its mark, offering a rich gastronomic heritage. Used to innovation, Sicilians are dynamic in their approach to food. Using the best of their materia prima, they are known for creative new expression built on tradition.
Places to go, people to see:

Our excellent guide and wine expert – Cipriano de Libero – "Nello" – See www.italianwinetours.com.
Vucceria and Capo food markets
Freshly boiled octopus for a morning "pick me up."
Foccaceria Di San Francesco
The estate of Regaleali to see Anna Tasca Lanza, food historian and cook book author. She opens her noble home to us, as she teaches us with the fine flavors of her land: fresh produce, freshly produced cheeses, lamb and wild greens.
The "Valley of the Temples" of old Magna Grecia, in Agrigento.
The Altoplano Iblei. The high plains of the Iblei, with low stone walls, mura secca that are hand carved to give land boundaries to the various Masserie, as well as the black and white Modican cows that produce Ragusano cheese.
The Baroque cathedrals of Ragusa
Focaccia Ragusana
Modica, home to our favorite chocolatier, Dolceria Buonajuto.
Modica, home to the caves where we dine with our monsu, Giuseppe Luceforte. For Innocenzo's patient guidance in Felliniesque celebrations
Noto and the gelato of Café Sicilia
Siracusa and the peninsula of Otygia and her many splendid piazzas
The fish lessons of Don Camillo
The fresh market of Siracusa down by the docks
To ancient amphitheaters and mythical waterways
Antonio, who drives us everywhere
The fish market of Catania, that takes you back in time
The smoking site of Mt. Etna
Niccio's granita di café
The luxury of Taormina as the icing on the cake

A jewel rough and polished, she enriches our life with beauty, taste
and culture.

Click here to view a sample intinerary.