Food and Wine Travel
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Italy — Sicily
Join Stefano in Sicily
Eleven days of Sicilian history, extraordinary food, volcanic landscapes and organic wine — hosted by celebrity cook Stefano de Pieri
Duration
11 Days / 10 Nights
Travel Style
Small Group
Starting In
Catania
Ending In
Catania
Departures
9–19 October 2027
Reference
ITCTAAVCH
Italy — Sicily
Join Stefano in Sicily
Eleven days of Sicilian history, extraordinary food, volcanic landscapes and organic wine — hosted by celebrity cook Stefano de Pieri
Duration
11 Days / 10 Nights
Travel Style
Small Group
Starting In
Catania
Ending In
Catania
Departures
9–19 October 2027
Join Stefano in Sicily — 11 Days / 10 Nights
Overview
Sicily is unlike anywhere else in Italy — a sun-baked island of Greek theatres, Baroque cities, Arab-Norman architecture and one of the world's most active volcanoes. Its food culture is just as layered: the flavours of North Africa, Spain and mainland Italy all woven into dishes that taste like they belong nowhere else on earth.
This intimate small-group journey — limited to just twelve guests — is hosted by celebrity cook Stefano de Pieri, whose warmth, curiosity and genuine passion for Italian food and culture make every meal, every visit and every conversation richer. Alongside a local Sicilian expert, Stefano guides the group through ancient ruins, organic wineries, Baroque hilltowns and a spectacular villa perched above the sea.
From a private seaside villa in Marina di Modica to the clifftop grandeur of Taormina with Mt Etna as a backdrop, this is Sicily experienced at its most personal — the places most visitors never find, the wines most visitors never taste, and the company that makes it all unforgettable.
Trip Highlights
- —Stay in an exclusive seafront villa in Marina di Modica with private pool and panoramic sea views
- —Hands-on cooking class with a professional Sicilian chef at a beautifully restored medieval fortress
- —Culinary session at the villa with Stefano — preparing and sharing a long, unhurried lunch together
- —Visit to Marabino estate, an organic and biodynamic winery, with a guided tasting of natural wines
- —Wine degustation lunch at Gambino Winery on the slopes of Mt Etna with outstanding organic wines
- —Explore the UNESCO-listed Baroque cities of Noto, Modica and Ragusa Ibla
- —Visit the archaeological sites of Siracusa including the ancient Greek Theatre and Roman Amphitheatre
- —Discover the oldest chocolate factory in Sicily and watch traditional chocolate being made
- —Guided visit to the magnificent ancient Greco-Roman theatre in Taormina with views of Mt Etna and the coast
- —25 meals included: daily breakfast, 7 lunches and 8 dinners, all with wine
Day by Day
Catania — Piazza Armerina — Marina di Modica
Your journey begins in Catania, where the group gathers before heading inland to Piazza Armerina and the extraordinary Villa del Casale. This ancient Roman villa is famous worldwide for its 3,500 square metres of intact mosaic floors — one of the most remarkable Roman sites anywhere in the world. After lunch at a rural restaurant, you travel south to your villa in Marina di Modica, where the evening begins with a welcome dinner by the sea.
Villa del Casale, Piazza Armerina
Visit this grandiose ancient Roman villa, famous for its spectacular 3,500 square metres of mosaic floors — among the finest and most complete Roman mosaics in existence.
Lunch at a rural restaurant
A relaxed lunch in the Sicilian countryside before continuing south to the coast.
Arrive Villa Maya, Marina di Modica
Check in to your exclusive seafront villa with private pool. Seven nights in this beautiful contemporary property overlooking the southern Sicilian coast.
Welcome dinner at the villa
The group gathers for the first of many memorable meals together, with welcome drinks on the terrace as the sun sets over the sea. (L, D)
Marzamemi and Noto
A morning visit to Marzamemi, one of the most charming fishing villages in Sicily — a 17th-century settlement of tuna fishermen on the southernmost tip of the island, with an intimate piazza, sea-blue doors and excellent seafood. After lunch by the water, the group travels to Noto, a UNESCO World Heritage–listed Baroque city rebuilt entirely in golden limestone after the 1693 earthquake. The honey-coloured palaces and cathedral are simply breathtaking.
Marzamemi fishing village
Wander the enchanting lanes of this 17th-century village on Sicily's southernmost point. Lunch at a seaside restaurant with fresh catch from the surrounding waters.
Noto — UNESCO Baroque city
Explore the sweeping Baroque architecture of Noto, rebuilt after the 1693 earthquake in a single glorious style. Discover the churches, palaces of the aristocracy and the famous Via Nicolaci.
Dinner at the villa
Return to Villa Maya for dinner. (B, L, D)
Cooking Class and Organic Winery
Today combines two of Sicily's great pleasures — its food and its wine. The morning is spent at a beautifully restored medieval fortress surrounded by gardens and ancient olive trees, where a professional Sicilian chef leads a hands-on cooking class. You'll make traditional Sicilian dishes from scratch and sit down to eat them with perfectly matched organic wines. In the afternoon, a family-run organic and biodynamic estate opens its cellar for a guided degustation of exceptional natural wines.
Hands-on Sicilian cooking class
A professional Sicilian chef leads the group through traditional recipes in a magnificent medieval fortress setting surrounded by century-old olive trees. Lunch follows — everything made by your own hands.
Organic winery visit and degustation
An afternoon visit to a family-run organic and biodynamic estate for a guided tasting of their fine natural wines. One of the hidden gems of the Sicilian wine world.
Dinner at the villa
A relaxed evening back at Villa Maya. (B, L, D)
Siracusa
Siracusa was once the most powerful city in the western world — a rival to Athens itself. Today you explore its extraordinary archaeological park, where an ancient Greek Theatre carved from living rock and a Roman Amphitheatre stand side by side. From there the group crosses to Ortigia, the ancient island city, to discover the magnificent Piazza Duomo before wandering the narrow streets at leisure.
Siracusa Archaeological Park
Walk the ancient Greek Theatre and Roman Amphitheatre — among the best-preserved classical sites in the Mediterranean. Entry fees included.
Ortigia — the old city
Cross to the island of Ortigia to see the famous Piazza Duomo, one of Italy's great Baroque squares, and explore the medieval lanes at your own pace.
Dinner at the villa
Return to Marina di Modica for dinner. (B, D)
A Day with Stefano at the Villa
A welcome rest day — the morning is yours to enjoy the villa and its terrace views. Later, Stefano takes over the kitchen for a culinary session that is equal parts class, conversation and shared pleasure. The group prepares lunch together, and then sits down to eat it. This is the kind of day that people talk about for years. The evening ends at a characteristic restaurant set within a restored medieval estate.
Morning at leisure
Time to swim, sit on the terrace, explore the village, or simply do nothing. The villa and its gardens are yours.
Culinary session with Stefano
Stefano leads the group through a relaxed cooking session at the villa — preparing a long, celebratory lunch together. The focus is on pleasure, connection and great Sicilian produce.
Dinner at La Moresca restaurant
A characterful dinner at a restaurant set within a beautifully restored medieval estate, not far from the villa. (B, L, D)
Ragusa Ibla and Modica
Two of Sicily's most beautiful hilltowns in a single day. Ragusa Ibla is a tangle of Baroque palazzi and cobbled lanes tumbling down a limestone ridge — a UNESCO World Heritage Site that feels completely untouched by tourism. Modica is equally spectacular, its steeply stacked medieval centre crowned by a Baroque cathedral that seems to rise impossibly from the cliff. Lunch is at a celebrated local osteria, followed by a visit to Sicily's oldest chocolate factory.
Ragusa Ibla
Explore the winding streets and honey-stoned palaces of this extraordinary Baroque hilltown — one of Sicily's most photogenic and least-touristy corners.
Modica — lunch and the old centre
Lunch at the Osteria dei Sapori Perduti — one of Modica's most respected traditional restaurants — followed by a walk through the spectacular medieval centre to the Baroque cathedral.
Antica Dolceria Bonajuto
A visit to the oldest chocolate factory in Sicily, where traditional stone-ground chocolate is still made by hand using ancient Aztec methods brought to Sicily by the Spanish. Tasting included.
Dinner at the villa
A final dinner at Villa Maya. (B, L, D)
A Farewell Day at the Villa
The last day at Villa Maya is designed entirely for rest and reflection. A leisurely lunch on the terrace, time by the pool, and an afternoon at complete liberty. As dusk falls over the sea, the group gathers for pre-dinner drinks before a farewell dinner — the last night together in this extraordinary place.
Morning and afternoon at leisure
The villa, its pool and the terrace are yours. The sea is a short walk away. No schedule, no obligations.
Leisurely lunch on the terrace
A long, unhurried lunch with views over the sea — one of the great pleasures of this villa.
Farewell dinner at the villa
Pre-dinner drinks at dusk, followed by a special farewell dinner to mark the last night in Marina di Modica. (B, L, D)
Mt Etna and Taormina
Leaving the villa behind, the group travels north to Mt Etna — the highest active volcano in Europe and one of the most extraordinary landscapes on the planet. A winery on the volcanic slopes produces some of Sicily's most exciting wines: a degustation lunch paired with organic wines grown in ancient lava soils. In the afternoon, the group arrives in Taormina — the jewel of the Sicilian coast — perched on a clifftop above the turquoise water with Etna smoking in the distance.
Mt Etna
Travel to the slopes of Europe's highest active volcano for a morning on the mountain — a landscape unlike anywhere else in Italy.
Gambino Winery — degustation lunch
Lunch at a respected winery on the volcanic slopes of Etna, paired with outstanding organic wines grown in mineral-rich lava soils. One of the highlights of the Etna wine scene.
Arrive Taormina
Check in to your hotel in Taormina — three nights in one of the most dramatically situated towns in the Mediterranean. Evening at leisure. (B, L)
Taormina — Ancient Theatre
A guided morning tour of Taormina leads to its crowning glory: the ancient Greco-Roman theatre, built by the Greeks in the 3rd century BC and expanded by the Romans, with views of the coastline and the smoking cone of Etna that are simply breathtaking. The afternoon is entirely at leisure to explore the town's elegant streets, boutiques and gardens at your own pace.
Morning guided tour of Taormina
A professional guide leads the group through the elegant streets and gardens of this clifftop town.
Ancient Greco-Roman Theatre
A guided visit to the magnificent theatre — one of the most spectacular ancient sites in the world, with sweeping views of the coast and Mt Etna. Entry included.
Afternoon at leisure
Taormina is yours to explore independently — its boutiques, the public gardens, the cable car to the beach below, or simply a long coffee in the main piazza. (B)
Taormina — Free Day and Farewell Dinner
A completely free day to explore the unspoilt town of Taormina and its surrounds at your own pace. The area around the town offers beautiful walking, beaches reached by cable car, and the charming village of Castelmola above. That evening, the entire group comes together for a farewell dinner with Stefano — on the rooftop restaurant of the hotel, with the lights of the coast spread out below.
Free day in Taormina
A day entirely your own — to explore independently, revisit favourite spots, or take a cable car down to the beach. Hotel facilities available throughout.
Farewell dinner with Stefano
The final dinner together — a rooftop celebration with Stefano and local host, overlooking the Sicilian coastline. A fitting end to eleven days of extraordinary food, wine and company. (B, D)
Farewell Taormina — Catania Airport
After a final breakfast together, the group transfers to Catania airport at 10:00am. Arrivederci e Buon Viaggio.
Group transfer to Catania Airport
A 10:00am coach transfer from the hotel in Taormina to Catania airport. (B)
What's Included
Included
- ✓Celebrity host throughout the entire journey
- ✓Local Sicilian expert as co-host
- ✓7 nights in an exclusive seafront villa in Marina di Modica with private pool
- ✓3 nights in a hotel in Taormina
- ✓Hands-on cooking class with a professional Sicilian chef
- ✓Culinary session at the villa with the celebrity host
- ✓Visits to two organic wineries with guided tastings
- ✓All sightseeing per itinerary with entry fees included
- ✓Professional guides at selected locations throughout
- ✓Private mini coach transfers throughout the programme
- ✓Group transfer from Taormina to Catania Airport
- ✓25 meals: daily breakfast, 7 lunches and 8 dinners — all with wine included
Not Included
- ✕International flights to and from Catania
- ✕Compulsory travel insurance
- ✕Additional beverages and snacks beyond included meals
- ✕Personal expenses and optional activities
Ready to start planning?
This itinerary can be tailored to suit different travel dates, group sizes, and preferences. Book a free chat to start the conversation.
Trip at a Glance
Accommodation
Villa Maya
7 nights
Marina di Modica, Sicily
An exclusive private seafront villa with pool on the southern coast of Sicily. Surrounded by a lush garden, the property features large terraces with panoramic sea views, 9 air-conditioned en-suite bedrooms across two buildings, two kitchens, a generous lounge and living spaces — all within easy reach of Modica, Ragusa Ibla, Noto and Siracusa.
Hotel Capo Taormina
3 nights
Taormina, Sicily
A well-regarded hotel in Taormina offering comfortable rooms and the Ristorante Naxos rooftop — the setting for the group's farewell dinner on the final evening.
Good to Know
iMaximum 12 guests — this is an intimate, exclusive experience by design.
iEarly bird saving available — contact us for current pricing and availability.
iA deposit per person is required to confirm your place. The tour requires a minimum number of guests to operate — full details at time of enquiry.
iTravel insurance is compulsory. Cover should include pre-tour cancellation, medical expenses and emergency evacuation.
iSicily in October is warm and dry — ideal travel weather. Light layers for evenings are recommended.
iThe programme includes walking on uneven cobblestone streets. Comfortable flat shoes are essential.
iDietary requirements should be advised at time of booking and will be communicated to all catering partners.
iAll included meals feature wine. Additional beverages and snacks are at guests' own cost.