Tours
*Tours may be customized to your specific dates
All small group tours are guided by
wine experts and include chauffeured deluxe transportation, luxury
hotels, all breakfasts, most gourmet meals with premium wines, all wine
estate tours & tastings, and all admissions fees.
|
 |
 |
 |
Sicily Wine & Food Experience
Discover the captivating, ancient island of Sicily through its great wine and superb food. This exclusive journey will take you through the wine regions, cellar tours and private wine tastings of premiere estates. Sample Sicilian specialties and the freshest seafood. Taste several indigenous varieties like Nero D'Avola, Cataratto, Inzolia and Zibibbo and see how this volcanic island creates its complex terroir. The diverse landscape is unrivaled from its fragrant citrus groves, verdant vineyards dotted with olive trees, rolling hills and cacti, to the beautiful azure sea and majestic snow-capped Mount Etna.
Sicily, and its many UNESCO World Heritage sites, remains unparalled by its antiquity. An island off Italy’s south-western tip, Sicilia has been controlled at
various times by the Spanish, Normans, Greeks, Romans, and Arabs, all
questing after abundant resources and strategic positioning in the midst
of Mediterranean trade routes. Because of this blend of cultures,
Sicilian food is some of the most diverse in the world. Arab influence
brought citrus, pistachio, sugarcane, saffron, cinnamon, artichokes,
pomegranates, and many other previously unknown ingredients to the
island. With a climate that lends itself to drying pasta, Sicilia has
always been a major producer of pasta secca. The island’s olive oils,
made from local olives like the cerasuola and the fresh and herbaceous
Nocellara di Bellice, are some of the best in the world. The fertile
volcanic soil around Mt. Etna also grows some of the finest tomatoes,
grapes, oregano, and capers in the world, and Sicilia is the source of
much of the country’s citrus supply. Outstanding seafood on Sicilia’s
coast. Dried and cured tuna roe, bottarga di tonno, is one of the
region’s finest delicacies, often grated over pasta with just oil and
lemon. Sweets are some of the most unique and popular Sicilian
products. Marzipan, cannoli, and cassata are some of the most beloved
desserts in Italy and around the world. Sicilian treats like the green
pistachios of Bronte and chocolate, spiced with chili and cinnamon in
the ancient Modicano tradition are starting to gain worldwide attention.
"To have seen Italy without having seen Sicily is not to have seen Italy at all, for Sicily is the clue to everything" J.W. Goethe
Highlights of Your Tour
- Tour and taste at top estate producers that include Gambero Rosso's "Three Glass" awarded wines like Planeta, Donnafugata and Tasca d'Almerita.
- Visit cultural sites such as the Doric Temple of Segesta and the magnificent Monreale Cathedral with stunning gold mosaics
- Indulge in a wine paired Tasting Menu at the acclaimed
Chef Ciccio Sultano's elegant 2* Michelin restaurant and  dine on Sicilian specialties at some of the island's best restaurants
- Visit the vibrant open-air street markets of Palermo and Siracusa sample local artisan cheeses and olive oil tasting
- Enjoy a sommelier led exclusive wine tasting of 10 regional wines and tasting notes
- Relax in luxury 4 and 5 star accommodations at the island's most beautiful boutique hotels, chauffeured Mercedes transportation, English speaking guides and wine experts
- Explore the mountaintop medieval city of Erice and visit a renowned pasticceria for Sicilian sweets, see the majestic volcano Mt. Etna and tour the chic city of Taormina
US $3350 per person, double occupancy
Tour- 7nights
May 23-30, 2010
|