The real secret of this culinary tour is that smaller is better. Maximum number of participants is just 12. By thinking small you avoid the crowds. Attention to little details is important, too... When you compare tours, that's a BIG difference!

You'll love it! Great food and wine: cooking demonstrations (including pastry making and chocolate making), wine tastings, country lunches, exceptional 4-star lodging, major sights and plenty of free time in one of the world's most fascinating culinary destinations. The small group size makes this an intimate and delightful experience. (A "deluxe" version of this tour is available featuring 5-star hotels.)

Itinerary:
Please note: Summary (with departure dates and reservation information) follows. Visit our general tours page for faqs and purchase conditions. Meals included are indicated in bold face. (Locality and site names link to detailed descriptions on Best of Sicily.)

Saturday: Arrival at Palermo and pick-up at airport. Meet your tour escort at a welcome dinner in a local restaurant. Overnight at hotel in Palermo.

Sunday: Check-out following breakfast, and morning visit Monreale to discover its splendid Norman cathedral, followed by a wine tasting and lunch in a winery in the mountains outside Palermo. Evening at leisure and dinner at Custonaci, near Trapani. Overnight at Custonaci.

Monday: Following breakfast, morning excursion to hilltop Erice for a pastry making demonstration. Then we'll visit an olive farm for a cooking demonstration and light lunch. Evening at leisure and overnight in Custonaci.

Tuesday: This morning, following breakfast and check-out, we'll take an excursion to the Marsala wine country, seeing the salt marshes and windmills of Trapani en route. Following a wine tasting, we'll reach Menfi to visit a working vineyard on a centuries-old estate and a light lunch. In the evening we'll arrive at Agrigento and a panoramic tour of the ancient Greek temples. Evening at leisure and overnight at Agrigento.

Wednesday: Following breakfast we'll take an excursion to Sant'Angelo Muxaro, noted for its Sicanian archeological site overlooking the River Platani. Here we'll have a bread baking demonstration followed by a light lunch and then a visit to the old town and the Sicanian site. Evening at leisure and overnight in Agrigento.

Thursday: Breakfast and check-out followed by a visit to Piazza Armerina's ancient Roman villa, one of the best-preserved residences of its kind, famous for its mosaics. Then we'll visit Caltagirone, known for its ceramic art, with time at leisure for lunch and shopping. Arriving in the Baroque city of Ragusa, we'll have dinner in a local trattoria and sample some local specialties. Evening at leisure and overnight in Ragusa.

Friday: Following breakfast, tour Ragusa and then Modica in the Iblean Mountains for a chocolate making demonstration (chocolate was introduced here centuries ago based on an Aztec recipe) and light lunch. Then we'll visit baroque Noto. Following time at leisure, departure for Catania and overnight.

Saturday: Breakfast followed by excursion to Taormina with time at leisure for shopping and lunch. In the afternoon we'll visit the slopes of Mount Etna to visit a winery. Farewell cocktail and return to Catania for evening at leisure and overnight.

Sunday: Following breakfast, transfer to Catania airport for departure.

Summary:
Prices: €1695.00 per person double occupancy (i.e. two persons per room), €1950.00 single occupancy, payable by bank wire transfer or major credit card. See our general tours page for purchase conditions and cancellation policies.

Includes: Eight (8) nights double-occupancy accomodation in 4-star hotels, transportation (coach or minibus) and tour escort for the entire trip, with all breakfasts, five lunches, two dinners and one cocktail in hotels or in restaurants as indicated with bottled mineral water included, 3 wine tastings (names of wineries upon request), 3 cooking demonstrations, airport-hotel transfers between 7 AM and 8 PM, admission fees at historic sites, all taxes.

Does not include: Additional alcoholic beverages (cocktails or beer) and soft drinks, gratuities (tips) to guide and driver, airfares, travel insurance, baggage porterage (may be available at some hotels), airport transfers outside of hours indicated above, anything not mentioned under "Includes" above.

Accomodation: Double room with private bathroom. Single room with supplement. Hotels are usually the following but may be substituted with hotels of comparable (4-star) quality: Ai Cavaliere in Palermo, Villa Zina at Custonaci (outside Trapani), Il Barocco at Ragusa, Katane Palace at Catania. Check-ins at: Palermo (1 night) Custonaci (2 nights) Agrigento (2 nights) Ragusa (1 night) Catania (2 nights).

Guide/Escort Language: English.

Dates offered: Departures from Palermo (tour ends in Catania). Tours begin on: 12 April, 17 May, 14 June, 13 September, 11 October 2008.

Group Size: From 4 to 12 participants.

Reservations:
To reserve contact us at historic-tour@bestofsicily.com indicating "Culinary" in the subject line, or by phone at 39 091 626 9685, or fax 39 091 380 9900.From the United States or Canada you may also contact us by SkypeIn at 718-473-0803. (Please remember that there's a six-hour time difference between Central European Time here in Italy and American Eastern Time in Toronto and New York.)

This tour is organized by Chat & Tour (Tradizione Turismo), Via Autonomia Siciliana 23, 90143 Palermo, Italy. Visit our general tours page for faqs and purchase conditions regarding this and other tours.

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