Sicily Food Adventure

Enjoy world-famous Sicilian food while visiting the best heritage sites

From cannoli to arancini, Sicilian food is known across the planet, but this tour shows how varied and diverse the cuisine here really is. The various civilisations that have occupied the island over millennia have not only left an unparalleled cultural heritage, but also a culinary history that sets Sicily apart from mainland Italy. Sample the street food of Palermo in vibrant markets, practise hands-on cooking with local chefs in Erice, sip wines in Marsala and Etna, and indulge in gelatos while relaxing in baroque piazzas. Let food lead the way in this captivating journey through culinary and cultural highlights.

People, Places & Planet

We work hard to create trips that have a positive impact on the people and places we visit and look after the planet we explore. Learn more about our sustainable travel ethos and practice here and find out about the work of the Exodus Travels Foundation here.

Some sustainable travel highlights of this trip include:

People

How this trip helps improve life for local communities.

• Local guides keep you well informed about local traditions and cultural-social sensitivities.
• This trip brings income and opportunity to the destination community through the inclusion of locally owned hotels, restaurants, and other enterprises, and by championing locally produced food wherever possible.
• On day 3 a cookery lesson is led by a local chef in Erice, allowing clients to practise and taste traditional recipes, which encourages local interaction and an exchange of cultural understanding.
• Guests can visit local markets in Palermo or Catania which contributes to the local economies.
• Read more about our other initiatives here.

Places

How this trip helps protect and conserve local landscapes and nature.

• By travelling in a small group we ‘tread lightly’ to minimise our impact on local resources and the environment.
• We work with our partners on the ground to proactively reduce waste; this includes eliminating all single-use plastic water bottles by providing refills for re–usable bottles.
• The payment of entrance fees to natural reserves and archaeological sites generates income which is used for upkeep and development of these important sites.
• With our partners, Rewilding Apennines, we rewild 100 square meters (1,075 sqft) of land per passenger who travels with us.
• Read about our commitment to nature protection and restoration here, including our rewilding commitment for every customer who travels with us.

Planet

How we seek to keep the carbon footprint of this trip low.

• Accommodation and restaurants in the itinerary use locally sourced food which has not been transported long distances.
• Most lodgings are located within proximity to town centers and the UNESCO historic site we visit, which reduces the need for carbon producing transfer vehicles on the trip.
• Read about our climate action here, including our carbon reduction and compensation commitments.

Tips for sustainable travel on this trip

• Leave no trace: we do all we can to ensure we leave no rubbish in the wild and beautiful places we visit; we ask that you do the same. If there are no recycling facilities in-country, consider bringing recyclable materials home with you.
• Plastic waste reduction: please bring a re–usable water bottle on this trip, also consider avoiding single-use hotel toiletries, which generate a large amount of plastic waste.

Is this trip for you?

This trip is graded Activity Level 1 (Easy), meaning it is suitable for everyone in good health and fitness. For more information on our trip gradings please visit our Activity Level Guidelines page. If you have any queries about the difficulty of the trip please do not hesitate to contact us.

This is a very relaxing week where you can enjoy excellent regional gastronomy while visiting the most important heritage sites and towns in Sicily. All the transfers are by private air-conditioned vehicle. Due to the distance covered during the week, some of the drives are quite long but should never exceed four hours (including stops). Due to traffic restrictions in a lot of the historic centres visited, you may have to carry your suitcase over cobbled pavements, although the bus will leave you as close to your hotel as possible. When this is not possible, a porterage service is provided, which has been included in the cost of the trip. Please be aware that some hotels don’t have a lift.

Sicily can reach the high 30Cs (around 100F) from June to September. The excursion on Mount Etna is on foot and we walk for up to one hour on hilly terrain of old dried lava, rocky ash and sand. The walking isn’t too strenuous and is done at a leisurely pace.

Following a review of all our trips we have categorised this trip as generally not suitable for persons of reduced mobility. However if you are a regular traveller on such trips, please contact customer services to discuss the trip and your personal condition.

Vaccinations and Health

Italy

There are no required vaccinations. However, you may want to consider vaccinations for tetanus, rabies and tick-borne encephalitis. Please confirm with your doctor or travel clinic.

Visa

Italy

Travellers from the UK, US and EU normally do not need a visa to enter Italy. Please note, visa requirements often change and it is your responsibility to obtain any required visas for this trip. Therefore, we recommend that you check with the nearest embassy or consulate of your chosen destination(s), including any countries you may be transiting or transferring through.

Some local governments provide guidance on what visas their citizens need. To help, we’ve gathered a selection of useful links below.

• Australia: www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/europe/italy
• Canada: www.travel.gc.ca/destinations/italy
• United Kingdom: www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/italy/entry-requirements
• USA:  www.travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Italy.html

Please note: it is compulsory to carry ID with you at all times in Italy.

Food & Drink

All breakfasts, two wine tastings, one cookery class/lunch and four produce tastings (three of which are also considered lunch) are included.

Sicilian cuisine is a melting pot of all the different cultures that have occupied the island, from the Arabs to the Normans. The island itself is incredibly fertile, enjoying an ideal climate for the cultivation of produce, such as olives, oranges, lemons, aubergines (eggplants), tomatoes, pistachios, almonds and grapes; not to mention all the seafood, tuna and swordfish caught right off the coast. The result? A cuisine that’s fresh, varied and delicious. Sicilian wines are also superb and known to be strong and syrupy, such as marsala and moscato. Here are some of the regional specialities we recommend trying during this trip:

• Caponata: A tasty salad made with aubergines, olives, capers and celery, makes a great appetizer.
• Sfincione: A local form of pizza made with tomatoes, onions and (sometimes) anchovies. Prepared on a thick bread and more likely found in a bakery than in a pizzeria.
• Pane e pannelle: A favourite street food of Palermo, panelle (chickpea fritters) are served between bread, like a sandwich.
• Arancini (also known as arancine): Fried rice balls stuffed with meat or cheese.
• Pani câ mèusa: The name literally means bread with spleen, but don’t let that put you off. It is a delicious speciality of Palermo.
• Cannoli: Tubular fried dough filled with sweetened ricotta (made from sheep’s milk).
• Cassata siciliana: A sponge cake soaked in liqueur, the slices layered with sweetened ricotta, and the whole cake covered in almond paste andicing. It is also studded with candied fruits and other goodies.
• Pasta alla Norma: Made with fried aubergine, tomatoes, basil and salted ricotta.
• Pasta with pistachio pesto.
• Pasta con le sarde: Sardines are popular in Sicily, so it’s common to see them as a topping for pasta. One common variety is bucatini with sardines, fennel, saffron, pine nuts and raisins.
• Frutta martorana: Other places call this marzipan, but in Sicily the almond paste is moulded into little, incredibly realistic fruits, hence fruits of Martora, or frutta martorana.
• Granita: The perfect summer refreshment, granita, originally from Sicily, is now found all over Italy. It’s crushed ice with sugar and fresh fruit, simple but delicious.
• Involtini di pesce spada: Rolls of thinly sliced swordfish stuffed with pine nuts, raisins, breadcrumbs, anchovy fillets, orange juice and lemon juice, eggs and grated pecorino.
• Tonno e spada affumicata: Smoked tuna and swordfish shaved paper thin and layered on a plate. These can be accented with shaved fennel and oranges, or olives and sun-dried tomatoes, or can be served with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and good-quality crusty bread.

Weather

Sicily has a pleasant climate year-round with plenty of sunshine and warm/hot temperatures. Summer has daily sunshine with temperatures reaching 30C-35C (86F-95F). The earlier and later departures are likely to be cooler with a slightly higher chance of rain. In late summer, there is the possibility of heavy thunderstorms, but these are usually short-lived.