Newly launched: Sailing the Aegean, 4–13 October 2025
Palermo Cathedral, steel engraving, c. 1850.
Gastronomic Sicily - Food & wine in the west
8
days
from
£3,850
13th November 2025
- Colourful Palermo street markets, authentic salt flats near Trapani, historic cellars in Marsala.
- Learn about making wine, olive oil and artisan foods from the craftsmen and women who carry on these age-old traditions.
- Spectrum of culinary experiences from street food in Palermo to dinner in a private palazzo. Emphasis on authentic methods rather than haute cuisine.
If Sicily’s history is a layer-cake of the different cultures that have colonised the island through the centuries, its food is no less complex. Citrus fruits and ices were brought there by the Arabs before the Middle Ages. Wine-making was introduced by the Phoenicians, and during the Roman era wheat turned the inland hillsides to gold. The magnificent landscape remains a key source of agricultural richness for the island: Trapani is today Europe’s most productive grape-growing province.
What Sicily offers more than any other Italian region is an unrivalled cornucopia of sun-ripened vegetables and fruits, many grown on volcanic soils for added intensity of flavour. The Sicilians cook these products in myriad, colourful ways: sweet and sour, hot and spicy, fresh and nutritious – Sicilian food is arguably more exciting than its northern counterparts. It is also a mix of old and new cultures. Pasta is handmade in unique shapes to accommodate vegetables, capers, herbs and the varied seafood that make up the healthy Sicilian diet. Dessert lovers will be rewarded with some of the most delicious sweetmeats Italy has to offer: from the hollow cannolo filled with fresh ewe’s milk ricotta to elaborately decorated cassata cakes.
As the tour travels across the Western part of the island we visit small producers of artisan foods, wine-makers, home cooks and chefs alike, and do not ignore cultural sites that determine its key historical importance. Sample street food from market stalls in Palermo, the freshest seafood in the Mediterranean, and home-prepared dinners whose hospitable cooks share their secrets with us. Walk in vineyards and olive groves, and around some of the finest archaeological sites on this ever-fascinating island.
Itinerary
Fly at c. 8.30am from London Heathrow to Palermo (British Airways). Palermo is the largest and most interesting city on the island: capital of Sicily from the period of Saracenic occupation in the ninth century, it reached a peak under the Normans and again during the Age of Baroque. First of four nights in Palermo.
A morning walk to the city’s best market, sampling authentic street food. See also key cultural sites such as the cathedral, a building of many periods, and the church of S. Cataldo. Dinner at a private palazzo.
Monreale dominates a verdant valley southwest of Palermo, and its cathedral is one of the finest Norman churches with the largest scheme of mosaic decoration to survive from the Middle Ages. Lunch is at a top restaurant. In the early evening the lecturer leads a wine tasting in the hotel.
With its magnificently sited temple and theatre, Segesta is one of the most evocative of Greek sites. Travel on to visit an organic farm in Partinico, one of the earliest of its kind in Sicily, to have a simple and abundant lunch with the freshest produce from the farm and local area.
A medieval town perched on top of a hill, boasts spectacular views of the coast and surrounding area. Demonstration and tasting of traditional pastries here, before continuing on to the charming port town of Marsala where the following three nights are spent.
Visit Il Museo del Satiro Danzante in Mazara del Vallo before a couscous cooking demonstration and lunch. The afternoon is spent at an award-winning olive oil estate, discovering their methods and tasting the oil.
Drive north of Marsala to see the saltpans that have been in use since Phoenician times, and take a boat across the lagoon to visit the ancient ruins of Mozia (weather dependent). Visit the small Whitaker Museum which houses the fifth-century bc Auriga (charioteer), one of the most exquisite of surviving Greek sculptures. In the afternoon, visit and tasting at the cellars of a historic Marsala producer.
Fly from Palermo to London Heathrow, arriving at c. 4.45pm.
Expert speaker
Mr Marc Millon
Wine, food and travel writer. Born in Mexico, he was raised in the USA before studying English Literature at the University of Exeter. Together with his wife, he has pioneered a series of illustrated wine-food-travel books including The Wine and Food of Europe, The Wine Roads of France, The Wine Roads of Italy, The Food Lover’s Companion to France and The Food Lover’s Companion to Italy. He is also the author of The Taste of Britain and lives in Devon, where he is closely involved with the food scene of the West Country. Marc is a certified Vinitaly International Italian Wine Ambassador. His next book, Italy in a Wineglass, will be published in Spring 2024 and tells the story of Italy through its wines. Twitter: @Marc_Millon
Practicalities
Two sharing: £ 4,090 or £3,850 without flights. Single occupancy: £4,560 or £4,320 without flights.
Flights (economy class) with British Airways; travel by private coach; hotel accommodation; breakfasts; 6 lunches and 5 dinners with wine, water, coffee; all wine and food tastings; all admissions; all tips; all taxes; the services of the lecturer and tour manager.
Grand Hotel Piazza Borsa, Palermo: 4-star hotel housed in an assortment of historical buildings; a little tired in some respects, but its central location is unbeatable. Hotel Carmine, Marsala: small, charming 3-star hotel, with occasionally erratic service. Some rooms can be on the smaller side. Single rooms are doubles for sole use throughout.
There is a lot of walking, some of it over rough ground and cobbled or uneven paving. Fitness and sure-footedness are essential. Some days involve a lot of driving. Average distance by coach per day: 47 miles.
Between 10 and 22 participants.
Before booking, please refer to the FCDO website to ensure you are happy with the travel advice for the destination(s) you are visiting.
Dates & prices
2025
Date
Speaker
Price
Date:
13th - 20th November 2025
Speaker:
Mr Marc Millon
Price:
£3,850 ex flights
£4,090 inc flights
(Based on two sharing)Testimonials
“This holiday took my experience of Italian wine and food to a new level. We had some sensational meals and enjoyed the variety of fresh sea food.
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“I had high expectations of this tour and they were substantially exceeded! I thought the planning and execution of it were both excellent. Thank you!
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“A good mix of visits to food and wine producers and historical sites, putting the produce into context with Sicily's varied history and landscape, and both the lecturer and tour manager were excellent.
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