If you know Sicily, you know. In other parts of Italy, the beauty is obvious. It’s an exact match to the postcards and social media posts, and the takeaway is pretty much the same for everyone. You can delight in these places, even as a passive observer. But not in Sicily.
As I say in the introduction of my book, there are no bystanders in Sicily; if you’re here, you’re in the game, and it’s a sweet game indeed!
From May 16th through the 22nd, I’ll show you the Sicily I love. It’s more than a tour, it’s a retreat - into the land, the food, wine, art, culture and the magic of Sicily. We’ll stay in a lovingly restored 18th century masseria – farmhouse – nestled in the heart of the Sicilian countryside.
From there, we’ll immerse ourselves in Sicilian life, culture, food and wine. We’ll forage for spring greens, adopt an olive tree and enjoy an alfresco lunch at Three Farms Island; then we will shop local food markets for ridiculously fresh ingredients and make dinner in the charming kitchen at the masseria.
I’ll teach you how to hand-form busiate pasta on an umbrella spoke and make pistachio pesto with pistachios grown in the shadow of Mt. Etna; we’ll bake recipes from my book with freshly milled heritage flours bought at a molino in Modica – that’s after we visit Bonajuto to see how Sicilian chocolate is made and taste it for ourselves.
We’ll visit a family-owned dairy farm to make ricotta and have a typical Ragusan breakfast of pane e ricotta, then bring some back to the masseria and bake a torta di ricotta; we’ll make herbal art, enjoy gentle morning and sunset yoga with my co-host Elissa Cirignotta, stroll the botanical farm and taste the amaros of Nèpeta and taste wines at a biodynamic winery where we’ll have lunch overlooking the vineyard.
In Noto, we’ll stop for an afternoon pausa caffè at Corrado Assenza’s Caffe Sicilia, made famous by Netflix’s Chef’s Table, and stroll the flower petal-blanketed streets of the annual spring Infiorata. We’ll visit the tomato greenhouses of Scoglitti, have cannoli therapy in Siracusa (you’ll have to come with us to find out what that is!) and visit traditional Sicilian artisans’ workshops.
We’ll bake along with a master pasticciere in a Pasticceria, (one of many we’ll visit), enjoy wood-fired pizza and an evening passeggiata in the baroque town of Scicli (any Commissario Montalbano fans out there? Scicli is where it’s filmed), and we will end the evenings with custom blended herbal tisana from herbs and flowers grown on the farm–and a moonlight swim in the pool, if you like.
Come share stories, meals and a week of delicious experiences with me in Sicily. Appetito readers who book before February 14 will receive a friends & family discount of $200 per person, and a copy of my book.
To sign up, go to: https://www.soulfulsicilianretreats.com/yoursicilianretreat/p/sicily-my-sweet-with-victoria-granof
Dai, venite con me!
