The Culture of Food in Sicily
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Sicily
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April 27 - May 3, 2025
In the 1980s, I fell for Sicily during an art history class while earning my BFA. The mosaics, ruins, and paintings told stories of a place that was endlessly beautiful and a little wild. My art eventually became food, and Sicily took on a whole new level of fascination. I’m obsessed with all Italian food and have traveled to many places throughout the country, but the flavors and ingredients in Sicily hold a particular excitement for me. The almonds, dairy, citrus, cherries, and olive oil, just to name some, are foundational to the local pastry. I’m as interested in the people who grow the ingredients as those who create beautiful pastry (and pasta) from them. There is no better way to understand a place than to know the food, its history, and the story of those lovingly making it. Each Sicilian farmer, baker, winemaker, and cheese casaro have their own connection to the land and to the generations of people who traveled that land before them. That’s how culture is built. That’s how flavor is developed, and art is made. That’s what excites me about travel.
I am thrilled to discover Sicily for the first time IRL, beyond the pages of an art history book. I’ll be on a quest to taste the almond desserts, granitas, and perfectly crafted cannoli. Pastry may be my true love, but I also love pasta, seafood, and all the other food we will discover together. If you, too, are curious and hungry, I hope you will join me and our Italian guides for a delicious tour of Sicily, curated by Elizabeth Minchilli.
Sunday: Arrival and Introductions
Hotel
We will be based in one of Sicily’s most beautiful cities: Ortigia, the small ancient island off of Siracusa. Our home for the week is the Hotel Gutkowski, a small, family-run, simple, but very charming boutique hotel located near the sea. You will have a chance to settle in before we meet later that evening.
In your room, you’ll find a copy of our schedule for the week, a canvas tote bag to carry any goodies you may pick up during the week, and a personal guide to Ortigia with Elizabeth Minchilli’s favorite places to eat and shop to help you plan your free time.
Drinks and introductions
We will meet for a drink to start our week. If weather permits, we will be on the panoramic rooftop of the hotel or else the cozy salone on the ground floor. You’ll meet Zoë and Angelo, a licensed tour guide of Sicily who will be with us the entire week as our tour leader.
Dinner
Our welcome dinner will be at a modern bistro just a short walk from the hotel, that puts a fresh spin on seasonal and traditional dishes.
Monday: Market and Cooking
Market walk and cooking class
It’s our first full day in Sicily, and we will spend the day discovering our ‘home’ for the next week. After breakfast in our hotel, we’ll meet our friend Alessia for a walk through the alleys to the famous vegetable and fish market. We will stop by several stands at the market, including a famous salumeria, for a tasting of local prosciutti, cheeses, and a glass of wine! We will also pick up some fresh produce to take back to our cooking class. We’ll have a hands-on lesson, making a few dishes for our lunch, including the famous Sicilian cassata for dessert.
Tour of Ortigia
This afternoon, we’ll meet with another friend, Alessandro, one of the best guides in Sicily. He will take us on a passeggiata through the town, stopping by a few of the more significant churches and exploring the Jewish heritage of this town. This walk will help orient you for the rest of the week and provide important context.
Granita
Italians always end their afternoon passeggiata with a sweet, so we will end our walk at the best granita shop in town. We will learn all about the frozen dessert and how it is eaten with a freshly baked brioche.
Dinner
On your own.
Tuesday: Architecture, Almonds, and Chocolate
Noto
Today, we are heading south to visit one of the most beautiful towns in Sicily: Noto. We’ll meet our guide Alessandro who will tell us about the history. After being destroyed by an earthquake in 1693, the entire town was completely rebuilt in a baroque style unique to this part of Sicily. Made from a local honey-colored stone, the whole town looks a bit like a wedding cake. We’ll have a leisurely walk and some free time to try a pastry or granita (your choice!) from the famous Caffè Sicilia.
Almond farm
At the end of the morning, we will head south to an area world-renowned for its almond cultivation, the Val di Noto. We will spend the afternoon at a farm, learning all about their traditions.
Upon our arrival, we’ll be greeted with refreshing almond milk before we walk through the almond grove, home to the Romana and Pizzuto almond varieties. We will then join the family for an almond cookie cooking lesson. Lunch features almonds in everything from pasta to dessert. Along with our cookies, we will be having Biancomangiare, an old-fashioned sweet made with almond milk.
Chocolate tasting
Back in Ortigia, we’ve arranged a private tasting of one of Sicily’s finest Modica chocolate producers. We will delve into the production, history, and uses of this special chocolate and sample it, along with their own vermouths and bitters.
Dinner
You are free this evening.
Wednesday: Ragusa & Ancient Grains
Ragusa
After an early breakfast, we head west to the town of Ragusa. Along the way, we will pass by fields that have just been planted with one of Sicily’s most precious crops: grain. Today, we will learn about three of these ancient wheat varieties at La Timpa, an ancient flour mill tucked into a stone cave beneath Ragusa that is still powered by the stream that runs through it. We will learn the history of this mill from the owners, then use the freshly milled flour to prepare our lunch: Scacce, a type of durum wheat stuffed flatbread.
Ibla
We then head to the incredibly beautiful Ragusa Ibla, the ancient town, for a guided tour of the baroque and medieval architecture. You might feel like you are walking in a movie set since so many movies and commercials are filmed in this gorgeous spot.
Coffee and Cannoli
At the end of our tour we will stop for a pick-me-up of coffee and freshly made cannoli.
Dinner
After a long day, you are free this evening.
Thursday: Farm Visit
Giuseppe’s farm
Today, we head into the countryside. We will spend the day with our friend Giuseppe and his family at his farm in the Hyblaean Mountains west of Ortigia.
As we journey to the farm, we will drive through a landscape that dramatically showcases this area’s livelihood: cereal agriculture and cattle and sheep farming.
Giuseppe’s unique farm celebrates biodiversity, creativity, and sustainability in one of the island’s most beautiful remote areas. We will meet his family, learn about the ancient grains he grows, and see how they are used in making local pasta and bread.
Our culinary journey continues as we are joined by Giuseppe’s friend, Bonetta dell’Oglio. Her life is dedicated to preserving, cooking with, and teaching about Sicily’s heritage grains. We will join her in the kitchen to bake something delicious for our lunch.
We’ll also tour this glorious property to meet Giuseppe’s herds of cows (and horses, dogs, and cats). And finally, have a wonderful feast featuring all local products from the farm and paired wines from some of the most exciting wine producers in Sicily.
Dinner
After this long day, you will have the evening to yourself.
Friday: Ruins and Olive Oil
Neapolis
After breakfast in our hotel, we visit one of the most important archeological sites in Italy: the Neapolis Park just outside of Siracusa. Our guide will take us on a tour of the Greek and Roman amphitheaters and other sites dating back to the 5th century BC.
Lunch
We then get on our bus to visit a farm just a half hour away. The owner, Dario, will show us around his estate and introduce us to the world of Hyblaean olive oil. We will see the olive grove, and he will explain what makes the land so unique, its cultivars (Tonda Iblea, Nocellara, Biancolilla, and Ogliarola), and the harvesting techniques.
In the tasting room, we’ll enjoy a guided professional tasting of the two different olive oils produced by the farm. We then sit down for lunch in the family’s dining room set amid the citrus garden for an olive oil-centric meal. Our dessert: panna cotta drizzled with olive oil.
Afternoon and farewell dinner
You have some free time on your own this afternoon before we meet for a final dinner at our favorite seafood restaurant in Ortigia. We’ll share an array of seafood antipasti while we toast our week together.
Saturday: Departure
Check-out
Our tour is officially over, and after one last breakfast, you will be checking out of the Hotel Gutkowski. You may check-out between 7 am and 12 pm.
Is This Tour For You?
The culture of food
Our tours are about exploring places through the culture of food. This means that almost all of our activities are food related. You can expect big meals and often snacks in between. If you do not have a big appetite, have food intolerances, or are squeamish or a picky eater then this is not the tour for you.
Food intolerances
Since we are in southern Italy, the cuisine is focused on the Mediterranean Diet, so there will be plenty of vegetables. That said, many of our group meals revolve around local food traditions and may include fish or meat and almost always cheese. If you are a vegetarian or lactose or gluten intolerant, you will not go hungry, but you will also not be experiencing the full range of the food culture we will be exploring.
Activity level
Each day we will be exploring a new town or village. We often get up early, and the days are long and will involve walking up to an hour or more. While the level is never overly strenuous, you must be able to keep up with the rest of the group unassisted.
Travel companions
Many of our clients find out about us through social media and know what to expect: days spent exploring the culture of food through visits to farms, markets, and more. If you are thinking of bringing along a traveling companion (friend, spouse, relative, partner), please make sure they are aware of the types of things we will be doing. If they are not interested in food, visiting farms, eating in rustic settings, etc., they won’t enjoy this week. Someone who is not fully engaged will not be happy on this tour.
Pricing:
Double occupancy (2 people in 1 room): €5200 per person
Single occupancy (1 person in 1 room): €6000 per person
Since our tours are based on small family-run businesses, we reserve the right to vary the specifics of the itinerary. We may switch days, add/change activities, or substitute locations. We send out an updated itinerary within 30 days prior to the start date.
Each tour is limited to 12 participants
The fee includes:
- 6 nights in Hotel Gutkowski *
- Buffet breakfast in hotel
- Snacks in your room
- All of the meals, activities and transportation outlined above
- Coupon for dinner at Gutkowskino (restaurant in our hotel)
- All gratuities
- A copy of Elizabeth Minchilli’s book Eating My Way Through Italy
Not included:
- Transportation to and from Italy
- Transportation to and from hotel
* We love this quirky family-run hotel. It is comfortable, cozy, and stylish, but not luxurious.
Your Host for the Week
Zoë François
Zoë François is the author of the New York Times Best-selling book, ZOË BAKES COOKIES, the IACP Best Baking Cookbook, ZOË BAKES CAKES, and co-author of the best-selling ARTISAN BREAD IN FIVE MINUTES A DAY series. Zoë is also an Emmy-nominated TV host of A Party with Andrew & Zoë, Zoë Bakes, and Silos Baking Competition, all on HBO MAX. Zoë was formally trained as a pastry chef at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in New York. She has been the executive pastry chef at several Twin Cities’ restaurants, taught baking and pastry nationally and her work has been featured in many publications, including the New York Times, Washington Post, Food52, Today Show, Cherry Bombe, Better Homes & Gardens and more. Zoë’s portfolio of work can be found on her award-winning Instagram account @zoebakes, on her ZoëBakes YouTube Channel, in her Zoë François Substack Newsletter and on www.zoebakes.com.