Our home in Sicily is located in the countryside of Ragusa. The secluded estate is a former hamlet of farm houses that have been newly refurbished to create a luxurious secluded property surrounded by century old olive trees and gardens.
There are two room categories at the property; Superior and Garden Deluxe. All rooms are equipped with A/C & individual heating, Satellite TV, Hairdryer, Safe & Wifi.
The property has a spacious professional kitchen, outdoor grill, herb & vegetable gardens, two beautiful infinity pools, indoor and outdoor dining areas, on site massage and multiple outdoor seating areas.
GARDEN DELUXE ROOMS:
30 Meter Bedroom with king bed, 2 arm chairs, ensuite marble bathroom and attached outdoor private patio overlooking the Gardens and Olive grove. €3050 per person
SUPERIOR ROOMS: 24 Meter Bedroom located on the 1st Floor with 2 Large Windows, ensuite marble bathroom and views overlooking the gardens and surrounding landscape. €2900 per person
The southeastern corner of Sicily has a character all it’s own, packed with Unesco World Heritage sites and sandy Mediterranean Beaches. The countryside is dotted with carob, almond and olive trees and miles of orchards and farms which are outlined by the regions beautiful drystone walls. If you’re a fan of BBC television and are familiar with Inspector Montalbano, we will be touring in many locations the series used as it’s scenic backdrop.
We will be meeting at the Catania Airport and begin our tour from there. Thru out the week we will visit highlights in the Vally of Noto:
Day 1. Sunday / Oct. 28th: Meet at CTA / Catania Airport – 10am. 1st stop the Ancient Theatre of Taormina. Perched on the hill on the eastern shore of Sicily the amphitheater was carved out of the rock on Mount Tauro and had a capacity of 5,000 spectators. The theater suggest both Greek and Roman influence and panoramic views of Taormina and Mt. Etna. Our lunch break will be in the seaside village of Giardini Naxos with an afternoon arrival at our home for the week.
Day 2. We’re off to Modica for a city tour of the UNESCO heritage sites. After your lunch break you’ll enjoy tastings and demo of the unique Modica Chocolate, Cannoli, a variety of regional liqueurs and the regions prickly pear products.
Day 3. Visit Scicli (pronounced sheek-ly) – Unesco Site and famous for filming of Inspector Montalbalno BBC series. – Palazzo Beneventano has been described as Sicily’s most beautiful Baroque Palace and the surrounding neighborhood has an interesting group of contemporary artists. We will break for lunch and then an afternoon visit to an ancient flour mill & museum which has been restored and operates with power generated from the properties stream. Learn about Sicily’s initiative to return to using ancient Roman Grain which produces bread and pasta with less gluten content as opposed to imported HMO modified grains.
Day 4. Morning Free. We will start the mid-afternoon in Ibla which has been described as an amazing mixture of Medieval and Baroque. We will wind our way thru the quiet gardens and pleasant squares learning about the history and enjoying the architecture. We will also stop for a demo and tasting of Gelato and Granita – do you know the difference? For dinner, we will head to a 6th generation vineyard to enjoy their famous DOCG and DOC wines with a pairing of traditional dishes and tour their onsite museum.
Day 5. Full day in Siracusa with part of the day devoted to the Archaeological sites / historic tour and after lunch to the neighboring island of Ortygia. We will enjoy a boat ride around the island’s old historical centre. (Shopping / touring on land is optional if guests are not interested in boat ride).
Day 6: Relaxing coastal drive with a farmhouse visit to learn about a variety of Sicilian cheese and fresh ricotta. We will stay at the farm where they are preparing our lunch which will feature local products: Cheese, sundried tomatoes, focaccie ragusane and freshly made ricotta peasant style. After the farm we will make a quick stop at local greenhouse (plentiful in this area of Sicily) to see the production of tomatoes and other produce. If we’re lucky we’ll learn the secret to their delicious sun dried tomatoes!
Day 7: Visit of a wine production farm owned by the youngest winemakers in Italy, their wine is fermented and aged solely with ancient Greek amphoras clay jars (they have the largest collection of amphoras in the world). We will be touring the property and tasting their DOCG wines that are produced from Grecanico grapes. After our lunch break we will see how oil is pressed and learn how Sicilian olive oil compares to the other regions. Tasting w/ regional bread.
Our Foodie Adventures Include: 7 nights lodging, full breakfast, daily tours & tastings, the guide, cooking classes, nightly dinner, house wine and cordials.
We hope you can join the fun! Fondly, Mary Jo & Michael
Weekly Dinner Menu
Day 1 – arrival
- Buffet Dinner – Large Sicilian Antipasti assortment including: local Cheese Board, Sliced Cured Meats, Olives, Panella (chick pea fritters), fried artichoke hearts, stuffed-rolled sardines and Sicilian desserts including Cannolis
Day 2
- Cooking Class at the Villa with chef Michael. Assist Michael in preparing the four-course dinner menu of the evening.
- Arancini Ragu – Crisp Risotto balls with a Spicy Sicilian Meat Sauce
- Fennel Salad with Blood Oranges, Cured Black Olives and Arugula
- Seafood Couscous
- Bianco Mangiare – almond pudding with Amaretto lady fingers
Day 3
- Cooking Class at the Villa with chef Michael. Assist Michael in preparing the four-course dinner menu of the evening.
- Ricotta Ravioli with a Pork Meat Sauce
- Sicilian Seafood Salad with Calamari, Shrimp, Mussels Clams and Octopus
- Eggplant Parmesan
- Pistachio Semi Freddo
Day 4
- Evening At the Vineyard – Tasting and pairing Sicialian style.
Day 5
- Cooking Class at the Villa with chef Michael. Assist Michael in preparing the four-course dinner menu of the evening.
- Orricetta with pesto alla Siciliana
- Roasted Eggplant, Fresh Mozzarella and Tomato Timbale
- Bistecca alla palermitana – Breaded Veal Cutlet (pounded thin) served with lemon
- White and Dark Chocolate Ganache with Figs and Pistachios
Day 6
- Cooking Class at the Villa with chef Michael. Assist Michael in preparing the four-course dinner menu of the evening.
- Swordfish Rolls
- Creamy Mussel Soup with Fava Beans
- Sicilian Stuffed Eggplant
- Cassata – ricotta and chocolate filled sponge cake with marzipan and candied fruit
Day 7
- Cooking Class at the Villa with chef Michael. Assist Michael in preparing the four-course dinner menu of the evening.
- Fried Caciocavallo Cheese with Oregano and Tomato Jam
- Sicilian Fennel and Sausage Soup
- Swordfish Caponata – Baked in olive oil with herbs, vegetables and capers
- Pistachio Cannoli