SICILY-CALABRIA CULINARY TOUR VACATION

La Cucina Sabina’s authentic luxury Italian vacations include a culinary and cultural vacation to the undiscovered southern region of Calabria and the beautiful eastern coast of Sicily. This is a foodie’s dream vacation which combines food, cooking, culture, touring, picturesque excursions and adventure into an experience of a lifetime! Join us as we tour unique and yet to be discovered places in Calabria that you wouldn’t know to visit on your own, and then head to some of the most famous and iconic places in Sicily. Our vacation combines both Calabria and the more relaxed luxury of the top destinations in Sicily including a cooking demonstration and lunch with a Michelin Star chef.

All Inclusive (except air) Vacation Itinerary – 9 days/8 nights including lodging, food, wine, tours, excursions, cooking lessons and demonstrations plus ground and ferry transfers within Italy. La Cucina Sabina combines food, culture and fun into an experience of a lifetime!

DAY 1-SATURDAY

Arrivals and pick ups at the Reggio Calabria Airport and transfers to our hotel in town. Check in and get settled. The afternoon is left open to relax and get acquainted with your fellow guests or discover on your own the area around the hotel. Our welcome dinner will be held at a fine restaurant overlooking the Strait of Messina, when we will introduce and discuss the details of your tour.

DAY 2-SUNDAY

After breakfast at our hotel, we enjoy a stroll with gelato along the beautiful promenade of Reggio Calabria, with vistas of the Strait of Messina and Sicily – the Italian poet Gabriele D’Annunzio called it “the most beautiful kilometer in Italy.” There will also be an option for those wanting to see the magnificent ancient Greek bronze statues of Riace.

After lunch, we drive to the undiscovered jewel of a town Bova, for our check in at a casual family-owned B&B. Bova was once an important Greek colony in Southern Italy, with its own distinct language, food and culture.

Enjoy a welcome prosecco rooftop in the center of Bova with a breathtaking 360 degree view of the Aspromonte mountains, the ocean and Sicily. After a brief stroll through the town of Bova, head to an informal dinner at a local agritourismo (farm-based restaurant) where the local chef will show us how to prepare some of the famous Calabrian “maccheroni” pasta.

DAY 3-MONDAY

Your day begins with a rich breakfast based on locally produced food. As a part of breakfast, there’s a brief demonstration with locals making fresh ricotta and other cheeses, enjoyed during our breakfast.

After breakfast, depart for the mountains where we take a nature walk with a picnic. After our return to Bova, there’s time for an additional guided walk and tour of a centuries old winery, or free time to relax. Dinner is enjoyed at a restaurant with beautiful views of the countryside.

DAY 4-TUESDAY

We’ll have lunch in Villa San Giovanni before getting on the ferry to Sicily, followed by a drive to Taormina. After check in at our hotel, with its amazing coastal vistas, we’ll reconvene for dinner at one of our favorite restaurants in the heart of town.

DAY 5-WEDNESDAY

We begin our day with breakfast in our hotel, followed by a walk through the town center to an amazing ancient Greco-Roman amphitheater, for a guided tour and visit. We then make our way to Michelin Star Chef Pietro D’Agostino’s Cooking Lab for a cooking demonstration and lunch. The lunch will include making some of the best cannoli you will ever taste! The afternoon is free for guests to relax, shop or just enjoy the picturesque town with its many fine shops. Our dinner and evening will also be in beautiful Taormina.

DAY 6-THURSDAY

Drive to the highest point of Mt Etna accessible by car, where we take a walk around an extinct lava flow, enjoying spectacular views of the volcano and the coastline.

For lunch we visit a winery on the side of Mt Etna where we enjoy a tasting of some of the distinct fine wines that Sicily is known for producing in their rich, volcanic soil. After lunch, we drive to the Island of Ortigia, the ancient and most picturesque part of Siracusa, with its many Greek and Roman historical landmarks, Sicilian Baroque architecture, cool shops and local market. First our check in at our hotel and then evening dinner at a favorite local restaurant.

DAY 7-FRIDAY

Enjoy a scenic tour of Ortigia, it’s local market with the best of Sicilian produce, herbs, meats, seafood, and its ancient Greek and Baroque marvels. After an open lunch on your own, there’s time to explore the island and its shops, cathedral, sea views or even take a ride on a boat or island Vespa “taxi.” For dinner we enjoy some of Sicily’s best pizza.

DAY 8-SATURDAY

Take a scenic drive to the village of Modica, a jewel of a town, rich in Sicilian Baroque architecture, where we have a hands-on cooking lesson followed by lunch at the private home of a local chef. No visit to Modica would be complete without seeing one of the famous artisanal chocolate shops to sample and learn about the chocolate making process. We will enjoy dinner back in Ortigia for our farewell celebration.

DAY 9-SUNDAY

Breakfast followed by early departure for the Catania airport to catch your flight home or other destinations. Flights can be scheduled from Catania to Rome or other major European cities for international flights. (From Rome, if returning to the US directly, we recommend a late Rome departure or Monday departure.)

Pricing: $4,800 per person double occupancy, There’s a single supplement of $900 for solo travelers.

Booking: For information, availability, booking or to speak with us, Click Here.

Download a sample itinerary Here.