Catania Trip Overview
Join us in this exciting one-week gastronomic adventure, where you will live like a local on the exquisite 18th-century villa for the whole stay, let a Michelin star chief teach you the authentic Sicilian recipes in a fun and lively cooking class and try the most delicious wines in a winery at the foot of Etna.
Enjoy the breathtaking views over Monti Iblei hills, intriguing excursions in UNESCO heritage cities, authentic experiences, and delightful meals in the best local restaurants.
All of the experiences in the program are included in the price of the tour, so you will need your wallet only for personal expenses.
Additional Info
Duration: 8 days
Starts: Catania, Italy
Trip Category: Cultural & Theme Tours >> Cultural Tours
Explore Catania Promoted Experiences
What to Expect When Visiting Catania, Sicilia, Italy
Join us in this exciting one-week gastronomic adventure, where you will live like a local on the exquisite 18th-century villa for the whole stay, let a Michelin star chief teach you the authentic Sicilian recipes in a fun and lively cooking class and try the most delicious wines in a winery at the foot of Etna.
Enjoy the breathtaking views over Monti Iblei hills, intriguing excursions in UNESCO heritage cities, authentic experiences, and delightful meals in the best local restaurants.
All of the experiences in the program are included in the price of the tour, so you will need your wallet only for personal expenses.
Itinerary
Day 1: Via Sicily!
Stop At: Chiaramonte Gulfi, Chiaramonte Gulfi, Province of Ragusa, Sicily
Our representative will meet you at the airport in Catania’s Airport (CTA). And immediately, in a comfortable car, you set off for Villa Santa Margherita a farm, which is an hour’s drive from the airport.
After checking in, you will have a tour of the farm and a welcome aperitif: aperol, wine, various Sicilian snacks, as well as a tasting of the excellent olive oil St. Margherita. At a leisurely lunch, you meet and discuss the gastronomic plans for the next few days. Then you will pay a visit to the family winery of the hereditary baron, where you will have a walk through his estate, and of course, you will look into the cellar and taste several types of his piquant wines.
In the evening, you take a short walk through the wonderful town of Chiaramonte Gulfi – the city of olives and the same age as Syracuse, pop in a gelateria, where you will taste the unmistakable Sicilian ice cream. Dinner will be waiting for you in one of the best local meat restaurants (Majore).
Duration: 4 hours
Meals included:
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Historic 18th Century boutique Villa – Villa Santa Margherita.
Day 2: Organic Cheese Farm & Cooking Master Class from a Michlen Star Chief
Stop At: Giarratana, Giarratana, Province of Ragusa, Sicily
After a delicious breakfast, you travel to the town of Giarratanna, and try the torrone – typical Sicilian sweets. Next, you go to the best goat cheese farm in the region, where the owner will wait for you and conduct a tour of his own. You will be shown the whole process of cheese production, take a selfie with cute goats and taste fresh ricotta, pecorino, robbiolo accompanied by local wines.
Then, you will return to the villa where a friend, the famous Michelin star Italian chef Davide di Corrato, will be waiting for you. He will cheerfully hold a culinary master class on authentic Sicilian dishes, which you will then eat accompanied by local wines and good company.
Duration: 2 hours
Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner: Dinner will be made in a fun and lively cooking class!
Accommodation included: Historic 18th Century boutique Villa – Villa Santa Margherita.
Day 3: Winery on a Volcano
Stop At: Zafferana Etnea, Zafferana Etnea, Province of Catania, Sicily
Having breakfast and you are on your way to beautiful Mount Enta. The first stop will be the city with the lovely name of Zafferana at the foot of the volcano. You will visit local places, which offer the best honey and pistachios, this town is famous for. Then you travel to the Murgo vinery, which is located at the foot of Mount Etna. Thanks to volcanic clay, this is a unique place in Italy where wine has been produced on for 3,500 years. Its quality was renowned within the Roman Empire.
After a winery tour, you will have lunch at the Murgo’s restaurant, where you will enjoy delicious wines from the autochthonous grape varieties Frappato, Carricante, Nerello Mascalese, and Nerello Capuccio. You return to the villa and after a short rest, then go for dinner to one of the best local trattorias.
Duration: 5 hours
Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch: Lunch at Murgo Winery at the foot of mount Etna with a Facinating View
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Historic 18th Century boutique Villa – Villa Santa Margherita.
Day 4: City of Chocolate
Stop At: Modica, Modica, Province of Ragusa, Sicily
You wake up, have breakfast and go on an excursion to Modica, the capital of chocolate and one of the main Baroque cities in Sicily. The town was compared to the second Venice for numerous canals and bridges which existed three hundred years ago. During this tour, you will find out why there are two cathedrals in Modica, and not one, as is customary in most cities in Sicily. You will see baroque palaces and medieval churches, wander along its narrow streets and tasting coffee in local pastry shops.
You will reveal the secret of Aztec-based chocolate production in the old factory Bon Ajuto, which to this day produces chocolate according to the same recipe. You will walk around the city where you can see the unimaginable beauty of Sicily. After a short rest, you will end such a busy day, sharing gastronomic and not only impressions during dinner in a fine local restaurant with great wine.
Duration: 3 hours
Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Historic 18th Century boutique Villa – Villa Santa Margherita.
Day 5: Baroque, Wine, and Michelin
Stop At: Ragusa, Ragusa, Province of Ragusa, Sicily
After a wonderful breakfast, you travel to the next city, the provincial capital – Ragusa. You will also see most of the 18 monuments included in the UNESCO heritage list and find out why the hereditary earl gave his unimaginably beautiful and well-groomed garden for public use.
The main part of this day – lunch. You will dine at the best restaurant in Sicily with two Michelin stars – IL DUOMO. Chef Ciccio Sultano always surprises guests with his refined taste.
Then you will visit our friends from Valle Dell’Acate winery, one of the oldest wineries in the region, where you will taste great wines. You will find out why the wine is stored in oak barrels, what temperature and humidity should be in the cellars, and how the future wine is fermented. You will visit the old winery, where the exposition is dedicated to the history of grape processing. You will walk around the winery, then drive to the best local fish restaurant to have dinner, relax, and share fun experiences.
Duration: 4 hours
Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Historic 18th Century boutique Villa – Villa Santa Margherita.
Day 6: City of Ceramics and Antiques
Stop At: Caltagirone, Caltagirone, Province of Catania, Sicily
Today is the day of unimaginable beauty. You go to the city of Caltagirone, the capital of Sicilian ceramics. In Caltagirone, you will walk along the magnificent stairs of Santa Maria del Monte with 142 steps, climb the bell tower of the former monastery and take a bird’s-eye view, and whoever is not afraid will go with you to the casemates! You will go into all the artigianal shops and, of course, buy a lot of different souvenirs!
And you will have lunch in a local trattoria, where the owner himself will set the table and advise local dishes and wines. On the way to the villa, you will drop by a close friend, an antique collector, who will show you his collection of paintings and tell many Sicilian legends.
Duration: 4 hours
Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Historic 18th Century boutique Villa – Villa Santa Margherita.
Day 7: Shopping
Stop At: Enna, Enna, Province of Enna, Sicily
Today is a very pleasant day for everyone – shopping! And you will go to the largest Sicily Outlet Village. Sicilia Outlet Village is the first shopping center open in Sicily, one of the most important shopping centers on the island. Located in the heart of Sicily, the outlet of the city of Ajira offers its visitors the opportunity to significantly save on the purchase of branded clothing and accessories, sports goods, and household items produced by the most prestigious brands, both national and foreign.
Duration: 6 hours
Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Historic 18th Century boutique Villa – Villa Santa Margherita.
Day 8: Ciao Sicilia!
Stop At: Catania, Catania, Province of Catania, Sicily
You have breakfast at the villa, pack your bags, and go to Catania Fontanarossa Airport (CTA). But first, small gifts! Santa Margarita Tours team hopes that you loved the authentic Sicilian experience with them, and hope that you will join your new trips to Sicily them again in the future!
Duration: 1 hour
Meals included:
• Breakfast
No accommodation included on this day.
