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Italian Mamma Sicily! Cooking In Her Private Home Kitchen™

Cooking With Chef Fiora Angela ~ 3 Day

Join Signora Fiora Angela in the historic center of Siracusa for a market tour and hands-on Sicilian cooking class. Fiora Angela, located in one of the most beautiful parts of Siracusa, is sure to inspire your cooking skills with Sicilian eggplants, lemons, citrus and wine!  Visit the market early in the morning for the best farm-to-table blood oranges, fennel, artichokes, fish and produce of the season. Wind through the market stalls with Fiora Angela, stop at the butcher, fish monger, and artisan baker, and see fresh foods of the day. Your cooking class and pasta making will give you a taste of Siracusa and Southern Sicilian cuisine in this dream-like setting.

Tie on your apron and get cooking with Signora Fiora Angela creating antipasti, fresh pasta and sauce, main courses and dessert.  Though there are many artisan-made products, wines, and olive oils that your friends and family would love, the best souvenir you can bring back to those at home is the promise of lunches and dinners with your new Sicilian recipes learned in class.

Market Tour

Meet Chef Fiora Angela early in the morning for a market tour in the heart of Siracusa. This historic market offers everything from fruits and veggies, to meat, fresh-caught fish and artisan baked goods. Every day is different in the market, and Chef Fiora shows you how to select the fresh ingredients that will be brought back to the kitchen.  Along the way, taste some of the market offerings such as fresh brioche or cannoli, for those who love sweet, or a savory arancino, Sicily’s famous flash-fried stuffed rice balls.

Sicily Cooking Class

Chef Fiora Angela is your teacher and her traditional kitchen is your classroom for your hands-on cooking class.  A member of the Accademia Italiana Della Cucina, Italian Cooking Academy, she provides a fun, informal environment where you will learn about Sicilian recipes of the region.  Not only will you be cooking up a storm, but you will be learning the history and culture behind each recipe, as well.

After the cooking class, dinner follows and includes the foods that were made in class with wine and beverages included.  Menus vary based on the season, and may include: fried pizzette with tuna and anchovies, Sicilian cheese with pepper, beccafico fish, cherry tomatoes, olives, impanate and caponata.  First courses include couscous with fresh fish or eggplant timbale.  You’ll be mixing and rolling out pasta while simmering a sauce or two.  Think ravioli, gnocchi, or pasta alla Norma.  Main courses are delicious and include fresh tuna fish with mint or seafood in a tomato sauce with basil and herbs.  One of Fiora Angela’s specialties is a local fennel and orange salad.  Sicilian desserts are exceptional with cannoli, cassata, and ricotta and fruit pie.  These are just a sample of Sicilian foods that you will make.

Siracusa

Your base for your cooking vacation is in Siracusa, in Sicily’s southeast. Dating back to when the Greeks ruled this land, Siracusa is steeped with ancient traditions of cuisine, history and folklore.  During your stay, you can also visit a most interesting part of Siracusa, a straight which is divided into nine neighborhoods – each with a name also in Sicilian dialect – Graziella (Razziedda), Bottari (‘Uttari), Mastrarua (Masciarrò), Spirduta (Spidduta), Maestranza (Mascianza), Duomo (Domu), Giudecca (Jureca), Turba (Tubba), and Castello Maniace (Casteddu).

The Piazza Duomo is the place to have a caffè and do a little people-watching, or simply admire the incredible architecture including an impressive Baroque-faced Duomo dedicated to Santa Lucia, the patron saint of Siracusa. The Duomo was originally a Greek temple dedicated to the goddess Athena, and the Doric columns can still be seen along the sides of the Duomo, though now built into the walls after two major earthquakes shook the ancient frame.

The island’s picturesque foot paths are beautiful for a sunset stroll.  Visit Castello Maniace at the southern tip of the island, and the seafront promenade along the western coast where trattorias, wine bars and artisan food shops line the streets.  The Castello, originally built in 1038 AD as a fort, was transformed into a castle in the 13th century. Today, events and exhibitions are held on the grounds inside the fortress walls.

The Fonte Aretusa, the freshwater spring on the western shore of the island, is named after the nymph Arethusa, who, according to Greek mythology, was transformed into this spring that flowed underground from Greece to Sicily.  This all happened while she was trying to flee from the river god, Alpheus. Papyrus plants grow in the spring today, and legend says that Greek flowers appear in the fountain, whose waters, they claim, flow directly from Greece.

Sicily Accommodations

4 Star Luxury Siracusa

Our 4-Star hotel is located in an ancient palazzo on the waterfront of in Siracusa’s center. The property has kept its Old World charm while careful updates have been done.  Charming rooms, each furnished differently with antique furniture, four-poster beds, refined interior Sicilian decoration and Mediterranean features, add to the comfort of your stay.  Each room offers private ensuite bathrooms, hairdryer, air conditioning, wi-fi internet, a mini-bar, and satellite television.  Each morning, an Italian buffet breakfast is served, starting with cappuccino, coffee, tea, warm croissants, pastries, cereal and fresh fruit.  In the evening, dine in the hotel including Sicilian fare, with an excellent list of wine is also available. The professional staff welcomes you and is ready to assist with any request you may have.

Itinerary: 3 days, 2 nights

Day 1: Arrival & Check In

  • Arrival transfer from Catania Airport.
  • Check in and relax.  Enjoy a Prosecco.
  • Welcome dinner with a tasting of Sicilian fare.  Wine not included.

Day 2: Seafood Market & Cooking Class

  • Breakfast is served.
  • Following breakfast, meet your chef for a tour of the fish market.  Discover the many varieties of Mediterranean fish caught off the coast, and learn how to choose the best fresh fish which will be used in the cooking class.
  • Explore the market, do some shopping and stop for lunch on your own. Suggestion: Try the street foods available at the marketplace – such as arancini, fried rice balls and suppli’, fried potato and mozzarella.
  • Later in the afternoon, tie on your apron for your cooking class preparing the fish that was bought at the market.  With the chef, prepare your two-course dinner.  Dinner follows and includes the food that was prepared in cooking class with wine included.
  • After your cooking class, tour the quaint city of Siracusa with our English-speaking guide.

Day 3: Check Out & Departure

  • Breakfast is served.
  • Check out and departure.
  • Transfer to Catania airport.

 

Program Includes:

  • 3 days and 2 nights accommodations, based on 2 guests. Click to View!
  • Daily breakfast and maid service.
  • 1 cooking class, followed by dinner including the foods that were prepared in the cooking class, wine included.
  • Tour of Siracusa with English-speaking guide.
  • Visit to the fish market with English-speaking guide.
  • Round trip transfers on arrival & departure from Catania Airport or Train Station.
  • Cooking Vacations welcome bag, apron and recipe book.
Program Prices

$1,895 per person, based on 2 guests.

For Single Guests: If you are traveling on your own, please call us for the best group price. We are happy to welcome you into an already scheduled group.

Check Availability

2024 Dates: This program is available throughout the year. You can check in and start your cooking program any day of the week. Rates are subject to change based on currency exchange. Call for updated rates. Airfare not included. Group transfers for any cooking tour or tours that include transfers, are for the group and are not private. Transfers before, after or to another destination outside of your cooking tour are not included in the program price. If you would like to add on a private transfer or transfers, let us know and we will send you pricing.