Join Chef Angelo and your host Gerardo in Taormina for a cooking weekend in the hilltop town of Taormina on the turquoise coast of Sicily. Your historic villa-hotel provides a friendly atmosphere with modern amenities and Chef Angelo takes you into the market and the kitchen for authentic Sicilian cooking. Come for the weekend, or choose to add-on for a longer stay and enjoy the colorful Taormina at its best, any time of year.
Taormina
Taormina sits like a crown on top of a steep mountainside on the eastern shore of Sicily, just about half way between Messina and Catania. Its origins date back even before the Greeks founded the nearby town of Naxos.
This historic town is featured in Goethe’s Italian Journey, and was home to Nobel Prize winner- Halldor Laxness, not to mention D.H. Lawrence and Truman Capote who frequented the Fontana Vecchia.
Today, Taormina’s bustling historic center and pedestrian promenade is home to artisan ceramic shops, tempting bakeries and pastry shops with colorful Marzipan masterpieces in the windows, leading to the ancient Greek theatre (now hosting concerts, ballets and the Taormina Art festival in the summertime). Take the cable car or the winding road down to the waterfront and admire the Isola Bella, a tiny green island connected to the mainland by narrow sand pathway; perfect for a barefoot stroll.
Cooking Classes
Chef Angelo leads you through Taormina’s historic market for a ‘Shop With The Chef’ before you return to the kitchen. Visit the fruit & vegetable vendor to find out what’s in season, the fishmonger to choose the best fresh catch of the day, the butcher’s trick for the most tender cuts of meat, and more. Pick up the ingredients for your hands-on cooking class while learning about the local in-season products, Angelo’s family recipes and traditions.
Next, head into the kitchen for your hands-on cooking class featuring Sicilian specialties such as Ricotta-stuffed zucchini flowers, a rainbow of fresh sautéed vegetables such as peppers, eggplant and zucchini Caponata, stuffed artichokes with Chef Angelo’s secret stuffing recipe, fresh pasta and either a fish, meat or vegetarian main dish such as Involtini, rolled stuffed beef, Calamari ai sapori di Sicilia, Sicilian-style Calamari, or Polpette, meatballs.
Lunch follows featuring the foods prepared in class and accompanied by a wine pairing of 2 local Sicilian wines suggested by our professional sommelier.
Accommodations
Superbly and centrally located in the historic center of Taormina, surrounded by its own extensive, subtropical, shady terraced gardens, its unique and quiet position offers stupendous views of snow-capped Mount Etna and the Bay of Naxos. Strolling through the gardens, it’s just a 2-minute walk to the Botanical Gardens or to Taormina’s famous Corso Umberto, and only 10 minutes to the ancient Greek-Roman Theatre, the bus terminal and the cable car station, linking Taormina to the beaches of Mazzarò and Isola Bella.
Each bedroom has private full bathroom, hairdryer, individually controlled air-conditioning, direct-dial telephone, refrigerator, electronic safe, satellite TV with radio and clock, Wi-Fi internet access, orthopedic beds, double glazing, soundproof doors, with sea view or garden view, most of them with balcony, terrace or loggia.
Photo Gallery
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Itinerary ~ 3 Days, 2 Nights
Day 1: Arrival & Historic Tour Of Taormina
• Arrival and Check In- please ask about adding on transfers from Catania or your point of arrival in Sicily to Taormina.
• Afternoon Historic Tour of Taormina, strolling the promenade and delving into the history of this resort town. Visit the Greek Theater, Taormina’s beautiful churches including patron saint Pancras, and learn about the dominations from the Greeks then Romans, to the Arabs, then Spanish and more. This afternoon tour is escorted by private guide; entrance fees not included and payable at the door.
• Dinner on your own, suggestions provided upon request.
Day 2: Market Visit & Cooking Class
• Breakfast is served.
• Meet Chef Angelo in the morning for your tour through the local Market. Meet vendors, discuss local products and recipes and enjoy the colorful morning-life in Taormina.
• Return to the kitchen for your hands-on cooking class in Toarmina with Chef Angelo and learn local recipes and family traditions from our charismatic and charming chef.
• Sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labor for lunch, with 2 local Sicilian wines paired by our Sommelier. Additional wines and beverages at a surcharge.
• Afternoon and evening free to explore Taormina on your own. Suggestions provided upon request.
Day 3: Departure & Arrivederci!
• Breakfast is served.
• Departure & Check out. Until next time in Taormina!
Program Includes:
- 3 days, 2 nights accommodations in double room with sea view balcony, private bathroom. Click To View!
- Daily Breakfast.
- Market Visit followed by hands-on cooking class with Chef Angelo. Lunch includes the foods prepared in class. Wine pairing of 2 Sicilian wines included, additional wine/beverages at a surcharge.
- Tour of Historic Taormina with private licensed tour guide including visit to the Greek Theater.
Program Prices
$750 per person, based on double occupancy, including all taxes and Italian VAT.
2012 Dates: This program is available throughout the year. Check in and start your program any day of the week. Rates are subject to change based on currency exchange. Call for updated rates. Airfare not included.
