Tie on your aprons for a Sicilian food and wine adventure in Ragusa with Signora Serena filled with hands-on Sicilian cooking, touring and culture! Discover Sicily’s cuisine and learn how to make arancini, Sicilian rice balls, pasta alla Norma, an eggplant and pasta tradition, and cassata di ricotta – a traditional citrus-infused cake. Delicious food blends with sipping, swirling and traveling through Ragusa.
Your week includes cultural and scenic visits to landmarks with visits to an artisan pastry maker with tastings included. You’ll also learn about the award-winning wines of Modica on a vineyard and cantina tour with wine tastings accompanied by Sicilian finger foods. This one-of-a-kind culinary tour takes you to off-the-beaten-path places including artisans and a baker – with vibrant cuisine and passionate Sicilians who welcome you like family!
Sicily Cooking Classes
Classes are held in the palazzo with rising star cook and chef Gloria and Serena. Learn how to make Sicilian eggplant, zucchini and herbs and roll out fresh pasta – think cavatelli, ravioli stuffed with ricotta and pistachio sauce, and spaghetti with orange, almond and chilli pepper oil. Main courses include: sugo di maiale, pork with tomato sauce, Sicilian swordfish with black olives and capers, and pastizza, a savoury pie stuffed with ricotta, capers and herbs. Sicilian desserts are creamy, citrusy and delicious – cannoli and cassata, a traditional cake made with citrus, and almond and pistachio biscotti.
Sicily
Sicily has a fiery passion – a vivacity and spirit that extends from the top of Mount Etna to its cerulean deep sea. Colors are vibrant, landscapes are beautiful, and orange and lemon trees grow almost everywhere. Silvery vineyards and olive trees cover volcanic hillsides! Almond trees producing the biggest and most delicious nuts are a big part of the food culture. Sicilian cuisine is often described as del sole e del mare, of sun and sea, and it’s something magical combining Arab and Greek spices with Spanish and French influences.
Ragusa
Ragusa, a charming city in the southeast of Sicily, is a treasure trove of Baroque architecture and cultural history. Nestled in the heart of the island, it has a beautifully preserved historic center, Ragusa Ibla, with narrow winding streets, stunning churches, and picturesque squares. Explore the majestic Duomo di San Giorgio – a stunning cathedral, enjoy the serene Giardino Ibleo – a peaceful garden with sweeping views – and savor exquisite Sicilian cuisine in its many trattorias. Ragusa offers a perfect blend of its two souls: the past and the present. Its natural beauty is the perfect destination for those seeking authentic Italian charm.
Modica
Set on a gorge just south of the Iblei Mountains, Modica is the city of 100 bells and 100 churches. It is split into two sections, Modica Alta and Modica Bassa, and connected by an intriguing labyrinth of steps and narrow winding streets. Experience the city’s beautiful Baroque architecture and breathtaking Cathedral of San Giorgio. Once dominated by the Greeks, to the Romans, Byzantium empire, Arabs, Normans to the Spaniards, Modica offers an interesting infusion of history, tradition, culture and cuisine.
Sicily Accommodations
Perched on the hilltop city of Ragusa, this historic Baroque Villa offers a perfect blend of classic Sicilian architecture with modern interior design. The Villa is surrounded by nature, featuring four beautiful Mediterranean gardens, a pond, and a sparkling blue swimming pool. Among the century-old trees and bushes, you’ll find numerous fruit trees and colorful flowers dotting the landscape. The Villa offers 14 rooms, each with sleek and modern stone walls and comfortable Italian linens adorning the beds. Every room includes a private ensuite bath. Daily maid service and breakfast are included with your stay. The chef prepares artisan breads, cakes and biscotti along with cappuccino, espresso, tea, fruit, jam and granola. The professional staff is on site to assist with any special request and they are available to help with questions during your stay.
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Itinerary: 8 days, 7 nights
Day 1: Arrival & Welcome Dinner
- Arrival transfer from Ragusa Train Station.
- Check in and enjoy your Cooking Vacations’ Welcome bag with Prosecco and meet your hosts.
- Welcome Dinner featuring a Chef’s Tasting menu with local fare.
Day 2: Visit to a Historical Mill for Sicilian Cooking Class 1
- Breakfast is served.
- Following breakfast, head to a historical Sicilian mill for a hands-on cooking class. You will learn to make different kinds of scacce, traditional flat breads of Ragusa province: campagnola with Ragusano PDO cheese and tomato sauce, seasonal vegetables and tomasino, with ricotta cheese and sausage. This is a traditional Sicilian experience, with lunch to follow and a toast of wine included.
- Following the cooking class, return to hotel. Rest of the day at leisure. Guests can enjoy the spa facilities – see reception to reserve – add-on spa treatments not included.
- Evening is free and on your own with dinner suggestions provided.
Day 3: Visit to Modica – Walking Tour – Cooking Class 2
- Breakfast is served.
- In the morning, discover Modica on a one-of-a-kind Walking Tour with our English-speaking guide. Our walking tour takes you through sites & landmarks as you experience the culture of colorful Sicily. Beautiful and historical, you will learn about this city’s history, culture and food.
- Following the tour, tie on your aprons for your second cooking class. You will learn to make traditional Sicilian pastas and sauces. Following the cooking class, enjoy your lunch from the rooftop of the house, located in the heart of Modica with antipasto, pasta and sauces, dessert and wine included.
- Following the excursion, return to property. Guests can opt to add on a spa treatment.
- Evening is on free and on your own with dinner suggestions provided.
Day 4: Excursion to Noto – Granita Tasting – Wine Tour, Tasting and Sicilian Food Tasting
- Breakfast is served.
- Excursion to an organic winery. The area is famous for the “Nero d’Avola” DOC wine. Explore the vineyards and wine cellar with our English-speaking host. Following the tour, a wine tasting follows including Nero d’Avola and other wines along with a Sicilian Food Tasting.
- Following the excursion, return to the hotel by 4 pm. Guests can opt to add on a spa treatment.
- Evening is free and on your own with dinner suggestions provided.
Day 5: Cooking Class 3 – Olive Oil Visit and Tasting
- Breakfast is served.
- Following breakfast, head to Chiaramonte Gulfi, a small town renowned for its olive oil production – an intense scent and an exquisite flavor characterizes the PDO Hyblaean Mounts. Explore the mill and experience the process of producing extra virgin – cold pressed olive oil – while enjoying the different organoleptic characteristics that each type of olive oil offers.
- Tie on your aprons for a Sicilian cooking class where you will focus on hand-made pasta and soups. Lunch follows and everyone enjoys the food that was prepared in the cooking class.
- Return to hotel by 4pm. Rest of the day at Leisure. Guests can opt to add on a spa treatment.
- Evening is free and on your own with dinner suggestions provided.
Day 6: Excursion to Scicli, Cooking Experience Demo & Gourmet Sicilian Lunch
- Breakfast is served.
- Following breakfast, meet your driver for a tour to Scicli. Hosted by our English-speaking guide, you will discover that Scicli is a Baroque city known for its Palazzo Fava, one of the first and largest Baroque palaces in the town. Ancient, historical and interesting, Scicli is filled with landmarks, churches and palazzos built between the 1700s and 1800s, and is well-known for the churches of Santa Teresa, San Giovanni and San Bartolomeo. We also recommend you visit Palazzo Beneventano, a UNESCO ‘s World Heritage site. Driver and guide included.
- Natural beauty and baroque harmony blend with the stories of the men who made Scicli a pearl among the cava slopes. We have selected for you an olfactory trail at a farm where an exceptional guide will show you the different aromatic plants: officinal and ornamental. You will discover all their scents along with tasting the herbs and flowers.
- After refreshing your senses, join the chef for a cooking immersion. You’ll see the preparation of two different recipes. A Sicilian Gourmet lunch follows with local wine included.
- Return to hotel by 4pm. Rest of the day at leisure. Guests can opt to add on a spa treatment.
- Evening is free and on your own with dinner suggestions provided.
Day 7: Excursion to Syracuse – Market Tour and Cooking Class 4
- Breakfast is served.
- Meet your driver for a tour to Syracuse. Head to the market with our chef and tie on our aprons for cooking class 4. Enjoy your hands-on cooking class preparing a full-course traditional Sicilian lunch. Lunch follows including the food prepared in the cooking class with a toast of wine. After the tour, take time to explore the city on your own.
- Following the excursion and cooking class, return to the property. Guests can opt to add on a spa treatment.
- Evening is free and on your own with dinner suggestions provided.
Day 8: Departure & Arrivederci
- Breakfast is served.
- Check out and departure transfer from Hotel to Ragusa train station.
*Note: This schedule may vary due to inclement weather, saint days or festivals. All activities, in the event of rescheduling, are always included during the program.
Program Includes:
- 8 days, 7 nights, based on 2 guests in a deluxe room with private ensuite bathroom. Click To View!
- Daily breakfast and maid service.
- Welcome Prosecco and introduction.
- Chef’s Welcome Dinner featuring full-course Sicilian fare with antipasto, fresh pasta and sauce, main course and dessert.
- 4 Hands-on cooking classes featuring full-course Sicilian fare with antipasto, fresh pasta and sauce, main course and dessert followed by lunch or dinner including the foods that were prepared in class. Drinks not included.
- Excursion to a historical Sicilian mill with driver and English-speaking guide.
- Excursion to Syracuse with driver and English-speaking guide.
- Olive Oil Tasting and Sicilian Gourmet Lunch with driver and English-speaking guide.
- Excursion to Modica with driver and English-speaking guide including a walking Landmark Tour.
- Excursion to Scicli, including a winery with food pairings with driver and English-speaking guide.
- Excursion to Noto with driver and English-speaking guide.
- Granita Tasting tour in Noto with driver and English-speaking guide.
- Round trip transfers to and from Ragusa Train Station.
- Cooking Vacations Welcome Bag with chef’s apron, Prosecco and recipe booklet.
- A copy of Lauren’s cookbook, “It’s a Dream Place – Stories & Recipes of Love, Food and the Amalfi Coast.”
Program Prices
$6,995 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.