Our journey begins on Sicily’s east coast.

From 2pm onwards, you’ll be met at Catania Airport and transferred to our hotel just outside Ortigia, surrounded by gardens, citrus trees, and sea air.

This first afternoon is intentionally slow. Time to unpack, shower off the journey, swim, rest, or simply sit and let Sicily settle in.

As the light softens, we gather on the panoramic rooftop for our first aperitivo, a simple ritual of wine, olives, and conversation as the sun dips low.

Our opening night unfolds around the table at our rooftop terrace hotel. Dinner celebrates modern Sicilian cooking sun-ripened vegetables herbs, olive oil, and wines from nearby vineyards.

This is where strangers soften into companions. Stories begin to flow, laughter finds its rhythm, and the pace of everyday life finally slips away.

We begin the day with breakfast at the hotel, fresh bread, fruit, yogurt, and espresso before heading into Ortigia, the historic heart of Siracusa.

Mid-morning, we meet our local friend and chef for a guided walk through Ortigia’s vibrant food market. Expect colour and movement: fishermen calling out the day’s catch, baskets of tomatoes and herbs, pistachios, citrus, cheeses, and wine. We stop to taste along the way filling our bellies for lunch.

The afternoon is yours. Swim in the sea, wander, rest, or find a quiet café for an espresso.

As early evening arrives, we meet one of Sicily’s most respected local guides for a gentle passeggiata through Ortigia. Greek, Roman, Jewish, and Baroque layers reveal themselves as we wander quiet lanes and hidden corners.

Tonight we head to one of my favourite restaurants in town.

After a slow morning, we leave the coast behind and travel inland, heading west of Ortigia into the Hyblaean Mountains, a quieter, lesser-seen side of Sicily where the land opens wide and the pace slows.

The countryside here feels timeless. We spend the afternoon nestled into these hills, we walk the land and are invited behind the scenes to learn how to forage the land. We try our hand tasting what we foraged and making a traditional pasta.

Lunch is served outdoors on the families generational property a generous farm table built around what the land provides. Simple, nourishing dishes made from local ingredients are paired with thoughtfully chosen Sicilian wines. The table stretches, conversations deepen, and time seems to loosen its grip.

The remainder of the evening is intentionally left open upon our return to Ortiga. Time to rest, swim, journal, or simply sit with what you’ve experienced.

Dinner this evening is a light charcuterie board at my favouritelocal enoteca in Ortiga.

After breakfast, we journey north toward Mount Etna, Europe’s most active volcano and one of Sicily’s most defining landscapes.

At the foot of the mountain, we are welcomed into a 110 year old family-run lemon grove estate, where citrus trees thrive in volcanic soil with Etna rising dramatically behind us.

Here, we share a hands-on, farm-to-table cooking experience, preparing lunch together using ingredients harvested on site — lemons, herbs, vegetables, guided by the family who has cared for this land for generations.

After our lunch, we explore Etna’s volcanic vineyards, learning how fire and time shape the grapes. We see how the lava-enriched soil and special climate affect the grapes and wines, and see how the wine is made. We will have a vineyard walk, winery visit, and food pairing for an evening apperitivo.

The evening is yours to settle into sunset.

This morning we head to the Val di Noto, where we begin with a gentle walk through the olive groves, learning about the land and the different local cultivars along with traditional harvesting methods, from hand-picking to the use of combs.

From there, we step into the historic 18th-century farmhouse, where you’ll be guided through a journey of olive oil production — from harvest and washing, through pressing and extraction, to storage and bottling.

We finish with a tasting of all olive oils, sample beautiful flavours before we head for a long lunch prepared from the grounds, farm to plate in the truest sense.

After our lunch we head south to Noto, the honey-coloured Baroque jewel rebuilt after the great earthquake of 1693.

With a local guide, we stroll through its grand streets, learning how this architectural masterpiece was imagined and reborn. There’s time to wander, shop, and linger over a pastry or coffee at one of the town’s historic cafés for granita.

In the late afternoon we head back to Ortiga for a slow paced evening and dinner on your own tonight.

We begin the day with a leisurely breakfast in the hotel’s sunroom before we head out onto the water for a boat and cave tour along the Ortigia coastline. We drift past limestone cliffs and tucked-away caves, with time to swim, float, and feel the salt on your skin, Sicily at its most effortless.

Back on land, we’re welcomed by friends at a local panificio, where a classic Sicilian panino awaits simple, generous, and exactly what you crave after the sea.

As evening approaches, we gather for aperitivo at one of my favourite cocktail bars, hidden within a historic Ortigia courtyard. We head to our final farewell dinner to share in the week of a culinary adventure.

We gather for one final breakfast before our private transfers return us to Catania Airport, but we don’t leave empty-handed. We depart with full hearts, new friendships, and a deep sense of presence. The long tables, the citrus groves, the volcanic soil, the laughter under the stars, they travel home with us.

And as we part ways, I hope you carry a little piece of Sicily with you, in the way you cook, gather, and move through the world with a touch more beauty and ease.