Ortygia, the Baroque center in the city of Syracuse

This cooking, food, wine and cultural odyssey takes you to South East Sicily famous for its ancient Greek ruins, UNESCO World Heritage Baroque towns, chocolate, fine wines and delectable cuisine. Mama Margaret's local friends welcome warmly you to stay in their beautifully renovated, historic palazzo in the heart of  Modica and teach you secrets of authentic Sicilian cuisine in cooking lessons at home. With them, you discover picturesque Baroque towns, hidden corners, artisan food products and beautiful nature, and meet lots of fun, interesting local people.

Modica perches precariously on the side of a gorge separating ancient Upper Modica set on series of rock terraces from Lower Modica’s maze streets. Modica is famous for its chocolate, so you visit Bonajuto’s renowned chocolate laboratory to sample the rich, creamy chocolate.

Your home at your host family's palazzo is an easy walk to main sights but away from the tourist areas, so you experience a slice of real Sicilian life.

cannoli, a classic Sicilian dessert

Visit a winery in Acate and learn the local winemaking techniques before settling down for a lunch of local cheeses and meats paired with exceptional reds and whites produced on the estate.

Visit Noto, a beautiful Baroque city and UNESCO world heritage site, also famous for its almonds and almond paste. You’ll learn how the nuts and by-products are used to enrich creams, sauces and tarts in local dishes.

Your cooking teacher, Katia grew up near Modica, comes from a family with a passion for cooking over generations and has always loved cooking. She uses many of the recipes from her grandmother's notebook in your four cooking lessons at your home in her family's palazzo kitchen in Modica, so you learn traditional Sicilian recipes.