Cooking, Wine and Volcanoes in
Sicily's Mount Etna and Island of Stromboli
with incredibly warm, fun loving, local people

More Sicily Pictures Italian Cooking Classes Wine Cooking Tour Itinerary & Special Wine Festival Tour Italian Cooking Tour Dates and Prices

Accommodations To Reserve Terms & Conditions Client Comments

"The October 7-13, 2006 tour I went on was one of my top travel experiences in all my 30+ years of travelling all over the world.

We were always laughing. A trip full of heart, of very warm, hospitable, fun loving, sometimes quirky, local chefs, guide, driver, restaurant owners and my multi-talented tour colleague, Lara.

A week of a wonderful variety of sensual experiences from making cannoli, to drinking Etna wines with the winery owner on a mountainside, to watching Stromboli's volcano throw her fire into the night sky, to admiring sunsets over Stromboli's black beaches and white houses, to slathering ourselves with mud in a natural mud bath outdoors by the sea on the island of Vulcano.

The tour clients and our local guide, all on the same warm, wacky wavelength, became my friends.

Maurizio, full of joy of life, was an outstanding guide: a ham, goof who cracked us up, a thoughtful friend who took care of us, and a teacher passionate about Sicily so we learned about the local culture."

"Mama" Margaret Cowan

Cooking School Tour at a Glance: Brief Description

Discover sea and mountain cuisines and wines with a cast of wonderfully warm, fun loving, local characters in north east Sicily. Learn chefs' secrets in three cooking classes with two restaurant chefs and one great home cook in Mount Etna's seaside and foothills, and on the incredibly beautiful island of Stromboli in the Aeolian Islands off the north east coast of Sicily.

Walk or hike in the Mount Etna foot hills on black volcanic sand paths or among the lava streams to craters. After your walk or hike along paths on Stromboli, marvel at the fire this active volcano throws into the night sky. Unique environments and sensual experiences you'll always remember! Walks are optional with choices for every level of walker.

Discover Sicilian wines in two wine tastings at an Etna winery and on Stromboli, meet lots of local people, and explore Taormina including its Greek theatre, Mount Etna's foot hills and seaside, the islands of Stromboli and Vulcano in the Aeolian Islands. Wallow in the outdoor mud bath in a natural pool by the sea and rinse off in the sea's warm, natural jacuzzi on Vulcano.

Stay three nights at a lovely villa hotel in Taormina with breathtaking views of the sea and Mount Etna, two nights at a B & B on the island of Stromboli and one night in a modern four star hotel high in the hills near Taormina with incredible sea views. A variety of heavenly places to experience! accommodation pictures

Experience Two Beautiful, Exotic Regions with Two Active Volcanoes in Sicily: Taormina/Mount Etna and Island of Stromboli

From its hillside terraces, beautiful Taormina overlooks the Mediterranean and enjoys spectacular views of Mount Etna. Its lovely setting, beautiful gardens, antiquities like the Greek theatre, villas, medieval piazzas and palaces have attracted international writers, diplomats, actors and tourists for over 100 years. It offers great seafood restaurants, eye popping pastry shops bulging with marzipan, cassata cake, cannoli and other wonderful Sicilian pastries, and lots of good shopping.

Village on the Island of Stromboli

Our local Taormina guide, my tour partner, Lara, is a wonderful storyteller and an enthusiastic history buff. She had us riveted with her fascinating historical information, local stories and her own experiences in the Greek theatre. Mount Etna is one of the world's highest volcanoes at 3350 metres and dominates the landscape for miles around with its smoking and often snow capped summit. You'll enjoy walks or hikes on the north slopes and craters where the green or gold trees in the black sand earth break up the moonscape of black lava streams. An exotique, unique landscape of black, gold and green with views of the blue sea!

Greek theatre Taormina

The small island of Stromboli juts out of the clear blue sea like a giant cone in the Aeolian Islands, off the
north east coast of Sicily. The active volcano dominates the island with its green slopes and black volcanic sand. In the main town, the quaint streets are too narrow for modern cars and wind along the sea and hillside.

The white washed, square shaped houses with round edges, inner courtyards and walled gardens remind you of north Africa. Gardens are full of bouganvillea, lemon trees, orange trees, roses. You lie on fine black sand at the beaches. A spectacular landscape!

From time to time you can hear the volcano rumbling as it is saying "welcome to my territory" and by night you marvel at the fire it spurts high into the dark sky as if it is saying "see my power and enjoy my show".

Your Guides: Your New Sicilian Friends Either Maurizio or Luca will be your local guide and soon will feel like your new Sicilian friend. Both are great fun, very knowledgeable and passionate about Sicily, and look after you very well. You'll share lots of laughs together and learn a lot about Sicilian life and culture too. Maurizio lives in Linguaglossa at the foot of Mount Etna and Luca grew up on Stromboili, so you feel local friends are taking you to their favourite places.

Guides Maurizio and Luca

Cuisine and Wines

Both the Etna and Stromboli areas abound with seafood like swordfish, tuna, octopus, mussels, clams, prawns, calimari and anchovies You enjoy dishes like: * antipasti of marinated fish * swordfish rolls with savoury bread and herb stuffing * maccheroni with a tomato and tuna sauce * anchovies dipped in breadcrumbs with herbs with tomato sauce * seafood risotto Herbs play a big role, especially wild herbs, with wild fennel, oregano and mint adding special flavours to pasta, fish and meat dishes. You'll also taste lots of capers, olives and pine nuts in many savoury dishes.

Stromboli Pasta with wild herbs & bread crumbs

Bakeries bulge with Sicilian marzipan, cannoli rolls, cassata cake, and numerous delicacies with almonds,
pistacchio, lemon and orange.

In the Etna foot hills, you find ricotta baked in the oven, salami or cheeses with black peppers, mushrooms,
grilled vegetables, pork rolls with savoury stuffings, meat balls with wild fennel wrapped and baked in lemon leaves, desserts flavoured with almonds or pistacchio nuts.

Wines In the Etna foot hills, the vines grow in volcanic soil at high altitudes where the soil is rich in minerals and has less clay so the wines are more delicate. The Etna Rosso, Rosato and Bianco are DOC wines. In the Aeolian Islands they make sweeter dessert wine, Malvasia and a Passito of Malvasia. You will enjoy a wine tasting with the producer of Etna wines and a Malvasia tasting on Stromboli.

Enjoying wine tasting at Mount Etna area winery

Three Cooking Classes: The Sea, Mountains and Islands

You'll experience three hands-on cooking classes with two restaurant chefs and and a retired chef or one great home cook right in their kitchens. Pictures at the cooking classes

Cooking Class One: seafood at the beach

We cooked at a great seafood restaurant on the beach where my tour colleague, Lara and husband,
Franco have celebrated many important events in their lives like their first date and their wedding.

With Chef Salvatore we cooked sardines with a savoury bread stuffing with raisins and pinenuts, pennette with swordfish, wild fennel and cherry tomatoes, farfalle with pistacchio nuts, swordfish rolls dipped in breadcrumbs. Then pastry chef Vincenzo taught us how to make cannoli. Read more...

Cooking Class Two: mountain cuisine at the foot of Mount Etna

In the Etna foot hills on a panoramic slope, at a beautifully renovated restaurant, formerly a country home,
you get a very warm welcome from the effervescent, enthusiastic, simpatico Signor Pippo. His friendly son,
Gaetano is an excellent chef and well prepared cooking teacher.

Gaetano taught us to cook breaded mushrooms, peperonata, cauliflower balls, pasta alla Norma with eggplant, tomatoes and basil, delicious meat balls in lemon leaves, semifreddo with pistacchio nuts all washed down with wine from their favorite Etna producer. Read more...

Cooking Class Three: island cuisine on Stromboli

On Stomboli in our B & B kitchen we cooked with retired chef, Barolo. Other times, Maria the mother of the family who owns the B & B, also an excellent cook, may teach the cooking class.

Her husband, Calogero is an outgoing character who loves a good conversation and laugh...as we discovered during our October 2006 cooking class interrupted with tumultuous and hilarious repartee between him and seemingly reserved Bartolo. I asked these two very different men how they met. Calogero told me the humorous tale.

With Bartolo we make one of our favourite pastas of the whole tour, Penne Strombolana--Stromboli style, with a sauce of black olives, capers, tomatoes and basil simmered for a long time. He showed us some tricks for grilling eggplants, zucchini and peppers. The grilled eggplant with mint and a drizzle of olive oil was especially good. Read more...

Lovely Villa and Hotels with Magnificent Sea Views

For three nights high on the hill in Taormina, you enjoy the stupendous, 180 degree views over the lonian Sea to Mount Etna, the pretty, shady, sub-tropical gardens full of bouganvillea, hisbiscus, roses and more, and impeccable sevice at the lovely, three star Villa Schuler. The Schuler family turned their villa home into a hotel in 1905 and still own and manage it, after renovating it many times so it's retained its historic character and offers tastefully furnished, modern rooms with all the conveniences.

Hotel Villa Schuler in Taormina

The 21 rooms and 6 suites have air conditioning, hair dryers, double glazed windows, orthopaedic beds, electonic safes and LCD satellite TV. Many rooms have sea views and balconies. The garden view rooms overlook the enchanting garden and hills.

Hotel services include panoramic elavator, bar, breakfast room and terrance, piano and TV room, sitting lounges, 24 hour bar and room service, laundry service and free Internet access.

The location is perfect -- just a few steps up to the main street, Corso Umberto with its shops, restaurants and bars, a five minute walk to the scenic public garden park and a ten minute walk to the Greek theatre.

For two nights on the island of Stromboli you stay at the Hotel Villaggio Stromboli.

Hotel Villaggio Stromboli is a 3 star hotel with 37 rooms that are elegantly furnished and 80% of the rooms have sea views. The hotel is directly on the sea, between two solidified lava flows. Surrounded by two creeks, the beach in front, is a mix of black sand and pebbles

Your final night on the mainland is at the four star Hotel Capo dei Greci, a large, modern hotel set on terraces high above the sea 12 km north of Taormina and close to our gala farewell dinner restaurant. You can enjoy the wide sea views from two swimming pools, bars or down at the sea reached by elevator.

The 142 double rooms, 18 junior suites and 40 suites are located in several two to three storey buildings. The modern and tastefully furnished double rooms have a satellite TV, safe, individually adjustable air conditioning, hairdryer, minibar, shower/WC and large balcony or terrace, most with sea view.

More pictures of the accommodations
More pictures of Sicily

The Oct7-13, 2006 tour was Janett's surprise birthday present for the love of her life, Ron. Enjoy their story!

Cooking Tour Itinerary

2008 Cooking Tour Dates:

May 31-June 6
June 22-28
July 7-13
Sept 20-26
Oct 4-10

Or by request for 4 people or more--ask us for dates you like. Subject to hotel rooms being available.

2009 Cooking Tour Dates:

May 23-29, 2009

2008 Cooking Tour Prices:

Prices are in Euros and are subject to currency exchange fluctuation.

For group of minimum 4 to 6 people:

2380 Euros per person (approx $3500 US; $3520 CAD), double occupancy, land only.
Single supplement: 360 Euros (approx $529 US, $532 CAD).

Includes:

• 3 nights at Hotel Villa Schuler in Taormina with breakfast
• 2 nights at Hotel Villaggio Stromboli in Stromboli with breakfast
• one night at Hotel Capo dei Greci with breakfast
• 3 full menu cooking lessons
• lunch on day 3
• welcome dinner, dinners after 3 cooking lessons and dinner on day 6
• 2 wine visits and tastings
• 2 walks/hikes in Mount Etna foot hills and Stromboli
• guided walk in Taormina
• boat transport Milazzo to Stromboli, Vulcano and back to Milazzo
• private transport from pick up to drop off at Catania airport with local driver
• one group transfer from/to Catania airport
• bilingual local guide/tour manager with you throughout the tour

Not included:

• 4 lunches so you can eat as light as you want
• wines with meals so you can choose your wines
• pastry tasting in Linguaglossa
• dinner on Stromboli hike day

Equipment and Clothing Needed

• hiking boots
• wind breaker jacket
• layers of sweaters and shirts. It gets cold at higher elevations and at night
• bathing suit for the beach
• towel for the beach
• flashlight for night walk at Stromboli, not only for coming down from the volcano and pathways, but also for walking at night in Stromboli which has no street lights.

Group size: 4 to 12

Cooking Tour Itinerary

Tour Members' Comments:

"A magical experience, one you have to live because it is impossible to describe.

Stromboli is a wonderful island with an incredible volcano and people with big hearts who welcome you to their kitchen to cook, drink their wines, and enjoy their stories as you dine on your own cooking.

Memories and recipes I will have forever. Chefs who are as eager to teach as you are to learn. Each lesson filled with fresh local ingredients and lots of laughs!

I had no idea how beautiful Sicily is. Beaches, volcanoes, ancient ruins and endless vineyards and olive groves. If you eat Italian food, the ingredients are growing in Sicily.

If it's about the food, wine and the people of Sicily, this is the trip. Informative guides who became part of your family and made you feel well informed and always at ease. Food, food, food, wine, culture and shopping--what more could you ask for?"

Ron Lasofsky, New Jersey, USA, food importer and former owner of an Italian restaurant

"Food brings people together--preparing foods from locally grown vegetables, freshly picked herbs and spices was a delicious experience. The wine flowed, simple dishes seemed exotic and friendships formed.

Seeing the sunrise blood orange over clear waters was quite breathtaking.

Listening to the volcano rumble and then watch its fireworks was as remarkable as following the winding stone path down the mountain, flash lights marking our way, everything dark except the layers of stars above and the smell of honeysuckle all around.

What an amazing trip for the senses!"

Donna Cohen, New Jersey, USA

"What can be bad about eating, shopping, sightseeing and laughing for six days? Very delicious food! We had a very knowledgeable and fun loving guide who shared his passion for Sicily with us.

We had so much fun!"

Janett Edelberg, New York, USA.

"If you seek an energetic sightseeing exploration throughout the beautiful volcanic mountains of Sicily, provided by experts in Italian tourism and its natural resources, you need to call Mama Margaret. Call her when you want added to your trip an exquisite, hand selected experience in Sicilian cooking and cuisine.

Mama Margaret provides such excursions with a remarkable ability to customize according to a group's needs and interests. This may be due in part to keeping parties at a managable, small level, coupled with her significant understanding of Italian/Sicilian tourism and her partnership with a very professional local company.

This was a great mix of an arranged tour and an exclusive, personalized trip. It was exclusive, but low keyed. It combined energy with great eating in a fun cooking lesson environment. It combined mountain trekking with beach sunning and just enough shopping.

Brava, Mama, brava!"

Tom Cohen, New Jersey, USA

• Why Travel in Italy With Us

To Reserve: Contact Margaret Cowan at margaret@italycookingschools.com or call 1-800-557-0370 or 604-681-4074 or fax 604-681-4909 (pacific time).

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