8-Day Sicily Food & Wine Tour from Taormina: Small Group, Max 8

Cooking classes, winery cellars, street markets and three cities in eight days

An 8-day small group tour of Sicily based in Taormina, Mt. Etna, Syracuse and Palermo, with a licensed local guide leading eight food and wine activities: a cooking class in a family trattoria, tastings at Etna wineries and a Syracuse winery, walks through the Ortigia and Palermo markets, and stops in the baroque town of Noto and the fishing village of Marzamemi. Stays are in 4-star centrally located hotels. All ground transport is included with airport pickup and drop-off. Groups stay under eight guests.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1: Arrival and Taormina Walking Tour

• Arrive at Catania airport
• Transfer to hotel in Taormina
• Meet local guide in city centre
• Walk Taormina city center
• Visit seafood restaurant for tasting
• Taste cheeses, salumi, bread, olives and wine
• Taste Sicilian sweets and liquors
• Enjoy free evening in Taormina

Day 2: Cooking Class and Market Visit

• Breakfast at hotel
• Visit Taormina Food Market
• Select products for cooking class
• Learn to cook Sicilian dishes with chef
• Enjoy lunch with local wines
• Free afternoon and evening in Taormina

Day 3: Mt. Etna Food and Wine Tour

• Breakfast at hotel
• Pick-up for Mt. Etna villages tour
• Drive through Etna villages and plantations
• Visit family-run winery and taste wines
• Lunch at farmhouse with local dishes
• Return to Taormina and free time

Day 4: Noto and Marzamemi Tour

• Breakfast at hotel
• Transfer to Noto
• Walk Noto with local guide
• Taste Modica chocolate and Sicilian ice-cream
• Transfer to Marzamemi
• Lunch in family trattoria by the sea
• Transfer to hotel in Syracuse
• Enjoy evening in Syracuse

Day 5: Ortigia Food and Wine Tour

• Meet local guide in Syracuse city centre
• Walk Ortigia old town
• Taste fresh fish and Sicilian appetizers
• Taste homemade pastries, wines and liquors
• Learn about local history and culture
• Tour ends in heart of Ortigia
• Enjoy evening in Ortigia

Day 6: Winery Visit and Transfer to Palermo

• Breakfast at hotel
• Pick-up for winery visit in Syracuse countryside
• Guided visit of winery cellars and old millstone
• Light lunch with local products and wine tasting
• Drive to Palermo
• Free evening in Palermo

Day 7: Palermo Street Food Tour

• Meet foodie guide in Palermo city centre
• Walk Vucciria and Mercato del Capo markets
• Taste five Sicilian street food treats
• Explore Palermo old town and highlights
• Learn about local stories and culture
• Free evening in Palermo

Day 8: Departure from Palermo

• Breakfast at hotel
• Transfer to Palermo airport

The experience

The tour opens in Taormina with an evening walk through the city center, stopping at a seafood restaurant, a cheese and wine bottega, and a pastry bar for Sicilian sweets and liquors. The next morning you visit Taormina's food market with your guide, then learn to make homemade bread, pasta and fish dishes in a family trattoria kitchen, eating what you've cooked with local wine. That afternoon is free to explore the beaches or town on your own.

Day three takes you up Mt. Etna to 1,000 meters, driving through villages with lava stone houses and citrus plantations. You stop at a family-run winery for a cellar tour and volcanic wines with organic appetizers overlooking the Taormina coast, then continue to a farmhouse for lunch with seasonal antipasti, homemade pasta and pastries. The next day you walk the UNESCO baroque town of Noto, tasting Modica chocolate and Sicilian ice cream, then drive to the seaside fishing village of Marzamemi for lunch in a family trattoria before transferring to Syracuse.

In Syracuse, an evening walk through Ortigia, the old town on an island, includes three food stops: fresh fish, Sicilian appetizers, homemade pastries and local wines. The following morning a driver picks you up for a winery visit in the Syracuse countryside, structured as a castle, with a cellar tour, light lunch and wine tasting that shows the difference between Syracuse and Etna wines. You then drive two and a half hours to Palermo. On your final full day, a three-hour streetfood walk through Palermo's center covers the Vucciria and Mercato del Capo markets, with five tastings including panelle (chickpea fritters) and arancini (rice balls). Your driver returns you to Palermo airport on the departure day.

What’s included

• Eight guided activities with a licensed local guide (Taormina lifestyle walk, cooking class, Etna food and wine tour, Noto walk, Ortigia food and wine walk, Palermo streetfood tour, Syracuse winery tour).
• seven nights in 4-star centrally located hotels (three in Taormina, two in Syracuse, two in Palermo).
• all ground transport in an air-conditioned Mercedes minivan with a driver.
• airport pickup at Catania and drop-off at Palermo.
• meals at family trattorias, wineries and market venues as described in each day's activities.

Before you book

Days and timesMondayDeparts at 18:30Last departure this season: 26 Oct

AgesAdult (3 and older) · Under 3: can't be included in the booking

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.You can choose from 2 pickup points.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 6 days before the start.Between 2 and 6 days before the start, 50% refund.After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated yesterday

Good to know

Easy physical levelPublic transport nearbyNot for heart conditions

Operated by Sicily Activities

Is this one for you?Groups of up to eight travelers stay together throughout, which keeps the pace intimate and lets your guide adjust stops based on the group's interests. If you're traveling solo or as a couple and prefer not to book a private tour, this small group size means you'll meet other food-focused travelers without the anonymity of a larger bus tour.

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Top questions

What's included in the cooking class on day two?

The cooking class in a family trattoria includes a visit to Taormina's food market to select ingredients with your guide, then hands-on instruction in making homemade bread, pasta, fish and vegetable dishes in traditional Sicilian style. You eat what you've prepared and drink local wines with the meal.

How many nights do you spend in each city?

You stay three nights in Taormina, two nights in Syracuse and two nights in Palermo, all in 4-star centrally located hotels. The tour includes seven nights total across the eight days.

Does the tour include airport transfers?

Yes, pickup is included from Catania airport on arrival and drop-off to Palermo airport on departure. A licensed driver in an air-conditioned Mercedes minivan handles all ground transport throughout the tour.

What are the winery visits like?

You visit three wineries: a family-run operation on Mt. Etna with a cellar tour and volcanic wines paired with organic appetizers; a castle-structured winery in the Syracuse countryside with a cellar tour, light lunch and wine tasting; and tastings at venues in Ortigia and Palermo during the food walks. Each stop focuses on the wines and food of that region.

How many people travel together on this tour?

Groups are limited to a maximum of eight guests, keeping the experience small and allowing the guide to tailor the pace and stops to the group's interests.

What happens if you have dietary restrictions or food allergies?

The operator will contact you by email within 24 hours of booking to discuss all details of your tour, including any dietary needs or allergies. Inform them at that time so they can arrange alternatives at the markets, cooking class and restaurant stops.