Featured holiday Western Sicily food and wine holiday Italy

Start your holiday flying from London to Palermo. You collect your hire-car and then it’s about an hour’s drive to your hotel near Marsala. Settle into your room and enjoy an evening meal at the hotel’s restaurant. We include the “Experiential Menu" for your first evening. Each course is combined with a wine produced by the hotel.

After breakfast, we include a hands-on 2-hour cookery lesson during which you learn how to create a traditional Sicilian recipe. The lesson is usually based on making “gnocculi”, a traditional, fresh pasta and “ncucciata del cous cous”, a local couscous dish. Afterwards, you can enjoy your pasta for lunch however the couscous needs to rest for around 8 hours. You can taste the couscous the following day at lunch or dinner. Alternative menus can be requested at the time of the booking. After your cookery lesson, your time is your own to relax at the hotel or to explore. Marsala is 20 minutes’ drive away from your hotel and is synonymous with the famous sweet dessert wine however the town itself is bursting with charm. You could also visit a wine-cellar such as Cantine Florio, to learn about the Marsala-making process as well as sampling the products or visit the local fish market in Porta Garibaldi. Perhaps visit Caseificio Impicciche, a local dairy factory located 5 kms from the centre of Marsala. Guided visits are possible to learn about the stages of the cheese-making process starting from the ingredients to its preservation. This skill has been handed down from generation to generation.  Other places of interest here include the Museo Archeologico Baglio Anselmi. This museum displays remains of a Carthaginian warship sunk during the First Punic War. Other noteworthy sites include Piazza della Repubblica, an elegant square dominated by the Chiesa Madre and the Complesso Monumentale San Pietro which houses a complex of small museums. There is a wide range of restaurants in Marsala so you may wish to try one of the local restaurants for dinner this evening.

Enjoy breakfast at your hotel and then take time to explore further. We suggest visiting Segesta which is a drive of about 35 minutes from the hotel. The ruins of ancient Segesta are not to be missed. The main attraction is the 5th century BC temple but the amphitheatre carved into the hillside is also worth viewing. Then a further 45 minutes northwest of Segesta is the walled medieval town of Erice, situated 750m above sea level. The town is a maze of winding cobbled streets, palaces and castles. Visit the Duomo and Castello di Venere, a Norman castle built in the 12th and 13th century. Take in the panoramic views of San Vito Lo Capo on one side, and Saline di Trapani on the other. As well as being of charm and interest historically and architecturally, Erice is famous for its marzipan sweets, perhaps filled with hot custard or flavoured with a hint of clove. These are best accompanied by a glass of Marsala or the green Monte Erice liqueur. Also of note are the ceramics made in Erice. Back at the hotel, we include a wine and olive oil tasting in the hotel’s cellar.

Today it’s a drive of only about an hour door to door between places where you stay but we suggest that you stop at Selinunte on the way, to visit the largest archaeological park in Europe. Selinunte’s ruins are spread between the Acropolis, the ancient city, the eastern temples and the Sanctuary of Malophoros. The Acropolis is occupied by five temples, with Temple C being the oldest temple dating back to the 6th century BC. Finish your visit to Selinunte with a walk along Lido di Zabbara, a stretch of beach with view up to the cliff-top temples. This is accessed from the town of Marinella di Selinunte. From here, it is only about 20 minutes by car to your hotel on the famous wine estate of la Planeta. There is time to check-in and enjoy the views of the vineyards that stretch into the distance. We include a 4-course dinner this evening with four Planeta wines to match.

Today we include a 3-hour hands-on cookery lesson which will begin at 09.30 hrs. The lesson starts with an introduction to the ingredients and the history of each recipe. You then prepare five courses under the guidance of the hotel chef. The fruits of your labour will be enjoyed for lunch accompanied by two wines chosen by the sommelier. You have the remainder of the afternoon free. Perhaps relax by the hotel pool or visit the beach at Porto Palo which is 5 minutes away by car.

On your final full day in Sicily, you have the day at leisure. We suggest driving 1 hour 15 minutes to Agrigento, to visit the Valley of the Temples, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  The valley is punctuated by seven breath-taking temples. The Temple of Concorde is believed to be one of the most perfect temples in the world and still stands in its entirety. The other temples have suffered more harshly under the hand of time. The Temple of the Olympian Zeus, for example, despite being the largest of the known Doric temples, was dealt a great deal of damage during an earthquake. Its design was unusual due to the 38 huge statues of Atlas that stood atop a wall that joined the bases of the columns together. One of these statues can be seen in the Museo Archeologico Regionale, along with pottery from Athens, artefacts from the necropolis at Montelusa, and more remains excavated from nearby temples. The Temple of Hercules, named thus by the Romans as its original name was lost, is circular, and stairways once existed taking visitors up into the roof to view the frieze depicting the myth of Hercules. Drive back to the hotel to enjoy a wine-tasting this evening. You will taste five wines with the hotel sommelier from the five Planeta estates. We then include a four-course dinner at the hotel for your final evening. 

Today, depending on the time of your flight, you check-out after breakfast and make your way to Palermo. Drop off your car at the airport before taking your flight back to the UK.