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The Sicilian diet uses the quintessential Mediterranean ingredients; fruit and vegetables ripened in the hot sun, the treasures of the surrounding seas and a tradition of baking. All this combined with lush, aromatic olive oil makes it one of the world's healthiest cuisines. A week for guests to really experience Southern Sicily with its atmosphere of an earlier, calmer time where traditions, food and the slow pace of life have barely changed in a century. We will be the honoured guests of the Ravida family at their private, beautifully frescoed, 18th Century villa, a jewel in the Sicilian town of Menfi. An internal courtyard, by the marble fitted kitchen, is the focus for most food activities. Lunches and long dinners are enjoyed here in the warmth of summer days, where appetising smells of food mingle with jasmine and bougainvillea. The coastal food is the epitome of the Mediterranean diet. The world renowned Ravida olive oil is produced at La Gurra, the family farm, and brought to town where it is stored and bottled at the villa. We take two days out, one to Marsala and Mozia and the second to Palermo. At Marsala we visit a small independent wine producer, and then the island of Mozia, steeped in Phoenician history, overlooking the salt flats built by the Romans, where we enjoy a seafood cous cous picnic lunch. Palermo, the beautiful island capital, is being restored to its former architectural glory, honouring its 2000 years as a wealthy and powerful port. |
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Here we visit a market bursting with the produce of this fertile island and its surrounding seas; shop in Ironmongers Row, renowned for its range of metal kitchenware; test the best gelateria in town; street eat pannelle and arancini; and still find time for lunch. Optional trips include those to Selenunte and the Valley of Temples at Agrigento, two of the finest monumental sites outside Greece. For lazier afternoons there is a nearby beach at Porto Palo. A week here in Sicily is run on a most informal basis, reflecting the very charm and laid back style of the island itself. Below is a sample schedule of your week's stay |
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