Western Sicily Cultural Tour
It's that time of year when Italian Culinary Tours starts to share wonders of Italy with our guests. We started in Sicily again this year with a new specialty tour of Western Sicily, designed by my ever-creative and imaginative associate, Ottavia Fasce and myself, based in our families’ hometown of Montelepre. Ottavia became an Italian citizen just before me, when she rented an apartment in Montelepre with her two daughters and completed the process of gaining citizenship for all of them. During that short time, she learned to speak Italian and spent time canvassing Sicily to learn all about its history. Last year, we developed the Western Sicily tour to showcase a typical mountain town and take in the many UNESCO sites located nearby.
The tour includes many culinary experiences of local foods and wines. Hitting the ground running upon arrival, the group visited the Augustali Winery to learn about the local grapes and wine varieties. The farm of Augustali borders the two provinces of Trapani and Palermo on the southern edge of the Gulf of Castellammare and has a picturesque, hilly landscape sloping down to the sea. Our guests enjoyed a taste of Contrasto del Rosso, made with Nero D’Avola grapes and has the IGP Terre Siciliane. Other wines were Monovarietal and Terza Nota, which were enjoyed with an array of delicious local Sicilian foods from the family kitchen.
Ottavia, on the right, visiting Augustali Winery for a family-farm experience.
Our guests spent the next day visiting The Valley of the Temples, a UNESCO park with the ruins of a Greek city that features the remains of a series of Greek temples. The parks in Italy have many olive trees which are maintained and harvested to add income to supplement the funds needed for the preservation of these ancient treasures. The park has a breathtaking view of the sea with its defensive, strategic position.
If that wasn’t enough, our star associate, Ottavia, whisked our guests off to Villa Romana del Casale, another UNESCO site showcasing a once-buried Roman villa of a very wealthy individual. Recently rediscovered, mostly the floors remain of the house, showing rooms decorated in marble mosaic tiles to create pictures of Roman life. The villa is approximately 1700 years old!
Next, we stayed in our little mountain town of Montelepre to get an inside look of some of the characters and local businesses that are part of daily life. A stop at the bakery, Panificio Giammalva, was a must to visit with Sal and get our hands floured making loaves of bread to be baked in his historic oven (over 80 years old!)
Then, a visit with a young artisanal cheese maker for a workshop. Giovanni has been making ricotta, vastedda, and other cheeses with his father for as long as he can remember. Our guests watched mozzarella tied before their eyes, and they even had a try at it themselves.
After lunch, (pranzo), they visited with my dear friend, Vicenzo, who is the owner of Brick Leather, a very fashionable leather products shop right in the heart of Montelepre. Our guests made their own leather belts, which were the perfect gifts for loved ones back home. Next up was a walking tour with a visit to the medieval tower in town that holds artifacts from centuries past discovered on nearby lands. The architecture of the tower itself is surprisingly intact. They also saw the former house of Salvatore Giuliano, a charismatic bandit, known at a time when Sicily hoped to gain independence during WWII.
And last but certainly not least on our Montelepre tour, dinner (cena) at La Piazzetta, the corner restaurant on the little square where we relaxed with drinks and a sampling of local foods with a modern twist. The dishes are artfully prepared by Chef Simona Palazzolo, the 28-year-old chef and owner. Her mother, Rosetta, assists her in the kitchen cooking from timeless family recipes. Her father goes to the market before dawn to get fresh fish to be featured in main courses, spreads, and even sushi. We had a delicious seafood couscous craftily prepared by Chef Simona.
Chef Simona Palazzolo putting the final touches on her couscous
Another travel day included Erice, a medieval town you have to see to believe. The original stone streets are over a half mile above sea level. Erice is flanked by ancient Elymian and Phoenician walls on the northeastern side of the city. Two castles are part of the spectacular skyline: Pepoli Castle, with foundations dating from Saracen times, and Venus Castle dating from the Norman era, built on the ruins of the ancient Temple of Venus.
A tour of Palermo started at the popular four corners or Quattro Canti. Our guests explored the streets, which included a hop on an “ape” motor car (meaning bee in Italian) to buzz around further out to see the marina, mural art, and special sites most tour groups never visit. The day was filled with many UNESCO World Heritage Sites including the Cathedral of Palermo. Every visit to Palermo must include a trip to a market; this time it was Ballarò, a market that is over 1,000 years old.
One night, there was another fabulous Italian family dinner in a lovely home with a beautiful setting! This time it was Ottavia’s aunt whose family put on a schiacciata pizza-making experience, which are the tiny hand pizzas with red sauce. Schiacciare means to press down or flatten. The plain dough can be cut open and stuffed with cheese, olive oil, tomatoes, or/and anchovies, to make a kind of calzone. We cooked with around 20 family members, and made dozens of these pizzas. For our second course, our hosts used the pizza oven to grill sausages, then they made pastries with fruit and gelato. It was a feast that will never be forgotten.
The last day’s excitement started with a visit to a UNESCO Heritage site, The Cathedral of Monreale. According to a legend, William II of Sicily fell asleep under a carob tree while hunting in the woods near Monreale. The Holy Virgin appeared to him in a dream, suggesting he build a church there, which he did. The result is a fascinating fusion of Arabic, Byzantine, and Norman architectural styles, artistic traditions, and religious symbolism.
That night co-tour organizer, Ottavia, arranged a very special dinner in her friend’s home. There we enjoyed local foods and got a chance to learn how to make traditional macaroni (very long, thin, hollow pieces). Great food and music brought this magical tour to an end.