Stunning Sicily – WineWalking for the bon viveur!

SUMMARY

Dates: Saturday April 13th to Saturday April 20th 7 nights

Host: Local WalkingWoman Emilia Strazzanti – fluent english speaker and resident of Scicli in Southern Sicily and founder of Strazzanti Sicily experiences. She will introduce you to your local hiking guide, some wonderful women winemakers and other female producers as we explore this unique and special part of Sicily. Expect to be surprised and delighted with what you experience during the week.

Walking Grade: 1 Goat. This holiday is a special holiday to experience Sicily and all its history and culture as well as walking with our local guide and spending time learning about the Sicilian way of life as we walk. Some terrain is a little rocky but we will walk steadily. There will be time to explore but also to relax, rest and revive.

Base: A traditional Sicilian Villa close to Scicli in the southern part of Sicily.The Villa has 6 rooms so we will be fully booked once these are filled – we will take a maximum of 8 women on this trip.

Your stay here will give you the chance to relax with all your meals prepared , a pool and hot tub and a large garden to lounge in peace. There is good wifi in the common areas and some in the rooms. No TVs in bedrooms as this is a peaceful get away.

This is a rural villa to give you a traditional Sicilian villa experience.. There will be bikes to rent ( approx 100 euros per week )if you want to explore a little by bike. There is also a lovely farm tracks walk to a Smugglers Cove where you can pick up a coastal walk to the nearest beach of Sampieri.

Getting there: Catania Airport is the closest airport at 1 hour 30 minutes away by car. We arrange an airport pick up around 16.00.

Price: £1850 for this fully inclusive experience.

If you bring a friend/partner and share a room there is a discount of £250. Price £1600 – your invoice will be adjusted once you pay your deposit.

Included:

• Traditional Sicilian villa bedrooms for solo occupancy with private bathrooms – all with bathrobes which can be used to pop to the pool. Essential bathroom products will be provided.
• All breakfasts at the villa
• All lunches and evening meals – some out and some at the villa
• A fridge stocked with water,wines,beers and snacks for the duration of your stay
• Wine tastings and cultural visits
• Local transport for walks and tours to explore the island at its fullest
• Experienced Guides, wine makers , local hosts – all english speaking.
• Airport Transfer  – pick up and return

Food is lovingly prepared using local Sicilian products.

Not included:

• Travel to Catania, Sicily
• Any additional activities not included in the itinerary
• Any extra drinks/food not included in the itinerary

Download the brochure »

DETAILS

Sicily has become an even more sought after destination having been the location for the TV Series Montalbano which brings thousands of tourists to southern Sicily to see the locations he was seen in.

We take you away from the tourist trails to the more untrodden paths where we walk along gorges , over dry river beds to see where people lived in caves right up until the 1950’s. We pick wild pomegranates and persimmon fruit from the trees as we pass and stop to hear about the health benefits of carob,pistachio, thyme , oregano and many other herbs that grow wild on our paths.

We see the glistening sea, the ancient traditional towns , the sunshine , blue skies and a life we just must share.

We want to give you a tranquil experience and one that you can experience Sicily through the eyes of locals – and in our case local women.

Emilia Strazzanti has put together a holiday programme especially for WalkingWalking. You can read a little about their passion for Sicily here ..

https://www.olivemagazine.com/travel/europe/italy/10-things-we-love-about-sicilian-cuisine/

Of course there is time to visit some of the more well known sites too and we can help arrange extensions to your trip if you would like to add on more time on the beach or in the city of Palermo.

ITINERARY

Itinerary – could change depending on the weather and at the discretion of our local hosts/guide. You will be briefed each evening about the next days activities.

Day 1 Arrival  on Saturday :

• Arrival at Catania airport
• Airport transfer to Scicli – approx 1.5 hours.
• Arrival and settle into our traditional Sicilian villa.
• Welcome apero’s, introductions and a home made dinner together at the villa

Day 2: Sunday

• Breakfast at the Villa
• A morning to relax by the pool, play table tennis, read or simply lie in after travel.
• For the energetic there are bikes available to hire which you could use to go for a cycle or there is a walk to the sea to see Smugglers Cove and have a coastal walk to Sampieri
• 17.00 pick up for a short walking tour around the UNESCO town of Scicli with Emilia and you can walk to the top of San Matteo with beautiful views across Scicli and on a good day you can see the sea.
• 20.00 Dinner at a local restaurant
• Transfer back to your villa

Day 3 :Monday 

• Breakfast at the Villa
• Pick up for a day out guided Trek with english speaking female guide
• Packed lunch included and we will stop during our walk to appreciate the scenery and have lunch together
• Transfer back to the villa to relax
• Dinner at the villa

Day 4: Tuesday 

• Breakfast at the Villa
• Morning/Day trip to Arianna Occhipinti Winery for tour with wine tasting. Arianna is one of the most renowned women wine makers based in Sicily.
• Lunch at Baglio Occhipinti (the older sister of Arianna) with wine, Emilia will accompany as your guide.
• Late afternoon return to the villa for swimming,relaxing in the hot tub and all with a light evening meal served later on.

Day 5: Wednesday 

• Breakfast at the Villa
• Pick up for a day out trekking with packed lunch (approx 5 hours), with female english speaking guide
• Transfer back to the villa to relax and have your own time
• Dinner at the Villa together

Day 6: Thursday 

• Breakfast at the Hotel
• Free morning with lunch at the villa. There is an opportunity to walk/cycle to the local beach and back ( approx 3 hours to walk there and back)
• Transfer and visit to a local small scale sister ran winery and a visit to a famous fishing port Marzamemi for an evening meal together by the sea
• Transfer back to the villa

Day 7: Friday 

• Breakfast at the Villa
• Pick up for a final lighter morning trekking with a grand finale of pasta making with Emilia for lunch
• Transfer back to the villa to relax and pack for departure
• Light farewell dinner at the villa

Day 8: Saturday Departure day

• Breakfast at the Villa
• Transfer back to Catania airport after breakfast