Sicily & the Aeolian Islands
Food & Wine Trip
Seven nights in eastern Sicily, experienced through its food, wine, landscapes and people. Gerardo and Joanne have been returning for twenty years, building the relationships and local knowledge that shape a more considered way to experience this part of the island.
You’ll speak directly with Gerardo or Joanne, the same people who’ll be with you in Italy. It’s simply a chance to get to know each other, talk through the trip and answer any questions. There’s no sales pitch and no deposit to pay on the call.
How most people see Sicily
- A coach loop of the island, four hotels in seven nights
- Etna as a photo stop on the way somewhere else
- A generic cellar door running eleven groups a day
- The restaurant on the square with photographs on the menu
- Lunch in fifty minutes, because the bus leaves at two
- Come home having seen a lot of Sicily, but had little time to really get to know it
How this week goes
- Fourteen of you, in places that don’t take larger groups
- Two full days on Etna with the winemakers themselves
- A private boat through the Aeolian Islands
- Long lunches at the winery, at the caper farm, on the water
- Michelin experiences, and a regional cooking class in between
- Come home knowing the wines, dishes and producers that made Sicily memorable
There’s no such thing as Sicilian food
Sicilians don’t eat one cuisine. They eat their own corner of the island, and the corners are nothing like each other. This week moves through three of them, and you taste the change happen.
Sicily’s Baroque heart
UNESCO-listed towns, centuries of layered history and a food culture that still belongs distinctly to this corner of Sicily. In Modica, that includes its celebrated chocolate, made using a tradition that has endured for centuries.
Wine grown in volcanic soil
Vines planted in black volcanic earth on the slopes of an active volcano, at altitudes that give these wines their particular tension and length. The cooking up here belongs to the mountain rather than the coast.
A UNESCO archipelago, reached by sea
Salina, Lipari, Panarea and Stromboli, each with its own way of eating shaped by centuries of relative isolation. Malvasia delle Lipari, capers grown on the terraces, and whatever the boats bring in.
“In Sicily, what belongs on the table can change from one town to the next. We know what to look for - and where to find it.”
That’s why we travel with just fourteen guests. It means we can seek out the dishes, local ingredients and wines particular to each place, eat in restaurants that aren’t set up for large groups, and spend time with the people who grow, make and cook what we’re there to taste.
Sicily as the Italians see it, rather than Sicily packaged for visitors.
Doors that don’t open to visitors
We don’t book tasting slots. We go where we’re known, and someone opens a bottle they don’t sell. On Etna that means growers working old vines on terraces that exist almost nowhere else.
Long lunches, not schedules
Sicilian food is the best argument for Sicily. Whatever came off the boat that morning, vegetables grown behind the house, and wine that keeps arriving without anyone asking.
The places we return to ourselves
These are the trattorias, vineyards and stretches of coast we come back to year after year, along with a few experiences that only happen because we know who to ask.
The full day-by-day and prices, in your inbox in a couple of minutes.
Gerardo & Joanne
We’re not tour guides. We’re taking you to the Sicily we know.
We’ve been coming to Sicily for twenty years, eating at these tables, drinking these wines and getting to know the people behind them. We created this week much as we would plan a trip for our own friends: the places we return to ourselves, the people we want you to meet, and a few things we can arrange simply because we know who to ask.
Between us, we run DiVino, import Italian wine and plan every part of the week. And when you come to Sicily, we come with you.
No tour guide handed an itinerary. No local rep meeting you at the other end. Just the two people who planned the trip, there to experience it alongside you.
Come to Sicily with us.
Seven nights in eastern Sicily & the Aeolian Islands
From the Baroque towns of the south-east and the volcanic vineyards of Etna to the UNESCO-listed Aeolian Islands.
Day 1 · Sat 19 JuneCatania, Modica & Ortigia+
We’ll collect you from your hotel in Catania and travel south to Modica, one of the UNESCO-listed late-Baroque towns of the Val di Noto.
Modica is famous for its distinctive chocolate, made using a centuries-old technique that gives it its unmistakable grainy texture. We’ll visit a local producer to see how it’s made and taste it for ourselves, followed by lunch at a Michelin-acclaimed restaurant in the historic centre.
In the afternoon, we continue to Syracuse and check into our hotel. That evening, we’ll see a live performance in the ancient Greek Theatre of Syracuse - one of the largest and most impressive surviving theatres of the ancient Greek world, carved into the hillside more than two thousand years ago.
Afterwards, there’s time to explore Ortigia, Syracuse’s historic island centre, after dark.
Day 2 · Sun 20 JuneWinery lunch and sunset on Mount Etna+
We begin at one of the pioneering estates behind the modern revival of Etna wine, tasting wines grown in the mountain’s volcanic soils before sitting down to lunch at the winery.
In the afternoon, we check into the Picciolo Etna Golf Resort & Spa, our base on the slopes of Mount Etna for the next three nights, before heading up the volcano itself. We’ll walk through Etna’s extraordinary volcanic landscape, getting close to the craters and lava fields before stopping for an aperitivo as the sun sets over the mountain.
That evening, we’ll have dinner at a local restaurant chosen for its traditional, regional cooking.
Day 3 · Mon 21 JuneThe wines of Etna+
Today is devoted to the vineyards and wines of Mount Etna.
We begin at Tenuta delle Terre Nere, one of Etna’s best-known producers, for a tasting focused on the wines and distinctive volcanic terroir of the mountain. From there, we continue to Tornatore, where lunch is served at the winery alongside a tasting, exploring another expression of Etna’s volcanic soils and indigenous grapes.
The afternoon is free to relax at the hotel before dinner together that evening.
Day 4 · Tue 22 JuneSicilian cooking and Taormina+
The morning begins with a hands-on Sicilian cooking experience, learning to prepare a local dish using the ingredients and techniques particular to this part of the island. Then we sit down together and eat what we’ve made for lunch.
After a free afternoon, we head to Taormina for the evening - Sicily at its most glamorous. We’ll begin with an aperitivo overlooking the Mediterranean, then walk through the historic centre with time to explore before dinner at one of Taormina’s best restaurants.
Day 5 · Wed 23 JuneTo the Aeolian Islands+
Today we leave Etna and make our way to the Aeolian Islands, a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the Mediterranean’s most remarkable volcanic archipelagos.
We’ll have a relaxed lunch during the journey before arriving on Salina, where we visit Hauner, one of the island’s best-known wine estates and an important producer of Malvasia delle Lipari.
After a tasting at the winery we check into Hotel Signum in Malfa. That evening we’ll settle into Salina with a sunset aperitivo followed by a relaxed local dinner.
Day 6 · Thu 24 JunePrivate boat cruise: Lipari, Panarea & Stromboli+
A full day exploring the Aeolian Islands by private boat, with plenty of time to stop and swim along the way.
We begin with Lipari, where we’ll stop for a long wine lunch, before cruising on to glamorous Panarea for the afternoon.
Towards sunset, we continue to Stromboli. Aperitivo and dinner are served on board under the stars, with Stromboli rising out of the darkness beside us and the chance to watch its volcanic activity from the sea.
Day 7 · Fri 25 JuneCaper farm and farewell dinner+
The final full day starts slowly, with a relaxed morning at Hotel Signum.
We’ll then visit a local caper farm, where we’ll see how Salina’s famous capers are grown, harvested and preserved. Lunch is at the farm, built around local produce and the flavours of the island.
That evening we return to Hotel Signum for an aperitivo and wine tasting before our final dinner together at the hotel’s Michelin-starred restaurant, led by chef Martina Caruso.
Day 8 · Sat 26 JuneSalina and onward+
After breakfast we’ll arrange your ferry from Salina back to mainland Sicily, followed by a private transfer to Catania.
Many people stay on somewhere in Sicily or elsewhere in Italy afterwards. Tell us where you’re thinking and we’ll point you in the right direction.
The whole week in one email, so you can read it properly later or forward it to whoever you’re travelling with.
Three bases, so you unpack and stay put
Our base for the Etna days, surrounded by vineyards and lava-stone country, with the mountain above and the coast below.
A family-run hotel built into the hillside above Malfa, with a Michelin-starred restaurant led by chef Martina Caruso and a terrace looking out across the archipelago.
Our base in historic Syracuse, with UNESCO-listed Ortigia nearby - ancient streets, Baroque architecture and some of the city’s best restaurants, all surrounded by the Mediterranean.
Once you’re there, you won’t reach for your wallet
- Seven nights’ accommodation
- Every breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Wine and drinks at every winery, lunch and dinner
- All winery visits and tastings
- Greek Theatre performance in Syracuse
- Chocolate-making demonstration and tasting in Modica
- Hands-on Sicilian cooking class
- Full-day private boat through the Aeolian Islands
- Caper farm visit and lunch
- All private group transport, ferries and transfers
- Both of us with you, every day
- International and domestic flights
- Travel insurance, which is required
- Meals and drinks not specified in the itinerary
- Optional activities during free time
- Personal purchases
Travelling on your own? About half of every group does. You won’t be the odd one out.
To hold a place: a $5,000 deposit.
Non-refundable, but movable. If something comes up, shift it to another DiVino trip with 90 days’ notice. Another date, another year, or to a friend.
The balance is due 60 days before you fly, or spread across monthly instalments at no extra cost.
And if we don’t run the trip, you get every cent back.
Pay by bank transfer or card. We’ll invoice you after we’ve spoken.
They say it better than we can
Our first Sicily departure is still to come. These words are from guests who joined us in Italy in July, hosted by Gerardo and Joanne, and travelled in the same small-group, personal way.
A few questions you might be thinking about
If your question isn’t here, ask us on the call. That’s what it’s for.
Who else will be there?
Australians, mostly between 45 and 75, and roughly half of them travelling on their own. The rest are couples. What they have in common is that they love food, wine and Italy, and they’d rather eat well than tick off sights.
Everyone arrives not knowing anyone. By the second lunch that has stopped being true.
I’m travelling on my own. Will I feel out of place?
About half of every group travels on their own, so you won’t be the odd one out. Nobody eats alone, and there’s no forced pairing-up. A room to yourself is $12,900 rather than $10,900.
Is it too hot in June?
June is the good month in Sicily. Warm rather than fierce, the sea already swimmable, and well before the August heat. It is still summer in southern Italy, so we plan around it: air-conditioned transport and rooms, mornings for the active things, afternoons near water.
How active do I need to be?
Not very. The focus of this week is food and wine, not walking. There are a few points where there’s an option to walk, on Etna or through an old town, and there is always an alternative if you’d rather not, or if you’re less mobile.
If you have something specific you’re concerned about, tell us on the call. We’ve worked around most things.
Do I need to know anything about wine?
Not a thing. Some of our favourite travellers have arrived knowing only that they like drinking it. Gerardo will explain as much or as little as you want, and nobody is tested on it.
What is the boat day actually like?
A full day on a private boat through the Aeolian Islands, with time to swim wherever you feel like it. Lunch is a long one on Lipari, the afternoon is Panarea, and we finish at Stromboli with dinner on board as it gets dark. It is the day most people talk about afterwards.
Why is Sicily a little more than the July trip?
Longer distances between the good things, an extra base, a full day of private boat, and the ferry crossings to and from the Aeolian Islands. Everything is still included: every meal, every glass, every transfer.
How do I pay, and what if something comes up?
A $5,000 deposit holds your place and we invoice you after we’ve spoken, by bank transfer or card. The balance is due 60 days before departure, or by monthly instalments.
The deposit is non-refundable but movable: with 90 days’ notice you can shift it to another DiVino trip, another date, or hand it to a friend. And if we ever cancelled, you’d get every cent back.
Can I add days either side?
Most people do, and we’d encourage it. You’ve come a long way. Palermo is worth two or three days on its own, and Catania is an easy start. Tell us where you’re thinking and we’ll save you a lot of research.
The full details, sent to you
The complete day-by-day, the hotels, what’s included and the prices. Two quick questions so we send you the right thing.
Where should we send it?
We’ll never pass your details on, and you can unsubscribe in one click.
We just need your name, mobile and an email address that works - that’s where the itinerary goes.
It’ll be in your inbox in a few minutes. Once you’ve had a look, book fifteen minutes with Gerardo or Joanne to talk through the trip, ask your questions and see if it’s right for you. No sales pitch, and no deposit taken on the call.
Fourteen guests. Never more.
We keep every departure to fourteen so we can travel the way we want to - eating at smaller restaurants, spending time with winemakers and producers, and sharing the week as a group rather than moving through Sicily like a tour.
Book a 15-minute conversation
You’ll speak directly with Gerardo or Joanne - the same people who plan the trip and will be there with you in Sicily. Tell us what you love about Italy, how you like to travel and anything you’d like to know about the week. We’ll tell you whether we think it’s the right trip for you.
And if it isn’t, we’ll say so - and probably point you towards the Sicily we think you’d enjoy instead. No sales pitch.