On the slopes of Mount Etna, our food and wine guides Mauro and Valeria will open the doors of their home to share an experience dedicated to the land, cooking, and Sicilian culinary culture.
Both agronomists, they were born and raised at the foot of the volcano and have chosen to live by cultivating their own land, respecting the seasons and the natural balance between soil, plants, animals, and human work. They produce most of the food that ends up on their table themselves and, for what their land can't provide, they partner with small local producers.
The experience will begin on the terrace of their home with a welcome aperitif, overlooking a panorama that embraces Mount Etna, the Ionian Sea, and Taormina. From there, we will take a stroll through the vineyard, olive grove, orchard, and vegetable garden to discover what the land has to offer at that particular time of year. In fact, the season and the harvest will determine what we will cook.
We’ll pick sun-ripened tomatoes, vegetables, herbs, and fruit with our own hands, and collect eggs from the chickens raised on the property. We’ll discover how the volcanic soil and the microclimate of Mount Etna influence the quality of the produce.
With the harvest we have just gathered, we will head to the kitchen, where we will all prepare together a menu inspired by Sicilian tradition. More than simply following recipes, for a few hours we will step into the kitchen of a Sicilian family, sharing its gestures, ingredients, and traditions.
Once the meal is ready, we'll sit down together for lunch. Our journey through Sicilian cuisine will continue with some of its most iconic products: extra-virgin olive oil, Etna wines, cheeses, pistachios, fruit, and other specialties carefully selected from small local producers. Each product will become an opportunity to tell a story and discover how Sicilian cuisine is not only the result of its land, but also of the cultures that have passed through the island over the centuries, leaving traces that are still recognizable today in its ingredients and recipes.
More than a traditional cooking class, it is an invitation to spend a day in the countryside around Mount Etna, get to know those who cultivate it, and discover Sicily through what grows from its land.
