Traditional cuisine and the local catch

Duration: 3 days / 2 nights
Period: from March to October
Formula: private tour on request

Participants: individuals, couples, families and small private groups
Transfers: private vehicle with driver during the planned activities
Customisable: yes
Areas: Erice, Trapani

The story of the trip

In three days we will follow the path that joins the sea to the table.

We will get to know Erice and the traditions born within the village walls, enter a kitchen in Trapani to put our hands in the pasta and prepare some of the recipes that belong to families' memories, meet those who live the sea and discover how to recognise and use the local catch.

It will not simply be a trip in which to taste Sicilian dishes. We will cook, meet, listen and eat together with those who keep this cuisine alive.

The programme

+Day 1 · Erice | Before the sea, tradition

Arrival and check-in at the selected accommodation.

Our journey into the cuisine of western Sicily will begin apparently far from the sea, going up by private vehicle to Erice.

We will enter through the walls and walk among paved alleys, courtyards, churches and shops of a village where different cultures and dominations have left traces over the centuries.

But this time we will not look only for monuments. We will look for recipes.

The sweet - The recipes behind the convent doors

Erice's sweet-making tradition will be our first encounter with the territory.

We will enter a pastry shop or craft workshop and meet those who continue to guard preparations linked to the convent tradition.

Genovesi, almond sweets and other Erice specialities will become the starting point for understanding something that will accompany us throughout the journey: a recipe can tell of a community as much as a monument can.

When possible, the experience will not be limited to tasting.

The territory in a glass

The day will continue with a meeting devoted to the wines and products of the area.

Return by private vehicle. Dinner devoted to traditional cuisine and overnight stay in the Trapani/Erice area.

+Day 2 · Trapani | Hands go into the kitchen

Breakfast and departure by private vehicle to Trapani.

We will cross the historic centre to the harbour and the sea, following the traces of a city that has built much of its identity on its relationship with the Mediterranean, on trade and on fishing.

Trapani goes into the kitchen

We will put on an apron and meet a traditional chef or cook.

We will put our hands in the flour.

Together we will prepare busiate, learning the movement that turns a small piece of dough into the characteristic twisted pasta of Trapani cooking.

The catch decides the menu

The menu will vary according to the season and the availability of the catch.

This will be a precise rule of the journey: we do not decide beforehand which fish must come from the sea.

We will start from what is really available.

At the table - We eat what we have prepared

At the end of the cooking class we will sit down together. The busiate, the fish and the other preparations made during the lesson will become our lunch.

In the afternoon we will continue to get to know Trapani through its streets, its shops and its constant relationship with the sea.

Dinner at leisure or traditional dinner depending on the formula chosen. Overnight stay in Trapani.

+Day 3 · Trapani | Before the dish there is the sea

Breakfast.

The day before we cooked the fish. Today we will take the opposite route: we will go and look for where it comes from.

The fisherman - Who really decides the menu?

We will meet a fisherman, a small-scale fishing operator or a local figure tied to the world of the sea.

We will talk about seasons, species, tools, techniques and days on which it is the sea that decides what can reach the table.

The experience of the sea

When the weather conditions, the season and the availability of an authorised operator allow, we may go out by boat.

Otherwise we will stay on land and meet those who work with the local catch every day. Local catch does not necessarily mean the most famous fish. It means what the sea really offers at that moment.

From the fisherman to the chef

Lunch will conclude the route. This time we will not start from a set menu. We will start, when possible, from the available catch and see how cooking manages to transform it.

At the end, private transfer to Trapani or another agreed location and end of services.

The price includes

• 2 overnight stays in the selected accommodation
• Breakfast
• Private transfers during the planned activities
• Experience in Erice devoted to the sweet-making tradition
• Tasting of wines and local products
• Guided experience in Trapani
• Traditional cooking class with preparation of busiate and lunch
• Experience devoted to the local catch
• Meeting with a fisherman or local figure tied to the sea
• Lunch on the third day according to the formula provided
• Sicilia da Scoprire organisation and assistance. Any boat trip is subject to sea and weather conditions and to the availability of operators

The price does not include

• Travel to reach Sicily
• Any airport transfers
• Tourist tax
• Meals not indicated
• Drinks where not included
• Entrance fees not listed
• Optional insurance
• Tips and personal extras

Accommodation

2 overnight stays in the Trapani/Erice area in a hotel, B&B, historic residence or selected boutique accommodation.

Important to know

Experiences linked to fishing and the local catch depend on seasonality, sea and weather conditions and the actual availability of the product. A specific species of fish is not guaranteed in advance.

Would you like to enjoy this package?

Tell us the dates of your trip and the number of travellers: we will check the availability of the experiences, the accommodation and the private services and prepare a proposal built around the needs of your trip.