Trapani Couscous – From the Sea to the Mafaradda

MEDITERRANEAN

Arrival and check-in at the selected property.

The journey begins in front of the sea at San Vito Lo Capo, because before entering the kitchen we want to understand the Mediterranean that allowed ingredients, words and techniques to travel from one coast to another.

With a local guide we will get to know the town and its relationship with the sea.

First we taste

We will sit down to a fish couscous prepared according to local tradition.

We will learn the first words of our journey: semolina, mafaradda, incocciatura, couscoussiera, broth and catch.

In the afternoon we will reach Macari and the western coast.

Dinner at leisure and overnight in the San Vito Lo Capo area.

Breakfast and departure by private vehicle along the coast.

We will reach Bonagia, an old fishing village tied to the history of the tuna traps.

The rais, the tonnaroti and the nets

We will enter the story of tuna fishing, learning about the role of the rais, the organisation of the tonnaroti, the boats and the nets.

When possible we will meet someone tied to the memory of the tuna trap or to local fishing. We will continue to Trapani.

Lunch will be dedicated to the local catch, favouring when possible species actually available in the period.

In the afternoon, a walk in the historic centre and the port area.

Dinner and overnight in Trapani.

Breakfast and departure for Marsala.

Having tasted couscous and got to know the world of fishing, today comes the central moment of the trip.

No ready-made couscous

We will meet a traditional cook or a chef tied to local cuisine.

In front of us we will have semolina, water and a mafaradda, the traditional bowl in which semolina is worked.

We will make the couscous ourselves.

We will learn the gesture of the incocciatura and everyone will try to turn the semolina into the small grains that characterise this preparation.

We will then move on to the catch and the broth, understanding how the fish used can change according to availability and season.

At the table – Now we know the gesture

We will eat together what we have helped to prepare.

In the afternoon we will reach the Stagnone and the salt pans, introducing another fundamental element of cooking and preservation: salt.

We will wait for sunset over the landscape of pans, windmills and islands.

Dinner at leisure and overnight in Marsala.

Breakfast and private transfer to the port. Boarding for Favignana.

We will visit the former Florio Establishment of the Favignana and Formica tuna traps, entering the history of fishing and tuna processing.

When possible we will meet a fisherman, a sea operator or someone who knows local seasonality and species first-hand.

Alternatively, weather permitting, we can experience the island through a boat trip.

At the table – Another family, another recipe

Lunch will be dedicated to island cuisine.

When the trip’s set-up allows, we will find fish couscous again.

This time we will not cook. We will listen.

Return to the mainland. Dinner at leisure and overnight in the Marsala area.

SHORE

Breakfast and departure by private vehicle for Mazara del Vallo.

We will enter the Kasbah and the historic centre, discovering a city where for centuries the Mediterranean has been a space for fishing, trade, migration and encounter.

The port and the fishing fleet

We will reach the port and meet the world of Mazara fishing.

When possible, we will meet someone tied to the local fishing fleet and listen to what it means to live the sea as a place of work.

The Red Prawn (Gambero Rosso), the catch and the great routes of the Mediterranean will let us understand how far the story of what reaches our table can begin.

The last lunch – One dish, many routes

We will end the trip with a lunch dedicated to seafood cuisine and the Mediterranean catch. Five days earlier we had a dish in front of us. Now, inside that dish, we will recognise semolina, sea, salt, fishermen, families, tuna traps, boats and encounters between cultures.

At the end, transfer to the agreed destination and end of services.