PRESERVATION
Breakfast.
We will reach the Trapani and Paceco salt pans.
We will learn about the salt worker's job and follow the sea water until salt is born.
Then we will continue to Bonagia.
Experience package
Western Sicily – The Routes of Tuna and the Tuna Traps
Sea, salt, wine and the cuisines of the Mediterranean
An eight-day private journey to get to know western Sicily through what it produces, cooks and brings to the table.
- Duration
- 8 days / 7 nights
- Period
- from April to October
- Formula
- private tour on request
- Participants
- individuals, couples, families and small private groups
- Transfers
- private vehicle on the mainland; sea connections and services on the island according to the programme
- Customisable
- yes
- Areas
- Erice, Favignana, Marsala, Mazara del Vallo, Paceco, San Vito Lo Capo, Trapani
The story of the trip
We will not follow a single ingredient. We will follow the relationships that exist among all the ingredients. Salt will take us from the salt pans to preservation.
Tuna will lead us into the world of the tuna traps.
Couscous will tell of the meeting between the shores of the Mediterranean.
The catch will introduce us to those who live the sea.
The Red Prawn will lead us inside the fishing fleet of Mazara del Vallo.
Marsala wine will tell another story of journeys, exchanges and territory.
Eight days to discover that the taste of western Sicily is not born only from recipes. It is born from the people and landscapes behind them.
The programme
+Day 1 · Erice and Trapani | From land to sea
Arrival and check-in.
The journey will begin in Erice.
Among alleys, workshops and shops we will enter the village's sweet-making tradition.
Almonds, genovesi and convent recipes will let us understand that a territory can be told through a preparation as much as through a monument.
In the afternoon we will go down to Trapani.
We will stroll between the historic centre and the sea.
Dinner will be our first encounter with seafood cooking.
Overnight stay in the Trapani/Erice area.
+Day 2 · Paceco, Nubia and Bonagia | Salt, tuna and preservation
From salt to the tuna trap
Tonnaroti, rais, nets and boats will introduce us to the world of tuna fishing.
We will thus discover how two great stories of the coast meet: the sea provides the fish and salt makes it possible to preserve it.
Gastronomic experience and overnight stay.
+Day 3 · San Vito Lo Capo | The Mediterranean inside the couscous
Today we will follow a dish.
Fish couscous will let us talk about semolina, catch, broth and encounters between Mediterranean cultures.
It will not be just a lunch. We will learn the words and gestures that belong to its preparation. In the afternoon we will reach Macari, where we will look from above at the coast we are crossing.
+Day 4 · Favignana | The island, tuna and the fishermen
Transfer to the port and connection to Favignana.
We will visit the Former Florio Plant of the Favignana and Formica Tuna Traps.
We will enter the history of the tuna trap, the tonnaroti and the rais.
When possible we will meet a person tied to the sea or have a boat experience.
Lunch will be devoted to the island's cooking and the local catch.
Return to the mainland.
+Day 5 · Marsala | Hands in the semolina
Today we will not just taste.
We will meet a traditional cook or a chef.
In front of us we will find semolina, water and the mafaradda, the traditional terracotta vessel in which the semolina is worked.
Incocciatura
Everyone will try the gesture that turns semolina into the grains of couscous.
We will then follow the preparation of the broth and the catch.
At lunch we will eat what we have helped to prepare.
In the afternoon, a visit to the historic centre of Marsala.
Overnight stay in Marsala.
+Day 6 · Stagnone and Marsala | White and gold
Breakfast.
We will reach the Stagnone salt pans.
The mill, pans and salt will be our first story.
Depending on the period we may take part in a harvesting experience or a tasting. In the afternoon we will change colour.
We will enter a historic winery to get to know Marsala wine.
From the white of salt to the gold and amber of wine. Two different products, but both able to tell of work, trade and relationships with distant lands.
Sunset at the Stagnone.
+Day 7 · Mazara del Vallo | The Red Prawn
MEDITERRANEAN
We will reach Mazara del Vallo.
We will cross the Kasbah and reach the harbour.
When possible we will meet a fisherman or a figure tied to the fishing fleet.
We will talk about boats, routes, days spent at sea and the catch.
The Red Prawn will become the key to entering this world.
We will also visit the Museum of the Dancing Satyr, another story returned by the sea.
Lunch or the gastronomic experience will be devoted to the Red Prawn and the Mediterranean catch.
+Day 8 · The whole journey inside a dish
The last day will not need to add another location.
It will serve to put together again what we have met.
Through a shop, a market, a kitchen or a meeting with a producer we will complete our route.
The final lunch
Salt will remind us of Paceco and Marsala.
Tuna will take us back to Bonagia and Favignana.
Couscous will remind us of San Vito Lo Capo and our hands in the semolina.
The Red Prawn will take us back to the port of Mazara.
Wine will remind us of Marsala.
And what eight days earlier seemed a collection of products will finally become a single territory. The taste of western Sicily.
At the end, transfer to the agreed location and end of services.
The price includes
- • 7 overnight stays with breakfast
- • Private vehicle with driver during the planned travel on the mainland
- • Experiences and visits indicated
- • Experiences in the salt pans
- • Activities linked to tuna traps and the catch
- • Couscous experience
- • Cooking class
- • Winery visit with tasting
- • Return connection to Favignana
- • Entrance to the Former Florio Plant
- • Entrance to the Satyr Museum
- • Meals expressly provided
- • Sicilia da Scoprire organisation and assistance. Guides, private mobility in Favignana, any further entrance fees and services yet to be
The price does not include
- • Travel to reach Sicily
- • Any airport transfers not expressly included
- • Tourist tax
- • Meals and drinks not indicated
- • Optional insurance
- • Tips and personal extras
- • Everything not expressly indicated under "What the price includes"
Accommodation
7 overnight stays in selected accommodation between the Trapani/Erice area, San Vito Lo Capo and Marsala, according to the configuration of the journey.
Important to know
The programme is organised on request. Activities at sea and connections to Favignana depend on sea and weather conditions. Salt harvesting and other seasonal experiences are available only in the periods allowed by the operators. Catch and products used in the gastronomic experiences follow, as far as possible, the real availability of the period. Meetings with local protagonists depend on their actual availability.
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.