Restaurants and food in Sicily

Feb 28 2024

Slow Food Sicilian style

Feast on the best Slow Food in your Sicily villa Bronte pistachios, fava beans, thorny artichokes and manna from the Madonie mountains. Perhaps you won’t be surprised to learn that in Sicily, where the sun-baked land yields produce that is simply bursting with flavour, there are a total of 56 products on the Slow Food Presidium list. So how many of them could you name? Here’s a quick introduction to the Slow Food movement and a brief overview of some of the items you’ll find on market stalls, at local festivals and as ingredients in traditional dishes. What is the…

Ott 12 2023

Visiting Sicily for the first time

Everything you need to know about Sicily So you’ve heard about the volcano, drooled over cannoli and arancini, and marvelled at the seascapes and idyllic sets in the White Lotus TV series. But how much do you actually know about Sicily when it comes to booking villas in Sicily? If you’re tempted by a trip to this extraordinary Mediterranean island but still have heaps of unanswered questions, read on. When is the best time to visit Sicily? Sicily is actually a year-round destination. Low season, from November to April, can be rainy but the daytime temperature rarely drops much lower…

Giu 13 2023

How to eat like a local in Sicily

Everything you need to know about Sicilian street food and traditional cuisine So how much do you know about Sicilian food? You wouldn’t be alone in assuming that it probably isn’t that different from that of the rest of Italy and, to a certain extent, you’re right. Think fruit and vegetables bursting with flavour, and a healthy dose of olive oil, nuts, seeds, and fish – in essence, the classic Mediterranean diet. And, in common with mainland Italy, a rigorous commitment to using seasonal, locally grown produce. However, if you’ve stayed any length of time in Italy, you’ll know that…

Apr 30 2023

Beyond the beach in Sicily

Cultural attractions, activities and gastronomy in Sicily There’s little question that Sicily’s a natural choice when it comes to a beach holiday. With mile upon mile of sandy beaches and an enviable scattering of pretty coves fringed by translucent water, there’s plenty of choice when it comes to soaking up the sun by the sea in Sicily. But that’s not to say that Sicily is only about sun and sea. For a start, UNESCO World Heritage sites and ancient temples dot the landscape, and towns and cities are awash with extraordinary art and architecture. Then there are nature reserves, Europe’s…

Gen 17 2023

Family holidays in Sicily

Take a peek at our new family-friendly villas in south east Sicily It’s that time of year again, when we all dream of days filled with sunshine, and start planning a summer holiday that the whole family can look forward to. And to make it even easier for you to choose the ideal spot for your holiday, we’ve taken on several new brilliantly located family-friendly villas in Sicily that we know you’ll love. Great value at Lavinia, Scicli There’s plenty of room for a family of 6 at Lavinia, with 4 bedrooms, a living room, and a garden where you…

Ott 13 2022

A guide to Sicily’s unique cuisine

Focus on Sicilian food We’re frequently asked how Sicilian food differs from the rest of Italy and what makes our cuisine so unique. After all, we too eat pizza and pasta and demolish huge quantities of gelato! In fact every region of Italy has its own distinctive cuisine but this is particularly noticeable in Sicily where our daily diet is an extraordinary legacy of the island’s history, resulting in a dazzling combination of flavours. Add to that a mix of ingredients that have been enriched by the Sicilian sun and our steadfast commitment to so called ‘cibo chilometri zero’, that…

Set 28 2022

Large Sicily villas with jacuzzis, private chefs and speed boats

Book a villa in Sicily to celebrate in style in 2023! Are you one of the many who have lost out on celebrating a milestone birthday or anniversary in recent years, or have simply missed sharing experiences with friends? If so, there’s no time like the present to start planning for 2023! Several of our villas in Sicily are big enough for parties of 20 and more, with a whole range of services that cater for large groups, designed to make your holiday even more memorable. Choose from chef services, tours and gastronomic experiences – we’ll make sure you’re well…

Lug 13 2022

Gen up on gelati before your Sicily holiday

All about gelati in Sicily As temperatures soar across the UK, Italy, France and Spain, one thing we can be sure of is that ice-cream sales will rocket. In fact even the thought of stepping into a gelateria is soothing in these sweltering temperatures. Disappointing as it may be, the truth is that eating ice-cream doesn’t actually cool you down. Despite its initial cooling effect, once our body’s metabolism kicks in to break down the nutrients in the ice-cream, our body temperature starts to rise again. And the bigger the ice-cream and higher calorie content, the bigger the effect on…

Gen 20 2022

Sicily’s Tastiest Foodie Retreats

Sicily’s Tastiest Foodie Retreats selected by Suitcase magazine The gastronomic scene in Sicily is continuing to expand, becoming ever more adventurous whilst still remaining true to its traditional roots. And the good news is that you don’t need to head for a Michelin-starred restaurant to experience it – you’ll find fantastic ingredients on market stalls and simple but delicious dishes at the local trattoria. But what if you want to dig deeper into Sicilian gastronomic culture, to find out what to buy at the market and learn how to prepare some of the dishes for yourself? Cue Cooking & Culture, a…

Dic 22 2021

Christmas in Sicily

Traditional festive Christmas and New Year celebrations Christmas is coming and with it, a sparkling display of nativity scenes, twinkling lights and a selection of foodie treats. As you’d expect, the Christmas period in Sicily is both traditional and religious but you’ll also find plenty of festive fun. It’s also a brilliant opportunity to get a real insight into life in Sicily without the tourists. Weather in Sicily at Christmas In spite of Sicily’s proximity to Africa, you’re not going to find soaring Mediterranean heat. Temperatures tend to range from around 11 to 16˚ but this can vary further depending…

Ott 02 2021

Six of the best things to do in Sicily

Experience Sicilian food, culture and nature If a holiday in Sicily has been on your radar for a while, you’ll already know how much there is to do. Long lists of ancient temples, baroque churches and Roman amphitheatres trip off the tongue and before you know it, you’re feeling stressed about how you’re going to fit everything into a mere week on the island! But what about activities that don’t involve traditional sightseeing? It seems that while many visitors may not necessarily want to delve back into ancient history, they may equally want to do something other than flop on…

Ago 12 2021

Flavours of Sicily

Close up of a surface texture of a creamy green Ice cream.

Welcome to our world of gelati, granite and cremolate It’s crazy to think anyone would plan a holiday in Sicily based on ice-cream, but who doesn’t give a little whoop of joy at the thought of everyone flocking from far and wide for a scoop of gelato from your local gelateria! Sicilians take their gelati very seriously and even if you’re not a mad ice-cream fan, we suspect you’ll struggle to resist this frozen treat. Historically, gelato was probably first introduced to Sicily by the Arabs and was more of a granita than a creamy ice cream. Mount Etna came…

Lug 14 2021

Best of the West in Sicily

5 of the best things to do on the west coast of Sicily Given that Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean and around a fifth the size of England, it’s not surprising that the vibes on its west coast are very different to those of the north and east. This is partly due to its lack of obvious tourist hotspots. Compare it to the east coast where Taormina takes centre stage, or the north coast which is dominated by Cefalù. However, its proximity to north Africa (Tunisia is less than 100 miles away) is also a key factor…

Nov 16 2020

A Sicilian Feast

Take a mouth-watering culinary journey in Sicily Spend any length of time in Sicily and you quickly realise that no milestone passes without a substantial feast … and what a feast! Sicilian cuisine wisely makes the most of what nature throws its way, packed with flavour-busting vegetables, fresh fish, and dishes and delicacies crammed with home-grown almonds and pistachios. Yet it’s also a cuisine that draws on its multi-layered history and so, in common with all Italian regions, has its own set of very unique flavours, traditions and recipes. In Sicily, for example, you may find yourself starting the day…

Gen 21 2020

New Escorted Cooking and Culture Tours in Sicily

What sort of holiday person are you? Are you the first to stake your position by the pool, ready for a week of basking in the sun? Or do you devote months before your trip to planning a week crammed full of activities and researching the best local restaurants? The truth is that while some of us are firmly in either the chill-out or action-packed camp, many of us fall somewhere between the two. Catching up on local culture is always welcome but that doesn’t necessarily mean that you want to spend every day sightseeing. Similarly, while you might like…

Apr 27 2017

Gourmet Sicily: springtime gastronomy tour

Aside from the obvious advantages of holidaying in Sicily in May or June when prices are low and the beaches crowd-free, a Spring holiday in Sicily means gastronomy. Dip into your nearest trattoria for a dish of pasta con le sarde or wander along to the local market to stock up on the freshest seasonal ingredients for a gourmet al fresco meal at your own villa. So what are the traditional Sicily food in May? Springtime traditional Sicily food products Fish plays a big part in the Sicilian diet year-round but tuna and sword fish are at their best…

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