Copyright: L. & I. DUSI

 

THE  TASTE  OF  SICILY

 

AMALFI  COAST and WHITEWASHED PUGLIA

Escorted by Isabella and Luigi Dusi
With

Judith Cullen

Friday 19 September 08 to Thursday 02 October 2008

13 nights  in Italy

                       

 

Amendments to this preliminary itinerary will be of a minor nature to facilitate the coordination of visits and availability of hosts.

Day 1. Commencement - Rome:  Friday 19 September : Your tour hosts, Isabella and Luigi Dusi, will meet you at the National Departures Check In Counter, Leonardo da Vinci Airport, Fiumicino, Rome, for our flight to Sicily.

After introductions, we’ll relax over coffee, and soon it will be time to board our aircraft. On arrival at Catania our coach will deliver us to stunning Taormina, perched high above the sea, where we will stay for four nights. Our hotel is situated in the centre of Taormina and you may like to enjoy a stroll through the heart of Taormina. We’ll meet for  an introduction to our tour. The fortunes and misfortunes of Sicily brings into focus Sicily’s strategic importance at the centre of three continents – Africa, Asia and Europe. The Sicilian table is influenced by Phoenician settlers who brought the olive, Greek colonists who brought grapes, honey and almonds, Arab invaders who brought oranges, rice, pistachio and saffron, and from America came the basis of many famous Sicilian dishes using eggplant, such as caponata. Sunny Sicilian tomatoes and the omnipresent red and yellow Fig of India are tastes of this island of abundance. An early welcome dinner will be our initial indulgence in the delicious cuisine of Sicily.

Overnight ***Hotel Taormina. Dinner with wines included.

 

Day 2.  Taormina  - Mount Etna Volcano – Etna Garden and Orchard:  Saturday 20 September: Overlooking the Ionian Sea, Taormina beckons you to discover its secrets….. for a couple of hours this morning you can devote yourself to its delightful heart and enticing boutiques.

From the time when the wealthy set out on The Grand Tour of Italy in the late 1800’s, Taormina was the destination which drew artists and writers seeking a summer hide-a-way in unsurpassed beauty among classical ruins.

Departing Taormina late this morning we’ll pause on the slopes of Mt Etna to visit a marvellous private garden where mandarin, lemon and exotic fruit share space with mandarin, lemon trees and vegetables. We’ll culminate our visit with snack lunch of the garden produce.

Etna is Europe’s largest active, live volcano. It is feared and yet loved, the flowing lava has buried whole towns, devastating everything in its path. How can something so destructive be open to visitors? A permanent team of vulcanologists measure and watch the volcano, and when it stirs into fiery action they are already aware of pressure building in the cones which are caused by the up thrust of the earth’s crust. You enter a barren and eerie landscape as the vegetation gives way to layers of black lava. We’ll visit the crater of San Silvestro, and you can walk around the rim of the crater if you wish. Way back in Roman times, the snow of Etna was mixed with honey to make a sweet and icy concoction.  We’ll return to Taormina and you will be free for the evening.

Overnight: ***Hotel Taormina. Snack lunch with wine included.

 

Day 3.   The Straits of Messina:  Sunday 21 September: Messina was completely rebuilt after the devastating earthquake in 1908 took the lives of more than 100,000 people. At the Cathedral our host will be waiting, and after our visit to the church we’ll see some of the highlights of Messina. We’ll then see a demonstration of the making of typical foods of Messina, such as arancina, and we’ll adjourn to a local restaurant for lunch.  On our return you will once again be free in Taormina to enjoy some exploring time, perhaps to walk to the castle at the top of the town, or to enjoy the exquisite shopping, or perhaps you’ll take the cable car down to the sea.

Overnight: ***Hotel Taormina. Lunch with wines included.

 

Day 4.  Siracusa:  Monday 22 Septemberr: Setting off early this morning we’ll travel to the south along the coast facing the Ionion Sea to reach Siracusa and in particular the island of Ortygia. A walk through the alleys of Ortygia will bring us to the piazza and the Cathedral, which was rebuilt after the disastrous earthquake of 1693, and is now a celebration of Baroque architecture. You’ll  have time to explore, and to have your lunch. On Monday morning the clothing and similar shops will be closed, so make sure you take advantage of free time in Taormina for shopping! Our excursion this afternoon will include one of the most important Greek theatres in existence dating from the 5^th century BC where the great Greek playwrights premiered their tragedies. We’ll visit the latomies – stone quarries – from where millions of cubic metres of stone were extracted with which to build the temples, and the Ear of Dionysus, where, thanks to the extraordinary acoustics, Dionysus could hear the whispers of his enemies who were imprisoned. On our return to Taormina you’ll be free for the evening. 

Overnight  ***Hotel Taormina.

 

Day 5. Milazzo - Sto Stefano  - Cefalù - Palermo:  Tuesday 23 September: Today we make our way to Palermo where we will stay for two nights.  Departing on the autostrada early this morning we’ll travel to Milazzo where the fisherman bring their catch for sale to wholesalers throughout the island. Each morning many of the fish vendors set up their stalls in the open and await the public or restaurateurs of the region to select from the day’s catch. We’ll visit the morning fish market and travel on to the town of Sto Stefano where we’ll stop and visit a manufacturer of Sicilian ceramics. In Sto Stefano you’ll see the many shops selling ceramics, have your lunch, and then we’ll continue our journey, pausing at Cefalù where you can walk down to the sea, or visit the  marvellous Norman Cathedral. We’ll arrive in Palermo in the late afternoon. This evening you have the option of joining our dinner group for a meal of Arab/Tunisian Sicilian food in a local restaurant. Optional group dinner at your expense.

Overnight ***Hotel Palermo.

 

Day 6. Palermo:  Wednesday 24 September: Your fascinating encounter with this chaotic capital begins this morning. Palermo is a city encompassing the Greek and Carthaginian cultures; it suffered Roman conquest, Arab occupation, Byzantine tyranny, Norman invasion, sack by the Barbarians and the rule of Spanish and French invaders. It is an exasperating metropolis as vivacious as it is astonishing. Isabella will lead an orientation walk which will include the Pretoria Fountain and La Martorana, a unique work combining Norman, Arab and oriental architecture

Next we’ll experience the vibrancy of Sicilian food exploring the Ballerò market. This is Palermo’s poorest district, but the market offers an explosion of colours and odours with the atmosphere of a Arabian suk. Open air butchers display every particle from many kinds of beasts, and it is common to see a bucket of tripe simmering, a pan of entrails bubbling away, or sacks of snails squirming at your feet. The fishmongers thrash huge octopus on marble slabs, slicing great slabs of sword fish and bloodied tuna. After the market we’ll pause for lunch, and then to a Pasticceria for a demonstration of the making of Sicilian cassata. The cassata recipe was created by Muslim pastry cooks, called Qas’at – and is made with ricotta, candied fruits, cinnamon and - after the Spanish invasion – Spanish sponge cake was added. In the afternoon we’ll visit the tombs of Emperor Frederick and Queen Constance in the Norman Cathedral, and one of humanities treasures - the Palatine Chapel, a masterpiece of Islamic art inside the Palace of the Normans, built by Roger II in 1132. We’ll gather for dinner this evening, which will introduce you to Palermitano cuisine.

Overnight: ***Hotel Palermo. Dinner with wines included.

 

Day 7. Erice – The Salt of Trapani - Marsala:  Thursday 25 September: Following an early check out of our hotel and loading our baggage on the coach, we have a full day to explore the western coast before returning to Palermo and boarding our cruise ship to mainland Italy.

Towards Trapani we enter a magical lunar landscape. On this mirror of water soar crystal mountains – this is the Strada del Sale, the road of marine salt, which joins Trapani and Marsala with glassy mounds and where, delicately, this precious material is extracted, as it has been for two thousand years. We’ll visit the salt museum at the Phonecian port of Mozia. Travelling on towards Marsala we’ll visit a cellar and following an explanation of the regional grape varieties we’ll enjoy a wine tasting. The village of Erice is poised 750 metres above the sea. Passing along the dry stone paths closed in by Phoenician walls, suddenly you face the blue of sea and sky. We’ll find the pasticceria where Erice’s famed cook bakes specialties like La Palline, scrumptious balls of orange and chocolate. Her Mustaccioli delle Monaci (monk’s biscuits) are infused with clove and almond. At the age of eleven Maria entered a cloistered convent where she learned to make the sweets and biscuits. You may have read the book ‘Bitter Almonds’ by Mary Taylor Simeti which talks about Maria’s life. A light lunch is included today, but we will remain flexible as to where we will eat, depending on traffic conditions and time available.

We’ll return to Palermo in the early evening and board our cruise ship. For your comfort and convenience you are requested to bring on board to your cabin only your hand baggage and articles which you can carry comfortably. All main baggage will remain on our coach which will be travelling to Naples on the cruise ship along with us. All meals on board ship are at your expense. The cafeteria style restaurant on board offers light meals. Accommodation is in first class twin bedded cabins with private bathroom facilities.

Overnight on board Cruise Ship Palermo to Napoli. Light lunch included.

 

Day 8. The Port of Napoli - Pompei and Sorrento.  Friday 26 September: Early this morning our ship will dock at Naples, we’ll disembark and, as soon as our driver and coach are ashore, we’ll stow our hand baggage and, clearing the Port of Napoli we’ll begin our journey to Sorrento, pausing for a light breakfast of cappuccino and brioche. Before Sorrento we’ll stop to visit the archaeological ruins of the city of Pompei. On the 24^th of August in the year 79, the volcano of Mt. Vesuvius erupted and sepulchred a whole city under a deadly layer of molten ash which rained from the sky for hours, asphyxiating the citizens, and burying their city. Archaeologists are still excavating the last third of the territory of the city of Pompei offering a fascinating experience. After our visit to Pompei we’ll lunch on delicious Neapolitano pizza and then travel on to Sorrento where we will stay in the centre of town for three nights. Sorrento and the towns along the coastline are jewels of international fame offering interesting shopping and an ambience for relaxation over the coming days. Once settled into your room, you will be free for the evening to explore your new surroundings.

Overnight: ***Hotel Sorrento. Pizza lunch with wines included.

 

Day 9. Paestum - Mozzarella:  Saturday 27 September: There are two very good reasons to visit Paestum. One is the chance to visit a buffalo farm run by a Baroness, who also produces olive oil. We’ll stop at the Azienda where raw buffalo milk mozzarella is produced – one of the few remaining authorised raw milk mozzarella producers in the world, and here we’ll see the process for the production of this highly regarded buffalo milk cheese.

We’ll enjoy a light lunch in the grounds of the villa owned by the Baroness, and then we’ll visit the archaeological site of Paestum, founded in the 7^th century BC by Greek colonists. Paestum enjoyed trade with the Etruscan civilisation, but was conquered in the 4^th century BC by native Italian tribes, then fell under Roman domination. Here we will see three evocative Greek temples standing in a field of flowers, including the magnificent Temple of Neptune. The temples of Paestum have survived the ravages of time and pillaging better than the more famous Parthenon in Athens.  We’ll return to our hotel by autostrada. 

Overnight***Hotel Sorrento. Light lunch with wines included.

 

Day 10. Amalfi - Positano - Isle of Capri:  Sunday 28 September: The Amalfi coast is a craggy coastline dotted with inlets shadowed by mountains of stone which rise from the sea. Many stunning cliff top towns have given the Amalfi Coast its international fame. Today we drive along the Amalfi Coast for a thrilling and panoramic ride until we reach Amalfi,  a sea side town which was once a maritime power vying with Venice for control of the Adriatic. Positano is a jumble of colourful houses built one on top of the other as if tumbling into the sea. The Cathedral of Amalfi, at the entrance of the town is one of Italy’s most awesome churches. Please note that at the time of preparing this preliminary itinerary regulations concerning motorised transport along the Amalfi Coast are under review. We are unable to specify travel details until regulations are finalised.

The Island of Capri needs little introduction: famed all over the world as an island of paradise. Capri’s main income derives from tourism and while famous personalities such as Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton and Clark Gable were, long ago, to be seen strolling around, now-a-days the rich and famous still come, but rarely make themselves seen. Instead, many thousands of tourists make the trip from the mainland each day because everybody wants to share in the fame of the Isle of Capri. We’ll travel to Capri in the afternoon and spend a little time at one of the villages when the crowds are beginning to dwindle. A glass of wine or campari as the sun lowers over Capri is the best way to enjoy this beautiful island. On our evening return to Sorrento we’ll gather for dinner in a family trattoria.

Overnight ***Hotel Sorrento. Dinner with wines included.

 

11. Matera in Basilicata – Puglia:  Monday 29 September: Today is a travel day and we leave Sorrento early this morning and travel on the autostrada to the east, entering the region of Basilicata to visit the sassi of Matera on our way to whitewashed Puglia. Our first stop is to visit the local bakery where we can see the making of the breads and focaccia of Basilicata, which we’ll taste along with the bakery specialities.

A handful of decades ago Matera represented quintessential poverty. The most striking account of how people lived, still within living memory, is given in the book Christ Stopped at Eboli written by Carlo Levi. ‘The houses were open on account of the heat, and as I went by I could see into the caves. Some of them had no entrance but a trapdoor and ladder. In these dark holes with walls cut out of the earth I saw a few pieces of miserable furniture…on the floor lay dogs, sheep, goats and pigs. Most families have just one cave to live in – this is how twenty thousand people live.’ Vast amounts of funds in the 1960’s and 1970’s eradicated malaria and put a stop to starvation. Whilst no longer a land of poverty-stricken peasants worn down by malaria, Basilicata retains a powerful sense of isolation. Today people are returning to live in the sassi, but now it is trendy, as a population of artists and writers move in. In the afternoon we’ll travel on to our home for the next three nights in a charming “Liberty villa” set in a park on the fringes of the whitewashed village of Ostuni. We’ll eat buffet style at the hotel this evening.

Overnight ***Hotel Ostuni, Puglia. Buffet Dinner with wines included.

 

Day 12. Valley of the Trulli – Puglian Olive Oil - Ostuni:  Tuesday 30 September: The Valley of Itria offers romantic marvels hard to equal. Peasant farmers constructed, out of necessity and with scarcity of materials, fairytale conical houses, pointing into the sky, gleaming in the sun like icebergs. More than three thousand trulli cluster around villages or dot the countryside. Some trulli lie abandoned, and so do many Masserie, where the feudal overlord of the peasant lived. The Masseria was autonomous, fortified, a place of work, for production of cheese, raising cattle, milling olives, a place of prayer and of battle. After a free  morning for you to discover the gleaming white washed town of Ostuni we’ll gather to visit a Masseria and taste the olive oil of Puglia which is a symbol of the cuisine. A light lunch will be served at the Masseria. Our afternoon will be spend traversing the countryside and the fairytale world of the Trulli.

Overnight ***Hotel Ostuni. Light Lunch with wines included.

 

Day 13. Lecce - Wines of Manduria:  Wednesday 01 October: This morning we’ll explore the Florence of the South. Un-touristed Lecce is a triumph of baroque in a theatrical explosion of festoons, masks, caryatids and putti with balconies and terraces sumptuously decorated. It is as if the very bones of the martyrs have been used to adorn the churches and palaces around the perimeter. The church of Santa Croce, a supreme example of baroque Leccese, suggests a bizarre fantasy of monsters, the façade is profusely decorated with soft golden sandstone, an exuberant and incredible combination of elements.

You’ll have free time in Lecce to explore, shop and have  your lunch, and then we’ll begin our return  journey, bringing back to our hotel some of the wines from the Manduria region where Primitivo - a surprisingly uncompromising 100% varietal, is grown. We’ll return to our haven in the Valley of Itria in the afternoon so that you have time to enjoy tasting some wine, and then to prepare for your departure in the morning. We’ll gather this evening for a delicious farewell dinner.

Overnight ***Hotel Ostuni. Dinner with wines included.

 

Day 14. Montecassino - Roma:  Thursday 02 October: This morning we depart and begin our coach journey to Rome. We will break our journey for morning coffee, and for you to buy a sandwich lunch, and in the afternoon, before reaching Rome, we’ll pause at a site which has a sacred meaning to all New Zealanders. Montecassino is a place written into the hearts and minds of New Zealand families, and their descendents, whose soldiers fought a bitter battle along with the allied forces to break the Gothic line at Montecassino in World War II. The story of Montecassino will unfold as we travel up to the monastery, rebuilt after destruction in war.

 

Our estimated arrival time at the tour departure point of Termini Railway Station, Rome, is approximately 6.30 pm.  Please leave a wide margin between our estimated coach arrival time at Rome and your ongoing travel plans. Your tour hosts have no control over, and take no responsibility for traffic delays, hold ups, inclement weather, or any other unexpected occurrence which could delay or change our estimated arrival in Rome on the final day of the tour. Luigi and Isabella will  farewell all guests at Termini Railway Station, Rome.

 

OPTIONAL 1 OR 3 NIGHT ROME STOPOVER PACKAGE

An "optional" one or three night Rome package is available on request - please mail Luigi or Isabella for complete details, inclusions and price.