about The Sicily Gastronomad Experience

Imagine yourself under the Sicilian sky, where the sun-soaked landscape looks like a painting. The Ionian Sea gently touches the rugged coastal cliffs to the east, vineyards grace ancient lava hillsides, and the majestic Mount Etna watches over everything. This stunning setting is where our Sicily Gastronomad Experience takes place — a journey that will nourish your soul and awaken your senses.

Sicily is more than just an island; it's a vibrant tapestry of flavors, aromas, and traditions. Its resilient spirit and romantic essence are woven into every part of its culture, especially its cuisine. The island's food reflects millennia of influences from the Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Normans, and Spanish, creating a unique gastronomic landscape.

The island's volcanic soil is rich in minerals, producing a bounty of flavors like juicy cherries, sweet apricots, and plump grapes. Arabian eggplants, fragrant lemons, exotic saffron, and aromatic nutmeg thrive here, adding hints of distant lands and ancient trade routes to Sicilian dishes.

As we travel through Sicily, we'll enjoy iconic dishes like pasta alla Norma, which perfectly balances Etna's mineral-rich tomatoes, velvety eggplant, fresh basil, and salty ricotta salata. We'll explore the island's interior to discover artisanal cheeses and pure olive oils made from local cultivars.

Along the coast, we'll experience Sicily's maritime treasures. Picture yourself in charming fishing villages, savoring sweet red prawns, briny sea urchins, and tender swordfish from Messina, expertly grilled over coals. We'll enjoy various antipasti, including the beloved arancini—crispy, golden rice balls with flavorful fillings.

No Gastronomad Experience would be complete without wine. Sicily's wines, born from volcanic earth, pair perfectly with the bold local flavors. We'll sip in ancient cellars and modern wineries, tasting the unique minerality and vibrant notes that only Sicilian terroir can produce.

This journey is about more than just tasting; it's about touching the heart of Sicily. We'll walk among Greek ruins that tell tales of ancient times, lose ourselves in bustling markets, and uncover hidden culinary gems.

Join us in Sicily, where history, culture, and tradition blend seamlessly on the plate and in the glass. Together, we'll create lasting memories, savoring flavors that have captivated food lovers for centuries. This is more than a trip—it's an immersion into the very soul of Sicily, a culinary odyssey where every moment celebrates life, human connection, and the joy of gathering around the table.

What people are saying about The Gastronomad Experiences

garymakingpasta_edited - Edited.jpg — Testimonial

“Our very knowledgeable hosts made everyone immediately feel like family and organized an incredible week.
The “farmhouse” was a lovingly restored high-end B&B whose owner is also a top-notch chef. Every day had new surprises and delights - private winery tours from the proprietors, classes from cookbook authors, reserved dining rooms in Michelin restaurants.
But maybe the best part was new friendships with warm and well-traveled people like Mike and Amira.
We’ve had wonderful times in dozens of countries, Italy several times, but never experienced anything like this before.”
*-Gary*

Testimonial

A week like no other. I've never booked a vacation on which someone else determined my itinerary day by day. That is, until I discovered Mike and Amira Elgan's Gastronomad Experiences.
Every day was a surprise as the details of your daily itinerary was carefully guarded by Amira. This added to the sense of wonder and discovery which is at the core of the Gastronomad Experiences.
Feel free to take a camera, but you won't need it. This is a hidden feature of any Gastronomad Experience which I think needs to be stressed!
Amira and Mike alone might be worth the price of admission. You'll never meet more generous and knowledgeable hosts. They treated you like family, and not like tourists. Their lifetime of travel experience was yours to sample at a moments notice. They make a compelling case for the Gastronomad lifestyle, and they're happy to guide you on how to get there yourself. They clearly love what they do, and love sharing it with other of similar temperament. The warmth they exude was contagious.
-*Tom*

Testimonial

“This was truly one of the most excellent experiences in my life.
In no particular order, what made it so was the people we met and traveled with, the experiences that were planned for us, the food and the drink.
The small group we Experienced with were well-traveled, well-rounded, and downright fun to be with.
The experiences we had--tours of wineries not open to the public, dining in Michelin star restaurants, and even mushroom hunting in the woods--were all unexpected and delightful and made possible only by the personal friendships of our well-traveled and outgoing tour leaders, who were welcomed like the long-lost everywhere we went.
We never would have had access to any of it outside of the Experience.
*-Gretchen*

jandb - Edited.jpg — Testimonial

“First, let us say that this was exactly the vacation we wanted. We wished for a real Italian experience, meeting interesting people, having unique experiences and enjoying wonderful food and wine. Check, check, check.
We value experiences over things – not big souvenir shoppers – and our week was filled with visits through the breath-taking countryside to wineries and distilleries, and classes with culinary experts – and of course lots of prosecco!
We had dinner in a Michelin-starred restaurant and in a palazzo in Venice, but even the incredible meals at the farmhouse, like breakfast, were a true Italian experience of dining al fresco, lots of fresh flowers and wonderful treats baked fresh that morning.
We had a concern before the trip about whether, since it is a small group, we would all get along for the week. But we found this wasn’t an issue at all. We think that, if you are attracted to a trip like this, with a love of good food and good wine, you likely have enough in common with each other to make the week enjoyable.
We want to offer kudos to Amira and Mike. They have lived in all of these places and cultivated friendships with lots of locals, and use their connections to offer opportunities that we could never find on our own, like getting a gracious private tour of a hundred-year-old wine cellar by the owner and getting to sample a couple of vintage wines.
It was like this for the entire trip – we felt more like we were visiting (new) good friends rather than going on a tour. To make it all this seamless and fun takes a tremendous amount of planning and coordination. All week, everything was handled and all we had to do was relax and enjoy!
We would love to go on another trip with them – more good food and wine await!
*- John and Betty*