Summary
Short description
Let country drives and stays in traditional vineyard farmhouses showcase Sicily's unique cuisine and heritage
Highlights
- Taste your way through vineyards and open kitchens
- Enjoy both coastal and country drives
- Stay in traditionally intimate properties
- Explore Sicily’s ancient ruins and Baroque, hilltop towns
- Relax on the island’s golden sands
In pictures
About
Recommended for:
Food & wine | History & culture | June holidays | Self-drive
This is your chance to discover the traditional charms of Sicily with a trio of stays in boutique, farmhouse properties. Here, open kitchens serve up indulgent treats and look out over vineyard contours showcased by tasting tours. And, with the use of a hire car throughout, your short-but-scenic drives will afford you the flexibility to explore. Pretty coastal routes and country backroads will bring you between Agrigento's temple wonders, the Baroque gems of the island's southeast and, yes, those golden-sand beaches.
Day by day itinerary
Days
1-2
Menfi
After relaxing in your complimentary airport lounge, fly into Palermo where you'll pick up your hire car to plunge into the Sicilian countryside. You'll soon arrive at your stylish accommodation where rooms offer stunning views over rural surrounds. Owned and run by the Planetas, Sicily's most celebrated wine producers, taste your way through its vineyards or enjoy a glass while relaxing by the pool. You’ll also want to visit the nearby Greek temples at Selinunte or take part in a cooking course to learn about the region's outstanding produce; expect everything from eggplant stews to swordfish rolls.
Stay: La Foresteria, Planeta Estate, Sicily (Superior)
Meals: B
Days
3-4
Agrigento
Moving down the coast, you’ll arrive at Mandranova, a working olive oil farm run by welcoming owners Giuseppe and Sylvia. This casale country house offers the best in fresh-from-the-garden cooking. Learn more with a cooking class or head out to explore; a collection of delightful beaches and Agrigento’s magnificent Valley of the Temples are both on your doorstep. As Sicily’s finest archaeological site, it hosts 1,300 hectares of Byzantine tombs, 5th century BC altars and crumbling city walls. The Temple of Concordia even lent its 430 BC edifice to the UNESCO logo. And, your boutique accommodation is just 20 minutes from it all.
Stay: Mandranova (Superior)
Meals: B
Days
5-7
Ispica
Continue along the coast to Sicily’s scenic southeastern tip and the fig-tree-shaded gardens of your delightful accommodation – Relais Torre Marabinol. Here, cooking courses, indulgent multi-course dining and expert-led tasting tours of the estate’s very own wine cellar are all served up to expansive views of the surrounding Sicilian countryside. It's all predicated on the hotel's own organic gardens and winery. However, you’ll also want to get out and about to explore its surrounding quartet of Baroque gems. There’s charming Modica’s medieval tumble, Ragusa’s aristocratic palazzi and Ispica’s basilicas and monasteries.
Stay: Relais Torre Marabino (Superior)
Meals: B
Days
8-9
Ispica to Riposto
This morning after breakfast, take the drive from Ispica to the east coast of Sicily, passing by Syracuse and Catania, and to nearby Donna Carmela, a contemporary boutique resort surrounded by over 10,000sq metres of lush gardens of Mediterranean and subtropical plants - a reconnection to nature. The hotel has created a lovely bar and restaurant in the original stable block, with an inside dining area with lounge, wine cellar and outside terrace surrounded with lawns, olive trees, flowering scented shrubs and views over the nursery. The elegant à la carte restaurant specialises in traditional Sicilian cuisine with a modern twist, using only locally sourced, seasonal produce to create an imaginative à la carte menu. The restaurant also offers guests an extensive local wine list including wine from the hotel's own vineyard.
Stay: Donna Carmela Resort & Lodges, Sicily (Superior)
Meals: B
Day
10
Departure
Drive from Donna Carmela to Catania airport in time for your onward flight.
Meals: B
Map
Pricing
Any element of this itinerary can be adjusted to suit your needs. Just contact us to find out more.
Accommodation rating:
10-day tailor-made self-drive
from £1,935 pp incl. flights
Superior
Apr / Nov
from £1,935 pp. incl. flights
Jun - Sep
from £2,320 pp. incl. flights
May / Oct
from £2,010 pp. incl. flights
Validity: Apr - Nov 2025
Includes:
- Complimentary UK airport departure lounge access
- Return economy flights into Palermo and out from Catania
- 2 nights stay at La Foresteria Planeta in a Pool Suite on BB
- 2 nights stay at Aziena Agricola Mandranova in a Double/Twin Room on BB
- 3 nights stay at Relais Torre Marabino in a Suite on BB
- 2 nights stay at Donna Carmela in a Junior Suite on BB
- Economy car hire car - pick up from Palermo airport, drop off Catania airport
Terms & Conditions
Prices are per person based on two people sharing a twin/double room; prices are subject to availability and possible change; normal booking conditions apply.
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