Pane e Pizza

the Winery
il Vino

Shopping
at the
Street Market

the
Sicilian
Farm

the Olive-Oil Mill
l’Olio

the Dairy
i Formaggi

SICILIAN CUISINE

A taste of SICILIA

Each region has its own culinary tradition, which is as well expression of its own culture and history.

This activity is dedicated to the Sicilian cuisine: learning how to prepare a typical Sicilian dish, that we will then “taste” together at the end of the day, we will also know part of its history and soul.

The brief course is structured as follows:

~ A theoretical lesson about the related lexicon

~ Shopping food at the street market in Ortigia

~ Practical lesson with a master cook

~ Preparing the dish

~ Supper together

AT THE BAKERY

Let’s make Pane and Pizza

Il pane is the base of the dieta mediterranea, as well as of the culture of our country; the bread, though with slight differences, is the trait d’union among the Mediterranean people: who makes it with the yeast, who without; with or without salt, who cooks it in the firewood oven or on the stone made red hot by the sun …

Pizza is one of the best known and appreciated Italian dishes all over the world; making a good pizza is however not so easy as it seems …

Today we propose you to learn the tricks of the trade: we go visit a baker who still makes the bread in the traditional way, to learn how to make pane and pizza ourselves, and then eat them together at dinner. 

This activity is articulated as follows:

~ A theoretical lesson about the related lexicon

~ Explanation on how to do, from the dough, to the leaven, to the oven preparation, to the cooking

~ Making pane and pizza

~ Dinner

IL VINO

“Alla salute… let’s toast!”

The wine in Sicily is known at least since the Greek time (cfr. Poliphaemus). In the Roman time Sicily was already famous for its wine, as testify the various findings of sank Roman ships, that transported wine. 

The vineyards have been characterizing the landscape of the island for a long time, and the climate and the soil have favoured the wine-growing. 

For decades now Sicilian wines are known and appreciated over the world: from the sweet ones, as the Marsala, the Moscato, to the whites, as the Bianco d’Alcamo, to the red, as the Nero d’Avola. 

In the last years the production has increased and has reached very high-quality levels. Several Sicilian wines have gained important international recognitions.  

We will visit a winery to discover together the secrets and the pleasures of a typical Sicilian wine.  

~ We will visit a vineyard and know the different vines.

~ During the vintage we can participate or assist to the harvest.

~ We will visit the wine cellar and know the phases of the wine-making..

~ Dulcis in fundo, we’ll try the wines with a taste of local fresh food

LET’S GO SHOPPING AT THE STREET MARKET

The street market is expression of daily life

In the Sicilian markets you breathe the atmosphere of the Arabian bazaar, for their vivacity, colours, fragrances, sounds.

Shopping at the market is a very suggestive and interesting daily life experience.

There will be a theoretical lesson about the terminology and the more appropriate colloquial expressions, followed by the shopping at the local fish and vegetable market.

This way you’ll have the chance to use the expressions of the popular language, you learnt at school.

LET’S GO VISIT A FARM, THE DAIRY, THE OLIVE MILL

The olive-oil, the cheese, the other fruit of the Sicilian land

The land in Sicily has always been source of wealth; accordingly, good part of the Sicilian culture, tradition and history is tied up to the rural world, to the life in the countryside. The knowledge of the rural world therefore helps us to know better the Sicilian reality and its people. Experienced hands have learned, at least from the Arabs' time, to draw benefit from the gifts that nature, with a favourable climate and a rich soil, has given to this land. 

This activity will lead you through this world and let you learn the related lexicon. 

According to the period, we will visit an olive crusher, a dairy or a farm: 

~ assist to the harvest of some crops;

~ assist to the production of the olive-oil in a mill, or of cheese, ricotta and mozzarellas in a dairy;

~ taste the local products with a good wine.