Sicily & Naples with Flour + Water

Benvenuti a Sicilia! We meet up with Thomas, Ryan and our fellow adventurers in Sicily’s historic Catania. Our first stop is Agricola Oliva, where we will visit the lemon groves and have a guided tour of the olive oil mill for an explanation of techniques and the stages of production to make extra virgin olive oil. We will follow our tour with an olive oil tasting and a vegetarian lunch.

Afterwards, we head to nearby Siracusa, a seaside wonder basking in 2,700 years of history with deep Greek, Roman, Byzantine, North African and Norman influences. Here, we’ll embark on a walking tour of the island of Ortigia, the bustling city center of Siracusa that still lives like a quaint cobblestone village. Later we’ll join the locals on a passeggiata, or evening walk, on the promenade for an unforgettable first sunset together over the Mediterranean en route to an elegant and locally sourced welcome dinner.

After a grand breakfast, we will embark on a street food tour of Ortigia and its outdoor market where we’ll taste an eclectic array of local staples—from arancini siracusa (an open-faced version of the Sicilian classic) to aged prosciutto, local cheeses and homemade sesame sticks. Speaking of cheese, we’ll dive deep into the world of fresh mozzarella with a demonstration and tasting to punctuate the experience.

After all this incredible food, repose is in order. The rest of the afternoon is yours to embellish—relax at the hotel or explore the dream-like lanes of Siracusa and wander wherever the wind takes you. 

After breakfast, we pack our things and move our Sicilian adventure to an active volcano over twice the size of Mt Vesuvius. At nearly 11,000 feet, Mt Etna is a towering mountain that sometimes glows red. We’ll hike its craggy fissures with a local volcanologist who shares the ins and outs of Etna’s fascinating history.

Appetites worked up, we’ll move on to one of the area’s top-notch vineyards set atop the volcano’s slopes with panoramic views. At Tenuta San Michele we’ll meet the winemaker, sip juicy reds and rich whites, then lunch on the best charcuterie and aged sun-dried tomatoes under the golden Sicilian sun.

For the remainder of the afternoon and evening, we’re sticking around Etna’s shadow. If you’re feeling inspired, Thomas has invited us on a bicycle ride up Mt. Etna. If you’d rather take it easy, our basecamp is an intimate boutique hotel in a village at the volcano’s foot, where we can toast our day under a starlit sky.

We’re up early for breakfast as the morning mist hangs over the volcano, then heading out on a private boat ride along the breathtaking rocky shorelines and beaches of the Ionian Sea. It’s surreal scenery, as we see inside Grotta Azzurra, a sea cave with crystalline waters that glow blue. We enjoy a specially prepared lunch at sea, then dock to explore the lovely historic city of Taormina’s medieval lanes and churches, and its epic hilltop Greek theater with a full coastline panorama below.

We’ll have an afternoon full of Taormina’s endless appeal. Sit with an espresso in vibrant piazzas, browse shops in the alleys bursting with life, pop into a Gothic cathedral, and take some gelato to cliff-hugging terraces overlooking the sea. We’ll return to our hotel by the volcano for another star-lit night under Mt Etna’s gaze.

Our adventure of southern Italy moves on today, as we fly to a buzzing Mediterranean capital under the watch of Mt Vesuvius. We’ll head straight to Gragnano, the heart of Italy’s dried pasta renaissance. Historically, pasta-makers—eager to leverage the mountain breeze and salty air—would hang their pastas outside on drying rods. Today, while most chefs use heaters to supplement the drying process, we’ll get a crash course in this unique Amalfi tradition and alongside both Thomas and Ryan, participate in a hands-on cooking class.

As dusk descends, we’ll make our way back to the city for an evening of independent exploration. Naples is a blast after dark, and the night is yours to explore its hipster bars with DJs spinning vinyl and cozy intimate restaurants with wine lists as mesmerizing as the night is long. Enjoy!

This morning we  jump right into Naples’ oldest spot for street food, Pignasecca Market. We’ll wander this outdoor mercato tasting fresh fruits and pastries, and dig into an Italian favorite, cuoppo Napoletano—because how else would you eat the best fried seafood than in a cone? The main event here, however, is pizza. With Thomas and Ryan’s coveted list as our guide, we’ll walk the cobbled alleys in search for that perfect slice of pizza.

But don’t get too full because our farewell dinner is a meal for the ages. After some rest and independent exploration, we’ll make our way to a restored cloister that has been transformed into a contemporary art gallery with cuisine run by Sabrina Russo, leader of the Food for Soul project. We’ll settle in as Thomas and Ryan preside over a collaborative cooking demonstration, then indulge in several unforgettable courses and plenty of wine to toast our journey together. The night ends whenever it ends!

Alas, it’s out last day. After breakfast we’ll gather and say farewell each other and to Thomas and Ryan, pack up all we’ve collected (along with so many new memories), and head to Naples’ airport. Ciao!