Cooking Tours
Mediterranean
Food Fusion Tours
Join us
We invite you to join us on a special culinary and cultural experience of Malta and Sicily.
Celebrate the religious feast of Madonna Bambina in Senglea and the National Day for Malta commemorating the Madonna Bambina’s intervention, The Great Seige of Malta in 1565. The celebrations involve statue procession, a boat regatta in the Grand Harbour and celebratory fireworks whilst enjoying a degustation dinner.
Enjoy once in a life time luxury villa accommodation in Sicily, learn from local cooks their secret reciepes, prepare, cook, eat and taste the results of your cooking workshop.
Our intimate small group allows us to immerse ourselves into the local scene, discovering food markets, sampling delicious local wines, appreciating local produce and exploring authentic cafes and tavernas hidden in little streets and alleys.
Both Malta and Sicily are cultures at the cross roads of Mediterranean culture and have been influenced by many civilisations which have left a mark on Maltese and Sicilian food and makes them both so unique.
Welcome and enjoy the journey.
Inclusions
* 7 nights luxury villa accommodation, twin share
* 4 nights at 5-star boutique hotel in Malta, twin share
* Breakfast daily
* Private arrival and departure transfers
* Transportation in air-conditioned minivan with personal driver
* Ferry transportation to Aeolion island of Salina, Malta to Catania and Gozo island
* 7 lunches and 7 dinners
* 3 hands-on cooking classes (2 in Sicily / 1 in Malta) & meals
* 1 Degustation Dinner
* Food related tours and tastings incl. markets, wineries, olive groves etc.
* Entrance fees to pre-historic temples and Blue Grotto (Malta)
* Assistance and guidance from your 2 hosts
Exclusions
* Airfares
* Singles room surcharge
* Luggage charges
* Meals other that those indicated
* Beverages in addition to the reasonable amount provided during meals
* Travel insurance
* Passport and other documentation fees
* Laundry, phone calls, mini bar, tipping and personal shopping.
TRIP COST: AUD$8,990
ITINERARY
DAY 01
SENGLEA | Wed 05 September
Check into boutique 5-star hotel, before an afternoon harbor cruise and a group welcome degustation dinner.
DAY 02
VALLETTA | Thu 06 September
Enjoy a traditional horse and carriage ride around Valletta. Discover the turbulent and inspiring history of the Maltese Islands at “the Malta Experience”. Lunch cooking class followed by a tour of Mdina silent city.
DAY 03
VALLETTA to GOZO | Fri 07 September
Ferry to Gozo to enjoy wine tasting and lunch at Marsalforn Bay. A visit to Maria Ta Pinu (the Church of “Miracles”). In the evening we enjoy an award-winning folklore dinner show and 1565 celebration fireworks.
DAY 04
SOUTHERN COAST/SENGLEA | Sat 08 September
Blue Grotto boat ride, pre-historic temples and immerse yourselves in the religious feast of Madonna Bambina in Senglea and more 1565 celebrations to be enjoyed including boat regatta in the Grand Harbour.
DAY 05
CATANIA TO TAORMINA | Sun 09 September
Ferry to Catania, Sicily. Check into our luxuriously appointed villa. Time to explore Taormina before a lavish group dinner at the villa.
DAY 06
CEFALU TO PALERMO | Mon 10 September
Learn to cook Sicilian food and share a 4-course lunch at Villa Palamara monastery in the Norman town of Cefalu. Onto Palermo to experience the best street food city in Europe. Tonight, we’re off to the opera.
DAY 07
TAORMINA | Tue 11 September
Stroll through Taormina Amphitheater food market before another cooking lesson at the villa. Meet up at the famous Bambar Granita Gelato Bar followed by a group dinner at a local restaurant.
DAY 08
MT ETNA | Wed 12 September
Adventurous 4-wheel drive tour of Sicily’s iconic volcano, Mt Etna, which sits in a huge natural reserve including a 3 course Sicilian lunch and winery tour, through fertile country on Etna’s slopes.
DAY 09
MESSINA & SALINA ISLAND | Thu 13 September
Exploring Messina in the morning. We sail by hydrofoil to one of the Aeolian islands for a sunset dinner.
DAY 10
CATANIA / SYRACUSE | Fri 14 September
Explore Catania and lunch at the villa. Late afternoon exploration of historic Syracuse. Evening food/wine walking tour of Ortygia. Farewell dinner.
DAY 11
TAORMINA | Sat 15 September
Final breakfast as we bid farewell to Sicily. Transfers to Catania airport in preparation for your onward flights.
Your Tour Guides
Passionate team
Let our passionate team welcome you on a hands-on Sicilian and Maltese culinary tour and staying in a luxurious villa and high-end boutique hotel. Learn how to cook delicious Mediterranean specialties, using fresh and local produce. We are excited about taking like-minded food loving travellers on this culinary journey to these Mediterranean “gems”.
Joy (Josephine) Acquaro
Josephine Acquaro – Joy to her friends, and a Joy in nature – is Maltese born, married into Southern Italian traditions and Melbourne based. Cooking since the age of 14, Joy is passionate about Southern Europe, which she expresses through a life-long interest of Mediterranean travel, cuisine and European languages. Alongside her sons Adriano and Alessio, Joy is a founding director of 1565 Café & Gelateria, and brings the authentic experience of the Mediterranean lifestyle to the heart of Melbourne’s Kensington. Joy established the café and catering segments of the business, presenting Mediterranean home-style cuisine by using recipes passed down from her families.
Rosa Gentile
Rosa has a wealth of experience in Italian cuisine, having assisted in opening an Italian restaurant of note, in Geneva, Switzerland and developing the menu. She also taught Italian in Rome at various schools and travelled extensively throughout Europe over the last four decades. She worked as an event specialist for many years in Australia and abroad. Rosa comes from a southern Italian family, with chefs in the family and is highly experienced in entertaining and catering for large groups. Rosa is looking forward to sharing her knowledge and love of the Mediterranean.
Carmen Gouder
Joy’s Maltese cousin, will be joining us on the Maltese leg of the adventure. Carmen has an education background and has been a tour operator in Malta most of her life. Her local knowledge, warmth and hospitality, makes her a special member of the team.
NOW GET
YOUR TICKET
We would love to have you on our cooking tour! We are planning an unforgettable trip so make a reservation now, by calling one of our tour guides.