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The Wine Trail
Overview
Introduction
Legend has it that the Greek god Dionysus (also known as Bacchus), the god of the grape harvest, of winemaking and wine, brought pleasure to mankind and wine to Sicily. What is certain is that wine has been made in Sicily since ancient times. The soil and climate are ideal for the purpose and most farmers and smallholders would have had their own vineyard, producing wine for the family. The wines of Mount Etna, from vines grown on the rich lava terrain, were especially well-known, but many varieties of grape are now cultivated and many different wines produced in what has become a wine-lover’s paradise.
Itinerary includes:
- Outbound flight to Catania Airport
- Return flight from Palermo Airport
- 10 day's car hire (one-way drop off fee payable locally)
- 3 Nights at Tenuta San Michele, Santa Caterina (Bed and Breakfast)
- 3 Nights at Agriturismo Gigliotto, Piazza Armerina (Bed and Breakfast)
- 3 Nights at La Foresteria, Menfi (Bed and Breakfast)
Agenda
Day 1 - Day of arrival
Arrive at Catania airport, collect your hire car and drive to the Tenuta San Michele in Santa Venerina (45km).
The property produces its own DOP and IGP wines, spumante (sparkling wine) and brandy.
Overnight at the Tenuta San Michele.
Day 2 - Day of leisure
Day at leisure. Opportunity to visit the Murgo winery, located on the slopes of Mount Etna. The rich lava terrain gives a unique character to the wine and spumante produced in this region. In the afternoon, visit Nelson's Castlein Maniace. Admiral Horatio Nelson, one of England's greatest heroes has long been associated with this area of Sicily. The castle holds a great deal of memorabilia including family portraits, furniture, personal letters from Royalty and the decanter and glasses used by Nelson before the battle of Trafalgar.
Overnight at the Tenuta San Michele.
Admiral Horatio Nelson
Day 3 - Day of leisure
Day at leisure – take a morning dip in the Mediterranean at the blue flag beach at Marina di Cottone in Fiumefreddo (15km). Later, drive up to the pretty hilltop town of Taormina for lunch. Stroll through the town’s ancient main street with its many shops and boutiques and pause at one of the many piazzas for a fabulous view of Mount Etna, Europe's highest volcano (3320m).
Overnight at the Tenuta San Michele.
Mount Etna, Sicily
Day 4 - Day of leisure
After breakfast, drive inland to the Agriturismo Gigliotto in Piazza Armerina (129km). Home to Nero d'Avola – a native Sicilian grape, Agriturismo Gigliotto is an attractive fortified farmhouse surrounded by acres of vines. The winery has a modern visitors' centre where guests can view the entire process, from grape-picking to bottle-corking. In the afternoon, head south to visit the ancient Villa Romana del Casale (18km), a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This fabulous Roman Villa contains a collection of some of the most important, well-preserved mosaics in the world.
Overnight at the Agriturismo Gigliotto.
Agriturismo Gigliotto
Day 5 - Day of leisure
Day at leisure. Drive south to the ancient archaeological site of Morgantina (28km) which dates back to the Bronze Age. Finds from Morgantina are on show in a little museum in the town of Aidone (2km) which also houses the statue of the Venus of Morgantina, a 2.4m statue believed to be Aphrodite and dating back 2400 years.
Overnight at the Agriturismo Gigliotto.
Morgantina archaeological site, Sicily
Day 6 - Day of leisure
Day at leisure. Spend the day visiting some of the island’s most important Baroque towns, notably Noto, Modica, Ragusa Ibla and Syracuse (Ortigia Island), located in the south eastern corner of Sicily. Opportunity to taste the rich dark chocolate produced in Modica following ancient Aztec recipes and the delicious local cakes and pastries with their unique flavours.
Overnight at the Agriturismo Gigliotto.
Syracuse, Sicily
Day 7 - Day of travel
After breakfast, drive to your next property, La Foresteria in Menfi. This picturesque, family-run winery is located in Sambuca di Sicilia in the Valle dei Belice, on Sicily's west coast. During the harvest season, guests are invited to participate in the winemaking process. Enroute make a stop in Agrigento to visit the impressive Valley of the Temples. This ancient, archeological park has six Greek Temples including one of the best preserved Doric Temples in the world.
Overnight at the La Foresteria.
La Foresteria, Trapani
Day 8 - Day of leisure
Day at leisure. Visit the Cantine Florio in Marsala. The Woodhouses, the Inghams and the Whitakers were late 18th century English traders and merchants who became wealthy through exporting Marsala wine to England and the United States. They fortified the local wine with alcohol, using the Spanish solera system, thus enabling it to survive the long sea journey back to England and across the Atlantic. This was hugely successful and their successors continue to this present day, although there are no longer any members of the family left in Sicily. At the Cantine Florio, one can still admire (framed on a wall) Nelson’s original order for wine for the Royal Navy, with which it was understandably very popular, signed by him as Duke of Bronte. After the Battle of Trafalgar it became, for a time, known as ‘Victory Wine’.
Overnight at the La Foresteria.
Vineyards, Sicily
Day 9 - Day of leisure
Day at leisure – Visit La Planeta family cellars and oil mills for tastings and lunch (payable locally), or head to Menfi to sunbathe on its 10km stretch of sandy beach.
Overnight at the La Foresteria.
Wine tasting
Day 10 - Day of departure
After breakfast, drive to Palermo airport for your return flight home.
Accommodation
Tenuta San Michele - Night 1 to 3
Since 1850, the Tenuta San Michele has been devoted to the cultivation of vines and the production of the famous Etna wine, thanks to its favourable position on the slopes of Mount Etna (500m above sea level), which rises to the south east of the property.
Since 1850, the Tenuta San Michele has been devoted to the cultivation of vines and the production of the famous Etna wine, thanks to its favourable position on the slopes of Mount Etna (500m above sea level), which rises to the south east of the property. It belongs to the baronial family of Scammacca del Murgo, an ancient and noble family of Angevin origin, who arrived in Sicily in the 12th century. Today, the Scammacca family, and in particular the sons of the former Italian Ambassador Barone Emanuele Scammacca del Murgo (Michele, Pietro, Matteo and Costantino), dedicate themselves to all the activities associated with the production of wine and, for more than 10 years, have opened the doors of the Tenuta San Michele to rural tourism. San Michele has spectacular views in all directions, from Etna to the Ionian coast, which guests can enjoy daily.
Accommodation
- 15 units including standard rooms and 1-bedroom apartments
- All rooms have a bathroom (bath and/or shower), hairdryer, minibar, satellite TV, telephone and most with complimentary WiFi
- 3 rooms are air-conditioned, the remainder have ceiling fans
- 3 rooms are located in an annexe, 100m from the main building
- One room has a mezzanine level
- Most rooms will accommodate extra beds for one or two children
- The apartments have a double bedroom, separate living room with sofa beds suitable for two children and a corner kitchenette (2 electric hobs and fridge)
- Some standard rooms have a small balcony.
Amenities/Leisure
- Buffet breakfast - served on the panoramic veranda May-Sept
- Restaurant serving traditional Sicilian cuisine. The average cost of a 3-course buffet meal (excluding drinks) is 20 Euros per person
- Complimentary WiFi in the main house
- Outdoor swimming pool (16 x 8m) with deck chairs and sun umbrellas (May-Sept)
- Guided tours of the cellar and wine tasting (payable locally)
- A 10-minute drive brings you to the traditional Sicilian bakery of ‘Lucio Russo’ which has been baking traditional Sicilian pastries since 1880. The bakery is located in its original building and furnished in the old ‘Liberty Style’
- 6km to ‘Etna Adventure Park’ with its canopy of zip wires suitable for all ages
- Cooking lessons available in Sicilian and Mediterranean cuisine at ‘La Cucina del Sole’ (13km) with Eleonora Consoli – a journalist and food writer of international renown (payable locally)
- Closest beach (pebble – blue flag) at Marina di Cottone, Fiumefreddo 15km and Letojanni (sand) 34km
- Free parking
- Products: DOP and IGP wines, sparkling wine, brandy, olive oil, extra virgin olive oils flavoured with hot pepper, basil, garlic or lemon juice, black mulberry and prickly pear jam, blood orange marmalade, lemons and mandarins and orange flavoured honey
- Places of Interest: Nelson’s Castle, Maniace (18km), Mount Etna – Rifugio Sapienza (22km), Alcantara Gorge (22km), Catania (32km), Nebrodi Park – Santa Domenica di Vittoria (35km), Taormina (35km), Randazzo (42km) and Syracuse (97km)
Sunvil notes
- Check in: 12:00
- Check out: 10:30
Agriturismo Gigliotto - Night 4 to 6
The origins of Gigliotto can be traced back to the 14th century, to the monastery next to which, in later years, arose the farm which today forms the heart of the building.
The origins of Gigliotto can be traced back to the 14th century, to the monastery next to which, in later years, arose the farm which today forms the heart of the building. Standing on a hill and surrounded by vineyards and fields of prickly pear, it enjoys an enchanting view. On clear days Mount Etna can be seen in the distance. The pride of this agriturismo is its winery, which can be visited, and which produces an excellent wine made from Nero d’Avola grapes.
Caltagirone, the Sicilian ceramics capital, is not far away, and other easily reachable sites include classical Morgantina, medieval Enna and the famous Roman villa of Piazza Armerina.
Accommodation:
- 26 rooms, located in three separate buildings, including standard rooms and superior rooms
Amenities/Leisure:
- Continental buffet breakfast
- Restaurant with panoramic terrace serving Sicilian cuisine and using locally sourced products
- Bar
- Complimentary WiFi in the public areas
- Outdoor swimming pool (14 x 20m) and sun terrace with deck chairs and parasols
- On request, in low season, the farm arranges cooking demonstrations and lessons (payable locally)
- Winery visits (150m from the main building, free of charge from Aug–Sept) and wine tasting (10 Euros per person for 2 wines, cheese and olives - payable locally). Guests can assist in the harvesting of the grapes (Nero d’Avola variety) between late Sept-Oct
- Horse riding (1.5km payable locally)
- Walking trails by the artificial lake behind the winery
- Organic products produced: Wine, olive oil, seasonal vegetable and fruits (prickly pears between Sept-Dec and oranges between Dec-Mar), tomato sauce and cheese
- Free parking
- 20 minutes’ drive to the coast
- Places of Interest: Piazza Armerina (18km), Caltagirone (19km), Aidone and Morgantina (28km), Modica (93km), Agrigento (111km) and Syracuse (121km)
La Foresteria - Night 7 to 9
The ancient family of Planeta, whose prestigious wines are renowned both in Italy and abroad, have opened the doors of their guesthouse to visitors who would like to discover the world of Bacchus, devote themselves to cookery lessons, or simply enjoy the archaeological and natural beauties of the surrounding countryside.
The ancient family of Planeta, whose prestigious wines are renowned both in Italy and abroad, have opened the doors of their guesthouse to visitors who would like to discover the world of Bacchus, devote themselves to cookery lessons, or simply enjoy the archaeological and natural beauties of the surrounding countryside. This elegant wine estate extends over 35 hectares and lies on a vine- covered hillside, from where panoramic views stretch as far as the sea and Menfi itself which, in 2014, received its sixteenth blue flag from the Foundation for Environmental Education and whose sandy beaches stretch for nearly 10km.
The scent of the herbs surrounding the wine resort enrich the dishes created in the kitchen, a real treasure house of flavours from a territory of excellent wine.
Accommodation:
- 14 air-conditioned rooms including dependance rooms, rooms with a view and junior suites
- Wine tasting and intimate meals in the substantial wine cellar
- Cooking classes, led by Chef Angelo Pumilia, are available (minimum two people, payable locally) using recipes from ‘Sicilia, the cooking of Casa Planeta’ cookbook
- Visits to the Planeta family cellars and oil mills with tastings and lunch (payable locally)
- Mountain bikes (no charge). 500m from a paved bike path (5km long) following the route of an old railway line which connects Menfi to Porto Palo across the rolling hills and vineyards
- The Secret Nature Trails: three trekking routes (of varying length) amongst the nature and vineyards that surround the lake
- Active participation in the grape and olive harvests (payable locally)
Amenities/Leisure:
- Buffet breakfast
- Restaurant with à la carte menu served in the Garden Room overlooking the vineyard or in the dining room at one large table to encourage interesting conversation. The cuisine is traditional Sicilian based on old family recipes. Dinners can be accompanied with wine tasting (extra charge)
- Bar
- TV lounge with game tables (cards/checkers/chess) and complimentary use of a computer with an internet connection
- Lounge areas
- Outdoor swimming pool (14 x 7m) and a sun terrace with deck chairs and parasols during the summer (April-October)
- Small fitness area with exercise bikes, treadmills and Turkish bath (no charge)
- La Foresteria Beach Club at Lido Fiori (sandy beach) within a few minutes drive (sun-loungers, parasols, WiFi and changing facilities – free entrance for guests between June-September
- Free parking
- Products produced: DOP extra virgin olive oil, wine, oranges, peppers, aubergines and fresh herbs. Fresh produce available seasonally
Sambuca di Sicilia and the secret nature trails (22km), Sciacca (22km), Belice Nature Reserve (23km), Selinunte (32km), Caltabellotta (40km), Museum of the dancing Satyr, Mazara del Vallo (49km), Torre Salsa nature reserve Siculiana (65km), Scala dei Turchi (72km), Segesta (74km), Mothia Island and the Whitaker Museum (77km), Agrigento and the gardens of Kolymbetra (83km), Salt museum, Paceco (104km) and Erice (111km)
Route Map
Best time to go
- JAN
- FEB
- MAR
- APR
- MAY
- JUN
- JUL
- AUG
- SEP
- OCT
- NOV
- DEC
Time Difference
GMT + 1 hour
Currency
Euro
Language
Italian
Average flight times
2 Hours 55 minutes
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Average temperature
Average rainfall
- JAN
- FEB
- MAR
- APR
- MAY
- JUN
- JUL
- AUG
- SEP
- OCT
- NOV
- DEC