Sicily where flavors explode all around you

Sicily has a special place in the hearts of food and wine lovers. Visitors to Sicily soon discover that it is a place where flavors explode all around you. While Sicilian cuisine shares much in common with Italian cuisine it also has Greek, Spanish, French and Arabic influences. Sicilian wine, an integral part of the local cuisine, is produced in all provinces. Visit Sicily in the off season then it will absolutely spoil you big time. Moreover, the natural beauty of Sicily will capture your heart, no matter the season. This post will highlight Spaswinefood's November visit to this magical island.

Sunset, Ortigia Marina, Sicily © Spaswinefood

 Our culinary adventure included the following stops where flavors exploded all around us:

1. Ortigia, Siracusa

It is hard to imagine a more fascinating place to begin a Sicilian culinary adventure than in Ortigia. Just three hours after we picked up our rented car in Palermo we arrived in Ortigia, the historical center of the city of Siracusa. Ortigia is an island that is connected to the mainland by three bridges. While in Ortigia we stayed at La Via Della Guidecca, a first class B&B. 

Blu Marlin, Ortigia Marina © Spaswinefood

Yes, it was easy to fall in love with Ortigia.

2. Etna

Mount Etna, an active stratovolcano, is one of the most popular places to visit in Sicily. It is the tallest active volcano on the European continent. We stayed in Zafferana Etnea at Aria Dell' Etna B&B while we explored the Mount Etna area. 

Mount Etna, Sicily © Spaswinefood

Mount Etna truly is a must visit. We equally enjoyed exploring the nearby countryside and those late afternoon Sicilian lunches.

3. Agrigento

It is impossible to imagine a more perfect setting than staying next door to the Valley of the Temples (Valle dei Templi) in Agrigento. The Valley of the Temples is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is located on ridge just outside the city of Agrigento. Once the site of the Greek city Akargas it includes the remains of seven temples. The beauty and magic of this archaeological site just might absolutely spoil you big time. Yes, Hotel Villa Athena is an ideal location to stay while visiting the Valley of the Temples.

VAgrigento, Sicily © Spaswinefood

Olive Tree, Valle dei Templi © Spaswinefood

We dined at the patio restaurant, La Terrazza Degli Dei (The Terrace Gods) with views of Temples Concordia and Juno. There amid the almond and olive trees, with such a stunning view our lunch began with a dry rosé wine. We ordered a caprese salad to share. We followed this by vegetable soup and eggplant pasta. Dining on the patio of La Terrazza Degli Dei overlooking the Valley of the Temples was indeed majestic. Hotel Villa Athena's other restaurant, Granaio di Ibla is where you can enjoy fine dining. We loved both dining experiences.

4. Cefalú

Cefalú is overflowing with visitors during the tourist season; so it was a delight to explore in the off-season. The small town of Cefalú, with a population of about 14,000, fills with tourists during the summer months. We explored the historic city with ease. The Greeks named Cefalú, meaning head in reference to the point of headland extending into the sea. You will find a rocky outcrop rising above the town with a castle at the top.

Cefalú, Sicily © Spaswinefood

Two restaurants (Ristorante Vicchia Marina and Via Roma Vecchia) where we dined were located near the waterfront. The day we arrived we ate lunch at Ristorante Vicchia Marina at a table overlooking the harbor. Our wine for lunch was Arancio Nero D'Avola, Sicila DOC 2012. We shared a caprese salad. The main courses our choices were vegetarian pasta and pulpo. For dessert we shared a lemon pie.

During our weekend stay we dined at Via Roma Vecchia twice. On the first visit we decided on La Montina Prosecco. The next time, we ordered a Gulfi, Cerasulo di Vittoria, DOCG  2013. We loved the eggplant and potato appetizer so much that we ordered it on both visits. During our two visits the main courses included: Vegetarian pasta, pasta, linguini with clams and swordfish. Dining at Via Roma Vecchia was indeed excellent.

While in Cefalú we stayed at the Astoria Suite Hotel. The hotel has perfect location, just at the edge of town, across from the beach. The hotel also has underground parking on site, which is a plus in an area where parking is often difficult to find.

5. Palermo

Palermo, Sicily was the start/ending point for our Sicilian adventure. After a two-hour flight from Marseille, France the taxi that we had pre-arranged was waiting and took us directly to Palermo's city center. When we checked-in at C'era Una Volta B&B they gave us a number of recommendations for dinner. 

Palermo, Sicily © Spaswinefood

We decided on Ristorante Il Mirtoe e la Rosa, literally next door to the B&B. After being seated at the restaurant we ordered a bottle Donnafrugata Sedára 2012. Later during our travels through Sicily we we took a day trip to Donnafrugata, Marsala. This Donnafrugata, Sedára DOC Sicilia 2012 was indeed a great introduction to Sicilian wine.

At the end of two very wonderful weeks in Sicily we returned to Palermo to drop off the rental car. Clearly, we need to return to Palermo to explore more of its culinary delights.

Further Suggestions 

1. Hotels
During our Sicilian travels we rented a car and booked mostly B&B accommodations. If you travel in the off-season you can expect to get good deals with the major hotel booking agencies. We used booking.com and selected the top rated (higher than 8/10) B&B’s within our budget. The only exception was for our hotel stay in Agrigento because we wanted to be near the ruins.

2. Restaurants

In earlier posts on the towns (Palermo, Ortigia-Siracusa, Zafferana Etnea, Agrigento, Cefalú-Palermo) visited, I have provided details on the restaurants we tried. An overall suggestion is to use online sources, such as Tripadvisor to find the most up to date information. Free Wi-Fi was available at all the places we stayed; so, you should have no problem locating good restaurants. Visitors to Sicily will find that Sicilian food and wine are hard to beat.

The natural beauty of Sicily will capture your heart, no matter the season. If you visit Sicily in the off-season when there are few tourists (late October to mid-December), it just might absolutely spoil you big time. The locals told us that weather was exceptional for the end of November. Beside the weather being picture perfect we so enjoyed exploring Sicily without the crowds. We took two weeks but of course it can be done in a week, and more time is even better. 

Sicily is indeed the ultimate culinary adventure. It is where flavors explode all around you. Moreover, if you are looking for a fall escape to Europe then Sicily is hard to beat. I invite you to check out more details on my travels in Sicily and elsewhere at Spaswinefood.

Sharon
November 2014
Sicily, Italy

© Spaswinefood

Ortigia Marina, Sicily © Spaswinefood


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