3 days –programme for individuals      Prices from    €   102.50 

Day 1
Leaving Termini Imerese behind you, the road winds up the hillsides of the Riserva Naturale di Monte San Calogero. The Sicilian countryside will keep you entertained until, suddenly, you will spot the small lake of San Leonardo down below in the valley. Soon you will be at Caccamo, a mediaeval town dominated by its Norman Castle whose clean and peaceful lines can be seen from afar. At the foot of the castle, at the ’Cultural Association “Sicilia e dintorni” you will find a small ethnographic exhibition (free entrance) and if you want, you can hire a guide to accompany you around the castle and the old town centre. It’s lovely to lose yourself among the narrow streets of the town and if it’s almost time for lunch you will smell the mouth-watering fragrances of home-made sauces, fried aubergines and fresh basil streaming out of the open windows of the houses nearby. And if by this point you are ready to eat, go and see Signora Rosetta, owner of the ’“Azienda Olivicola Scimeca”. In a simple, family atmosphere you will be able to taste their prized organic olive oil accompanied by fragrant home-made bread and excellent olives. You will also receive a bottle of olive oil. If you enjoy walking, you shouldn’t miss an easy but beautiful excursion to the nearby Rosamarina Dam on the River San Leonardo. Here, a spot of fishing will guarantee a great experience: the experts say that the river is full of fish. Dinner will be served at the restaurant “A Castellana”, built in what used to be the granary of the historic castle. The owner, Signor Salvatore Porretta, will surprise you with the clean, decisive flavours of his cooking that uses locally produced ingredients. Menus vary depending on the season. As antipasti you can try fresh ricotta cheese, cauliflower fried in batter, fried cardoons, aubergines “abbuttunate”, stuffed sun-dried tomatoes, and aubergine caponata. First courses may include pasta “a frittella” and salted ricotta cheese, pasta with green vegetables, pasta with mountain fennel or pasta with fava beans. Second courses are based on locally produced meat that is simply grilled or barbecued. And finally, to finish, fruit of the season and inimitable desserts made following old recipes, such as rustic pie with ricotta cream, Sicilian cannolo or melon jelly garnished with jasmine fragrances.  For you accommodation you can choose either an apartment in the centre of Caccamo of the “U Casteddu” Association, a type of “Village Hotel” or, if you prefer to be more immersed in nature, the Agriturismo Valle del Torto, half organic farm and half teaching farm. There is, however, one further possibility: the Agriturismo Villa Dafne near Alia. 

Day 2
Driving towards Roccapalumba you will find yourselves in the real, totally uncontaminated Sicilian interior. Just before Roccapalumba, stop at the Caseificio Ribaudo. Here you will be enveloped in an intense fragrance of milk and cheese that hints at the genuinity of the company’s products. Signori Ribaudo will welcome you and let you taste his excellent ricotta and other cheeses including primo sale, tuma, cacio cavallo, scamorza, some of which are stuffed with olives, sun dried tomatoes, hazelnuts and pistachios. All this will be accompanies by tasty home-made bread baked in a wood-burning oven and, obviously, some local wine. If you want, you can observe the various phases of production and the Ribaudo family will be happy to talk you through the whole process. You can spend the afternoon in Roccapalumba, where the local specialities, bread and biscuits, have a colour, a fragrance and a taste that is virtually impossible to find in our modern cities. Amongst the agricultural products of the area are Indian figs, cultivated using techniques that have a minimum impact on the environment. Somewhat surprisingly, in this area that is so closely linked to its agricultural roots, you will find a modern Astronomic Observatory equipped with a powerful telescope that makes it possible to view stars that are very far from the sun. It is possible to experience “A Midsummer’s Night Dream” at any time of the year if you go to the Planetarium, a complex and sophisticated structure that simulates an azure sky within a cupola measuring 6 metres in diameter…..an experience that will thrill your children. Dinner will be served in your agriturismo or at the restaurant “A Castellana” depending on the type of accommodation you have chosen.

3 days / 2 nights  (minimum 2 people)   Price in Euro,  from January 2006 to March 2007