A Gastronomic Tour of Sicily Traveller Reviews

The Gastronomic Tour of Sicily went beyond my expectations in providing an introduction to the people, food, wine, history, and archaeology of this beautiful island. The itinerary was packed full of fascinating experiences including visits to several farms where we met the young farmers who shared their family stories, their passion for Sicily, and their commitment to growing crops sustainably. Visits to many of the beautiful small towns, the archaeological park in Siracusa, and majestic Mt. Etna rounded out the tour in the best way possible. Lucia Iacono was an amazing and extremely knowledgeable guide, and an altogether wonderful, kind person. Everywhere we went, it felt like she was introducing us to her friends, and they became our friends too.

This is the second tour we took with Peter Sommer Tours, and both times we have been extremely impressed with their selection of sites to visit, the variety of experiences we had, and the pace they set. Our days were very full, but there is nothing I would cut out.

Excellent local tour guide and accommodation Well organised yet relaxed and simultaneously informative

Good local knowledge Excellent personalised local transport team Fabulous accommodation

7-day land tour of eastern Sicily. Transportation, food, and lodging locations were all wonderful. Our guide and the people we met at each stop were knowledgeable and interesting. Highly recommend this tour for the perfect blend of food and local history.

Local with vast amount of knowledge regarding history and food of the area. Personable, genuine, and perceptive. She was simply fabulous.

The tour truly lived up to its name, with exposure to a range of gastronomic delights from high end olive oil producers and vineyards to charming, rustic biodiversity farms. The food, wine and people were exceptional and the local guide knowledgable about the archaeology and baroque architecture. Highlights included visiting the local food market with a renowned chef followed by a cooking lesson in his restaurant, and farmhouse lunches prepared by the family. The trip was crowned by a walk on Etna led by a volcanologist.

Boutique operator catering for small groups of like minded people.

Simply exceptional … professional from start to finish! As with our previous Peter Sommer tour, it was our guide, Lucia Iacono, and local experts that made the experience most memorable. Lucia provided a wonderful introduction to the food, wine, culture and people of Sicily. Her joy and enthusiasm were infectious. Chef Maurizio shared his passion for Sicilian food, and even taught us how to prepare some dishes. Ben Spencer, clearly an expert in Sicilian wine, led two unforgettable tasting events. Enrico and Rita opened their farm and their hearts to us as did so many others who took care to ensure our group experienced the best of what Sicily has to offer.

Julie Sibley of Peter Sommer Travels was incredibly helpful in coordinating our arrangements. We worked with her on a previous trip, and are grateful for her attention and assistance.

This was our second Peter Sommer tour, and once again we enjoyed a thoughtfully crafted immersion in local culture, history and cuisine at a unique and special place. In a word, everything was perfect! Lucia Iacono was an amazing guide, logistics were seamless, hotels were charming, tours provided a unique representation of place, food and wine were wonderful, and somehow crowds were avoided. We loved this trip!

Our gratitude to everyone at Peter Sommer Travels who made this tour possible.

excellent mix of good food good drink history and local sites

she is amazing and really raised the bar to outstanding

Met at the Catonia Fontanarossa Airport by our host Marcello Baglioni, with a big grin and open arms, my wife and I began a true gastronomic adventure up close and personal with the people and food of Southwestern Sicily. We experienced sites, sights and carefully chosen venues not readily available to a normal tourist. We met the Sicilians who actually produce and provide the artisanal and indigenous wines, olive oils, pastas, fish and even homemade chocolate. Supplemented with introductions and visits with local historian and artists, the tour was all the more enhanced. The selection of hotels, a villa, and lodgings included two nights in a vineyard on the slopes of Mt. Aetna were all really first rate and meaningful to the locale, the experience of the product and place. Even sent home two cases of lava minerally laced "prosecco" from the terroir of Mt. Aetna (arrived in pristine condition) so the memory of the visit can be celebrated afterwards. In all, it was an experience to be treasured and even repeated. Peter Sommer and his team are superb.

Belatedly but with no diminution of enthusiasm let me salute Peter Sommer and his team for a perfectly well organized and well executed Gastronomical Tour of Sicily last October. Key to the tour's extraordinary quality was Sommer's provision of guide/hosts, Marcello Baglioni and Lucia Iacono. Not only did Marcello meticulously organize every detail of the logistics but he also provided personable and knowledgeable, cultural and historic background to make the tour intimate and infinitely educational. His personal relationships with the local gastronomical world truly immersed us in a full panoply of gustatory pleasures. He is simply a marvelous treasure as host and friend. Additionally, the days spent with Lucia Iacono were an informational extravaganza. She is also a marvelously many faceted host who brings, with erudition, introduction to Sicily's historical culture, art and architecture, making every minute of her time with us filled with educational and delightful insights. Of course, her charming manner made it all the more pleasurable. A particular highlight of the trip was Marcello's engagement of a volcanologist who took us into the most fascinating parts of Mt. Aetna's preserve. His lectures and demonstrations of the volcano's chemistry and power were stunningly up close and in depth. In all, the tour was of such quality that is exceeded, in every aspect, our most critical expectations. Can't wait for the next trip. Peter Sommer is the best.

A perfect blend of history and architecture blended with food and wine. A true immersion in Sicilian culture. We felt like Sicily was opened us in a way that only our guides, Marcello and Lucia could have accompkished. We have been traveling internationally for nearly 25 years, often multiple trips a year. No other trip exceeded pur week in Sicily. We hated to leave.

Our best tour operator yet. The itinerary was carefully thought thru and well balanced. The trip represented great travel for the cost. Our booking was easy, the pre information packet was timely and thorough.interim questions were handled promptly and thoroughly, including going out of their way to help us with some hard to get reservations. The transfers were perfect and done with Mercedes. Everything worked like clockwork. However, it was the genius of the itinerary, coupled with our two passionates professionals, Marcello and Lucia, that put this trip into the A plus category.

My wife and I have travelled twice with Peter Sommer Travels, to Turkey & Sicily, both times with guide Michael Metcalfe. Peter Sommer Travels is a premium, completely hassle-free experience. They combine small groups with great guides and wonderful destinations to create truly memorable experiences. Our sailboat cruise in Turkey exposed us to several amazing archeological sites and our gastronomic tour of Sicily was the perfect pairing of history and food. We will travel with Peter Sommer Travels again!

From the moment that you book a trip with Peter Sommer Travels you understand that you are in good hands. They help to coordinate travel, integrating a Peter Sommer Travels segment with other travel destinations; they provide reading lists to prepare you for your destination; they help with what to wear and what to bring. In short, they serve as your guide, maximizing your travel experience.