Sicilian cheeses and flavours

Cammarata- San Giovanni Gemini

This is a province that has no equal: we are in one of the southernmost strips of Italy, we look to Africa but every stone tells of Greeks, Romans, Arabs. After lunch, which will already be a first discovery of local knowledge, the first stop will be entirely dedicated to cheese, which between Cammarata and San Giovanni Gemini is a very serious affair. We are in the Sicani Mountains, where legend has it that the ancient Camilo was, the kingdom of the mysterious Kokalos, fragmented among the caves that still dot the territory:
Here, even today, the shepherd’s profession is lived as it was centuries ago, following ancient methods and traditions handed down from generation to generation.

The afternoon will unfold in the dairy of a family of
Local shepherds: it will be a real immersion in the production of ricotta and PDO products. You will follow the entire process: from the farms to the pastures, then the milking, the preparation and the final tasting of the cheeses. Which will also return – with a thousand other delicacies – to the table of the typical dinner provided: freshly picked vegetables, prepared in a thousand ways, fresh homemade pasta, seasoned with tasty sauces, grilled meat, fragrant potatoes, the traditional ricotta cassatelle and the honey of the area, which
Alone it’s worth the trip. All washed down with local wine, robust and strong.

Overnight stay.

Agrigento

Visiting the Valley of the Temples means never forgetting it: you enter from the side of the Temple of Juno and enter the Via Sacra, on the right the fields, olive groves and, if you are lucky, the extraordinary almond trees in bloom; on the left, the walls of ancient Akragas, and the monuments that appear one after the other, up to the imposing and unforgettable Temple of Concordia, guarded by the fallen Icarus of Mitoraj. But this year we cannot forget a visit to the imposing telamone, just rebuilt, a “guardian” of the Valley of almost 8 meters that manages to make you understand the dimensions of the famous Temple of Zeus, which has been lost, and which was almost twice the size of the Parthenon. A specialized guide will narrate history and legend and show the construction techniques of the Doric temples of the one that Pindar indicated as “the most beautiful among the cities of mortals”. The route will end at the Kolymbethra Garden, a true Mediterranean Eden of centuries-old olive trees and citrus fruits scented with orange blossom, obtained from an ancient aqueduct. Here there will be a picnic with local products at km0:
Typical cheeses with homemade jams, dried sausage, caponata, seasoned green olives, sun-dried tomatoes, pizza, sfincione and much more, to close with ricotta desserts or almond paste biscuits.

After lunch transfer to Favara, for another surprise: from a rather grey town, it in
Surrounded by the grandeur of the Valley of the Temples, an en plein air creative hub was created by two patrons

art lovers. It is the Farm Cultural Park, a reference point for contemporary artists, the heart of residencies of creations, installations, projects, exhibitions, studies and research that, for a few months, has been infecting
also the nearby Mazarin.
Typical dinner.
Overnight stay.