Cook with a cookbook author · Sicily
Sicily with Evan Kleiman
A March 14-20, 2027 western Sicily food tour based in Palermo, hosted by radio host and cookbook author Evan Kleiman. It mixes farm and bakery visits, cooking, puppetry and long meals with free time in Palermo.
Ask us about this trip →Free to ask. We confirm dates, availability and price before you commit to anything.
What you will do
- Cheese-making farm in the Jato Valley
- Market visit and hands-on Palermitan cooking class
- Private Opera dei Pupi puppet performance
- Erice pastry-making and couscous demo
- Segesta temple and olive oil farm lunch
- Coppola hat workshop and majolica museum street-food lunch
- Farewell seafood dinner
Before you go
Eat the region first, then cook it. Everything here is free and saves to your trip.
Who leads it
Evan Kleiman
Founder of Angeli Caffe in Los Angeles (1984-2012), author of seven cookbooks and host of KCRW's Good Food since 1998.
Gianluca D'Alia
Knows Sicilian food, agriculture and wine, with a background in European rural development.
Day by day
- Day 1ArrivalWelcome drink at the hotel bar, palazzo tour and dinner.
- Day 2Jato ValleyCheese-making farm and lunch, then a historical walk in Palermo. Evening free.
- Day 3Market and puppetsMarket with a chef, cooking class and lunch, puppet workshop and private performance. Dinner on your own.
- Day 4EricePastry-making and tasting, couscous demo, lunch at a sea-view home. Evening free.
- Day 5Segesta and farmSegesta temple, then a farm lunch with olive oil and a cooking demo. Dinner on your own.
- Day 6Palermo craftsChurches, convent visit, coppola hat workshop, street-food lunch, free time and a seafood farewell dinner.
- Day 7DepartureCheck out.
Itineraries can shift with weather, season and host availability.
What is included
Included
- Six nights' lodging
- Daily breakfast
- Meals, activities and transportation listed in the itinerary
- Gratuities
- Aperitivo voucher at the hotel bar
Not included
- Flights and other travel to and from Italy
- Transfers to and from the hotel
Practical details
- Where you base
- Palermo, with day trips to the Jato Valley, Erice and Segesta
- Where you stay
- Grand Hotel et des Palmes, a 5-star Palermo hotel recently renovated; six nights.
- Group size
- Limited to 12 participants
- Pace
- Steady. Up to an hour or more of walking a day, at times on hills, uneven ground or stairs, with frequent getting in and out of vehicles. Guests must keep up with the group unassisted.
- Arrival and departure
- Hotel in Palermo on Day 1; no airport meeting point published
- Who it suits
- Food lovers who like a mix of culture, crafts and cooking in a grand city base.
Good to know
- Many meals feature fish, meat, cheese and gluten. Vegetarians and guests with lactose or gluten intolerance will be fed but may miss parts of the food culture; flexibility needed.
- Itinerary can shift because the trips rely on small family-run businesses; final itinerary is emailed about 30 days before departure
- Ask Via Rosa for deposit and cancellation terms.
- No meeting point is published; the group gathers at the hotel on Day 1
- Sold out at time of checking; waitlist open
- Several dinners are on your own
Dates and prices
EUR 6,800 per person double; EUR 7,600 single (EUR 800 supplement).
More trips in Sicily
Trip details are compiled from the published information of Via Rosa, who runs this trip. Dates, prices and availability change; we reconfirm everything with you before you commit.
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