Cook with a cookbook author · Sicily
Western Sicily with Zoë François
A March 28-April 3, 2027 western Sicily week hosted by baker Zoë François, built around pastry, cheese, couscous and olive oil. Based in a grand Palermo hotel.
Ask us about this trip →Free to ask. We confirm dates, availability and price before you commit to anything.
What you will do
- Fill cannoli with fresh ricotta at a Jato Valley farm
- Palermitan cooking class after a market visit
- Opera dei Pupi puppet performance
- Bake genovesi in Erice
- Couscous demo and wood-fired oven workshop
- Segesta temple, olive oil lesson and almond cookies
- 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
Zoë François
Author of the Zoë Bakes cookie and cake books and co-author of Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day; trained at the Culinary Institute of America; Emmy-nominated TV host.
Gianluca
Leads the group all week.
Day by day
- Day 1ArrivalWelcome drink at the hotel bar, dinner at a private Palermo palazzo.
- Day 2Jato ValleyCheese-making farm, lunch and cannoli filling; passeggiata in Palermo. Evening free.
- Day 3Market and puppetryMarket with a chef, cooking class, puppet workshop and show. Dinner on your own.
- Day 4EriceGenovesi baking, couscous demo, lunch with a chef and wood-oven workshop. Evening free.
- Day 5Segesta and farm lunchSegesta temple, olive oil lesson, grove walk, lunch and almond cookies. Dinner on your own.
- Day 6Palermo art and craftsBaroque churches, coffee roastery, coppola hat workshop, majolica museum lunch and farewell seafood 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
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 renovated 5-star landmark in Palermo; 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
- Bakers and dessert lovers who want Sicilian pastry traditions plus a cultured 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 7,300 single (EUR 500 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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