THE heady smell of wine wafts through the sun-dappled courtyard of Abbazia Santa Anastasia, an ancient-abbey-turned-winery in the heart of Sicily’s Madonie mountains.
Vineyards and olive trees surround the medieval estate once inhabited by Benedictine monks, and we’re here for a tour.
After learning about how the 150,000 bottles are produced each year, we taste four of the biodynamic wines alongside a sharing platter of cold cuts and cheeses.
It’s heavenly.
The Litra, an oak-barrel-aged cabernet sauvignon and the vineyard’s most popular, is delicious, and we buy a couple of bottles as souvenirs.
Tastings of four wines start from £22 per person (Abbaziasantanastasia.com).
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Casa Amore
It’s just one of many culinary highlights during the week I spend on Sicily’s north coast with my partner Pete and four of our friends.
We’re staying in Acquedolci, a small coastal town just over an hour and a half from the capital, Palermo.
Almost untouched by tourists, patisseries like Bar Gemelli and Pasticceria Ricciardi serve home-made Sicilian biscuits with cappuccinos for just €1.
Trucks brimming with fresh artichokes and aubergines make early-morning deliveries to the grocers, while fresh seafood and local meats are sold at the butchers and fishmongers, making cooking in our alfresco kitchen at the four-bedroom, three-bathroom villa Casa Franchina a dream.
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Hand-picked by villa specialists Wish Sicily, the house sits on the hillside overlooking the sea and the Aeolian Islands of Messina.
Traditionally furnished, there’s an en-suite whirlpool bath in the master bedroom, ping-pong table and toddler play area, plus a private, unheated pool beneath a garden filled with lemon and orange trees.
It’s also just a five-minute walk to a pebbled beach if you fancy an ocean dip.
Get Spritzed
For non-pool days, the coastal town of Cefalù – one of the sparkling Sicilian locations from hit show The White Lotus – is an hour’s drive away and well worth exploring.
Here, crystal-clear waters lap against the harbour and bars serving Aperol spritz line the promenade, all set against the towering granite mass of La Rocca.
You can hike to the castle ruins at the top for stunning views and get back in about an hour and a half, but do set out early before the heat hits.
Entry costs £3.50.
On your return, team your rewarding spritz with a hot salami Diavola pizza at Ristorante Antares (Ristorante-antares.business.site).
Medieval streets wind up from the seafront towards the UNESCO-protected cathedral, and we follow the crowds through stalls of mosaics and other keepsakes, stopping for a late lunch at Restaurant Triscele.
It serves modern takes on traditional Sicilian recipes, and its signature dish of slow-cooked octopus with chickpea fritters and lemon mayonnaise, £13, is a must, while the red prawn ricotta cannoli, £14.50, is also sensational (Ristorantetriscele.it).
Later, we grab an espresso from Cafe Del Molo, before nipping into foodie heaven Gourmet Bordonaro just round the corner, to pick up local olive oil and lemon preserve.
Take The Biscuit
Fancying a proper beach day, one morning we head half an hour’s drive east from our villa to the seaside resort of Capo D’Orlando.
There are 14km of white-sand beaches awaiting us, but we happily spend an hour meandering the streets adorned with traditional coffee shops and bakeries first.
Antica Panetteria sells delicious marmalade biscuits (Antica-panetteria.com), while Tentazioni is the perfect place to stop for a mid-morning coffee in the square (Bartentazioni.it).
Later, we buy fresh swordfish steaks from Pescheria da Daniele, £7.50 each, and take them back to grill at the villa that evening.
If you make it into Palermo, you’ll find piazza upon piazza filled with street-food markets.
The main three are Capo, Ballarò and, our favourite, Vucciria.
Near the port, it’s the perfect place to feast on arancini – breadcrumb-coated rice balls stuffed with meat and cheese – which originated in Sicily.
Many are shaped to a point in homage to the island’s volcano, Mount Etna.
Cannoli – delicious tube-shaped pastry shells with sweet fillings such as lemon and ricotta – are also believed to have originated in Palermo, so we sample several of these, too.
Back in Acquedolci, where few locals speak English, we wander down the lemon-tree-lined road and the owner of a flower shop hands me and my girlfriends a red rose each in a movie-worthy romantic Italian gesture.
No words are exchanged and nothing requested in return – a moment that captures the magic of Sicily.
Psst… Mondello, a Sicilian seaside town with shallow waters and a long sandy beach, is half an hour from Palermo airport, and makes for the perfect lazy day before hopping on the plane home.
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FYI
A week’s stay for seven people at Casa Franchina starts from £1,460 with leading Sicilian villa specialist Wish Sicily, who can also organise wine tastings, transfers and other activities (Wishsicily.com).
Flights from the UK to Sicily start from £85 return.
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