SOLD OUT — Vino Volcanico | no. 5
a Ladies-Only wine tasting trip with The Cheeky Chef on the Sicilian island of Pantelleria
foto by Lean Timms <3
OCTOBER 6-11, 2024
ISOLA DI PANTELLERIA, SICILIA - ITALIA
This Ladies-Only Wine Tasting Program is back! Perfect for friends, couples, mamma-daughter duos, sisters, and solo travelers.
Discover “the black pearl of the Mediterranean” during the 5th Ladies-Only, Vino Volcanico wine-lovers trip in Pantelleria. Take a look beyond Mount Etna to a whole other chapter in the history of Sicilian winemaking. Chef Linda Sarris will lead a small group of guests on a whirlwind of flavors from wild mountain herbs and freshly made tuma cheese to seasonal meals featuring capers, wild fennel, and local seafood. Learn about grapes, raisins, extreme agriculture, and Passito di Pantelleria DOC sweet wines, as well as traditional and natural winemaking techniques from the island.
This 5-day adventure includes a fun-filled itinerary with daily excursions and plenty of delicious things to eat and drink. October is an exciting time to be here! Follow the grapes from their volcanic soils and terraced vineyards to the cantinas with our locally-led guided tours and tastings. There will be free time to soak up the magic each night with communal family meal dinners at our dammusi houses overlooking the sea.
SAMPLE PROGRAM | All activities/excursions, tastings, and meals listed in the itinerary are included in the cost for this trip. Airfare is NOT included.
5-night dammusi accommodations at Le Case del Principe Pantelleria
Vineyard visits with lunch + wine tastings
A visit to a local caper producer
1 restaurant lunch
Daily breakfasts
A visit to a traditional giardino pantesco lava stone-walled garden
Light trek + picnic in Pantelleria’s national park
Communal dinners prepared by The Cheeky Chef
Relaxing dips in natural hot springs + free time to swim in our private beach cove
Round-trip airport transfers from the Pantelleria island airport PNL to the dammusi
Local transportation provided for excursions included in the itinerary
ACCOMMODATIONS | Le Case del Principe Pantelleria
Le Case del Principe is a group of dammusi houses, tucked away on a private area of the northwest coast. These houses were built in the 1970's by Prince Paolo Sallier de La Tour and his wife Costanza Tasca d’Almerita.
Our carefully selected location is one of the very few places on the entire island where you’ll have direct access down to the sea. Guests will be hosted in shared dammusi houses. There are three large dammusi available and each house has two bedrooms and two bathrooms, a fully equipped kitchen, spacious terrace overlooking the sea, indoor dining room, and outdoor patio with table/chairs/loungers. Each bedroom is set up with bed linens, bath towels and extra blankets. Linda will provide you with a small welcome package with your program itinerary and basic toiletries.
October 6-11, 2024
I have kept the rates as low as possible for this program. I want it to be full of fun, adventurous women every single year and focused on affordable all-inclusive per day rates for travelers on a budget who still want to have a wonderful experience in Sicily without breaking the bank!
SOLD OUT
ABOUT | The Cheeky Chef
Linda Sarris is a private chef from New York City, now working in Palermo. She started her cooking career with an internship at the Anna Tasca Lanza Cooking School in Sicily right after graduating from The French Culinary Institute. Known best as The Cheeky Chef, she splits her time between cooking for female CEOs in New York, traveling for culinary/wellness retreats, and working as a food/travel consultant here in Sicily. Her travel guidebooks, Moon Southern Italy (2022) and Moon Sicily (2024) were published with the Hachette Book Group in the USA.
“Linda’s programs are a thoughtful, cultural and foodie infused experience that takes you beyond a typical ‘tour.’ She will introduce you to not only an incredible array of ventures every day that you’re with her, but to people and places that she deeply loves and wants to share with you.
The energy that you feel from her program will not only nourish your appetite – but your soul as well. Her programs create a kindred experience. Look no further and plan or join a trip with her. I promise you won’t want to leave in the end but you’ll come back home full of love, wine, laughs and a trip that you won’t ever forget.”
“Linda’s Vino Volcanico program was absolutely incredible, truly a dream trip. The experience that you can have on the island of Pantelleria under Linda’s guidance is unsurpassed – the relationship that she has with the locals, with the food, the wine, with the island itself create the most immersive experience. You truly feel a part of the local culture when you are there. She created such an inclusive energy and exposed us to the best foods, the best wines, and the most beautiful landscapes. Cannot recommend highly enough.”
“Spending a week on Pantelleria with Cheeky was like being welcomed home by a long lost pal! I was a solo traveller but immediately felt safe as I stepped off the plane & was welcomed by a beautiful lunch of ladies. We ate beautiful food. Swam in the Mediterranean. Explored different parts of beautiful Pantelleria by day & got a real feel for the island & her locals who Linda knows personally & slept to the sound of the ocean each night. It was marvellous fun fuelled by copious amounts of marvellous wine & that lovely sense of just ‘being able to be’ with woman & not having to fuss about with men ”
“I surprised my husband with a trip to Pantelleria with Linda on the 2021 Vino Volcano tour. We were absolutely thrilled with everything Linda planned for us, and had the absolute time of our lives. Before we even reached Italy, Linda was so helpful with answering any questions I had. Once we got to Pantelleria, we were absolutely stunned by the beautiful black pearl of the mediterranean! The views from our Dammusi were incredible, and we felt very cozy and comfortable in the beautiful Dammuso Antico. Linda planned a great mix of activities and relaxation - it felt different from other vacations, as we were able to use her expansive contacts on the island to truly understand how the locals live, and get a behind-the-scenes tour of gorgeous local vineyards, restaurants, and natural wonders like hot springs and parks. Beyond her planning skills, she’s a fantastic chef - everything she made for our communal dinners was delicious and fresh, and we loved all the little surprises she worked into the trip. We left feeling fulfilled and refreshed. and can’t wait to come back. Thank you Linda!”