Vino Volcanico no. 6 | MT. ETNA
a food + natural wine trip with The Cheeky Chef on Sicily’s Mount Etna volcano
18—24 MAY, 2025
MT. ETNA, SICILY — ITALY
Vino Volcanico is back and we’re taking it to another part of the island of Sicily, the winemaking region of Mount Etna. This food/wine retreat is open to all (adult men/women)!
Chef Linda Sarris will lead a small group of guests through the wilderness of Mt. Etna. During the trip, you will be hosted in a gorgeous villa as we taste our way through wines/spirits produced by small artisanal growers. This 6-night retreat includes a fun-filled itinerary visiting friends on the volcano, who just happen to be experts in their fields. We’ll visit several small estates, dine out and have home-cooked family meals at the villa. I’m most excited about spending time at the table over long lunches at private vineyards and cooking for our group at our home-sweet-home for the week.
I’ve wrangled my urge to over-schedule you with too many plans packed into the trip, so there will be free time to lounge poolside or take advantage of the glitz & glam of having your own private Sicilian villa.
For those who like to have a bit more structure, don’t worry we got it covered. Everything is reserved ahead of time and we have private drivers to help with transportation, but you can rest assured I will take care of everything for you and all meals/bevs/activities will be included. We’ll be sure to leave a little wiggle room in the plans for spontaneous Sicilian surprises.
REGISTRATION IS CLOSED
Reach out directly to join the waitlist or inquire about booking a similar/custom program for your private group.
SAMPLE PROGRAM
All activities/excursions, tastings, and meals listed in the itinerary are included in the cost for this trip. Airfare is NOT included.
6-night accommodations in our private villa
Sicilian breakfasts at home
A mix of family meals, restaurants, impromptu cookouts
Vineyard visits, al fresco lunches + natural wine tastings
Volcanic outdoor adventures!
1 hands-on cooking class
Free time poolside with a view of Mt. Etna in our backyard
Daily Italian aperitivo drinks/snacks in the late afternoon
High-end local transportation with professional English-speaking private drivers for all of our scheduled excursions
Round-trip group transfers from the Catania Airport. If you arrive outside of the meet-up time, you will be responsible for the cost of arriving at the villa but we will help organize it for you.
TOP SECRET ACCOMMODATIONS
Once a noble Etnean winery, our glamorous villa has been carefully transformed into an absolute paradise that is both luxurious and full of soul. Its spacious interiors spill out onto extensive terraces which, like the irresistible pool, are all surrounded by manicured Mediterranean gardens.
ABOUT | The Cheeky Chef
Linda Sarris is a food/wine travel consultant and private chef based in Palermo, Sicily. From her sun-lit kitchen studio above the 1,000 year-old Ballarò food market, Linda works as a freelance writer, social media manager, and culinary communications consultant while still traveling regularly for private chef work with clients in the fashion and music industries. Under her brand, The Cheeky Chef, she is self-publishing a Sicilian food/wine ‘zine and designs a series of Mediterranean culinary/lifestyle retreats and travel experiences. Her travel guidebooks, Moon Southern Italy (2022) and Moon Sicily (2024) have been published with Hachette Book Group.