There are no translations available.
PROGRAM:
Day 1
In the morning arrival in Catania. Immediately a first taste of Sicilian kitchen in the centre of the town. Then we head to Catania Botanical garden. Founded in 1858, it has an interesting collection of palms, tropical forest plants and Sicily wild plants. The Director and his collaborators will guide us to discover the plants and the original herbarium of the XIX century.
Day 1
In the morning arrival in Catania. Immediately a first taste of Sicilian kitchen in the centre of the town. Then we head to Catania Botanical garden. Founded in 1858, it has an interesting collection of palms, tropical forest plants and Sicily wild plants. The Director and his collaborators will guide us to discover the plants and the original herbarium of the XIX century.
a
Day 2
Morning starts with a visit of Bellini Garden, the oldest garden in Catania centre, which has been recently restored and reopened to the public dedicated to Vincenzo Bellini, the famous Italian opera composer. It contains many species of palms and Ficus magnolioides.
In the afternoon we leave for Sant’Agata Li Battiati to the Paternò del Toscano park. This park, just under the slopes of Etna volcano, has been planted with agave, yucca and many tropical plants from Mexico, Cape Verde, Australia directly on the lava ground. In the central part of the property is located the “Etneo” forest. With this species, the designer has preserved a witness of the vocation of the place, trying to marry them with tropical and alien species.
a
Day 3
We go on to Carruba di Riposto at the nursery Piante Faro nursery, a high quality plant nursery well known in whole Europe, growing tropical plants like ananas and bamboo. We move to the town of Giarre where we visit the marvelous nursery of Malvarosa, famous for Jasmin shrubs and a really particular Pelargonium collection.
A visit to the vinejards and cellar can be organized.
We reach Mascalucia (CT) to visit the gardens of Villa Trinità which has very particular rock paths called “Rasule” and very old irrigation canals called “Saje” made in volcano lava, created by the arab dominators, used nowadays to water orange trees and vineyard. The garden has a collection of palms, iris and exotic fruit shrubs. Villa Trinità has a particularity: visitors can participate in the preparation of olive oil, can taste the different wines produced in the farm, can learn and prepare together with local cooks the superb Sicilian recipes.
a
Day 4
We dedicate the whole day to the visit of ETNA volcano. It’s not only a place where the strength of nature shows itself, but as well a very important botanical site, with many different and particular plants, and an important place where agricoltural products grow on the fertile lava. We’ll approach gradually the volcano, rising it (with our bus!) slowly and stopping in some beautiful little villages around it. Then we are going to taste a little of it inside the Etna regional Park to Rifugio Sapienza (around 1900 m of altitude) and on the volcano top (if possible) with the cable.
a
Day 5
We travel to the beautiful town of Noto (Province of Siracusa), famous for its baroque buildings, built after the tremendous earthquake of 1693 which destroyed the old town. Then we move outside Noto together with Mr. Corrado Assenza, a master chef well known also over the Ocean for his particular creation in the pastry world. He will bring us in the country finding aromatic herbs and flowers he usually cooks and mix in his creations. We come back to his laboratory beside Caffè Sicilia to contribute Mr Assenza in pastry preparation and degustation.
a
Day 6
On the way back towards Catania we’ll visit the Casa del Biviere, Mrs. Borghese’s garden in Lentini. Houses of Biviere is a garden of myth. Legend says that Hercules, son of Zeus, brought here as a gift to Ceres, god of the harvest, the skin of the Nemean lion that he defeated and created here a lake that was named after him: Lacus Erculeus. Biviere is a beautiful villa and garden containing a collection of succulent plants, plus orange trees and jasmin shrubs all around.
Then transfer to Catania airport.
Share the program on the link below: