Small group
tour company
Sicilian Food Tours is a company founded by a passionate foodie who grew up in Sicily
A TOUR COMPANY
RUN BY AN EXPERIENCED
RESTAURANTER
Imagine being able to travel with an Italian food tour company that is run by a person who’s family has origins in Sicily and who has passionately spent her life in the restaurant business.
Be prepared to spend a lot of time talking to your tour guide & Sicilian Food Tours owner, Carmel Ruggeri, about things like fresh produce, making pasta sauce, or the best place to find cannoli in Sicily.
* Be warned though, you may not stop her talking about food once you get chatting.
‘...Your cheeks will hurt from smiling with a full belly that is sore from laughing too much....”
Unlike big corporate companies, Carmel founded her Italian tour company in Sicily to simply share the passion she has for her homeland with others.
Carmel have travelled around the world and wanted to create a tour that was more focussed on creating fun, memorable, but most importantly, personal experiences.
Every traveller is treated like an extended family member and that is why Sicilian Food Tours never has more than 15 people on them – we want you to laugh, eat & repeat with a small group.
AUTHENTIC FOOD
Italians are world famous for creating very simple dishes that sing with flavour & character. It is a way of life to use regional, seasonal fresh produce that is home grown.
Carmel grew up with hearty, satisfying meals that are made with heart. Inspired by her nonna’s kitchen she takes you into her world, a tour full of local, authentic Italian surprises.
Enjoying home made pizza and pasta is just the start to what you explore on her tours around Southern Italy.
SMALL GROUPS
Carmel has grown up around people who love and appreciate great food & use it as a way to bring families together, to savour great moments & enjoy what life has to offer.
It is that same southern Italian influence that fuels the enthusiasm, enjoyment & sense of fun that everyone mentions within the first few hours of the tours our company runs.
That is why each tour has no more than 15 people so that it feels like you are with a small family.
UNIQUE LOCATIONS
If you want to experience the more intimate locations in Southern Italy and avoid the typical tourist traps then this is the best food & wine tour to choose for an authentic experience.
You will be guided around Sicily by a local who has lived their life in the area and understands the culture, people & locations intimately. It is the best way to explore Italy.
You will be completely immersed in the island’s food and culture & welcomed with open arms by the locals.
TOUR SICILY
WITH A LOCAL
Carmel’s family originates from Sicily, a typically large Italian family that enjoyed a simple way of life full of food, laughter & strong family values. As a young child, Carmel learnt the traditional ways to make Italian food with her mother as her teacher passed down family recipes & techniques. Forget about measuring cups and written recipes, they make food with love, feel, touch and taste.
When you come on a trip with Sicilian Food Tours you get an insight into the Italian way of life where fresh seasonal produce & simple dishes packed with mouth-watering flavour is an everyday occurrence.
Carmel founded this tour company and her focus remains on creating a personal bond with every traveller from the very first enquiry you send.
We aren’t interested in filling a bus of ninety people. What is more important to Carmel is when you join a Sicilian Food Tour it is an intimate, fun experience.
We are a tour company that just offers small group tours with less than 20 people to deliver on our promise.
Compared to the larger tour operators, this style of tour in Italy creates so many unique experiences in a relaxed way of travelling. When you start searching online to find the best food tour companies you will notice they are generally faceless businesses that are turning over thousands of people every year.
It is hard to really know who is running the tours & even if they are passionate foodies – that is what sets Sicilian Food Tours apart. We are a tour company for travellers who want to avoid what the masses do.
"...it's for foodies who love laughter, character & authenticity...”
If you want to experience the more intimate locations in Southern Italy and avoid the typical tourist traps while being guided around Sicily by a local, then there is no better food and wine tour.
You will be completely immersed in the island’s food and culture & welcomed with open arms by Carmel’s local friends and family.
This isn’t a company that runs cooking classes, it is a small group tour for foodies that is full of laughter & character, for people that want to experience how food is made, to eat everything they see, drink and all the while soaking up the beautiful Italian summer.
10 questions to ask Carmel's tour company
Here is a list of things to ask Carmel so you can prove for yourself if everything written above is true;
- Where can you get the best cannoli?
- What are the best juicy ripe tomatoes to use to make sugo?
- Can you get Sicilian cheeses in Australia?
- What does she use giant eggplants for?
- What is her secret to making Sicilian Salsiccia?
- Is pistachio salami really a thing?
- Is it true Sicily makes the best gelato in the world or is it granita?
- Why is Sicilian produce so good?
- How is Southern Italy different to Northern Italy?
- Do all Italians eat pasta?