If you are on a cruise, don’t hesitate to book this excursion. It is a 15 minute easy walk from leaving ship to the fountain meeting area to tour the market. Very easy and safe walk. Francesco guided us thru the market, shared his expertise and knew the exact vendors we should deal with. He provided great history of the area along the way. We leaned all about the local fishing industry and produce. Amazing! After purchasing what we needed for our meal and our personal purchases we proceeded to an extra ordinary family villa on the sea. The villa is amazing and location oh so spectacular! We settle in with wine and an appetizer and then started our cooking experience. We made sauce, then pasta, then cannoli and soon had a delicious feast! No restaurant could outdo our culinary delights. Francesco is an amazing teacher, highly organized and so patient and kind. If on a land tour, make certain to splurge on this authentic experience with a traditional Sicilian family with Francesco as your guide and chef. It will be the highlight of your holiday.

This cooking class at Mariella’s home was by far the highlight of our Sicily trip. From the moment we arrived, it felt like walking into a friend’s home for dinner, not a tourist activity. Mariella’s apartment is beautiful, with a gorgeous view of the sea, and everything about the evening was relaxed and genuine. It was just me, my husband, and our college-aged son (who was studying abroad for the semester) in the class, along with Mariella, her husband Gino, and their friend Marlene, which made the experience feel especially intimate. The food was INCREDIBLE, made with fresh ingredients, and Mariella was an amazing instructor. This was so much more than a cooking class. We cooked together, talked, laughed, drank wine, and shared an amazing home cooked Sicilian meal. The best part was sitting around the table afterward, eating the tiramisu we made, sipping amaro, and sharing stories. It felt like sitting around a family table on a typical Sicilian evening. I would do this class again in a heartbeat and HIGHLY recommend it to anyone visiting Catania! Thank you for a wonderful evening, Mariella, Gino and Marlene!

This cooking class at Mariella’s home was by far the highlight of our Sicily trip. From the moment we arrived, it felt like walking into a friend’s home for dinner, not a tourist activity. Mariella’s apartment is beautiful, with a gorgeous view of the sea, and everything about the evening was relaxed and genuine. It was just me, my husband, and our college-aged son (who was studying abroad for the semester) in the class, along with Mariella, her husband Gino, and their friend Marlene, which made the experience feel especially intimate. The food was INCREDIBLE, made with fresh ingredients, and Mariella was an amazing instructor. This was so much more than a cooking class. We cooked together, talked, laughed, drank wine, and shared an amazing home cooked Sicilian meal. The best part was sitting around the table afterward, eating the tiramisu we made, sipping amaro, and sharing stories. It felt like sitting around a family table on a typical Sicilian evening. I would do this class again in a heartbeat and HIGHLY recommend it to anyone visiting Catania! Thank you for a wonderful evening, Mariella, Gino and Marlene!