You’ve picked up your brochures and searched the Internet as you plan your next vacation, but nothing is beckoning you the way you’d like. Vegas is too noisy, Mexico is too crowded. You’re not one to sit around on your holiday – you want to meet the people, plunge your hands into the local cuisine, and learn about the wine you buy. Take a vacation from the ordinary with Mama Margaret’s new cooking tour in the new most popular region of Italy – Sicily. The big island at the toe of Italy’s boot, Sicily boasts stunning architecture, a diverse culture, and gastronomic delights you’ll remember for a lifetime. Explore Palermo’s colourful Vuccheria market in a warren of dim streets where you can buy everything from swordfish, to spleen sandwiches to contraband cigarettes. Explore the seven Aeolian Islands off the north east coast, especially Stromboli with its gleaming black volcanic rock beaches, contrasted with stark white houses and the excitement of an active volcano. Of course, the best part of this tour is the food. Create your own feasts with seafood (swordfish, tuna, mussels, prawns, sea bass, red mullet, anchovies and more), eggplant, figs, capers, olives, almonds, pine nuts, fennel, raisins, lemons, oranges. Top things off with famous Sicilian dessert wines like Marsala, Passito di Pantelleria, and you’ll never want to leave the table. Packages include Cooking, Wine, and Volcanoes in the stunning Mt. Etna region, or cooking on a country estate in southeast Sicily, complete with an exploration of ancient towns soaked in beautiful Baroque architecture.