If Sicily’s history is a layer-cake of the different cultures that have colonised the island through the centuries, its food is no less complex. Citrus fruits and ices were brought there by the Arabs before the Middle Ages. Winemaking was introduced by the Phoenecians, who used Mozia, an island near Marsala, as a base for their important trading empire. During the Roman era, wheat turned the inland hillsides to gold, and the magnificent landscape remains a key source of agricultural richness for the island: Trapani is today Europe’s most productive grape-growing province.

What Sicily offers more than any other Italian region is an unrivalled cornucopia of sun-ripened vegetables and fruits, many grown on volcanic soils for added intensity of flavour. The Sicilians cook these products in myriad, colourful ways: sweet and sour, hot and spicy, fresh and nutritious – Sicilian food is arguably more exciting than its northern counterparts. It is also a mix of old and new cultures. Pasta is hand-made in unique shapes to accommodate vegetables, capers, herbs and the varied seafood that make up the healthy Sicilian diet. Dessert lovers will be rewarded with some of the most delicious sweetmeats Italy has to offer: from the hollow cannolo filled with fresh ewe’s milk ricotta to elaborately decorated cassata cakes.

As we travel across the Western part of the island we’ll visit small producers, winemakers and bakers, as well as cultural sites that determine its key historical importance. We’ll sample foods from street stalls in Palermo, seaside trattorias, and home-prepared dinners whose hospitable cooks will share their secrets with us. We’ll walk in vineyards and olive groves, and along the lovely beaches that surround this ever-fascinating island. In Marsala, we’ll be the guests of one of Italy’s pioneer winemakers, who was responsible for relaunching the great wines of the south.