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Celebrations: Sicily & Malta

September 25 – October 4, 2026
  • A hands-on experience in the olive groves of Chiaramonte
  • Tour Mount Etna and enjoy lunch and a wine tasting in its valley
  • Join in the celebration of the Sicilian Harvest in Zaffernese
  • Celebrate the grape harvest at Pedalino’s Sagra Della Vendemmia
  • Experience another cultural and culinary experience with two days in Malta
  • Tour the islands with your personal chefs: taste and learn recipes to recreate at home

$5,999

3 Spots Left At This Price!

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Trips Starting at $4,499

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Get ready for an incredible week in Sicily!
Let’s dive into what we have planned for you:

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Day 1: Friday, Sept. 25

We will begin by helping you settle into your Chiaramonte Villa. Come on in, unpack, and relax! In the evening, we’ll gather for a welcome dinner at Villa Gerardo to kick off our adventure.

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Day 2: Saturday, Sept. 26

After breakfast at the villa, we’ll head out to Cantina Gulfi for a delightful wine tasting session. Then, we’ll enjoy a delicious luncheon at il Progetto. In the evening, we’ll experience the fun and festivities of the Pedalino Wine Festival.

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Day 3: Sunday, Sept. 27

Start your day with breakfast at the villa before heading back to enjoy more of the Pedalino Wine Festival. We’ll continue to celebrate the grape harvest, walking through the streets and giving thanks with the entire village, sharing in food, stories, folk dancing, and so much more.

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Day 4: Monday, Sept 28

After breakfast at the villa, we’re off for a scenic drive through the countryside to Palazzolo Acreide. There, we’ll visit Agritourismo Giannavi and get a tour of the farm, take part in a cooking class, and indulge in an agriturismo luncheon. This evening we’ll relax at the villa with a light snack, an evening walk, and dessert in the Piazza Duomo Chiaramonte Gulfi.

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Day 5: Tuesday, Sept 29

We’ll begin early today for a morning drive to the Sicilian port of Pozzallo, where we will head off to discover another country. Matla is a short distance from Sicily and shares its love of festas (festivals), which are central to Maltese culture, featuring religious processions, elaborate fireworks, and community gatherings.

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Day 6: Wednesday, Sept 30

Today, we’ll discover Malta—a country whose tapestry was woven by diverse rulers and settlers who left their marks, including the Phoenicians, Romans, Arabs, Knights of St. John, and the British. The cuisine and architecture tell their own story, influenced by its North African and Italian neighbors, featuring dishes such as pastizzi (savory pastries), tuna rolls, and stews made with local ingredients like broad beans and octopus. Early evening return to Sicily.

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Day 7: Thursday, October 1

Today we relax in Chiaramonte Gulfi. In the afternoon, we’ll visit some fantastic wineries led by young winemakers who are making their mark on the world. You’ll have time on your own to schedule local visits for shopping, spa visits, or simply taking in the scenic views of the villa. In the evening, a special dinner awaits at Sardo Olive Grove.

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Day 8: Friday, October 2

We’ll have a leisurely start today and then meet up at The Cook’s Farm in Chiaramonte for a mid-morning respite and a lesson in olives. After picking a selection of olives for the evening’s visit to the olificio, we’ll share our traditional “Chicken Friday” with our friends before heading to the villa for a free afternoon. We’ll gather again for a tour of the local mill and then dinner at Scornovaccia.

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Day 9: Saturday, October 3

We’ll start with breakfast at the villa and say goodbye for now, the beauty of Southeast Sicily as we venture north out to Mount Etna for a day of exploration. We’ll walk the village streets for the vibrant Autumn Food Festival (Ottobrata Zafferanese), and lean into the beauty that volcanic soils provide the grape harvest with a private wine tasting. After checking into our hotel, you’ll have some free time in the city before our farewell dinner in Piazza Duomo Acireale.

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Day 10: Sunday, October 4

Depending on your departure schedule, we will have breakfast ready for you. We’ll provide transport back to Catania for your flights home, filled with wonderful memories, or help you on your way to your next booking with Lit’l Pond Hospitality, where more adventures await!

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Why Travel With Us?

Our tours are meticulously crafted and led by a team of two Americans and two Sicilian natives. Chef Danny Mellman, with over 40 years of culinary expertise and accolades from Food & Wine and the James Beard Foundation, and his wife, Michelle Moran, have traversed the globe, participating and curating travel programs for culinary professionals. Sicilian native Fillipo Sardo, hailing from a lineage of olive oil producers, and his wife Marcelle, bring decades of hospitality experience in Sicily, including managing an agritourismo nestled in a centuries-old olive grove.

Our programs are not only meticulously vetted, but they are also infused with a personal touch. We visit all the sites and locations, meeting with local producers, farmers, fishermen, and chefs to craft programs that offer unique culinary and cultural experiences. Each experience is tailored to the final group of participants, ensuring a journey that is as unique as you are.

The Fine Print

Program Fee Inclusions

The Fine Print

The per-person program fee includes 6 nights of hotel accommodation, most meals, daily cultural and culinary activities, cooking demos, tips/ gratuities on Lit’l Pond Productions, LLC meals, and other scheduled activities, hired transportation services, and expert guides.

What is not included in the Program Fee? Air travel, non-refundable passport fees, visas, excess baggage charges, optional excursions, extensions, meals not detailed in the itinerary, tips to tour escort and long-distance bus driver, expenses incurred during free periods, airport taxes that are collected on the spot in foreign airports, departures taxes, airport fees, airline and federal security fees and ticket handling fees, surcharges due to changes in currency, any mandatory new or increased fees/taxes/fuel surcharge (if any) levied on airline tickets, hotels, incidental expenses in hotels, hotel room upgrades, and transport to/from the airports. Transportation from Catania or Comiso airports on arrival and departure days, as outlined in the itinerary, are included. The Land Package Travel program begins after you arrive at the hotel accommodation. If traveling outside the arrival and departure days, participants must make their round-trip travel arrangements and join the program at the hotel accommodations. Lit’l Pond Productions, LLC, Daniel Mellman, and Michelle Moran are not responsible for the participant in any way when the participant is not part of the main group.

Luggage

Please check with your air carrier directly for their specific baggage liability limitation. Some airlines are strictly adhering to their policy of one carry-on bag. Airlines are not responsible for any act or event during the time the participants are not on board their planes or conveyances. Luggage travels at the risk of the participant, and Lit’l Pond Productions, LLC is not responsible for any delay, loss, or damage to it or its contents. When issued, the participant’s contract in use by the airline shall constitute the sole contract between the airline and the participant. Any transportation companies mentioned herein shall have or incur no responsibility for liability to any traveler aside from their liability as common carriers.

Cancellations

June Tours. If canceled before April 15, 2024, by the traveler for any reason, deposits and program payments will be reimbursed in full, except for a cancellation fee of $375. Between April 15, 2024, and May 31, 2024, 50% of the total tour price, including the deposit, is forfeited. As of June 1, 2024, no refund is possible.

September tours. If canceled before July 1, 2024, by the traveler for any reason, deposits and program payments will be reimbursed in full, except for a cancellation fee of $375. Between July 2024 and August 31, 2024, 50% of the total tour price, including the deposit, is forfeited. As of September 1, 2024, no refund is possible.

There are no exceptions to this policy. We understand that emergencies of all nature do arise. However, there are no exceptions to this cancellation policy. Of course, if the trip is canceled for reasons force majeure (such as the pandemic, war, or natural disaster), Lit’l Pond Productions, LLC will fully refund the registration.

Waiver

Participants waive and release Lit’l Pond Productions, LLC, Daniel Mellman and Michelle Moran, its affiliates, agents, directors, officers, and employees including any person or entity employed or utilized by Lit’l Pond Productions in any foreign country, from all claims arising from any injury, loss, damage, accident, delay, or expense resulting from events beyond its control, including without limitation, acts of God, war, terrorism, strikes, incidents of politically- motivated violence, sickness or quarantine, government restrictions or regulations, and, in the absence of its gross negligence, arising from the use of any vehicle or Lit’l Pond Productions selection of, or from any act or omission by any bus or car rental agency, steamship, airline, railroad, taxi or tour service, hotel service, hotel, restaurant, school, university, or other firm, agency, company or individual.

Participants understand that Lit’l Pond Productions, LLC will take pictures and videos during the tour that may appear on social media, online, and in email communications.
Lit’l Pond Productions.

Changes in Itineraries and Program Assignment

Lit’l Pond Productions, LLC, reserves the right to change fees, departure cities, itinerary sequence, trip direction, hotels, optional excursions, and activities. Lit’l Pond may cancel a program due to insufficient enrollment, unforeseen operational difficulties, lack of projected availability, or other reasons.

Medical & Travel Insurance

We will require all participants to procure medical insurance for their travel time. Proof of insurance should be submitted with final payment. While we cannot offer travel insurance for the cost of the trip or your air travel, here are three widely used travel insurance companies: Allianz, Travelex, Travel Guard by AIG.