Sicily Cultural Immersion

“To have seen Italy without seeing Sicily is not to have seen Italy at all.” -Goethe

Sicily Cultural Immersion

Siracusa & Noto

June 8th-14th, 2025

September 21st-27th, 2025

Includes everything except airfare

Ten (10) participants per week, maximum.

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Trip Details

Join Tom and the fantastic team of locals we’ve assembled to guide us through a cultural immersion in Ortigia, a neighborhood of Siracusa. We will be based at Hotel Des Etrangers, a stunning 5-star hotel overlooking the island of Ortigia and the Mediterranean Sea.

On his many trips to Sicily, Tom has developed relationships with the right people to build his Sicily team: Kind, fun-loving, knowledgeable locals who will be our co-hoss every day.

Tom is a professor of Italian language, culture and cinema and is a frequent guest on CUNY TV (channel 75 in New York City) where speaks about books and movies. Speaking of Sicily…here is a recent clip of him talking about The Godfather.

Our days together in Sicily will be relaxing and culturally rich. Every morning, Tom will guide the class through a highlight reel of what’s coming for the day: where are we going, what to look for, what to listen for, what to savor.

If you are interested in improving your Italian, we will arrange private lessons for you every morning in Sicily. The lessons will be designed and supervised by Tom, and he will also guide your interaction with locals in Italian throughout the week.

Testimonials

  • "After more than 30 trips to Italy, this was by far my best experience."

  • “The town is small, intimate, beautiful, and it has a fascinating street life.”

  • “The hotel was small enough that it felt like we were all living in a lovely house together.”

  • “Our trip leader seemed to be a close friend of every proprietor in town, his gregariousness made our interaction with locals even more comfortable.”

  • “The trip was an immense success, an authentic cultural and linguistic experience.”

  • "If I were to rate this course/trip on a scale of 1-10, I would give it a 10+"

  • “They made us feel like family, I felt very safe at all times.”

Examples of our excursions & afternoon activities:

  • Private tour of family winery: Our friends, Gianni and Elisa, walk us through their 1000-year-old structure before we taste the wines they proudly make on their land.
  • Museo del mare and screening of Il Postino. The ‘Museum of the Sea’ is closed for our private event: We are guided through the relics that have sustained Ortigia for thousands of years and then we enjoy one of the classic sea-based Italian movies, Il Postino. After the viewing, Tom leads a discussion of the movie over vino and antipasti.
  • Sicily’s Arab Roots. This afternoon excursion will take us to the tiny port town of Marazamemi where the Arab feel has been preserved for over 1,000 years. It feels like Cairo in Sicily, and the flavors of our ‘pranzo’ and ‘passeggiata’ reflect this rich history.
  • Stunning Noto. This day trip will bring you to a city like none you’ve ever experienced. Completely rebuilt after an earthquake in 1600, Noto is the boldest Baroque city we’ve ever had the pleasure of visiting, and tasting!
  •  Cooking at the chef’s villa. Our friend, Anita, invites us to her beautiful home in the panoramic outskirts of Siracusa to prep our lunch together. We then savor our creations together with her family in their beautiful giardino.

Typical Day

07:30am-9:30am: Breakfast

Breakfast served in hotel; hotel staff will speak with you in Italian if you desire.

9:00-10:30 Morning lesson and stroll

Italian lesson led by Tom, and walking tour of a different neighborhood of Ortigia.

11:00-5:00: Excursion

Excursion to one of the destinations listed above

5:00-7:00: Rest/Riposo

7:00: Aperitivo

Every evening, we meet for un aperitivo before dinner at some of the lovely cafes in Ortigia. You have the option to chat in Italian or English.

8:00pm-10:00pm: Dinner

Every night we will have dinner together at a local trattoria (one night we make dinner together at the townhouse we rent in town).

Requirements

  • 21 years old minimum, unless taking the program with an adult
  • If you are interested in the language program, we welcome all levels from complete beginner to advanced.
  • Private Crash Courses at our schools in NJ, NYC and online.