Having been the crossroads of civilisations for millennia, Palermo delivers a colourful and spiced mix of Byzantine mosaics, Arabesque domes, and frescoed cupolas. Frenetic souk-like markets stand in contrast to baroque churches and Gothic palaces. Palermo is easy to fall in love with; it’s unique and laid-back charm makes exploring on foot with a local guide the best way to scratch below the surface and what better way to discover its treasures than with a glass of wine or two. After all, Italians know a thing or two about making decent wine.
After centuries of ups and downs, the city is awash with crumbling staircases with contrast with magnificently ornate ballrooms in this complex metropolis. The city offers a veritable banquet of both cultural and historical wealth, you can practically see it oozing from stone buildings. Of course, that is the benefit of having a local sommelier as your shepherd for this city sightseeing and wine tasting tour.
This tour includes three different spots where you can sample the local grape and discuss multiple others which you may wish to taste later in the day. Begin your day with a Sicilian sparkling wine welcome toast, paired with some of tasty bitesh.
For your second tasting, we take refuge in the stunningly beautiful square of San Francesco d’Assisi to taste four different wines: usually two whites, one rosè and one full body red wine. This outdoor location is perfect to take in your surroundings, watch how locals interact with each other and listen to the guide give you the low down on wine and the life of a Palermo resident.
As we meander the twisting back streets on foot, the guide will offer up historical and cultural information, history, art, traditions, and habits. However, they are also available for questions and offering up suggestions on what to do with the remainder of your time in Palermo. After all, the tour is not solely about wine but also about local culture.
The third and last stop of the tour delivers us to Piazza Marina where we round of the day with a farewell toast of sweet dessert wine paired with some almond cookies to bring out the flavour.
La vita è bella!
