Private Taste Of Catania

This private, authentic street-food walking tour has been designed for true food lovers and curious travelers alike, who yearn to discover a new place, its cuisine, culture and way of life.

Private Taste of Catania

Meet your friendly and knowledgeable guide, who will introduce you to Catania and help you discover her flavorful eats, all from a local's point of view on your very own private tour. This street-food tour is a relaxing 3-hour walk around the main attractions and secret spots of the city center, where you will taste the most authentic local foods. Your private group allows for a very personal, intimate and one-on-one encounter with your local guide. You will be given a personal Catania Food Passport, a souvenir that lists inside all the samples offered along the walk and on the back, you will find the Catania street food tour map.

What is street food in Catania? Street food is different from the standard Sicilian cuisine, they are simple snacks cooked and served in the streets to fill up the belly of poor people. Most of these specialties are either fried or baked and must be eaten with hands.

Starts in the picturesque piazza Duomo, the main central square of Catania, and after a short introduction of the main city symbols, begin to explore the unique Pescheria fish market. Sample some freshly cooked fish (fried fish or boiled octopus) and listen to your guide unveil little secrets of the market life, explaining certain recipes and interacting with the vendors.

Continue towards Villa Pacini, where the elderly congregates each morning to play Sicilian cards, this is a true taste of Catanian life. Be provided with an arancini al ragu (meat rice ball) tasting then walk into a secret underground spot, where a stream of the Amenano river flows along a lava tunnel.

There is more food and drinks to come such as the spicy anchovies, baked cipollina (baked dough stuffed with mozzarella, tomato, olives and spring onion), refreshing fruit drinks and of course a beer toast! At each food stop your guide will explain the history and details that lie behind each recipe.

History lovers will be delighted with piazza Federico di Svevia, where the medieval Castello Ursino rises to a magnificent great height. Your guide is very knowledgeable in all things concerning the city and region and can discuss many subjects, not only food, but also art, history and social issues.

Your tour will end back in piazza Duomo with a final sweet treat, the fresh granita (granular ice cream) with brioche or the delicate ricotta minnuzza di Sant'Agata (ricotta and almond cake). Your local guide has an easy-going and laid-back attitude making all guests feel comfortable, as if you were visiting the city with an old friend.

Please Note: Street food changes seasonally and not all food is available every day. The above lists samples and some may be replaced by others. Your tastings come from the true food vendors on the streets and are not taken in restaurants. The best street food is made in modest bakeries, old inns and street stalls.

Interests

Culinary and Cooking

About Shore Excursions Group

More trips from Shore Excursions Group

ABOUT US
Shore Excursions Group was created with one goal in mind: to provide exceptional travel experiences to cruise passengers in the ports they visit around the world. To accomplish this, we have compiled an exceptional array of tours delivered by local experts with decades of experience serving travelers and delivering excellent tours. Our owners and management team are comprised of seasoned travel industry executives who leverage their considerable experience to deliver memories of a lifetime.

We are experts in providing exceptional shore excursions. We understand that in today's fast paced world, vacations have become an increasingly important way to relax, reconnect with family and friends, and experience new and interesting places. With this in mind, we provide the highest quality tours by performing extensive research, and detailed reviews. While other companies also offer excursions, we strongly believe our expertise and approach set us apart. The large cruise lines sell shore excursions - typically in very large groups visiting high traffic sites. We focus on smaller groups visiting more interesting and authentic locations using more personalized local operators. While the cruise lines are experts in delivering cruises, we are experts in delivering shore excursions.

Our Approach
We believe quality service is not only highly valued by customers, but ultimately leads to better experiences and higher satisfaction. Unlike the cruise lines and other tour companies that rely almost entirely on websites, we encourage customers to call us. We want to invest our time answering your questions, providing input, and selecting the excursions that best meet your needs.

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Our goal is to provide customers a wide array of exciting, appealing, and enriching tours. For those customers who prefer to travel in smaller groups with more personalized service, we offer a wide variety of small group tours around the world. These tours generally range in size from 2-12 people compared to larger tours which can number up to 50 people. While exploring the destinations and ports on this website, feel free to search for these "Small Group Tours". For those customers interested in private tours, we offer many outstanding excursions that allow you to travel with your party alone and, in many cases, to fully customize your tour. Search for "Private Tours" if you are interested in this experience. Our "Scenic" tours provide up close and personal access to some of the most spectacular natural environments on Earth from majestic glaciers in Alaska to spectacular reefs in the Caribbean. Our "Cultural" tours allow customers to experience local customs, entertainment and culinary delights ranging from tribal dances in Alaska to an outstanding local meal in Santorini, Greece. Our "Active" tours offer a multitude of exciting and adventurous ways to experience our destinations. Our customers can kayak the turquoise waters of the Caribbean, hike to a spectacular waterfall in Hawaii, or bicycle through quaint villages in France. Our "City" tours allow travelers to see the highlights of great cities around the world with unique insights provided by our expert tour guides.

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In our experience, exceptional travel experiences are almost always delivered by exceptional people. With that in mind, we utilize a comprehensive approach to select and employ the leading tour guides and tour providers around the globe. We hold our people to very high standards which we measure by our comprehensive Quality Control process and, most importantly, by our customer feedback, which we will actively seek from each of our customers.

Our Owners
Shore Excursions Group is owned by seasoned travel executives possessing extensive experience across many sectors within the travel industry.

Bradford J. Miller
Mr. Miller is the former Executive Vice President and Chief Development Officer for Abercrombie & Kent, the World's leading luxury travel company. In that role, Mr. Miller was responsible for contributing to Abercrombie & Kent's international growth through the development and acquisition of tour products and travel experiences around the world with a specific focus on cruising and land based experiences. Prior to joining Abercrombie & Kent, Mr. Miller held a variety of executive positions with Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises for more than a decade. These positions included Vice President of Guest Sales & Service, Vice President of Brand Development, and Vice President of Onboard Revenue (which included shore excursions). Mr. Miller also led Celebrity Expeditions, a collection of outstanding and unique tours around the World.

Michael Bonner
Mr. Bonner has over a decade of experience working in the cruise industry in a variety of roles for both Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. and Viking River Cruises. Most recently, Mr. Bonner was the Chief Operating Officer for The Scholar Ship, a Royal Caribbean program aimed at providing college students onboard educational programs in conjunction with enriching shore excursions around the world. Mr. Bonner also helped co-manage Viking River Cruises U.S. Operations, and he ran the corporate, strategic, and deployment planning functions at Royal Caribbean. While at Royal Caribbean, Mr. Bonner was responsible for forming Royal Celebrity Tours, Royal Caribbean's land-based tour operation in Alaska, which takes cruise passengers on multiple day tours through the interior of Alaska either before or after their cruises. Prior to working at Royal Caribbean, Mr. Bonner was a consultant for Booz Allen & Hamilton.

from $72.00 (USD)

Per Person

Tour Type

Private

Group Size

Private

Activity Type(s)

Cultural, Active, Scenic, Cuisine, Walking

Tour Duration

3 Hours

Activity Level

Easy

Tour Leaves From

Piazza Duomo 4, beside the Fountain, approximately a 20-minute walk from the port.

Food/Beverage Provided

Beverages, Tastings

Special Instructions

We recommend wearing comfortable, seasonal clothing and covered walking shoes. We also recommend sunscreen, a hat, and sunglasses. In the heat of summer, guests should also bring along water.

Restrictions

Guests must be able to walk and eat on the go. This tour is not recommended for guests with mobility issues, this tour is not wheelchair accessible. This tour is not suitable for travelers who suffer from celiac disease, those who have dairy allergies, or vegans.

Terms & Disclaimers

ID:

7619507

Location

Sicily