The Shared Table

by Purple Truffle

Sicily | 8 - 11 October 2026

Our Itinerary

Benvenuti in Sicilia!

Welcome to a long weekend exploring the food, wine, landscapes, artisans and traditions of southeastern Sicily, slightly off the eaten path.

The Shared Table is about experiencing a place through those who shape it. We’ll visit their vineyards, cellars, kitchens and workshops, hear their stories, learn from them, share their passion, and, of course, eat and drink exceptionally well along the way.

Our home for the weekend is Baglio Occhipinti, a beautifully restored 17th-century estate surrounded by vineyards and countryside in the heart of the Cerasuolo di Vittoria wine region. More than simply a place to stay, the Baglio is a family home, farm and gathering place, where hospitality, food, wine and a deep connection to the land are all intertwined.

The Occhipinti family is very much part of its story. Fausta has created the Baglio as it is today, alongside her parents Rosaura and Bruno, while her sister Arianna and uncle Giusto are two of the most important names in Sicily’s wine story. Over the next few days, you may encounter members of the family around the Baglio, in the gardens, over breakfast or perhaps sharing a glass of wine at dinner. It is exactly this sense of place, family and connection that makes the Baglio such a special home for our Shared Table.

Thursday 8 October

ARRIVAL | VALLE DELL’ACATE | WELCOME TO BAGLIO

Morning | Arrive at Baglio Occhipinti

Arrive at Baglio Occhipinti, our home for the weekend in the countryside outside Vittoria.

This beautifully restored historic farmhouse sits among vineyards, olive trees, citrus and gardens in the heart of the Cerasuolo di Vittoria wine country.

There will be a bit of time to settle into rooms before heading out for our first experience together.

Lunch, Visit & Tasting | Valle dell’Acate

Our introduction to southeastern Sicily begins at Valle dell’Acate, one of the historic wine estates of the Vittoria region.

The Jacono family has been cultivating vines here for generations, making this a wonderful place to begin understanding the landscape, soils and indigenous grapes we’ll encounter throughout the weekend.

We’ll have lunch at the estate followed by a private visit and tasting exploring Frappato, Nero d’Avola and Cerasuolo di Vittoria, Sicily’s only DOCG wine.

It is our first glimpse into how deeply food, wine, family and agriculture remain intertwined in this corner of Sicily.

Late Afternoon | Return to Baglio

Time to settle in properly.

Explore the gardens, rest, have a massage or simply find a quiet corner with a book.

Evening | Welcome Aperitivo & Dinner

Our first evening together will begin with an aperitivo at Baglio Occhipinti, followed by a relaxed dinner inspired by the estate’s gardens and the seasonal produce of southeastern Sicily. We will toast to the food, wine, people and adventures that await over the next few days.

Friday 9 October

MARKET | LUNCH & OLIVE OIL TASTING | ARIANNA OCCHIPINTI WINE

Breakfast before heading out into the surrounding towns and countryside.

For those who would like to join, Skylar, a professional yoga instructor, will be leading a morning yoga session, surrounded by the quiet of the Sicilian countryside.

Morning | Local Market in Comiso

We’ll begin the day at the local market in Comiso, a small Baroque town just 15 minutes from Baglio Occhipinti. Its historic center unfolds around Piazza Fonte Diana, with elegant palazzi, cafés and narrow streets that remain part of everyday local life. We’ll spend the morning exploring its market alongside local residents for whatever looks particularly delicious and we will meet some of the people behind the produce before heading to lunch nearby. Some of what we find at the market will return to Baglio Occhipinti with us for Rachel’s fermentation session.

This isn’t a formal market tour. There will be time to taste, wander and follow whatever catches our eye.

From Olive Grove to Table |Lunch at the Frantoio

From the market, we’ll make our way to a local frantoio, on the edge of Comiso. The family has been producing olive oil here since 1873, when local farmers would bring their olives to the family mill to be pressed. More than 150 years later, the frantoio remains very much a working part of the local olive-growing tradition.

Our timing couldn’t be better. We’ll be visiting right during the olive harvest and we’ll have the chance to taste the freshly pressed olio novello. We’ll learn about the production process and taste several of their extra virgin olive oils, including oils made from Tonda Iblea, the local olive variety for which the Monti Iblei are particularly known.

Afterwards, the family will prepare a simple, seasonal Sicilian lunch for us, with olive oil at the heart of every dish. Expect pane cunzato with Ragusana provola and new-season oil, bruschette and seasonal vegetables, followed by trofie with wild fennel pesto. We’ll finish with fiordilatte gelato, dressed, naturally, with olive oil.

Afternoon | Arianna Occhipinti

After lunch, we’ll head into the Vittoria countryside to visit the estate of Arianna Occhipinti, one of the most distinctive and influential women in contemporary Italian wine.

Arianna founded her estate in her early twenties, beginning with just one hectare of vines and a determination to make wines that spoke clearly of this corner of Sicily. Working with indigenous grapes, particularly Frappato and Nero d’Avola, she has since become internationally recognised for her deeply personal, low-intervention approach to wine and her commitment to farming with respect for the land, its soils and its traditions.

Our private visit will be followed by a tasting and aperitivo, with Arianna planning on joining us. It will be a rare opportunity to hear first-hand about her relationship with this part of Sicily, its extraordinary soils, its indigenous grapes and the farming traditions that continue to shape her wines.

Late Afternoon | Return to Baglio

A couple of hours completely free.

Massage, garden, pool if the weather permits, nap, read or simply do absolutely nothing.

Aperitivo + Dinner | Baglio Occhipinti

Saturday 10 October

CHEESE | RAGUSA IBLA | LOCAL ARTISANS | FERMENTATIVO

Morning | The Cheesemaker

After breakfast, we’ll head towards Ragusa for a visit to a small, family-run
dairy farm in the countryside outside the city.

This is a working farm rather than a polished visitor experience, giving us
the chance to see the traditions behind the cheeses of this corner of Sicily
at their source. We’ll meet the producers, see the animals and learn about
the milk before stepping into the caseificio to discover how the cheeses
are made.

The area is particularly known for Ragusano DOP, one of Sicily’s great
historic cheeses, traditionally made from raw cow’s milk and formed into its
rectangular shape before being aged. We’ll learn about the traditional methods behind it and the close relationship between the land, the cows, the milk and the resulting cheese.

From here, we’ll continue into Ragusa Ibla for the rest of our day.

Late Morning | Ragusa Ibla

From the countryside, we’ll continue into Ragusa Ibla, one of southeastern
Sicily’s great Baroque towns and part of the UNESCO-listed Late Baroque Towns
of the Val di Noto.

Ragusa has an unusual story. After the devastating earthquake of 1693, the
city effectively divided in two. Some families rebuilt among the medieval
streets of the old town, creating the Ragusa Ibla we see today, while others
chose to build an entirely new town, Ragusa Superiore, on the higher plateau
above. The result is a remarkable city of two halves, stretching dramatically
across the limestone landscape.

With our private local guide Maria, we’ll explore Ibla slowly and on foot, following its steep lanes and winding streets beautiful palazzi, elaborate Baroque churches, hidden gardens and quiet courtyards. At its heart is the magnificent Duomo di San Giorgio, whose grand façade rises above the town from the top of an imposing flight of steps. I will never forget this view when I first visited Ragusa Ibla many years ago.

Along the way, we’ll also discover some of the fascinating crafts that are still part of life here. There will still be plenty of time to wander, peek through open doorways, discover little independent shops and simply follow the streets that catch our eye.

Lunch | Ragusa Ibla

For lunch, we’ll settle in at Enoteca Il Barocco, a relaxed spot in the heart of Ragusa Ibla.

An enoteca, ristorante and concept shop rolled into one, Il Barocco has become a gathering place for lovers of Sicilian food and wine.

Wine is very much at the heart of the place, with a carefully chosen selection from across Sicily and regular dinners and tastings with local winemakers and producers.

The food follows the same philosophy: simple, local and deeply rooted in the Iblean countryside, celebrating cheeses, salumi, vegetables, olive oil and other ingredients from small producers in the area.

We’ll share a selection of dishes around the table, accompanied by local wines. The shelves are also filled with bottles and carefully chosen Sicilian products, all available to buy for anyone who happens to be tempted. I never am….

Mid Afternoon | Inside Ragusa’s Artisan Studios

After lunch, we’ll venture into the workshops of people keeping Sicily’s extraordinary craft traditions alive.

We will discover sfilato siciliano, an intricate form of Sicilian embroidery with particularly deep roots in the Ragusa area. Working on fine linen, individual threads are painstakingly drawn from the fabric to create an open grid, which is then worked entirely by hand into extraordinarily delicate patterns.

Traditionally used to create beautiful linens for the home and important family occasions, this centuries-old technique has now found its way into contemporary fashion, giving new life to a remarkable piece of Sicilian heritage.

We’ll see the work up close, learn how it is made and meet one of the women continuing this extraordinary tradition today.

Depending on timing, we may visit another local artisan or studio before leaving some time to wander Ragusa Ibla together, browsing its small shops and ateliers and simply soaking up the atmosphere of this fascinating town.

Early Evening | “Fermentativo” with Rachel de Thample

Food writer and fermentation expert Rachel de Thample takes over our aperitivo, which we like to call “fermentativo”.

Using produce gathered at the market, ingredients from Baglio Occhipinti’s gardens and ferments Rachel prepared ahead of our arrival and from vegetables she and I picked on our last visit here, we’ll explore simple techniques for fermenting and preserving seasonal Sicilian produce.

We’ll chop, taste, make and experiment while learning what actually happens during fermentation and, importantly, how to incorporate fermented foods into everyday cooking.

Rather than a conventional workshop, the session gradually becomes an Italian-style fermentation aperitivo…

Evening | The Final Shared Table

Our “fermentativo” will be followed by a final dinner around one long table, bringing together the food, wines and friendships of the weekend. A chance to revisit a few favorite flavors, open some special bottles and enjoy one last long evening together at Baglio Occhipinti.

Sunday 11 October

SIRACUSA | ORTIGIA | SICILIAN FEAST | FAREWELL

Breakfast at Baglio Occhipinti

We’ll keep our final morning at Baglio Occhipinti unscheduled, giving everyone
time for breakfast, packing and one last chance to enjoy our beautiful Sicilian home.

Weather permitting, there may even be time for a final swim or a wander
through the gardens before we gather our bags and say arrivederci to this unique corner of Sicily.

At around 10:15, we’ll set off for Ortigia, the beautiful island that forms the ancient heart of Siracusa, about 1h45 from Baglio Occhipinti.

Late Morning | Discovering Ancient Ortigia with Lucia

We’ll arrive in Ortigia around 12PM, where we’ll meet our guide for the afternoon, my friend, the inimitable Lucia.

This tiny island forms the ancient heart of Siracusa and is one of the most magical places in Sicily. Founded by Greek settlers more than 2,700 years ago, Ortigia forms part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Syracuse and the Rocky Necropolis of Pantalica.

Lucia will bring its extraordinary layers of history to life as we wander, surrounded by beautiful ancient buildings and the Ionian Sea. Here we will discover Greek temples next to Baroque palazzi, ancient columns that have been absorbed into later buildings, and narrow stone lanes that open up onto grand piazzas.

We’ll also have some time to wander independently after lunch…

Aperitivo & a Sicilian Feast at Raffaella’s

After our walk with Lucia, we will enjoy an aperitivo together at a favorite spot in Ortigia, before wandering through the beautiful streets around the Duomo to Via Roma.

Here, just behind Piazza Duomo, we have been invited into the home of Raffaella, a local friend, for a very special final lunch.

Raffaella isn’t a professional chef, she is a talented cook. Originally from Calabria, Ortigia has been her home for the past 30 years. She is passionate about food and wine and loves to cook and transform the edible treasures of this beautiful island into wonderful meals for herself, her family and her friends.

For our last day together, she has offered to welcome us into her home and prepare a wonderful Sicilian feast around her table, using fresh, local and seasonal ingredients.

A beautifully intimate and personal way to celebrate our final afternoon together in Sicily.

Afternoon

After lunch, we will head back out into Ortigia for one last wander. There will be time to explore the lanes, browse the little shops and artisan boutiques that are open, or simply find a spot by the water for one last coffee or glass of wine. I will provide a shortlist of some of my favorite places that are open on Sundays.