As someone who used to travel full-time, a lot has changed for me in the past few years. Pandemic aside, I’ve been more intentional about where, and how often, I travel. A big part of that has to do with finding beauty in what I used to view as mundane; things like a morning routine or going to my favorite spots again and again.

I’ve also been placing more value in building my community, both in Europe and back home in the States. It’s probably something that just comes with age, but I’m embracing the ‘soft’ life rather than operating in hustle mode. It’s taken time but I’m finally at a place where I feel so grounded in who I am and who I want to surround myself with.

All this is to say that when the opportunity to tour Sicily with WalkingWomen popped into my inbox, it just felt ‘right.’ It sounded like (and was) a tour that aligned with my values: culture, community, curiosity, and a chance to grow.

WalkingWomen is a women-owned (and since 2021, sister-owned) travel company that curates unique experiences for women around the world. As its name suggests, these tours are geared toward women and they always center around nature walks. All women are welcomed on their tours, regardless of how they identify, their age, and their athletic abilities. In fact, they have a ‘Goat’ system to help guide travelers on how extensive (or not) the hikes will be. Their Sicily tour was a ‘Goat 1’ (the easiest level), and that was just fine for me.

Our home for the week

No matter how many times I remember that Europe is now my home, I will never get over the magic that is Italy. Between classics like “Eat, Pray, Love” and “Under the Tuscan Sun,” I always feel like I’m the star of my own movie here.

Our tour began in Catania, an old port city on Sicily’s east coast and perhaps best known for being the gateway to Mt. Etna. From there, we were whisked away to a charming, traditional Sicilian villa.

Unlike other group trips I’ve joined, upon arriving at the villa we had time to unpack, relax, and soak up the last bit of sunshine for the day. After speaking with Ginny and Sara–owners of WalkingWomen–I learned that for all of their tours, they make sure to include enough free time so participants can really rest, relax, and restore before the next day’s activities.

My room was located outside of the main house and I really loved the extra privacy. Every morning, I’d wake up, head to the stocked kitchen for a cup of coffee, and then sit by the pool with my journal. Hearing nothing but the sounds of nature was nothing short of bliss.

Exploring Scicli and the surrounding area

After a delicious dinner at the villa the first night, our next day included a guided tour of Scicli, the closest city to our villa and only about a ten-minute drive away. As the sun was setting, we walked through Scicli’s cobbled streets, passed some of the most important buildings and met some friendly locals along the way.

We were lucky enough to have Emilia Strazzanti of Strazzanti Experiences accompany us for the entire trip. Emilia has worked with top chefs and Michelin-starred restaurants in London, Paris and Milan. A few years ago, she decided to reconnect with her roots and moved to Sicily full-time. Aside from being an amazing chef (I’m still dreaming about the pasta she cooked for us on night one), she has a wealth of knowledge about all things Sicily.

Per Emilia’s suggestion, our group walked the short distance from Scicli’s main square (Piazza Italia) to the ancient church of Saint Matthew (San Matteo). From the bottom, the trek looked incredibly steep but in reality, it took 15-minutes to reach the top and only with minimal inclines. Seeing all of Scicli as the sun set was truly breathtaking and a major highlight of the trip for me.

Another major highlight that came later in the week (this guide is not in chronological order), was an impromptu walk to Sampieri beach. Instead of driving, a few members of our group decided to take a leisurely stroll to the beach.

Along the way we passed several homes and villas with spacious grounds and got to see lots of foliage. When we reached the water, we first took in the view from a vantage point before making our way to the beach itself.

After taking a dip in the sea–much deserved after the 1.5 hour journey–we wandered into the little town until we found a cute beach bar overlooking the water. Beer in hand, we chatted about life, love, and everything in between.

Hitting the trails

As for the guided walks included in the WalkingWomen itinerary, there were two and both were absolutely incredible.

Our first adventure took us through Cava Misericordia until we reached the town of Ragusa (pictured below). Unlike most of the hikes I’ve been on in my life, we actually started at the top and worked our way down and through. The first twenty minutes had me feeling like a literal goat as I descended down steep rocks one at a time.

From there, things leveled out for the most part and it allowed us to walk at a comfortable pace, learn about the fauna and foliage, and enjoy a packed lunch by a trickling creek. Even though I grew up thousands of miles away in Virginia, a lot of the vegetation reminded me of a little patch of forest located behind my house. I felt so sentimental in the best of ways and it brought me back to the carefree whimsy of my youth.

The second hike was in Cava d’Ispica, a nature reserve and archaeological site located between Modica and Ispica. It’s hard to compare the two hikes because they felt so different, which is exactly what one can hope for on a walking trip.

I took this photo from one of the higher viewpoints and inside a series of dwellings built into the caves. People known as ‘troglodytes’ settled in the caves about 4,000 years ago and while the caves are no longer inhabitable, you can easily imagine how these dwellings served as shelter from the elements.

Just when we thought our hike was coming to an end, WalkingWomen surprised us with a gourmet picnic and wine tasting. This was the last thing I was expecting and wow, it was wonderful. We tasted three different local wines from the region and nibbled on cheese, meats, breaded snacks and other delicious snacks.

Women-owned wineries

Now that we’ve covered the different hikes you can expect on the WalkingWomen tour, let’s talk about the wine!

As this was a WalkingWomen tour, I really appreciated that we got to visit female-owned wineries and businesses. For context, roughly 17% of wine makers around the world are women, and in Sicily, that percentage is even lower. To make it in this industry is no small feat, and I was glad that WalkingWomen was able to put these entrepreneurs front and center.

Our first wine visit was at Occhipinti, which is owned by Arianna Occhipinti. As a winemaker, Arianna is one of the most famous in Sicily, if not the world and her wines come from five different grapes: Frappato, Nero D’Avola, Albanello, and Zibibbo. After a tour of the vineyard and wine fermentation room, we settled in for a wine tasting paired with bread, fresh tomato, and other small bites.

Later in the week, we visited the vineyard of another female winemaker. Cantina Marilina is on the smaller side, and is family-run. They started with the Monovarietal line, which are wines that come from native grapes. From there, they expanded to create blends and later a line of Reserve wines.

I really enjoyed getting to meet Marilina (pictured below) and seeing first-hand how passionate she is about the entire wine-making process. Between meeting her mother during the tasting and eyeing a little tricycle parked just outside of the fermentation room, you really get a sense that this is a true, family-run business.

Living ‘La Dolce Vita’

One of my favorite experiences from this WalkingWoman tour was a cooking class with Emilia at her home in Scicli. While I am the first to admit I’m not the most domestic of people (I blame all my years in New York City) I will never turn down a pasta-making class, especially not one in Italy!

That said, compared to the other women in our group, I was definitely the one with the least experience in the kitchen. We all have insecurities and for me, my lack of culinary skills is one of them. Of course, in the end it didn’t matter because there was wine involved and everyone was busy forming their pasta noodles.

I have to give it to Emilia because she is an incredible teacher. I’ve been to cooking classes before, including a few in Bologna, and I was actually able to follow her every step. She was helpful and encouraging and I could really feel my confidence growing.

Check out the end result: Fresh semolina flour pasta with Sicilian ancient grains and served with a pistachio pesto and Sicilian prawns. Get the recipe here.

Another great moment–or should I say meal–was a decadent lunch at Baglio Occhipinti. As its name suggests, Baglio Occhipinti is owned by the Occhipinti family and a short drive from the winery. Ariana’s older sister is the chef at the restaurant here and we had the privilege of meeting her during our lunch in Baglio’s outdoor garden. Wine was flowing, the dishes kept coming and the conversation never stopped.

Interested in traveling with WalkingWomen? Take a look at their tours in 2024 and beyond. 

*This post is in collaboration with WalkingWomen. They graciously offered me a spot on their tour, while I paid for my own travel expenses. Opinions are my own.