Anyone who has taken a trip with Peggy knows that it’s her ability to create relationships, bring out personalities, to facilitate laughter and a sense of poetry, that set her programs apart. Francesco has driven for our culinary program in Sicily for over eight years now – and it is thanks to …

The Aeolian Islands off the coast of Sicily have a culture of their own, an archipelago of 8 islands clustered in the Mediterranean just north of Sicily. Fascinated by islands, I like to explore how each island expresses itself, out in the wild on its own, with a rich sea life to draw from and the ingredients at hand that have given us the Mediterranean diet — wild plants such as fennel, oregano, rosemary and the cultivated citrus, olive and hot weather vegetables. Their gardens are often protected by rock walls to protect from the wind and ensure a good harvest to put up for the winter.