Dominique Rizzo | Bespoke Food Tours
About my Food Tours
My Food Tours are far from your ‘run-of-the-mill’ international holidays.
Visiting the finest of locations, you will also enjoy wonderful hospitality in addition to individual attention. Bespoke, personally designed and escorted, my tours are for the thinking traveller who is excited by the thought of a culinary and wine focused tour.
So, if you love travelling but don’t like getting bogged down in organising all of the details, then you have clicked on the right page.
My bespoke food tours are a passionately designed complete gastronomic holiday including a total cultural and sensory immersion into some of the world’s most exotic and delicious locations to create an unforgettable experience…
Perfect for couples, singles and people who don’t wish to travel on their own. We welcome anyone who loves to travel, meeting new people and experiencing new challenges. All of the tours include medium amounts of walking daily and are suitable for ages 20 – 80 years. All tours are child free.
Destinations like Sicily, Italy, Spain, Morocco, Sardinia, Corsica and Norfolk Island.
What makes my food, wine & culture tours so special?
Designed to offer you the best cuisine, along with a wonderful travel experience, I personally have researched the restaurants, activities and hotels, updating details regularly, therefore ensuring the standard of every aspect of our travel is always of the best quality.
We treat you to amazing cultural experiences through a relaxed planned itinerary. Most of all, we treat you to the finest gastronomy of your chosen region. This includes renowned wines, food tastings, cooking classes and unforgettable meals.
My Personally Escorted small group Tours are full of wonderful highlights. You can be assured your tour will allow you to see all the sights, places of interest and important aspects of a region. We immerse you into the food, wine and culture through cooking and tasting events.
As a well travelled chef with Sicilian heritage and over 10 years running Food Tours , I have access and curated some of the best packages combining culture and cuisine, to amazing destinations such as Sicily, Puglia, Spain, Morocco with Sardinia and Corsica in the near future.
Most of all, what is unique about my Food Tours is the quality of the culinary journey. There’s food, food and more food…oh and lots of wine! These are real foodie tours and you don’t have to be a perfect cook or a savvy traveller. We cater for all ages from a novice single traveller to couples, budding cooks, the indulgent food lover and experienced lone traveller.
Taste all the gourmet delights on offer. This includes bespoke food market tastings of local specialties. Experience hands-on cooking classes and cooking demonstrations provided by myself and amazing passionate local chefs and providores.
It also includes gourmet traditional lunches, banquet dinners and full degustation menus. Working with local purveyors of fine foods and experienced chefs in each region, my aim is to showcase the region’s best local cuisine and rich culture. Therefore, giving you an authentically different food and wine experience each day.
Introduction to my Sicily Tours
My most popular tours are those to the island of Sicily. This is the place of my heritage, therefore I have a deep connection and passion for the island bringing to you a Sicilian gastronomic experience like no other.
Sicily is often referred to as “God’s Kitchen” with a rich culture and a hugely celebrated cuisine. This makes it one of Italy’s most sought after holiday destinations. Sicily is renowned for its traditional slow food, award-winning unique wines, a passion for real rustic, simple cooking, and it’s deep entwined culture.
My Sicilian Tours embrace the heart and soul of Sicilian food and life. Working with my Sicilian associate Gianluca D’alia for over 10 years, I have been able to personally design each of the tours uniquely different.
In all my Sicilian tours we enjoy hands-on cooking classes, taste the region’s best wines and feast on delicious regional flavours.
Sicilian cuisine is well known for being diverse with a richness of different tastes on offer in each region and I make sure we taste them all.
At the heart of Sicily’s cuisine, is rustic, simply cooked food, bold flavours and an enormous amount of variety. Regional Sicilian cooking centers around the best fresh and slow food ingredients.
Most of all, locally sourced, grown and produced. This means recipes are often handed down through families or are local favourite.
My Sicilian Food Tours are a great way to experience real Sicilian cuisine spanning from local street food to some of the best restaurants.
You will visit the most popular cities in Sicily, see some of the most noted UNESCO world heritage sites, sail on the turquoise waters of the Ionian and Mediterranean seas and be led by some of the most passionate and experienced guides.
In addition, you will also have the chance to enjoy your own cultural exploration, with free time to just relax and take in the essence that is this interesting and delicious island.
Although the food experiences I offer are a major highlight on tour, my focus for each tour is not just about the food. I am equally passionate about hospitality, from the comfortable travel arrangements to your unique and distinctive accommodation. You are personally escorted with a private driver throughout the tour.
I don't like to hurry through the tour so we take our time to make sure you are enjoying your holiday every step of the way. On tour you will gain insight into culture, heritage, old worlds and traditions.
As well, you will get to know people of great humanity and hospitality. All of the accommodations have been hand selected for either their modern luxury, traditional style, location, hospitality and of course their food. My tours offer 4 and 5 star accommodations with very comfortable rooms and always with your own ensuite. There is no sharing of rooms or bathrooms unless requested.
All my gourmet travel experiences include everything you need for a perfect holiday. There are no hidden costs so once you pay your land tour price, apart from your own shopping... everything is included as per the itinerary.
What sets my Food Tours apart is they include more than you imagine. They are an immersion of culture, which combines food and wine with a cultural experience. This means guided cultural tours during the day including leisurely walks to visit the sights which make the region so memorable. In addition, there are visits to museums, churches, palaces and historic villas, monuments and local archaeological parks. The aim is to provide you with valuable local knowledge and history of the region. In addition, I will take you to explore the area’s natural beauty enjoying the stunning coastlines or ranges, and stopping to smell the roses.
I work with incredible talented and entertaining guides who are just as passionate as I am about giving you the best travel experience.
My tours offer flexibility and often vary in length. This is perfect if you only have a limited holiday schedule. There is also the option to add on one of my culinary experiences to your existing European trip.
Each bespoke tour has a relaxed planned itinerary that you are welcome to opt out of at anytime. The best part is, myself and my associates take all the logistic hassle out of travelling for you. As a result, you have more space for flexibility, spontaneity and a sense of personal discovery.
See what other people are saying about my tours on Trip Advisor
For all tours travelling in 2023 click here
For more information visit our frequently asked questions.
Sicily , Salina & The Aeolian Islands Travelling in 2024
These tours of Sicily includes some of Sicily’s historic and well-noted cities and sights where the Arabs, Normans, Greek and Spanish among many others left Sicily with a rich imprint of foreign cultures evident in its art, design, architecture and cuisine. We also discover the stunning volcanic Aeolian islands which will captivate you in many different ways. Each island will offer you an astounding contrast in landscape, colours, lifestyle and cuisine. In addition, the nightlife, shopping and relaxation are all unique.
Puglia - Travelling in 2024
My passion for all things Italian takes you to some of the lesser travelled places such as the region of Puglia. Experience the country, sea, and city as we take you on an exciting culinary and cultural journey of Puglia and its surrounding towns. Situated on the South East Coast of Italy this Food and Wine adventure takes you through some of the regions iconic towns and cities enjoying some of the finest wines, slow food olive oil, cheeses, and specialty products. Puglia is a travelers’ dream if you want to experience Italian culture and fresh, tasty, local food.
Morocco - Travelling in 2024
Experience the country, sea and city as we take you on an exciting culinary and cultural journey of Morocco and its surrounding towns. The Highlights of our Morocco trip truly covers a diverse country ranging from fertile fields, captivating mountains, desert sands and arid landscapes as well as cities, small towns and mountain villages each with their own unique characteristics and people. The trip offers the opportunity to not only experience Morocco’s wonderful landscape, but also to meet the people and to learn about their culture and way of life.
Culinary Travel Tours
Frequently Asked Questions
Finding the best culinary travel tours to suit you seems like a big task. I have put together some of the most frequently asked questions about my food and wine tours. As a result, you can see whether my packages are going to be right for you. Furthermore, if there’s anything else you need to know, I am always happy to help.
COSTS AND INCLUSIONS
The tour price basically includes everything including all accommodation, meals, beverages and all the incredible experiences. The price also includes transfers to the hotel on day of arrival and to the airport on the day of departure. See the specific tour inclusions list for a full list of what is included on each tour.
You can pay either via credit card through our secure website payment portal, over the phone via credit card, through Payway, or by posting a money order or cheque. I ask you pay a deposit upon confirmation of your booking to book your place, I then send you updated invoices outlining your payments to work within your budget.
This depend on how much you love shopping! Most of your meals, all of your accommodation and almost everything else is included in the price. You will only need extra money for shopping and small personal items. You may also need money for the occasional meal not listed in the inclusions although we ensure that the meals provided on those days are abundant… and believe me I am Italian so you will definitely not go hungry.
PEOPLE AND LOGISTICS
That depends on your chosen tour package, generally I only like to take small groups of 10 – 12 people. This allows for unique and personalised attention. In addition, it allows us to provide a higher quality of service. I can also tailor tours to suit larger groups up to 20 people.
I have tailored my food and wine packages to suit anyone who enjoys travel, culture, cooking, food and wine! Anyone who loves to meet new people and enjoy new experiences is welcome. Of course, our tours are perfect for foodies as the food is superb. In addition, if you love wine you will not be disappointed! For passionate cooks, learning new local techniques to take back to your kitchen at home is inspiring.
Our tours are great for:
Foodies and cooking lovers
Novice and first time travellers
Single women or men
Over 60’s
Under 60’s
Couples (we are also gay-friendly!)
Mothers & daughters
Groups of friends
Fathers & sons
Sisters
Yes, I often have siblings, partners joining the tour after it starts, the price will be allocated accordingly as a percentage of the entire tour.
Yes I would love to meet you in one of our beautiful locations! When you arrive on our tour, I can take care of everything for you. If you have more of Europe to see, you can then leave us at the end of the tour and continue traveling if you wish.
We work with a variety of travel agencies who can assist you with flights, outside of the tour transfers, accommodation and after tour travels.
Seems like a fabulous way to spend your next holiday right?
If you are interested in looking at the selection of Food and Wine Tours on offer to Sicily, Spain, Puglia, Morocco or Sardinia & Corsica click here.
Don’t wait until it’s too late…. Now is the time to book your dream holiday where all the organising is done for you.
Contact us for more information and for booking details.
Testimonials
“Best quality of food…loved every minute of it
To experience Dominique’s Food Tour is to experience Sicily at its best, from the best quality of food, amazing lunches at Acireale with luscious figs wrapped in smoked salmon, and tasting delicious olives, cheese, salami and bread for lunch in the olive grove. It wasn’t just the food that was amazing, there was the experience of the fish market in Catania, the boat trip around the Aeolian Islands topped off with Stromboli erupting. We loved every minute of it and learnt so much about Sicily from Dom and Gian Luca, the guide.”
Jay and Igor
Gold Coast, Australia.
“Very hard for us to top that holiday!
Our cooking is progressing really well – a big improvement in confidence level since our classes in Sicily. We have repeated the chicken dish we cooked during your class and it is now a regular. Also working through the cookbook and I did a very small dinner party for my sister and husband for their 40th wedding anniversary last week. I tackled the potato cake which was fun to cook and actually looked great along with the zucchini carpaccio and Sicilian-style steak. Best wishes for your ventures and adventures and thank you for orchestrating the wonderful time we had on our trip in July. It will be very hard for us to top that holiday!
Carmel and Richard
Brisbane, Australia
"Experience that we will never forget
What a wonderful time we have had on Dominique Rizzo’s Food, Wine and Cooking tour. We just hadn’t expected Sicily to be so beautiful. It was really a magnificent and pleasurable experience that we will never forget. Ancora mille grazie e buon viaggio for the next trip.
Julie and Peter
Brisbane, Australia
“A true holiday... more than a taste, an absolute feast
The promotional material for the Western Sicily Food and Wine Cooking Tour, as usual, promised a wonderful experience. We, however, were treated to so much more than we could ever imagine and it was far beyond our wildest expectations. The exceptional planning and execution of the tour made for a most memorable time. The tour, fully escorted by Dominique Rizzo and her capable and friendly team, left us wanting for nothing. The diversity and quality of the food, drinks, accommodation and places of interest were superb. A true holiday! More than a taste – an absolute feast! Well, what a wonderful tour we had with Dom. It exceeded all our expectations and fulfilled our dreams.
G & B Mayes
Toowoomba, Australia
“I have never eaten and drank so much
Words cannot describe the amazing experience we had. An all-expense paid holiday seeing the most amazing sights and history and FOOD, FOOD, FOOD! My goodness, I have never eaten and drank so much food and wine, all whilst sitting in the most beautiful environments. It was something we will never forget.
Nicholas
Sydney, Australia
“You have thought of everything.
The planning and organisation of all the events and the food we consumed was amazing; you have thought of everything. Thank you for your patience and friendliness, I felt extremely comfortable and at ease with you and everyone else on the tour.
Comerford
Wagga Wagga Australia
Want to join these wonderful travellers and enjoy Australia’s best food tours to some of the most amazing locations around the world?
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