Dominique Rizzo | Bespoke Food Tours

Travel to Italy with your own Personal Chef

Experience some of the best Italy Food Tours to Sicily and  Puglia. Dominique Rizzo – Australian chef, food advocate, and presenter invites you to join her on a gastronomic adventure, specialising in her beloved ancestral homeland of Italy, Dominique’s passion for all things Italian takes you to some of the lesser travelled places such as the region of Puglia. Situated on the South East Coast of Italy this Food and Wine adventure takes you through some of these regions iconic towns and cities enjoying some of the finest wines, and slow food olive oil, cheeses, and specialty products.  Her  Sicilian Food Tours are abundant with the most unforgettable experiences giving you the opportunity to meet the locals and immerse yourself in its rich culture.

Puglia & Sicily

Puglia is a Mediterranean paradise. It boasts a stunning coastline, magical towns, and cities in addition to a great expanse of beautiful architecture and culture. Italy has truly left its stamp on the world. It has done this perhaps most of all, with mouth-watering cuisine.  Discover the best of Puglia, its food, wine, olive oil, and its top regional attractions. Discover the fertile Itria Valley and the beauty that lies in this region known as the Florence of the South.

Sicily and its surrounding islands are south of the Italian Peninsula. Sicily has 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 its deep entwined culture.  There is no better way to experience all the country has to offer, than by joining Dominique’s guided food tours in Italy.

Other Destinations

As passionate as we are about Italy, we are equally passionate about the rest of the world. Our other Food Tours include Spain, visiting Catalonia, Barcelona and the Costa Brava. SpainBasque, Rioja and the South of France, and  Exotic and Mystic Morocco and an incredible tour to the Islands of Sardinia and Corsica. 

Authentic Food and Wine tours with your comfort in mind

Dominique’s bespoke, personally designed food tours strike the perfect balance between authentic travel and creature comforts. Your trip takes you off the beaten track, finding the best local venues and experiences for culture, cuisine, authenticity, and scenery.  At the same time, Dominique is passionate about hospitality and giving you the best service where you can simply sit back and relax. Travelling in style on private transport, private transfers, and staying in luxury 4 and 5-star accommodation and spa resorts is why Dominique’s tours are a step above the rest.

Sicily food tours with Dominque Rizzo

At the heart of Dominique’s signature tours, are her stunning Sicily food and wine tours. This is the place of her heritage, therefore she brings deep knowledge and passion for the island.  Dominique brings to you a Sicilian gastronomic experience like no other. Sicily is often referred to as “God’s Kitchen.”

Enjoy hands-on cooking classes, taste the region’s best wines and feast on delicious regional flavours. Italian cuisine is well known for being diverse. There is a richness of different tastes on offer in each region. Most of all, at the heart of its cuisine, is simply cooked food, bold flavours and an enormous amount of variety. Regional Sicilian cooking centres on quality, 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 favourites. Dominique’s Sicily Food Tours is a great way to experience real Sicilian cuisine from what the locals eat on the streets to Michelin star restaurants.

What is special about Dominique’s Sicily tour?

Dominique’s Sicily tour embraces the heart and soul of Sicilian food and life. The culture and cuisine in this amazing part of the world is unique. It is also rich in history. Dominique personally designs and hosts her Sicilian food tours, engaging friendly local tour guides, who are passionate and knowledgeable about all of Sicily, its history and culture.

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 enjoy some of the speciality foods only Sicily can offer.  In addition, you will also have the chance to enjoy your own cultural exploration, with free time and time to just relax and take in the essence that is this interesting and delicious island.

Savouring Sicily – A Tour For The Senses Travelling in 2022

Sicily Tour – Savouring Sicily – A Tour for The Senses               

Dates:  21st May – 2nd June 2022           13 days 12 nights

Travelling to: Palermo, Trapani, Marsala, Erice, Agrigento, Monreale, Castlebuono, Cefalu, Syracuse, Ortigia, Catania, Taormina, Piazza Armerina

Sicily’s diversity in history creates a distinct culture and cuisine which you can savour in this unique food, wine and cooking tour. Spend 13 days and 12 nights touring with Dominique personally guiding you, visit  historic cities and sights in Sicily. Journey from the city of Palermo to the towns of Siracusa, Ortigia including the famous hill top coastal town of Taormina.    This is a culturally rich and delicious tour with an emphasis on quality food and wine experiences. It is a tour of the senses.

Gastronomic Puglia Immersion – Travelling in 2022

Italy Tour – Puglia

Dates: 4th – 14th May 2022,     11 days 10 nights 

Experience the country, sea, and city on your Italy tour, as we take you on an exciting culinary and cultural journey of Puglia and its surrounding towns. Known for its whitewashed trulli dome-shaped houses in the town of Alberobello, century-old farmhouses, and hundreds of kilometers of Mediterranean coastline. Puglia is a travelers’ dream if you want to experience Italian culture and fresh, tasty, local food. Among the dishes that most strongly define the traditional Puglian cuisine is the orecchiette with broccoli rabe, Apulia focaccia, Fava Bean Puree and Chicory Greens just to cite a few. An Italy food tour is incomplete without wine and the wines of Puglia are admired worldwide.

Aside from the beaches and gorgeous sea villages, Puglia has a rich archaeological heritage and boasts 3 UNESCO World Heritage sites: Castel del Monte, Alberobello and the Sanctuary of San Michele Arcangelo. A special mention should be dedicated to Lecce commonly nicknamed “the Florence of the south”. Together with the city’s Baroque architectural monuments, churches and religious buildings, there are Greek influences in the utilization of the renowned “Lecce stone”.

Eastern Sicily & Aeolian Islands Travelling in 2022

 Sicily Tour – Eastern Sicily and the Aeolian Islands

Dates:  11 June to 26 June 2022     16 Days 15 Nights

Travelling to: Catania, Syracusa, Ortigia, Caltagirone, Taormina, Marzamemi, Noto, Mt Etna, Randazzo, St Alfio, Castiglione di Sicilia, Salina Island, Lipari Island, Monreale, Palermo.

This Sicily tour offers 16 days to experience the best of Eastern Sicilian and the Aeolian Islands’ cuisine.

It’s a Sicily food and wine tour that explores the rich lands surrounding the famous Mount Etna in Sicily;  the most beautiful historical provinces of Catania, Taormina, Randazzo and sail to the islands of Salina and Lipari.

Exotic and Mystical Morocco Travelling in 2022

Exotic and Mystical Morocco  – A Gourmet Immersion Tour

Dates: 10th September – 21st September 2022         12 days

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.

Morocco, described as being dazzling and beguiling,  the hustle and bustle of the various Medinas is intoxicating, the serene calmness of the mountains is invigorating. The enticing smells of the spices and the ochre colour of the mud brick houses will be embedded fondly in your memory.

Cities like Fez, Marrakech, and Casablanca evoke images of medinas, spice markets, and couscous, while the geographic extremes – from the Atlas Mountains to country resorts to camels in the desert – make it eminently photogenic. The mad circus of Marrakech’s Djemaa el Fna square, packed with incense, salesmen, and snake charmers, is so bizarre and entertaining you’ll be looking for the hidden camera.

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