One of the most beautiful experiences you can have as a tourist in Sicily is fully living and working the local vineyards. Experiential tourism has become a very popular vacation trend and is offered by tour operators worldwide. We can accompany you to any estate you’d like to visit and “experience” the surrounding area of the mighty volcano, Mount Etna. After harvesting, pressing, and bottling, there’s always time to admire a crater, a forest, or an eruption with our comfortable, state-of-the-art vehicles!
Experiential Tourism in the Vineyards
The grape harvest in Sicily isn’t all the same, and deciding which experience to enjoy in this sector is a winning idea for your unique vacation.
In the Palermo area, grapes are harvested early. They ripen as early as August, so in order to avoid the daytime heat they go harvesting at night, by the light of lanterns and torches. Imagine the romance of this event! If you’re a literature enthusiast, follow in the Florio Family’s footsteps by going to a grape harvest in the Trapani area, specifically in the Marsala and Mazara del Vallo areas.
But you could combine job with pleasure by enjoying a beach holiday in Pantelleria island while also participating in the harvest of the local “dwarf vines.” To protect the trees from the wind, the inhabitants created “cultivable trenches” in which plants, including grapevines, grow sheltered by high edges. Adapting to the trenches, the vines in particular grow short and wide instead of tall and vertical.
Harvesting on Mount Etna
Etna is special for its wine production. And in just a few years, the number of labels on bottles born on the volcano has grown from just three to over twenty. Actively participating in the harvests in Etna’s vineyards is more than an experience: it’s donating something of your own to a prestigious brand.
You can do so by following some specific programs, designed specifically for tourists, that have developed in this area in recent years. For example, the experiential tourism itineraries promoted by the Diocese of Acireale (Ecclesiastical Cultural Park Terre d’Etna and Valle dell’Alcantara) or those on winerytastingsicily.com, which include guided tours of grape harvests, the opening of new barrels, and the processing of must.
These itineraries typically visit the estates scattered along the eastern slope (Trecastagni, Milo) and northern slope (Solicchiata, Linguaglossa, Piedimonte). But excellent vineyards can also be found on the western slope, the one much longer blessed by the sun and the famous home to strawberries and pistachios. To the west, the wine estates are located in Adrano and Biancavilla where, contrary to the jealously guarded tradition of the past, the descendants of the old winemakers love to open their businesses to tourists. In particular, it’s worth visiting the Podere dell’Etna Segreta, run by three young siblings and open to all types of experiences.
Why choose Etna?
Why should you choose the experience of harvesting grapes on Etna rather than elsewhere? First, because you can enjoy an eruption overlooking the expanses of vineyards! Not everyone can admire such a show! Second, because the harvests usually take place during the day, with specific rituals that involve the entire family.
On some estates, a “mid-morning lunch” is still celebrated. Elder ladies bring provisions to the harvesters and everyone stops for an hour to enjoy bread and sausage, excellent wines, and handmade biscuits! Depending on local traditions, dancing, singing, and even “cuntari” (storytelling) are part of the program. The ceremonies involving children, often “baptized” among the juicy bunches of grapes, are very touching.
The people of Etna vibrate with a special energy, which is transmitted to the vines and the grapes. That same energy of the volcano that you’ll find in the wine. And if you participate in the production process, it will have a special flavor… because it will also include your own energy! Try it! (PHOTOS BY GRAZIA MUSUMECI)