With each TBEX event we like to offer fun and interesting opportunities that come up for attendees who either register late after Pre and Post-BEX tours have closed, or opportunities don’t really fit into the normal Pre and Post-BEX category. A couple of years ago our good friend in Huntsville, AL, Leslie Walker, coined the perfect name for these activities: TBEXtras!
So here are some wonderful TBEXtra activities for you to enjoy in and around Catania. Please remember these are in ADDITION to your Pre and/or Post-BEX tours. Sign up for or join as many as you’d like, providing they don’t conflict with any current tour plans you have during your visit to Sicily!
The wine tasting will begin at 11.30am with an introduction by our staff about our company and about the history of the place. Inside our Palmento (ancient structure to produce wine in 1810) an introduction will be made by our staff about the function of the old palmento to better realize the differences with the modern techniques, and the tradition of the family that goes on since five generations. In the same place we’ll serve a drived wine tasting two of our wine Etna DOC Red and Etna DOC White with different Sicilian typical products.
After the wine tasting the guests have the possibility to have our Orange Plantation Path. Orange Plantation is an eco-tourist path that shows the old agricultural Sicilian tradition, giving particular attention to the orange. This path takes place inside the “Citrus Collection Garden” to describe the different kinds of citrus fruits. In particular Tarocco, Clementine, Myacawa, Mandarino dell’Etna, grapefruit and lemons to appreciate the cultivation and the fruits physically and by their organoleptic qualities. The productive cycle, bloom, picking seasons, the care of the plants during the year and irrigation will also be explained. After Orange Plantation and according to seasons we can pick some orange, grapefruit or lemon.
To book your reservation:
Federico Guzzardi
CEO “Tenute Mannino”
federicoguzzardi@tenutemannino.com
www.tenutemannino.com
Tel/Fax 0039 095 316849
Mobile 0039 388 4757488
Contact: fabiomanciagli@hotmail.it
Number of participants: 50
Date and time: 09 March 9:00 am – End time 6:30 pm
Starting point: Palazzo della Cultura, via Vittorio Emanuele II, 121 – Catania
Program:
On March, 9th an afternoon/evening excursion to the city of Piazza Armerina is offered to 40 bloggers with a special emotional event.
The program is following:
At 3.30 p.m. the Catania Cruise Terminal Team will welcome the guests, i.e. the bloggers at the cruise terminal of Catania with national flags, anthems and a drink.
At 4.00 p.m. departure by bus to the city of Piazza Armerina, with scheduled arriving at 5.30 p.m.
Once arrived in the city of Piazza Armerina, the guests will appreciate to visit the historical city centre, the famous churches and to walk through the beautiful city.
Afterwards a group of medieval figures will give the chance to our guest to do a dive into the past, as well as the famous “Commenda dei Cavalieri di Malta” allows to breath the oldest Sicilian history.
Last but not least everyone could have the chance to admire the trailer of the palio in the local “boutique” theatre. And later on, in the same place, a show cooking with a master chef will let our guest discover the speciality of the famous local “Pasta alla Norma”, with a special local wine on side.
After having praised the palates, guests will eat the “Pasta alla Norma” at the new foyer of the theatre.
As last step of this journey in the past, the bloggers will have the exclusive opportunity to visit the “Villa Romana del Casale”, one of the biggest and beautiful Roman building and Unesco Heritage.
Contact: Rachele Sammartano rsammartano@cataniacruiseterminal.it
Maximum participants: 16
Ground transportation and all meals and activities provided
Starting Point: March 9, Catania city center (exact spot to be determined)
Ending Point: March 9, Catania city center
Transportation Departure from Catania to Palazzolo Acreide with private van. VAN THROUGHOUT THE TOURS.
• 9:00 Departure from Catania to Palazzolo Acreide with private van;
• 10:30 Upon arrival, guests will be greeted at the Town Hall with a warm welcome by the Municipal Administration, which will offer them a special Sicilian breakfast;
• 11:30 Excursion to the historic forest of Bauly, with truffle hunters and their dogs. Farmer’s breakfast in the woods, with homemade bread, cheese and local wine;
• 13:00 Lunch at the farm. During lunch the show cooking will be carried out by local chefs on the creation of “fresh ricotta cheese”; “mozzarella cheese”; Sausage “Slow Food
Presidium”; Fresh pasta “Ravioli with Ricotta cheese”;
• 15:00 Visit to the museum of the “Santa Lucia water mill”, the only mill still operating in the “road of the water mills” of Iblei Mountain
• 16:30 The day will continued with a tasting of the renowned local pastry and show cooking of local pastry chefs on the creation of Sicilian cannoli with ricotta cream and more.
• 18:00 Walking tour in the baroque town, Unesco heritage, with specialized guides in English or on request in other languages.
• 20:00 The tour will end at the “ Tancredi” pizzeria, the winner of the “Heinz Beck Trophy – First courses in Pizzeria” with his “Spaghetti Verde Oltremare” presented at the world pizza
championship held in Parma, with a demonstration on Neapolitan pizza and tasting of the best gourmet pizza in the world!
21:30 – Return back to Catania
Maria Alessia Liistro Damiano Chiaramonte
alessia@smileandfood.com damiano@smileandfood.com
mob. +39 348 1136891 mob. +39 366 1375113
Among natural parks, reserves and amazing surprises. 2 days of fun, visiting castles and wineries, restaurants, tasting typical Sicilian cuisine and the National natural park, enjoying amazing atmospheres, and wonderful coloured sky sunsets.
Number of participants: max 8 people.
Offer: transfers by car, accommodation, most of the meal and organized activities
Starting from and when: 18 March from TRAPANI – WEST SICILY
End Point: 20 March drop-off at Palermo airport or Catania airport (see “Flights” below)
1st day – 18/03/2020
08.10 am departure from Trapani airport
08.50 am arriving at Pantelleria airport and transfer to the hotel
10.00 am hotel check-in
10:30 am starting the journey through the “black pearl of the Mediterranean”: panoramic tour of
the i s l e and visit to the winery and capers factory. Discovering thousand-year practice of
viticulture (UNESCO world heritage); terracing, walls, gardens, wonderful production of capers and
Passito, DOC wine with 2000 years of history.
5:00 pm return to the hotel
2nd day – 19/03/2020
09:00 am starting the tour “Trekking through the deep heart of Pantelleria”: walking beside the
path of National Park of Pantelleria isle, discovering amazing thermal phenomenon (Montagna
Grande, Venus lake, Benikulà cave, Gadir, Volcano museum).
What to find out?
Shapes and colours of 640 botanical species (13 native), among which wonderful species of fauna
live. There is also the possibility to be present at secondary volcanic events: geothermal sources,
fumarole, natural steam in caves and thermal mud.
01:30 pm lunch time
03:30 pm “Jump to the past”: visiting Saint Marco and Teresa acropolis, dating back Roman siege.
05.00 pm return to the hotel
3rd day – 20/03/2020
Breakfast at the hotel
05.30 am transfer to Pantelleria airport
07:00 am departure to Trapani
07:40 am arrival to Trapani airport and transfer to Palermo airport or city / Catania Airport or city
To Reserve Your Spot | Responsabile dell’itinerario:
Rete imprese Bike’n’Dive
Via XXX Gennaio n. 104, Trapani – 91100 – TP
P/iva: 02625990813
18 MARZO 2020
TRAPANI (TPS) – PANTELLERIA (PNL)
DEPARTURE 08:10 AM
ARRIVAL 08:50 AM
VOLO DX 1831
20 MARZO 2020
VOLO PANTELLERIA (PNL) – TRAPANI (TPS)
DEPARTURE 07:00 AM
ARRIVAL 07:40 AM
VOLO DX 1832
Number of Participants: 1 to 25
Dates & Times:
Meeting location: Infopoint of the Benedictine Monastery of Catania (Piazza Dante 32)
Getting there: 10 minutes walk from Piazza Duomo
Note: 1 hour and a half guided tour of the Monastery. You must book the tour at least the day before (before 5pm) at the phone number 095.7102767 | 334.9242464 or at the mail address: info@officineculturali.net (if you book through mail wait for the mail of confirmation to consider the booking confirmed) this is mandatory for the free guided tour.
For the tours with the reduced ticket we still strongly recommend the booking (in order to avoid finding a tour that is complety full and be forced to wait until the next one)
Please bring with you the email of confirmation and the tbex accreditation/lanyard.
Description: Discover the incredible spaces of the Benedictine Monastery through a tour in places like cloisters with fountains, gardens, basements, kitchens and the lava from 1669.
Located in the north wing of the monumental Benedictine Monastery of San Nicolò l’Arena in Catania is a Unesco World Heritage Site since 2002. Guided tour of the library with the Director.
Number of Participants: max 20/25 people
Date & Time:
March 9 and 10 from 10am to 2pm
March 11 from noon to 2pm
Meeting location: Via Biblioteca, 13 Ex Monastero dei Benedettini di San Nicolò l’Arena, Catania.
No need to book ahead of time. Just show up and show them your TBEX badge.
https://bibliotecacivicaursinorecupero.wordpress.com
Number of Participants: 20
Date & Times March 10, 11 & 14
Starting Point: Each Individual Museum
Description: A guide will wait for you in front of your favorite museum, you only have to choose which one you want to visit. The museums in Catania are very close each other: you can visit two or three in the same day. Show up with your TBEX badge 5 minutes before the scheduled tour begins to meet your guide.
09.00-10.00 Civic Museum of Ursino Castle
09.00-10.00 Museum of the landings in Sicily in 1943
10.30-11.30 Museum of the cinema
10.30-11.30 Archaeological Museum of the Tobacco Factory
12.00-13.00 Civic Museum of Bellini and Emilio Greco
16.15-17.00 Giovanni Verga’s Museum
17.30-18.30 Ludum Science Museum (transport will be provided)
www.guidesicilia.com & www.museodellascienza.com
NOTE: YOU ARE WELCOME TO JOIN AS MANY TOURS LISTED ON THIS TBEXtra PAGE AS YOU LIKE AS LONG AS THEY DON’T CONFLICT WITH EACH OTHER OR YOUR PRE OR POST-BEX TOURS.