The Triche travelers at a “terrific” cooking class at Fontes Episcopi.

Sicily is a special place, the crossroads of history and Western civilization, and the sense of a continuous living history is everywhere. We have been four times now, and will likely return yet again. The possibilities are seemingly endless. The small towns and their people are steeped in that history, the food is unforgettable, landscape rugged and rocky and beautiful, and the freedom to simply soak it all in is perhaps the best part of the trip.

We chose our destinations based on things we had not seen before, and we were not disappointed. We focused on destinations away from the crowds and in the process met wonderful people, both the Sicilians and the guides. The food was amazing, and helping prepare at least three meals in different locations was special. Late Fall is definitely a great time to go; the weather was perfect. Our travel adviser, Laura, and her associates were pretty incredible; they were available at any time and were truly interested in making our trip memorable. There were so many unique destinations she chose based on our interview before the trip that it would be difficult to single out only one, but the way the trip evolved, from small Baroque towns on the southeast coast to the interior and Villa Romana (a spectacular don’t-miss destination) and Agrigento, and finally Taormina and environs was perfect, leading to a crescendo finish.

Each of the luncheons was special in its own right, but the ones at Motta Camastra (with Le Mamme del Borgo) where we prepared the macaroni, and Zio Pippo’s vineyard were something to remember. At his place we enjoyed simple food prepared by his wife and accompanied by his wine. Both are something you don’t forget. These people have been living there for 7,000 years, and it shows in their food, their wine, their engaging friendliness and their homes and land. The entire trip was a treat, but the hidden jewels were the small town visits and sitting down and eating with the local population.

Laura Massoni planned an amazing trip for us to northern Italy for 2 weeks in May 2024. Her team listened to what we were looking for and they nailed it! Perfect boutique hotels, great knowledgeable guides, and wonderful, meaningful experiences that we will always remember. We highly recommend Laura Massoni and her team and plan to utilize their services again for our next trip to Italy!

We were referred to Laura to help plan part of our trip to Sicily. We had already planned a bicycling trip and were looking to spend time before that started in a different part of Sicily. We were very pleased with the guides and drivers provided, as well as the recommended places. We especially liked our stay and cooking experience at Fontes Episcopi in Aragona, as well as our guided day trip from there to Sant’Angelo Muxaro, where we made cannolis and had a delicious lunch with a local family. The whole day, including a walking tour around the town as well as tasting local cheeses, olive oil, almonds and other products, was a nice experience that we would not have known to do without the recommendation from Laura.

The following day we had a guided tour of the valley of the temples in Agrigento. Our guide was excellent as well as the planned private lunch after at Casa Barbadoro. I don’t think we would have figured to plan any of this ourselves without the guidance from Laura’s office. We thank you for referring us to them and will refer other friends in the future.

I have followed Wendy Perrin for years and had often reviewed her site for ideas and tips for itineraries that I planned for my family. In July of 2023, when my husband and I decided to go to Naples and Sicily for the first time, I decided to engage the team at WendyPerrin.com to help me plan a WOW trip. I’m not sure WOW adequately does justice to the itinerary that was designed by Laura Massoni, a local expert that I was connected with in Sicily.

We wanted to avoid crowds and heat, so I originally told Laura that we wanted to travel in early February. She wisely guided me to move our trip forward a few weeks so that most places we wanted to visit would be open. We arrived in Rome at the end of February and for the next two weeks reveled in the most perfect travel experience ever.

I told Laura that our interests were art, architecture, food and Italian culture, and she wove together an itinerary that hit every note beautifully. One highlight for my husband, a lifelong student of pizza making, was to take a pizza-making class at Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana headquarters, where chefs from all over the world come to learn and become certified in every aspect of making proper Neapolitan pizza. This turned out to be an unforgettable experience we would not have found on our own. The private tours of the magnificent Pompeii and Valley of the Temples allowed us to walk, unrushed, with knowledgeable experts who could answer all of our questions and provide both historical context and updates on the latest excavation and restoration efforts.

I honestly don’t know how our trip could have been any better. The private guides and drivers were delightful company, everything was on time, and Laura checked in with us a few times to ensure that everything was ok. We came home knowing two things: We can’t wait to go back to Sicily and Naples (a highly underrated city in our opinion) and we wished we would have engaged the great people at WendyPerrin.com earlier to help us plan our travel. Bravo to you all, and our local expert, Laura Massoni.