Sicily · SICILIAN CANNOLI AND SWEETS CLASSES
This is the shortlist you would send a friend: 15 sicilian cannoli and sweets classes worth the money, each with its price, its traveller verdict and the one thing to know before you commit.
At Towns of Italy in Palermo, chefs such as Lidia and Marcello guide you through sfincione, pizza, and chocolate gelato. You shape dough, watch the gelato demonstration, eat your creations with wine or soft drinks, and leave with recipes and a certificate.
“Very fun, enlightening, and everything was delicious. Met some amazing people too!”
Spend about three hours in Palermo making pizza from scratch and preparing gelato with a local chef such as Lidia, Enza, or Salvo. You will knead dough, shape and bake your pizza, enjoy wine or soft drinks, and leave with recipes, a certificate, and plenty of food.
“My wife and I arrived at the place we were told to go to. We rang the bell, knocked on the door multiple times, but no one let us in. I called the phone number associated with the tour and did not get an answer. We want our money back, and are very upset that we went all the way there and did not get to do the cooking class.”
Meet beside Porta Messina Arch for a 1.5-hour, hands-on arancino class with Italian and English-speaking chefs such as Paolo, Margherita, Luca, and Francesca. You will prepare several fillings, fry your rice balls, and eat them with drinks in an airy restaurant patio. Dietary adaptations are available.
“Our chef, Margherita, was fantastic and made our experience so incredible! This was a highlight of our trip!”
Meet beside Taormina’s Porta Messina Arch for a hands-on cannoli class led in Italian and English by chefs such as Carmelo, Francesca, and Maurizio. Knead and fry the shells, prepare ricotta and custard fillings, eat your work with wine and coffee, and take home a certificate.
“Excellent. I was blown away by Angela’s hospitality and teaching. The pasta was the best I had in Sicily! My most memorable and best experience here.”
Meet at 6:00 pm near Porta Catania in Taormina, then ride to Ahoy Bistrò Siciliano by the sea. Chef Mimmo and Mamma Francesca guide you through Sicilian pizza, cannoli, bruschette, and chiacchiere before you eat your creations with drinks and limoncello.
“A very fun class! Mimi and his mom were very engaging and enthusiastic. Loved sitting with the other attendees to enjoy what we made.”
At Porta Messina Restaurant in Taormina, you’ll make cannoli dough, ricotta and cream fillings, fry the shells, and eat the results. English-speaking chefs such as Francesca and Maurizio lead the hands-on class. Coffee, soft drinks, and sometimes wine are included, with a certificate at the end.
“Maurizo was my teacher in learning how to make Canolis…he was very knowledgeable and friendly I would definitely recommend this cooking class!”
At Towns of Italy in Palermo, chef Marcello guides you through fresh egg pasta, two pasta shapes, seasonal sauces, and a gelato demonstration. You eat the meal with wine, receive recipes and a certificate, and can add a market tour. Vegetarian options are available.
“Wonderful workshop, worked well for all the family. Marcello was a brilliant teacher and the food was delicious 😋”
From Messina’s cruise terminal, your private guide and driver take you to Taormina for three hours of free exploration, with time for the Greek Theater, Corso Umberto, shops, and lunch. Return for Strait views, Messina Cathedral, and cannoli filled fresh at a local pastry shop.
“Our guide Serena was wonderful and our driver Francesco was excellent, we spent the day seeing many beautiful sights of Taormina and Messina, including Isolabella. It was a wonderful day.”
Spend about five hours exploring Taormina and Castelmola with a private driver-guide. Walk Corso Umberto, visit the Greek theater, climb to medieval Castelmola, taste almond wine at Turrisi, and finish with a Sicilian arancino. Guides may include Marco, Elena, Maurizio, or Omar.
“We were there on a Sunday and most places were closed, but our tour guide was excellent. He accommodated our needs and was very knowledgeable and pleasant. He really went out of his way to make sure we enjoyed our stay and saw as much as possible. Taormina is a must. Beautiful town, small shops, great to walk around. He took us to Savoca, where the movie, Godfather was filmed. Beautiful scenery had a gelato and walked around. You can visit the church on the top of the mountain.”
At Porta Messina Restaurant in Taormina, a chef guides you through rice preparation, filling, shaping, and frying Sicilian arancini. The class starts at 6:30 pm and lasts about two hours. Chef Luca has handled special dietary needs with care, including a dairy-free, vegan option.
“I took my mom on this tour as a birthday present. I saw another review say they were accommodating for food allergies. My mom is severely allergic to dairy, so arancini out on the street is out of the question. This tour was FULLY accommodating to her dairy allergy, and gave us a fully vegan option. In the rice, you must mix Parmesan cheese. They made us pistachio flour instead. When we were filling our arancini, the guide (Luca) brought mushrooms and tomatoes from the kitchen just for her to have something special. All 9 of us in the class made 3+ arancini, where I thought we’d be permitted to…”
From Taormina, join a group of up to eight for a guided Etna walk among extinct craters and lava flows, then wear a helmet and use a torch inside a lava tunnel. Finish with free time in an Etna town and a tasting of arancino or other Sicilian snacks.
“Mario was an excellent guide and it was wonderful to explore Etna. He really knows his stuff and answered every single question we had! He clearly has a lot of experience and expertise. He tailored the entire tour to out experience and interests (there were only two of us). It was lovely to chat with him on the transfer to and from Taormina also. Highly recommend doing your Etna experience with Mario!”
In a Catania cooking laboratory, an English- or Italian-speaking chef guides you through rice, fillings, crunchy breading, arancini, and Sicilian almond paste. You’ll taste several versions with wine, water, and coffee, then take home a recipe booklet. Groups are limited to six.
“The chef was excellent. She spoke English. The recipes were excellent. They provided wine with dinner. We could actually share what we prepared with a couple who prepared a different dinner. It was fun and delicious. Both women were exceptionally gracious. No complaints here.”
At Ristorante Pizzeria Porta Messina in Taormina, you’ll learn to shape and fry classic arancini with a local chef. Expect saffron rice, ragù, mozzarella, Sicilian specialties, wine, dessert, and limoncello in an English-language class lasting about two hours.
“Wonderful experience, our host was the best. We met people from all over the world which added to the experience. We would go back for more of the other classes.”
Travel privately from Messina to Savoca and Taormina with an English-speaking guide, visiting Bar Vitelli and the Church of Santa Lucia, then return for Messina Cathedral and a Sicilian cannolo. Erica and Filippo are named guides associated with the experience.
“It was a beautiful experience and the tour guide was well informed and patient. Erica and Filippo were great!”
Spend about three hours with a private Palermo guide such as Giorgio, Ignazio, or Georgia, tasting at least seven Sicilian sweets, gelato, pastries, and espresso. The walk links major sights with La Vucciria and ends near Discesa dei Giudici.
“We had a fantastic experience with our very knowledgeable guide Ignazio. If you’re afraid it will be too much sugar it isn’t. It’s just enough to taste with a whole lot of historical and cultural information about Palermo included. It’s been one of our favorite tours in recent memory and we travel a lot. Highly recommend this super high quality unique tour.”
Pick a coast, a volcano or a kitchen.
