New one day walking and cooking tours in Sicily and the Dolomites (Italian Alps) are now offered by Italian Connection for travelers looking for a different Italian experience with a minimum commitment of time and money. They are ideal as an “add on” to any itinerary. The tours include a Foraging Walk in the Sicilian countryside, a Baroque Walk in the city of Ragusa, Cooking at Home in Sicily, and seasonal Wildflower Walks in the Dolomites and Sicily. Tours are for as few as two people and not more than eight participants. Starting at $225 per person, based on double, with discounts for children and larger groups, the tours include select meals; excellent wines; unique insider experiences, such as sampling the best cannoli, traipsing through a canyon of secret gardens and perfecting the art of focaccia-making; and walks of three to eight miles tailored to individual fitness levels. In Sicily, the one-day Foraging Walk includes trekking along old mule tracks and over limestone terraces where wild asparagus, mustard tops, capers and chard make the freshest ingredients for the day’s lunch. During the Cook at Home in Sicily tour, Italian Connection insiders and Italian cooking experts instruct on the art of making focaccia and pasta dishes using local products such as ricotta, fresh produce and locally grown hard wheat flour. Travelers looking to learn about the culture and history of Ragusa can see amazing Baroque monuments, walk through the fashionable district and secret gardens and eat the best cannoli in Sicily. Wildflower Walks feature vanilla orchids, bright blue gentians and yellow alpine poppies in the Dolomites or wild roses, saffron crocus and fragrant lavender in Sicily.

For more information, call Italian Connection at 1-800-462-7911 or visit www.italian-connection.com.

Read our blog about life and travel in Italy: http://blog.italian-connection.com.

Ragusa, Sicily, Italy (May, 2009).