Botanico Sacro
Majaria e piante
A nine-day journey on Sicily immersing yourself on the land, with the plants, and opening the senses to folk magic.
From May 22-May 30 we will gather together in the province of Siracusa to learn from local Sicilians and each other in this unique immersion.
Become-With the Sacred Plants & Magic Populare of Sicily
Majaria e piante = folk magic + plants
Are you ready to embrace the hidden magic of Sicily for an extraordinary journey of connection, healing, and ancient wisdom?
Botanico Sacro invites you to immerse yourself in the sacred traditions of the island — specifically within the Siracusa province,
where timeless folk magic and the natural world intertwine.
Botanico Sacro is a transformative immersion that awakens your spirit and deepens your relationship with the land, the plants, and its ancestral magic — and we do so in community.
What Awaits You
Botanico Sacro is a unique gathering for those who feel called to honor the earth and its sacred gifts, on land that has unbroken lineages of time keepers, land tenders, and folk healers. We root ourselves in the region of Siracusa — the first Grecian settlements on the island and also holds pre-history in temples and necropoli.
Guided by local Sicilian plant experts, naturalists, and holders of ancient traditions, you’ll explore the powerful connections between plants, place, people, spirit and the body.
This experience isn’t a tour, typical training or academic course. Instead, you’ll learn in harmony with Sicily’s wisdom and magic — by practicing being open, present, curious and hold a reverence for what grows and lives on this land.
We allow the land and the people devoted to the land to guide us.
We will listen.
And with the support of MaryBeth, founder of Radici Siciliane, you have time to process, craft and ritual together. We’ll integrate in a potent container for those who long for connection of “who we were”.
Here’s what makes this journey unforgettable:
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Deep Plant Wisdom
Learn about local plants and their roles in the ancient healing practices of majaria (land-based magic).
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Hands-On Rituals & Practices
Create herbal medicines, prepare traditional, wild foods, and participate in sacred rituals passed down through generations.
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Ancestral Storytelling
Hear oral histories and myths that have shaped Sicily’s spiritual lineage.
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Community Connection
Come together in a supportive group to embrace the wisdom of the past and share your own with the group.
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Diaspora Integration & Ritual
The magic of the diaspora held by MaryBeth so we can bring together our folk magic with the magic of the land, weaving and bridge building.
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Outdoor Adventures
Over nine days, you’ll be guided by local healers, storytellers, and naturalists through the Siracusa region’s breathtaking landscapes, including:
- The Vendicari Nature Preserve: A coastal sanctuary of wild beauty and bioregional wisdom.
- The Necropolis of Pantalica: A mystical site steeped in ancient history
- The Sacred Mountain and the cult of the Mother God
Learn from other local farmers, cooks, and local teachers who are devoted to the land and how it nourishes us.
Craft flower essences together with the wildly blooming flowers.
Be guided in traditional medicine making with Paolino Eccello (author of many books including Majaria: La Sicilia della Magia e Dei Misteri - which is only available in Sicily).
Come together for dream temple work and practice dream rituals with local plants and prayers.
Learn from renowned folk magic keeper Paolino Uccello, whose work honors the plants, saints, and sacred traditions of this land. We will also spend time at the museum he curated that focuses on folk magic and the majaria of Sicily.
Practice strega somatica — somatics from the island of Sicily.
Pilgrimage up Etna with a local naturalist learning about the endemic and medicinal plants that grow from the source: the mother volcano.
Botanico Sacro is an opportunity for reconnection to the earth, your inner healer, and the wisdom that has been carried through the ages.
Together, we’ll honor the sacred plants and traditions of Sicily, ensuring their vitality for generations to come. To know the plants of place allows for deeper wisdom on how our ancestors healed and took care of each other.
We come together in Botanico Sacro to honor the sacred plants and ways of this mystical island, and also to receive the medicine so we can carry it on for each other in our own communities.
If you are interested in Sicilian culture, plants, healing, food, and the spirits of place, this is a beautiful immersion for you. It is potent, powerful, beautiful.
If you are interested in making medicine and magic in community, please join us.
If you are devoted to healing through being alive, reconnecting with the land, and learning about Sicilian culture - ancient to present - you are welcome. If you want to integrate the folk magic of being someone of a diaspora with the plant medicine of ancestral lands — we are here to hold you in this circle.
This Is Your Invitation
Escape to the mystical island of Sicily, where ancient ways of being and natural beauty converge. Let the land, its people, and its plants awaken your spirit and deepen your sense of connection to the earth.
Join us for Botanico Sacro and embark on a journey like no other.
Ready to awaken your inner healer and plant communion? Reserve your spot today and experience the magic of Sicily.
We have only 8 spots available.
What Is Included
Accommodation from the evening of 22 May until the morning of 30 May.
21 meals, including all breakfasts and most dinners. All wine and water included at meals.
All transport during the immersion.
A licensed tour guide/driver
A large, comfortable air conditioned van
A local translator
All experiences with local teachers and admission fees into natural parks
All workshops and learning
What Is Not Included
Accommodations on the evening of the 21st of May - which we suggest getting because we meet early morning on the 22nd. As well as accommodation past the evening of the 29th.
Transport from airport (to city center where we meet on 22nd- though it may be possible to drop you off at the airport on the 30th if timing is aligned—you may want to stay another evening in Catania.
4 meals (out of 21).
Investment:
$4900 per person (shared room)
(Supplement $700 for a single room, please email to request this option)
We offer both pay in full and four-month payment plan options.
Questions?
Learn about our cultural agreements here.
Learn about redistributing money in Sicily here.
Want to know which immersion is right for you? Click here.
Want support traveling before or after Radici immersions? Send us an email.
MaryBeth Bonfiglio
your guide and container holder:
I’m a second-generation Sicani and Lucani, from Sicily and southern Italy as well as Masche from Northern Italy. My maternal grandmother gave me the gift of Położna (midwifery) from Poland. I was raised by the working poor, culturally intact, slowly but traumatically assimilated and vibrant immigrant communities in small towns in Upstate NY, the land of the Eries people. My mother worried. My father was a bookie. My mother was devoted La Madonna. My father was a witch. Read my full bio here.
Testimonials
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MaryBeth did such a beautiful job of accompanying the group of us into an open journey full of rich experiences.It has become a significant value along the path of discovering who I am. I felt a deep level of connection immediately to the land, and to the people drawn together with me.
~N.G., 2024
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Just come on the trip. If you’ve been thinking about it but you’re not sure you’ll fit in for whatever reason, take a chance - come on the trip. This island has so much to teach you if you are willing to receive it, and it’s will be a beautiful experience.
~S.N., 2024
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The spirit of the Sicilian people- warm, generous, exuberant, and resilient. Every experience was deeply embodied - I felt so connected to my flesh and blood, the land, the ancestors.
~A.S., 2024