Mangi e Bevi

Be Nourished: an immersion of food, wine and connection

Mangi e Bevi is a 9-day all inclusive, fully nourished journey in South East Sicily: Siracusa, Noto, Modica, Ragusa and beyond — we’ll reconnect to what we love, savoring the flavors of Sicily and life.

We immerse ourselves with traditional, hyper local, fresh foods, wine and joy.

Let’s fill up on the magic of Sicilian food and be nourished at every level.

Are you ready to taste wine that tastes like red soil?

Sauce that smells like lemons?

To be in community and connection, saturated in flavors, waking up your senses?

We created Mangi e Bevi to immerse ourselves in food and drink, to dive into the wildly delicious layers of Sicily. To reconnect with joy. To give the gift of nourishment.

To feel alive.

And to remember that nourishing ourselves and each other is the Sicilian way — and a remedy for all of us. 

This immersion is for:

Those who love to eat and drink, yes of course, but also who want to be fully and truly nourished by this magical island. We get serious about eating Sicilian food, drinking Sicilian wine, and meeting Sicilian people; making connections with the makers themselves, and learning through a hands on approach. Lifelong friendships will be forged and your body will feel well rested, well fed and well cared for. We welcome all people who embody a true respect for culture and travel, who are into fostering real relationships, who breathe deep in the fresh air, crave artistic adventures, and desire true connection — to flavor, to land, to people, to themselves.

What Awaits You

A full on immersion for the senses — through food and drink we will taste, smell, feel, and sense the magic of the island. We’ll gather at small regenerative farms, experience regional and traditional foods, learn history and myth through ingredients, spend time with hyper local winemakers and be with indigenous grapes. We’ll festa at a local food Sagra, indulge (and make) in Sicilian chocolate, truffle hunt, spend the day with wild plants and learn from some of our favorite amaro makers.

We’ll savor the flavors and the debaucherous deliciousness of the island— and have a ton of fun while doing so.

We’ll root ourselves in the Southeastern portion of the island to consciously spend more time on the ground and less time in the car. Our accommodations are a stunning antique villa, with all of the creature comforts. You’ll be held, guided and welcomed with love by local experts as well as nourished and cared for by your Radici space holders: MaryBeth and Gemma.

This trip is all-inclusive: lodging, transport with van and driver, 99% of all meals, all wine, incredible translators, licensed/insured guides that are fun and like family, local experts, multigenerational makers, and all experiences. And especially joy. Joy comes with the package. We need joy.

We are here to be nourished, to nourish, and to connect with each other on an island that is like no other.

Here’s what makes this journey unforgettable:

  • Wild foods

    Spend time meandering nature with local farmers and makers to gather wild foods to prepare and savor together.

  • Hands-on cooking and making

    We’ll cook food together, make amaro together, take a chocolate making lab— we will have our hands in the flavors.

  • Deep dive into local wineries

    Sicily’s grapes are ancient, and so are the ways they prepare wines. We will visit small, biodynamic and delicious wineries to experience what local grapes taste like from the South East soil.

  • Festa with food!

    Food will be celebrated every day, but we will also visit a Food Sagra — a festa that honors the flavors of a specific hyper seasonal food. It’s non stop eating, much, culture and fun.

  • Amaro making lab

    We’ll visit one of your favorite amaro makers on the island — get our hands in the plants and herbs that make that incredible bitter flavor so important to Sicilians, and learn how the best makers make this bitter delight.

  • A traditional chocolate making experience

    We’ll learn the history of this unique-to-Italy style chocolate — that came from South American in the 1400s. We’ll visit a lab and do some hands on making.

SOME PLACES WE WILL GO AND THE FLAVORS WE WILL EXPERIENCE (full itinerary comes with registration)

  • SIRACUSA: we will explore Ortigia and their markets and street food scene

  • NOTO: we will spend a long and beautiful day at Three Farms Islands, gathering wild foods, learning, and cooking together — of course feasting over a long table with delicious local wine

  • RAGUSA: we will enjoy the specific flavors of this city: Focaccia Ragusana and maybe some macco. We will spend time at the most important and unique biodynamic and female-owned and run wineries: Occhipinti

  • MODICA: A gorgeous baroque city with a particular speciality: cioccolato. We will learn the secrets and history of this incredible chocolate — and make some, too.

  • SCICLI: This underrated, secret village is where we will wander, shop, and of course savor at Nivera, (some of the best gelato), eat some Scacce and enjoy Teste di Turco. We’ll travel into the hills for a beautiful time at a hidden herbal farm with artisanal and culinary delights, aromatic herbs and music.

  • ETNA: and this trip could not happen without a day and night at a food sagra — we are keeping this a surprise— prepared to be delighted.

And much more! Morning yoga and stretching available as well :)

This is your invitation to be nourished. 

You deserve a little escape from the grind and to land in a place where you are held, fed, and cared for. Our immersions are designed with deep intentions around your needs, but also the needs of Sicily, and so we keep everything bespoke and authentic. Our partners are native Sicilians, and they weave these experiences for us with such generosity and joy.

We want you to experience Sicily in this real and joyful way.

Mangi e Bevi is for you if you seek an authentic Sicilian food experience — a true sensory experience —and of course, a really good time.

We have only 8 spots available.

What Is Included

  • Accommodation from the evening of 2 October -10 October.

  • 99% of all meals, including all breakfasts and most dinners. All wine and water included . 

  • 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 

  • Basically everything is included.

What Is Not Included

  • Flight costs

  • Accommodations on the evening of the 9 October, - which we suggest getting in Catania because we meet early morning on the 10th. As well as accommodation past the evening of the 10th.

  • Transport from airport (to city center where we meet on the 2nd— though it may be possible to drop you off at the airport on the 10th if timing is aligned

  • Some meals such as street food and spontaneous stops and food festa treats.

EAT. DRINK. JOY.

Investment: 

$5300 per person  for a shared room.

  • For a single room, a supplemental fee of $500 can be paid. If you want this option, please register for a double and email us your request for a single and we’ll set you up.

  • We offer both pay in full and 6-month payment plan options- which will be available until April 1, 2025

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. 

Your guides

MaryBeth Bonfiglio

MaryBeth, founder of Radici Siciliane, grew up 2nd generation Italian American — Sicani and Lucani, from Sicily and southern Italy as well as Masche from Northern Italy. She’s been encultured by Sicilian Americans her whole life- living in enclaves, being surrounded by the food, language and folk ways of her elders.

She created Radici Siciliane in 2018 after many solo pilgrimages to Sicily where she built deep relationships with the Sicilian people— and this changed her life.

She was called to reconnect others to the beautiful and magic of the island. Since then, she’s brought over 150 people to Sicily to be in joy and to travel differently. She works directly with the people, so they can share the history, flavors, and potent beauty of the island, authentically.

Read her full bio here here.

Gemma Fanelli

Gemma Fanelli grew up on the Southside of Chicago with her seven siblings, immersed in her father’s Italian American roots. She learned to cook alongside her Nonna, helping prepare the family Sunday dinners held at the long dining table in the basement. Her family joked that she was a younger version of Nonna, a ‘little Nonna’. This is where Gemma’s love for hosting and gathering people to eat and drink began.

In 1990 her father brought her to his ancestral village in Pieve di Compito, Lucca, Toscana- and this changed her life.

The gift Nonna gave through her hands and the seed her father had planted in her heart, called her to share her Italy with her friends and community. She has hosted multiple trips to her ancestral village, at Casa Fanelli, her grandfather’s home. It brings her joy to share Italy, and now Sicily, with people who also believe in food and community.

Testimonials

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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