Syracuse & Ortigia Food Tours
Syracuse’s old town, Ortigia, is an island of baroque streets around a morning market where Greek Sicily is still on sale: tuna, swordfish, oranges, capers, the cheese of the Hyblaean hills, and a street food tour or a cooking class starts there. Compare the top-rated tours and classes below, then read our notes.
Formats: street food walking tours of Ortigia and its market; cooking classes with a market visit and lunch; classes with a view of the Greek theatre; hands-on street food classes; day trips into the Val di Noto with farm lunches.
What you will taste: the market’s raw and cured fish, pane cunzato, arancini, pasta with sea urchin in season, caponata, Ragusano cheese, almond granita and Noto’s almond sweets, and Nero d’Avola.
Price and time: 50 to 80 dollars for a three-hour food tour; 115 to 150 for a cooking class with market and lunch.
The Ortigia market
The market runs along Via De Benedictis by the Temple of Apollo every morning except Sunday, from about half past seven until two: fish stalls with the eastern coast’s tuna and swordfish, produce from the Pachino tomato plain, cheese and salumi from the hills, and a couple of famous counters that build sandwiches to order with a queue to match. Food tours start here and move through Ortigia’s lanes to bakeries, a wine bar and a gelateria over three hours.
Cooking classes
Syracuse’s classes are among the best-reviewed in Sicily and start at the market with the host, then cook a full Sicilian lunch, often in a home or a kitchen with the Greek theatre in view. Four hours with the meal. Hands-on street food classes teach arancini, panelle and pane cunzato.
Into the Val di Noto
Noto, the baroque town half an hour south, has almond sweets, granita and a few regenerative-farm cooking classes; Modica and Ragusa are an hour further. Van tours from Syracuse cover them in a day; see Modica chocolate and the Val di Noto. Etna trek-and-wine days also depart from here: Etna wine tours.
Frequently asked questions
Is Syracuse a good food destination?
Yes, and quieter than Palermo or Catania: a compact old town, a real market, and two of the island’s best cooking classes.
When is the Ortigia market open?
Monday to Saturday mornings; closed Sunday.
How far is Syracuse from Catania?
About an hour and a quarter by train, which makes it an easy day trip or a better base for the south-east.
How we choose
We list only experiences with a strong rating over a meaningful number of reviews and free cancellation where available, and we favour small-group and family-run hosts. FindEatLocal earns a commission when you book through GetYourGuide or Viator links on this page; it doesn’t change the price you pay. More about how we choose.