From fresh pasta on the cobbled streets of Ortigia, to locally caught fish for a villa barbecue, Sicily is a food lover’s dream, says Helena Lang

Over the last few years, Sicily has become a chic, gastronomic destination for smart British foodies, but it has somehow passed me by. The situation needs to be rectified, so we've arrived to dip our toes in local hospitality and discover what the fuss is all about. 

Our rather grand mini-break residence is La Ferla, a large, privately owned home located outside the small east-coast industrial town of Augusta, where it’s tucked behind a big steel gate amongst a row of villas facing the sea. Here to meet us are a couple of young members of the Villatravellers team, who show us where all five (yes!) showers are, how to get down to the rocks below, where you can (weather permitting) clamber into the sea, which switches operate which lights (confusing!), and so on.

They’ve also laid out a spread of local charcuterie, cheese, olives, giant knobbly breadsticks, crisps, nuts and a welcome bottle of Prosecco. In the fridge there is beer, white wine, milk, fruit juice and butter. There’s a bowl heaving with fruit and a cupboard stuffed with bread, pasta and biscuits. A basket is loaded with onions, garlic, two courgettes half the size of rolling pins, a pepper the size of Mike Tyson’s fist and an aubergine you could play rugby with. In short, everything you need to make your first meal of the holiday, and soon we are uncorking the wine on the covered patio (sadly watching the rain pour down) and grazing the nibbles, while veg is roasting in the oven and pasta bubbling away on the hob.

The single-storey three-bedroom villa has a vast kitchen-diner with everything a wannabe Italian chef needs. I love the little touches: the quirky collection of cacti on shelves outside the kitchen door, the 3D map of the island with Mount Etna rising like a huge pimple on the east coast, the typical Sicilian jugs (called Moro heads). It feels like home instantly. The pool doesn’t look so inviting on a wet and windy day, but we appreciate the scattering of chairs and loungers and the piles of towels in cupboards... maybe the sun will come out and we will get to use them? Meanwhile, the waves crash onto the bulbous lava rocks below, spray rising many metres into the air like whale spume. It’s certainly dramatic.

Nearby is the coastal village of Brucoli. It’s sleepy on a May Monday morning, with fishermen drying lobster pots, and bars and restaurants with their tarpaulins lowered. Mums queue at the school gates for the lunchtime break, while ducks hustle and bustle over the little road, nagging us for crusts we don’t have. Most of the little pastel houses have murals on their outdoor walls, often accompanied by a religious icon and patterned tiles. At the small marina they are hauling boats out of the water onto a tractor with a trailer to tuck them away in a nearby field, as there is a storm brewing at sea.

Back at the villa we have arranged for private chef Ivano and his assistant, Salvatore, to cook us dinner. What a treat to have two professionals bustling about in the kitchen while we shower, dress and sip bellini cocktails out by the pool. Our meal kicks off with a perfect melanzane parmigiana – the aubergine sliced finely; the tomato sauce rich, sticky and sweet; and just the right amount of cheese in the mix. Ivano Clockwise from left: The homely La Ferla villa; fresh prawns barbecued at home; the villa’s private pool looking over the sea tells us that in Sicily they often add slices of mortadella sausage too, but he feels it makes the dish too rich. Next is red tuna seared in olive oil and served on a bed of cushion-soft golden onions that have been slowly cooked in oil, Marsala and wine vinegar – they have a delicious sweet and sour flavour. A bowl of oven-roasted potatoes on the side provides the carbs. For dessert, he’s made chocolate and ginger mousse with some pistachio ice cream. It is a real treat.

One sunny day, we drive through the lemon groves that surround nearby Syracuse to the sandy beach at Arenella. Here there is a glamorous beach club and a glorious headland where those who, like us, prefer their seaside a bit more manicured can relax by the rocks, dipping their toes into the Med. Syracuse was also our destination for sightseeing. You can stroll over the Ponte Umbertino bridge to the little island of Ortigia, where there are castles, forts and ruins galore along with a spectacular cathedral. Best of all are the tiny cobbled streets, with their wrought iron balconies and bougainvillea shrubs, rammed with chic boutiques, cafés, bars, art galleries and gelaterias. Work up an appetite before stopping off for homemade fresh pasta, caponata bruschetta and more at a street-side café.

On our way ‘home’, we stopped off at restaurant and fishmonger Onda Blu to buy giant raw prawns to barbecue in the villa garden and a large bass to bake with fresh herbs, olive oil and Sicilian lemons. The stormy skies appeared to be clearing, the sun made an appearance and the waves had decided to kiss the rocks, rather than pound them. Aperol spritzes were poured, and the blissful moment arrived when it was easy to see what all the fuss was about Sicily and it’s wonderful food.