Heidi is an excellent tour guide! She is incredibly knowledgable and passionate about what she does, and she is great at making people feel welcome and building connections. She is also great at finding the best food and wine, and creating a unique tour experience. I thoroughly enjoyed my trip to Sicily, and I would definitely take another tour with her!

The two-day pre-trip in Catania and the retreat in Noto were excellent. This enabled us to experience Sicily in two different settings. Lucky us! We were a group of 15 women from all over the U.S. whose ages ranged from the mid-40s to 70+. In Catania it was exciting to walk to the piazza and see a bevy of activity; people out and about, open food markets, restaurants, cafes and shops, street entertainers (musicians, dancers). The ancient Baroque architecture was amazing, absolutely beautiful to behold. Being on Mt. Etna, a live volcano, was interesting. Wish we could've stayed longer to see more. A tour to an organic winery with a yummy lunch was delightful. In Noto, the Baglio Siciliamo was an ideal country resort for a retreat. It was well-appointed, clean, and the staff provided superb service. The food from the resort and from the restaurant, Manna, was delicious. Our day trips from the baglio were varied but reflective of the area. These included a walking tour of Noto, pizza dinner, bio goat farm tour, "light" lunches, winery tours, dinner al fresco, archeological tours, tour of a nature reserve, and chocolate making. We learned and experienced a lot about the southeast coast of Sicily.

I had a fantastic time. Great group, exquisite food, and accomodations that exceeded my expectations. The tours that were set up for us were interesting and informative. I loved the walking tours of the cities, as well as the trips to the farm, chocolate maker, and winery. The meals were all memorable, all photo-worthy and delicious. Got great service in wonderful environments at all restaurants and venues. Heidi was the best guide ever -- so personable and knowledgeable, and willing to do whatever it took to make sure everyone was happy.

The Baglio was charming in every way. The food was perfecto. The variety of activities; wine tasting, olive oil tasting, chocolate making were all fabulous. The ratio of activity to to down time was well done. Loved every village we went to! Heidi gives a personal touch that brings everyone together. We had a great group. The only reason I didn’t give is that I thought my room would have been better as a single. The light from the bathroom could not be shaded at night for sleep. And if one wakes up in the middle of the night there was no where to go. Part of this I learned from this trip and it is definitely personal preference.

This was my third tour with Heidi Burnette with Forktown Food Tours with two incredibly gratifying Portland Food Tours and now the first European tour. The Sicily Women’s Retreat was inspirational and provided the perfect spark for leading a more adventurous life. It is evident that along with Heidi’s fluency of the Italian language and relationships with purveyors of the wine, olive oil, cheese and chocolate producers…we were able to learn about, taste and have a more in-depth understanding of Sicilian culture past and present. There were many moments I would say, “pinch me”….because I couldn’t believe I was in the picturesque rooftop of a cathedral looking at an entire village and the Mediterranean Sea or hiking a part of Mt. Etna, or dining on a delicious four course meal sipping phenomenal wine! Heidi is a master at building a community while quietly making sure all the details come to fruition. She is warm, engaging, and is acutely aware of accommodating anyone’s needs however, small or grand! On my return home, the descriptions I provided to my husband was so contagious, he declared that he wanted us to sign up with Forktown Tours for a trip led by Heidi! Thank you Heidi for a magical time! Char H.