Sicily with Michael Portillo | Preview (Channel 5)

Join Michael Portillo as he takes us to the beautiful island of Sicily, where he explores the impressive and intriguing ancient capital of Palermo.

During a thrilling weekend of adventure, Michael dines with a duchess, investigates the island’s murderous ties to the mafia, travels off-road to discover an ancient wonder, witnesses the incredible transformation of a crumbling 19th-century palace, hits the beach to cook up a secret seafood specialty, and toasts a Hollywood legend.

Michael begins by hailing an ‘Ape’, a three-wheeled taxi, to zigzag through Palermo’s maze of narrow medieval streets. It’s an exhilarating introduction to the chaotic beauty of this unique city.

Ballarò’s colourful street food market is over a thousand years old. Here, Michael samples Sicily’s gastronomic heritage, including a curious spleen sandwich. Then he takes a look at the island’s dark side, meeting brave anti-mafia residents whose brave stand against the mafiosi has made Palermo one of Italy’s safest cities.

In high spirits, Michael heads out into the countryside in search of one of Sicily’s most beautiful panoramas, overlooking the magical, ancient temple of Segesta. He discovers the magnificent 19th-century Palazzo Butera, a ruined palace now restored to its spectacular former glory. He also seeks out the secrets of the idyllic coastal town of Mondello.

Palermo is a foodie’s paradise. Michael perfects his cooking skills by making pesto pasta with an Italian duchess, samples Sicilian delicacies with a Michelin-starred chef, and visits a traditional pasticcerie to make cannoli, the famous pastry loved all over the world.

Michael also checks into the opulent Villa Igiea, where he enjoys an aperitif named after Burt Lancaster, the Hollywood legend who stayed at the hotel. He also roasts coffee at a family-run torrefazione and delves deep into the city’s multicultural past by visiting the beautiful Arab-Norman church that helped Palermo become a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Sicily with Michael Portillo airs on Saturday 17 August on Channel 5.