Armenistis Trip Overview
Together with PBS cooking show host Diane Kochilas (My Greek Table), a native Ikarian and New Yorker, you’ll discover the delicious, healthy flavors and foods and get a taste of the Blue-Zone Ikarian way of life on her ancestral island.
Diane welcomes you into her village home, where all the cooking classes take place. She introduces the island through a cultural and historic perspective, and helps you understand the reasons behind islanders’ legendary longevity.
You’ll enjoy her garden, incredibly informative nature walks, visits to wineries, farmers, beekeepers and more. You’ll come away from a week with Diane and her team on Ikaria understanding so much about how to cook and live better.
You’ll embrace and learn about how to cook vegetable-based dishes that are deeply gratifying. You’ll milk goats and make cheese together, visit local tavernas and meet Diane’s friends and neighbors in this highly personalized, unforgettable week on the island “where people forget to die!”
Additional Info
Duration: 7 days
Starts: Armenistis, Greece
Trip Category: Multi-day & Extended Tours >> Multi-day Tours
Explore Armenistis Promoted Experiences
What to Expect When Visiting Armenistis, Ikaria, Greece
Together with PBS cooking show host Diane Kochilas (My Greek Table), a native Ikarian and New Yorker, you’ll discover the delicious, healthy flavors and foods and get a taste of the Blue-Zone Ikarian way of life on her ancestral island.
Diane welcomes you into her village home, where all the cooking classes take place. She introduces the island through a cultural and historic perspective, and helps you understand the reasons behind islanders’ legendary longevity.
You’ll enjoy her garden, incredibly informative nature walks, visits to wineries, farmers, beekeepers and more. You’ll come away from a week with Diane and her team on Ikaria understanding so much about how to cook and live better.
You’ll embrace and learn about how to cook vegetable-based dishes that are deeply gratifying. You’ll milk goats and make cheese together, visit local tavernas and meet Diane’s friends and neighbors in this highly personalized, unforgettable week on the island “where people forget to die!”
Itinerary
Day 1: Our week together in Ikaria (day of arrival & welcome dinner)
Pass By: Ikaria, Ikaria, Northeast Aegean Islands
During our week together on Ikaria, we will cook together and learn about the delicious, healthy longevity diet (with a few indulgences) of these long-living Blue Zone islanders.
You’ll meet local artisans, farmers, beekeepers, winemakers and more, and we will dine in the island’s finest tavernas and restaurants.
You’ll go on an amazing nature walk and visit a naturopathy workshop, and enjoy a taste of the stress-free, joy-filled life of Ikaria. We might dance together and hear some music, circumstances permitting.
Most of all, you will savor a glorious, relaxed, delicious week on a magical Greek island, where “people forget to die,” as the New York Times described Ikaria, cooking, laughing and eating great food in my Ikarian country home and garden.
Meals included:
• Dinner: 8 pm -11 pm Welcome dinner
Accommodation included: Tour and experience
Day 2: Our week together in Ikaria (cooking class, walk & dinner)
Stop At: Ikaria, Ikaria, Northeast Aegean Islands
9 am Longevity cooking class
Duration: 4 hours
Stop At: Ikaria, Ikaria, Northeast Aegean Islands
6 pm – 8 pm Nature walk
Duration: 2 hours
Meals included:
• Breakfast: at the hotel
• Lunch: Garden lunch
• Dinner: 8:30 – 11 pm
Accommodation included: Tour and experience
Day 3: Our week together (cooking class, visit & winery dinner)
Stop At: Ikaria, Ikaria, Northeast Aegean Islands
6 pm – 8 pm Monastery visit
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Ikaria, Ikaria, Northeast Aegean Islands
Winery visit
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Ikaria, Ikaria, Northeast Aegean Islands
9 am Longevity cooking class
Duration: 4 hours
Meals included:
• Breakfast: At the hotel
• Lunch: Garden lunch
• Dinner: Farm to table (winery) dinner and wine tasting
Accommodation included: Tour and experience
Day 4: Our week together in Ikaria (cooking class, bee visit & tasting, free evening)
Stop At: Ikaria, Ikaria, Northeast Aegean Islands
Visiting a beekeeper and finding out about honey-making
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Ikaria, Ikaria, Northeast Aegean Islands
Honey tasting
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Ikaria, Ikaria, Northeast Aegean Islands
9 am Longevity cooking class
Duration: 4 hours
Meals included:
• Breakfast: At the hotel
• Lunch: 9 am – 2 pm Healthy longevity cooking & garden lunch
Accommodation included: Tour and experience
Day 5: Our week together in Ikaria (cooking class, milking the goats & cheesemaking, evening free)
Stop At: Ikaria, Ikaria, Northeast Aegean Islands
Visit a goat shepherd & milk the goats
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Ikaria, Ikaria, Northeast Aegean Islands
Longevity cooking class & cheesemaking
Duration: 4 hours
Meals included:
• Breakfast: At the hotel
• Lunch: Garden lunch
Accommodation included: Tour and experience
Day 6: Our week together in Ikaria (visit, snack, cooking class & farewell dinner)
Stop At: Ikaria, Ikaria, Northeast Aegean Islands
Visit the traditional village
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Ikaria, Ikaria, Northeast Aegean Islands
Longevity cooking class
Duration: 4 hours
Meals included:
• Breakfast: At the hotel
• Lunch: Light lunch at the traditional village
• Dinner: Cooking class and farewell dinner
Accommodation included: Tour and experience
Day 7: Our week together in Ikaria (day of departure)
Pass By: Ikaria, Ikaria, Northeast Aegean Islands
Morning departure from the hotel
No meals included on this day.
No accommodation included on this day.
Sample Menu
• Organic Smokey Roasted Eggplant Salad
• Homemade Goat’s Milk Cheese
• Phyllo Pies with honey and more
• Soufico-The Ikarian Vegetable Medley
• Herby Baked Zucchini Fritters
• Lemony Braised Goat with Dill and Scallions
• Aromatic Vegan Stuffed Eggplants