Passata party

EMIKO DAVIES visits sun-kissed Sicily and captures the traditional art of making astrattu.

- EMIKO DAVIES

In central Sicily you can, under the expert guidance of Fabrizia Lanza, chase the forgotten Sicilian tradition of making astrattu, or tomato extract, at the Anna Tasca Lanza cooking school.

The school's home is Case Vecchie, an oasis among the summer wheat fields, surrounded by orchards, vegetable gardens, hens, vineyards as far as the eye can see and a refreshing pool. But its most important feature is the large, square stone courtyard, around which you find the kitchen, the barn and the guest rooms. Here, the Sicilian sun beats down, making it the perfect place for drying — laundry, figs, tomato paste, you name it.