Flavors of Italy

We arrive in Milan today where we’ll meet our guide and transfer to Bologna in the Food Valley! Food is a focus here as it is throughout the Emilia-Romagna region—home of Parma ham, balsamic vinegar, and Parmesan. Cured meats, aged cheeses, cream, butter, game and truffles abound in this most indulgent of cuisines. After we check into our hotel we’ll have some time to relax before our guided tour of this beautiful city where we’ll see Bologna’s two famous towers: Torre Degli Asinelli and Torre della Garisenda. This evening, we’ll enjoy a three course dinner with a specially chosen wine at a traditional Trattoria near our hotel.

Zanhotel Tre Vecchi or similar | Dinner

Our food adventure continues today with a visit to Parma, the capital of the world-famous Prosciutto and Parmigiano cheese. Visit a local producer of Prosciutto di Parma where you’ll discover how this famous delicacy is made and enjoy a special tasting of ham with some Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. We’ll continue on a walking tour of Parma with a local guide, seeing the city’s main plaza and the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta. Afterwards, we’ll enjoy a typical lunch at a local restaurant with a Culatello and a Tortellini dish. This afternoon, we continue our food exploration and experience with another signature product of this land, Balsamic Vinegar. On the return to Bologna, visit a local producer and learn about the production process and taste this specialty.

| Breakfast, Lunch

After breakfast at our hotel, we’ll check out and depart for Radda di Chianti, in the heart of Tuscany. Along the way, we’ll stop at a farmhouse in the heart of the Chianti countryside where we’ll try Tuscan wines and taste the local delicacies like Pecorino Cheese, Bruschetta, and other cold cuts. Then continue on to Radda di Chianti, a beautiful medieval town surrounded by defensive walls. Located up on a hill between the valleys of Arbia and Pesa, Radda once served as the capital of Chianti as its prime location served as a point of coordination between its neighbors Gaiole and Castellina, and its picturesque views, small town feel, and culinary delights make it a unique destination. After we check into our hotel, we’ll have some free time to relax before our three-course dinner.

Hotel Palazzo Leopoldo or similar | Breakfast, Dinner

After breakfast today, we’ll embark on our Tuscan adventure by traveling to the famous town of San Gimignano where we’ll find the weekly market. Recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1990, San Gimignano is a small, walled village about halfway between Florence and Siena. It’s famous for its fascinating medieval architecture including its towers that rise above all of the town’s other buildings, offering impressive views of both the town and the surrounding valley. At the height of its glory, San Gimignano’s patrician families had built around 72 tower-houses as symbols of their wealth and power and while only fourteen have survived, San Gimignano still retains its feudal atmosphere and appearance. We’ll continue to a pasta factory in the heart of the Chianti valley where we’ll learn everything about the pasta made here. This afternoon we’ll return to our hotel with some free time to relax or join an optional truffle hunt experience with a delicious tasting of local products.

| Breakfast

After breakfast this morning, we’ll travel to another region of Italy, Lazio en route to Rome with stops at two spectacular small towns: Montepulciano and Civita di Bagnoreggio. Standing high atop a hill in southern Tuscany, not too far from Siena, Montepulciano is a medieval town of rare beauty. The city is full of elegant Renaissance palaces, ancient churches, charming squares, and boasts vast panoramas of the wonderful Val d’Orcia and Val di Chiana valleys that surround it. Civita di Bagnoregio is a magical place located at the top of a tuff hill which can only be reached by crossing a narrow pedestrian bridge. From there, we can enjoy one of the most stunning panoramic views of the whole Lazio region. Nicknamed “the town that is dying” due to the constant erosion of the tuff rocks where the town sits, this citadel is halfway between Orvieto and Lake Bolsena and has Etruscan and medieval origins. Suspended in time and space, Civita di Bagnoregio is beyond a doubt, one of the most beautiful and characteristic Italian villages. Once in Rome, we will check into our hotel with free time to relax for the rest of the day.

Hotel Mascagni or similar | Breakfast

After breakfast we’ll begin our tour of the Eternal City with a historical walking tour through the vast archaeological site where ancient Rome was born in 435 BCE. Our tour begins with a stroll around the most impressive monument of ancient Rome, the Colosseum, the largest amphitheater in the world. Next, we’ll enjoy the view from above the Roman Forum, a valley which rests between the Palatine Hill and the Capitoline Hill which signifies the political, religious and commercial center of the city. Our guide will next lead us to Campidoglio Square, sharing with us the fascinating history and secrets of the city before our tour ends in the city centre where our guide will show us the best Tiramisu shop of Rome and share a small portion we can enjoy during our free time in the heart of Rome. The rest of the day is free to explore the city center on our own before we independently return to the hotel or to take an optional tour in Trastevere!

| Breakfast

Next on our journey through Italian cuisine we’ll travel south to the world-famous Amalfi Coast! After breakfast we’ll board our motor coach and drive to Naples, stopping at a local farmhouse located on the slopes of Mount Vesuvius where we’ll taste a unique wine made of a local grape grown only in this area, the Lacryma Christy, along with other local food specialties for our light lunch. Following our tasting, we’ll continue to Naples where we’ll enjoy a city tour with our local guide. We’ll see famous sights like the 13th-century Castel Nuovo, the semi-circular Piazza del Plebiscito Square, and more. Afterwards we’ll check into our hotel and have some time to relax before dinner. As Naples is the birthplace of pizza, what better place to enjoy one? This evening we’ll enjoy dinner at a local pizzeria where we’ll not only enjoy delicious pizza, but a pizza cooking show!

Hotel Royal Continental or similar | Breakfast, Light Lunch, Dinner

After breakfast, our culinary journey continues to two more regions of Italy: Basilicata and Puglia—but first, we can’t leave this region without a taste of the world-famous Buffalo Mozzarella cheese near Paestum! At a local buffalo cheese farm, we’ll eat some of the best mozzarella we’ve ever had and learn about the production process and admire the beautiful buffalo cows. On our way to Puglia, we’ll make another stop: Matera, an amazing town that takes us back in time. Matera may be the world’s third-longest continuously inhabited human settlement and we’ll have free time here for an independent lunch. We’ll stop at a bakery where we’ll taste the famous local bread made with ancient recipes before we get to our hotel and enjoy free time for the rest of the day.

Relais Masseria Villa Cenci or similar | Breakfast

After breakfast this morning, we’ll visit Alberobello, the famous land of Trulli houses, white round buildings with archetypal conical roofs. These little houses help provide insight into how farming families and communities have survived off the land and lived in these tiny villages together. A stroll down the Alberobello’s cobllestone streets through the cluster of UNESCO recognized trulli is an unforgettable experience. Our foodie adventure continues with more specialties from the Puglia cuisine. We’ll travel by motor coach to an Olive Mill where we’ll learn more about olive oil production and taste freshly pressed extra virgin olive oil. Afterwards we’ll enjoy a fun pasta cooking class where we’ll learn to make the typical “Orecchiette” and we’ll also enjoy folkloric music as we eat our dinner!

| Breakfast, Dinner

After breakfast we’ll begin our journey to Rome. Along the way we’ll stop in the town of Andria where we’ll have the opportunity to try another kind of mozzarella cheese, the Burrata which we can compare to the one we tried from Campania. Following our tasting, we’ll stop at a winery in Avellino where we’ll sample the locally produced wine accompanied by a mix of products. We’ll continue to Rome and after we check in at our hotel, we’ll enjoy a special farewell dinner at a traditional restaurant with live entertainment!

Hotel Mascagni or similar | Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner