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Flavors of Northern Italy Tour
Duration : 13 days incl. air, 12 day tour
Tour Category : Cooking Tours, Cooking School
This 13-day Italy tour
offers a Gastronomic Experiences...including Turin, Montecatini, Vicenza, Parma
& Lugano
Visits: Turin, Montecatini, Vicenza, Parma & Lugano
Tour Highlights:
• Visit famous wine cellars
• Parmesan cheese and Prosciutto di Parma factories
• Balsamic vinegar factory with tasting
• Palladio's Olympic Theatre in Vicenza
• Marostica & Bassano del Grappa and Grappa Factories
• Gonzaga Palace in Mantua
• Violin Museum in Cremona
Included Tour Features :
• Centrally located hotels
• 11 breakfasts, 3 lunches and 9 dinners
• All sightseeing & entrance fees per itinerary
• Visit famous wine cellars
• Parmesan cheese & Prosciutto di Parma
factories
• Balsamic vinegar factory with tasting
• Marostica &
Bassano del Grappa & Grappa factories
• Services of a professional guide
• Exclusive Loud&Clear audio system (each client receives
individual head sets)
ITINERARY
Day 1 Depart USA
Overnight flight to Milan.
Day 2 Arrive Milan/Turin
(Piedmont Region) Upon arrival into Milan, you’ll be met by your Tour Director
and transferred to your hotel in Turin with time to relax. This afternoon, enjoy
a guided tour of this elegant city, once the capital of the United Kingdom of
Italy, and now a lively and prosperous city. Dinner is at the hotel restaurant.
(D)
Day 3 Turin/Monferrato/Asti/Turin
Today you will enjoy a full-day excursion to Monferrato, one of the best known
wine producing areas of Italy. Here famous wines are produced, such as Barbera,
Barolo, Brachetto, Freisa, Gattinara, Dolcetto, and Nebbiolo, in addition to
the world renowned Asti Spumante. Begin your tour with a visit to the Museum
of Ancient Tools, housed in a local castle, to view tools used to make wooden
barrels, vine prunes and grape presses. A short drive will take you to Asti,
the capital of the Province and a town rich in history and tradition. Lunch
will be served at a restaurant specializing in local dishes where the owner
will offer a commentary on your meal and provide you with some excellent recipes.
After lunch and a strong espresso, you will be taken for a guided tour of the
town of Asti. Return to your hotel in Turin in the late afternoon. (B,L)
Day 4 Turin/SantaVittoria/Riviera/Monte
This morning, you will drive south to the town of Santa Vittoria, made famous
by the movie “The Secret of Santa Vittoria”. Continue your drive south along
the Italian Riviera, passing Santa Margherita, Portofino, and the region known
as “The Cinque Terre”. Enjoy lunch in Camogli at the reknowned restaurant “La
Rosa”. You will also see the incredible view of the Marble Quarries of Carrara,
and the breathtaking view of the Apuanian Alps. Continue on to Montecatini,
Italy's most popular and fashionable thermal spa. (B,L)
 Day 5 Montecatini
(San Gimignano Excursion ) Today it’s time to taste the famous Chianti wine
right where it is produced. First travel through the serene Tuscan countryside
that has inspired famous artists like Giotto, Piero della Francesca, Leonardo
da Vinci, Raffaello, Masaccio and many others. Arrive in San Gimignano, also
known in the Middle Ages as the Town of a hundred towers. Walk through the narrow
streets and enjoy the quiet atmosphere of ancient life. Continue to the Castle
of Verrazzano, for a wine tasting and guided tour of the castle cellars. The
Wine Master will explain how wine is made, and will describe the difference
between vintages. A rustic lunch is included at the Castle, featuring Tuscan
specialties, Chianti wine, Vin Santo (Holy Wine) and ending with a special dessert.
Return to Montecatini. Balance of the day is at leisure. (B,L)
Day 6 Montecatini
(Excursion to Florence) Today you have a full-day excursion to Florence,
including the Food Market of San Lorenzo, the Medici Tombs, the Cathedral,
the Baptistry and more. There will be plenty of time on your own to visit
Florence’s well known boutiques before returning to Montecatini in the
late afternoon. This evening, you will take a short ride on the funicular
railway up to Old Montecatini and enjoy a walk through this charming little
town before dinner. Continue by bus into the hills of Montecatini to your
restaurant, where you will enjoy typical Tuscan specialties and plenty
of Chianti wine. (B,D)
Day 7 Montecatini/Modena/Vicenza
You drive north today across the Appennini Chain of Mountains that divide the
Region of Tuscany from the Regions of Emilia and Romagna. Arriving in Modena
in time for an orientation tour of the town, you will also enjoy a guided tour
of a cellar where real balsamic vinegar is aged in barrels of different sizes
and has been prepared in the same manner since 1228. A tasting is included with
your tour. After lunch, continue on to “the proud and noble Vicenza”. Dinner
is on your own. (B,L)
 Day 8 Vicenza
Your guided morning tour of Vicenza will include the masterpieces of Palladio
in Vicenza: the Olympic Theatre, and the Basilica. The streets are lined with
buildings reflecting the strong Venetian influence in this part of the Veneto
Region, once under the dominion of the Republic of Venice. In the afternoon,
you will visit the surrounding areas of Vicenza, including the unique medieval
town of Marostica and Bassano del Grappa. Here you will visit a "distilleria",
a winery where Grappa is distilled drop by drop. Return to Vicenza in the evening
for dinner at a local restaurant in Vicenza's surrounding hills. During the
meal, the chef will entertain you with his skill and knowledge of the wines
of the region. (B,D)
Day 9 Vicenza/Mantua/Parma
Mantua, of Etruscan origin, was the birthplace of the Latin poet Virgil, and
an important intellectual and artistic center in Northern Italy in the 15th
century under the Gonzaga family, who were enlightened rulers and patrons of
the arts and letters. A guided tour of the Gonzaga Ducal Palace will open up
the world of the ambitious and intelligent Gonzaga. Here you will visit the
Church of Sant’Andrea, designed by Alberti, a major architect of the Renaissance.
Continue on to Parma and enjoy dinner at your hotel. (B,D)
Day 10 Parma
Parma is renowned for its beautiful Cathedral, its passion for opera and gastronomy.
The city is at the center of what is known as “the Food Valley”, and has given
its name to the most famous cheese in the world – Parmesan. This morning your
guided tour includes the Cathedral, the Baptistry, the Farnese Museum, and the
Reggio Theatre – notorious among opera singers for its tough critiques of their
talent. Continuing your drive, you arrive in Busseto, Verdi’s birthplace, where
you will enjoy a regional lunch. This afternoon’s excursion takes you to a prosciutto
factory and also visits Fontanellato Castle, a 14th century fortress containing
some interesting works of art from well known local artists. You arrive back
at the hotel in the late afternoon. This evening, dinner is on your own. (B,L)
Day 11 Parma
This morning’s guided tour will take you into the rich countryside where Parma’s
famous cheese is produced. You will visit a parmesan cheese factory and follow
the entire process: from the arrival of fresh milk at the factory in the morning,
to its transformation into a solid form that will eventually mature into the
cheese known as Parmigiano-Reggiano. Lunch is on your own. Afternoon is at leisure.
Dinner at a local restaurant. (B,D)
Day 12 Parma/Cremona/Lake Maggiore/Stresa
After breakfast today, you will drive north toward the Lake Region of Northern
Italy. A stop will be made in Cremona, birthplace of the greatest violin makers
of all time, and you’ll visit the Violin Museum. After your visit, you continue
north to the shores of Lake Lugano. Tonight enjoy a Farewell dinner at a local
restaurant overlooking the lake. (B,D)
Day 13 Stresa/USA
After breakfast, transfer to Milan Airport for your return flight. (B)
Departures & Prices: 2003 Tour Season
Land price is tour only - AIRFARE IS ADDITIONAL - call for rates
(Tour only price includes everything but airfare) double occupancy
PRICE PER PERSON FROM: $2,099 to $2,299 pp
Dates: April 25th; May 16th; June 13th & 27th;
July 18th;
August 15th, September 5th, 26th; October 10th, 24th;
November 7th
Note: Tour and Tour Information are subject to change.
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