ItalyTourTravel

Cooking Tour - A Taste of Tuscany

Milan, Bologna, Tuscany, Florence and Piedmont

Your Tour Includes:
Transportation
•Free arrival and departure transfers between airport and your hotel
•Deluxe air-conditioned touring motorcoach with reclining seats and reading lights

Accommodations:
• First Class hotel for one night in Milan
•Four nights in the Hotel Villa Pitiana in Tuscany. An 18th century villa with simply
furnished bedrooms in a converted 12th century convent
•Three nights in the Relais Villa Pomela in Piedmont. An 18th century villa with period
furnishings

Dining & Entertainment:
• Welcome Milanese buffet party with wine and local music
• 4 Full Breakfasts (FB)
• 4 Regional Buffet Breakfasts (RB)
• 5 Three-course Hotel Dinners (D)
•Multi-course Tuscan lunch with a variety of famous top-class wines including
Vernaccia di San Gimignano, Chianti dei Colli Senesi, Vinsanto and Grappa
liqueur (L)
• 2 half-day cooking courses with a qualified Italian chef
•Special dinner party to enjoy you own "home-cooked" specialties such as
Parma Ham, Tortellini and Parmesan cheese
•Restaurant lunch with wine in the Barolo district (L)
•Farewell dinner with wine at Relais Villa Pomela (D)

Itinerary
Day 1: Departure
Your vacation starts with your overnight flight to Milan.

Day 2: Milan, Italy
After your hotel check-in you're free to explore this ancient city, which has been one of the cultural and commercial centers of Europe since Roman times and is today the focal point of Europe's fashion industry. This evening, meet your fellow travelers and your Tour Director over a welcome Milanese buffet party with wine and local music. (D)

Day 3: Milan to Tuscany
This morning you meet a local guide for a tour of the city. You see the stunning gothic Duomo (Cathedral) and visit the famous Scala Museum and Theatre (if open). Later you head south via Bologna, the gastronomic center of Italy before arriving at your hotel in the Tuscan countryside. The Villa Pitiana offers a tranquil rural atmosphere in a converted 18th-century Patrician villa with rooms in a converted former 12th-century convent. After dinner why not relax on the outdoor terrace with beautiful views over the Tuscan countryside? (FB, D)

Day 4: Tuscany (excursion to Siena and San Gimignano)
This morning you head through the Chianti hills to the medieval town of Siena where you meet a local guide and visit the 12th century cathedral and see the majestic Piazza del Campo with the 13th century Town Hall from which rises the slender Torre del Mangia tower. Later you stop at a Tuscan winery where you have a farmhouse lunch of local specialties and a selection of top class regional Italian wines. You stroll the vineyard before heading to the hilltop town of San Gimignano with its medieval spires and towers and quaint cobbled streets. You return to the Villa Pitiana for dinner. (RB,L,D)

Day 5: Tuscany (excursion to Florence)
Today you take the short drive into Florence, the 'cradle' of Renaissance culture. You meet a local guide and visit the Accademia to see Michelangelo's famous sculpture, David, then visit the Cathedral and marvel at the gilded Baptistery doors with their illustrations from the Old Testament. You walk through the medieval streets to the Piazza della Signoria and visit Santa Croce church. You return to the Villa Pitiana for a unique experience. A qualified Italian chef will help you learn the traditional skills of making fresh pasta and other local specialties. (RB,D)

Day 6: Tuscany
Today your Tour Director takes you into Florence for the chance to spend the morning as you please. Perhaps visit the Uffizi Gallery or stroll across the Ponte Vecchio to visit the Pitti Palace. Relax at one of the many open air-cafes or browse the elegant shops for Italian shoes, handbags or gold jewelry. Returning to Villa Pitiana you enjoy the second part of your cooking course preparing a main course and dessert under the watchful eye of your local expert. Tonight your 'farewell' to Tuscany is to dine together with your newfound friends and enjoy your own 'home-cooked' local dishes with wine. (RB,D)

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Day 7: Tuscany to Piedmont
Today you head north passing Bologna - your first stop is to visit the home of motor-racing - the Ferrari headquarters at Maranello. Your tour the museum - a shrine to one of the most famous brands in world. You continue into the region of Parma and stop for a lunch of local specialties including Parma Ham, Tortellini and Parmesan cheese at the restaurant 'Dolceparma'. Later in the city of Parma you have chance for a relaxing open-air coffee amongst it's medieval buildings. You continue west into the region of Piedmont to Novi Ligure your base for the next three days. (RB,L,D)

Day 8: Piedmont (excursion to Barolo)
Your day excursion today takes you into the Barolo district, arriving for a short visit of the Barolo Castle, sampling a wine in its ancient cellar. You then continue on to the Castello di Grinzane Cavour where you have a sumptuous lunch of regional dishes with Barolo wine. After lunch you have a guided visit of the castle and it's wine cellar museum, followed by Asti Spumante - also produced in this region of Italy. You continue through the countryside to the charming medieval town of Alba, for some free time to explore. You return to Villa Pomela in time for dinner. (FB,L,D)

Day 9: Piedmont (excursion to Portofino)
Today your Tour Director takes you south to the fashionable Italian Riviera. You have time for a coffee and a wander along the promenade in the elegant resort of Rapallo before a boat excursion to the exclusive fishing harbor of Portofino, a traditional fishing village now renowned for some of Italy finest seafood restaurants. You have free time, perhaps to take a walk to the nearby Abbey of San Fruttuoso or shop in the fashionable boutiques along Portofino's harbor. Later you return to Villa Pomela for a farewell dinner and a chance to recall the highlights of this unique relaxing vacation to the Italian countryside. (FB,D)

Day 10: Piedmont / Return Home
After breakfast you head north to Milan for your same-day flight home. (FB)

Hotels, Pricing & Departure Dates