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Piemonte and Lombardia
offered by supplier M18361 (view this supplier profile)
Key Information:
Tour Duration: 8
day(s)
Group Size: 10
- 50
people
Destination(s):
Italy
Specialty Categories:
Cultural Journey
Season: January - December
Airfare Included: No
Tour Customizable: No
Minimum Per Person Price: 950 Euro (EUR)
Maximum Per Person Price: 950 Euro (EUR)
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Tour Itinerary:
Day 1: Turin
Arrival in Turin and check in at the hotel for an overnight stay.
Day 2: The chocolate’s capital
After breakfast, we visit Turin, the ancient capital of the House of Savoia and primary center of the Italian car industry. This important city crossed by the Po, the main Italian river, is endowed with a mysterious and multicultural charm. Birthplace of cinema, radio and television in Italy and seat of some excellent museums, like its world-renowned Egyptian Museum, is now being rediscovered as a tourist destination for its culture and beautiful architecture but also for its culinary art. So we will be seeing the Cathedral, where the Holy Shroud is preserved, the 19th-century massive Mole Antonelliana, with its Cinema Museum, and we will also discover the secrets of the refined sweets and chocolate skillfully created
only in its local factories. In the evening we go back to our hotel for dinner and an overnight stay.
Day 3: The Langhe and Barolo Wine
After breakfast the day is devoted to the great wines of the Langhe.
We travel to Cortemilia and meet with an expert on wines and a chef.
We cook our lunch and match food with wonderful wines. In the afternoon, we travel across a landscape of hills with a vocation for farming and producing high quality wines and where Barolo, a king among the Italian wines was first produced. Castello di Grinzane Cavour holds the Enological Museum and a Regional Enoteca. In the evening we travel back to the hotel for an overnight stay. (365 km)
Day 4: Lake Maggiore and cheese tasting
The itinerary brings us to Stresa, the most prestigious resort on Lake Maggiore. Stresa is also the starting point for the boat that will take us to the Borromee Islands. The grand baroque style of Isola Bella palace culminates in the setting of the gardens for which the Island became so famous. Then we walk on the winding and narrow lanes of the captivating Isola dei Pescatori, and eventually we come to the major Isola Madre, covered to a large extent by exotic plants and flowers where white peacocks, parrots and pheasants fly in freedom. Lunch and time for leisure in Arona and in the afternoon we stop at a nearby cheese factory for a visit. A guided tour of Piedmont’s best dairy products will provide us with
a unique opportunity to enjoy the savory world of cheese. In the evening we arrive to the hotel for an overnight stay. (199 km)
Day 5: Milan: much more than just fashion
Milan is an undisputed capital of fashion and the country financial heart, but the city also has extraordinary art: the Duomo, Da Vinci’s “Last Supper” in the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, and the basilica of Sant’Ambrogio are some of its principal treasures.
Moreover, there are museums and art galleries. It is very pleasant to immerse ourselves in this glamorous city, walking from the Galleria, an ornate shopping arcade, and San Babila up to the gleaming shop windows of Montenapoleone and via della Spiga. Check in at the hotel and dinner at a local restaurant for some delicious Milanese cuisine. (89 km)
Day 6: Monza and Bergamo
After breakfast, we leave for Brianza, the hilly region north of Milan and a summer resort with numerous 18th century villas. At our arrival in Monza we visit the gardens of Villa Reale, designed by Piermarini, and the outside of this royal residence ordered by Queen Maria Teresa of Austria and now part of the Park of Monza, one of the largest public park in Europe, a great part of which is occupied by the international Formula 1 motor racing track. In order to reach Franciacorta we will drive through Bergamo, an elegant centre with its two souls. The upper town, ancient città alta, has medieval and Renaissance buildings and small narrow roads that connect to the lower part, città Bassa, more open and modern. For lunch we shall stop at one of the fine restaurants in town for a dish of casonsei, a cylindrical- shaped pasta filled with pork, bread, eggs and cheese, and some good red wine from Valcalepio. We will have some leisure time before driving to our hotel. (152 km)
Day 7: Franciacorta, wine’s sparkles and a lot more Franciacorta, an area first cultivated and made commercially active by the Benedictine monks during the Middle Ages, is a morainic farmland where vineyards have been grown for centuries, and nowadays its sparkling wines are among the most excellent Italian ones. After breakfast, Ricci Curbastro Wine Cellar opens its doors to us and discloses the enchantment of a technologically advanced production inside ancient rooms. The Monastery of San Pietro in Lamosa is located in Provaglio and overlooks the Torbiere, a peat bog which is now a wonderful wildlife reserve. The banks of Iseo Lake are not far from here. Iseo is the main center of the area with a nice ancient quarter. After visiting its beautiful Parish of Sant’Andrea, there will be time for a relaxing walk along lanes, squares and streets that open up to the lake front. A very typical dish is here represented by polenta (corn-meal) and tinca (a lake fish).
In the evening we check in at the hotel for dinner and an overnight stay. (130 km)
Day 8: Departure
After breakfast, we travel back to Torino. (260 km)
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
Also see tour packages in:
Europe
Italy
Cultural Journey
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