Culinary and Cultural Tour in Italy

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We visit a contessa's private castle, enjoy grappa and wine tastings, get to meet The Iceman, go market shopping, take in a private cooking class and picnic against Sound of Music vistas. There is only one hotel change from an exquisite mountain village resort to the shores of Italy's largest lake where lemons and olive trees abound. There are no red-eye early morning departures. The focus is on taking things easy Italian style and enjoying the simplicity of strolling along a main street greeting people with a "Buongiorno!" Aided by friends and relatives, Tullia will make you feel that you have family there.

Itinerary:
Day 1: We will meet you and greet you in Verona, then have lunch al fresco at a beautiful outdoor restaurant overlooking the Veneto valley. We drive through Valpolicella country and enjoy a wine-tasting at the Serego-Alighieri vineyards, the land was bought by Dante Alighieri's son and continues to be owned by the descendents of Italy's Divine Poet. We then head for our hotel in Malcesine where we settle in. Meet for dinner and then take an evening stroll (una passeggiata).

Day 2: An easy day. In the morning we explore the town of Malcesine. Then take the cable car up to Monte Bondo where we will have lunch and enjoy the incredible vista of all of Lake Garda before us.

Day 3: Today we tour Lake Garda. We head for Sirmione where the Roman poet Catullus had his summer villa and where Maria Callas once lived. We tour the peninsula town by boat, enjoy lunch and then have some free time to shop and explore. Then we'll tour the entire length of the lake and stop in Limone (famous for its lemons and healthy inhabitants) for a wonderful gelato concoction before heading home.

Day 4: Today we relax Italian style. In the morning we tour Bardolino's Olive Oil Museum and have lunch by the water. Then we "take the waters" in a thermal spring lake. Before heading home we enjoy a tasting of Bardolino wines. Take time to pack for the following morning's departure from the hotel.

Day 5: Put on an apron and get your hands into the dough! It's time for a cooking lesson at a beautiful osteria on the side of a mountain. Enjoy the fruits of your labor under a pergola. Play some bocce. Visit a nearby distillery for a grappa tasting.

Day 6: See the world's oldest prehistoric man "Oetzie" in Bolzano. Tour the upper Tyrolean Valley and Ortisei, a little gingerbread town, enjoy the famous white wines of this Alto-Adige region.

Day 7: Go picnicking and enjoy breathtaking vistas. Breathe in the pure Alpine air and do some gentle hiking. Take lots of photos. Draw, sketch, sing. Learn some famous Italian songs.

Day 8: Market day in Trento, the capital of the Counter-Reformation. Visit the Cathedral where the Council of Trent took place. Shop and learn some traditional bargaining techniques.

Day 9: Awaken relaxed, refreshed, sad to leave but looking forward to going home.

Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.

The excursion is all-inclusive.

Price Includes:
- all transfers;
- accommodations;
- travel by van;
- tour guide services;
- all meals (except for lunch on free day)
- all admissions;
- access to spa facilities is also included.

- Single occupancy - $2,845,
- Double Occupancy - $2,495.