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  Fish & Wine Lovers' Adventure Tour in Le Marche: The New Tuscany
Le Marche hill town
Tour at a Glance: Brief Description
Fish, Fish, Fish! Le Marche is famous for its fish and seafood and beaches. Its major port, Ancona is the second most important market for fish in Italy after Mazara del Vallo in Sicily. Many food lovers come to Le Marche's Adriatic coast just to dine at the many fabulous fish restaurants. Italian Cooking Lessons and Cuisine: a wonderful variety of people, places and tastes to experience! Bread making lesson Paper museum Wine, Wine, Wine! The region is also known for its fine white and red wines, with 17 wine regions, 13 types of grapes like Maceratino and Montepulciano and 12 D.O.C. wines like Rosso Piceno, Colli Pesaresi Sangiovese, Rosso Conero, or Bianchello del Metauro. Some people are calling Le Marche "The New Tuscany". Exclusive visits with winery owners at their lovely, historic country homes, cellars and gardens At their turn of the century mansion west of Senigallia in the Bianchello del Metauro and Colli Pesaresi Rosso wine areas, Silvana will not only give you a tasting of the family's wines at your welcome dinner, but may also take you on a tour through their home beautifully decorated with stylish touches and with her hat and other fun collections. You admire views of the nearby hill town, vineyards, olive groves and hills from her garden. Farther south near Ancona, in the Rosso Conero wine area, winery owner Alessandro invites you to their villa built by their noble family in 1668, for a wine tasting in their 17th century cellars. The cellars are the only ones that old of the 14 towns in the wine region. The house is known as a place of peace; local residents took refuge in the cellars and caves during wars, including the Second World War when 1000 people stayed at a time. Truffles Le Marche also produces white truffles like those in Alba in Piedmont. In the Acqualagna area you can gather and buy truffles all year because each season has temperatures that rise and fall and dry and wet days which truffles like. White truffles appear from October 1 to December 31, black truffles from December 1 to March 15, "bianchetto" truffles from January 15 to April 30 and black summer truffles from May to December. There are three truffle fairs every year but the biggest one, with about 80,000 attending to see 60 exhibitors from all over Italy, is between the end of October and the first three Sundays of November. Le Marche also produces a good, light olive oil perfect for its seafood. Lots of delights for food and wine lovers! Senigallia: The White Velvet Beach Our tour is based in Senigallia, a typical small, seaside city in the Marche. It boasts a long white beach with sand so fine it's been called a "velvet beach". The picturesque old centre will enchant you: fortress, piazzas, outdoor food and clothing markets, promenades with arches and high quality stores on charming, narrow pedestrian only streets. It offers a mix of modern and ancient areas and unlike many sea towns on the Adriatic, it is populated after the summer season finishes. Two restaurants are among the top 20 fish restaurants in Italy and three others, all specializing in fish, are close behind them. In Senigallia chefs are always studying new ways to prepare fish and seafood, and many Japanese chefs go there to learn from them. Your Modern Four Star HotelThe four star, modern hotel is 100 metres from the sea, and a few steps to the old centre and the train station. On one side of the hotel is the villa of a wealthy, local industrialist and on another side the villa of Berlusconi's private pilot. Although it has 44 rooms and seven suites, you feel a warm, family atmosphere there. Two brothers manage the hotel, and with their staff, are famous in Senigallia for their outstanding customer service. We had the pleasure of staying in the hotel and experiencing their very attentive, friendly, beyond the call of duty service. The spacious hotel rooms have independent air conditioning, shower, hair dryer, phone, mini-fridge, satellite TV, Internet connection and state of the art sound proofing. Most rooms have a safe and VCR. Downstairs you can relax in the bar with lounge and dining room. The heavenly breakfast buffet gives you an incredible array of choices. Upstairs you can relax on the roof top terrace where there is a small swimming pool with jet massage. Cooking Tour Itinerary 4 nights 2008 Cooking Tour Dates:
2008 Cooking Tour Prices: Prices are in Euros and are subject to currency exchange fluctuation. 4 night program
6 night program
Cooking Tour Itinerary 4 nights To Reserve: Contact Margaret Cowan at margaret@italycookingschools.com or call 1-800-557-0370 or 604-681-4074 or fax 604-681-4909 (Pacific time). One stop shopping for your whole Italy vacation Our travel agent colleagues at Aquarius Travel Inc. are experts on Italy, and can assist you with any arrangements you require to make your Italy vacation a memorable experience. Ask her about villa, apartment or B & B accommodation throughout Italy--3000 in Tuscany alone! She can also arrange your car rentals, sightseeing tours, Italian language classes, and airfare. It's one stop shopping with an Italy expert, so it's easy for you! VISA and Mastercard accepted.  
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