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Cooking, Wine & Walking Tour in Piedmont’s Barolo Wine Country and Cinque Terre
Experience some of Italy’s top reds right where they’re made, Barolo and Barbaresco in Piedmont. Chefs and home cooks reveal their secrets in cooking classes. Farmers, wine and cheese makers, all passionate about their products, tour you around their land and wine cellars. Enjoy optional walks along paths with splendid views of vineyard covered hills in Piedmont’s Barolo wine country and beautiful Cinque Terre towns and Portovenere. An amazing array of authentic Italian life experiences!
Read about the “Italians you will meet” on this Italy cooking school tour.
Included:
- 5 nights hotel accommodation
- all meals
- 2 cooking classes
- excursions
- transport in private minivan
- private transfers from/to pick-up/drop-off points of Turin and La Spezia
- attentive guide throughout
Not included: Wines with your meals so you can choose the wines you like.
Italy Cooking School Tour Itinerary
Please note: Walks in Piedmont’s Barolo wine country and Cinque Terre are optional. If you have other interests and would like to do some things not in the itinerary, just let us know and we can change the daily plan for you.
Sunday
Meet your group at Turin airport or railway station before leaving for the Barolo wine country, about a one hour drive south. Stay in a three star hotel in Barolo with swimming pool and beautiful views of Barolo castle or a lovely four star villa hotel with gardens and swimming pool in the Barolo wine country hill town, Monforte.
Dine in a typical restaurant, drinking great local wines and eating authentic Piedmont specialities like chocolate cake with hazelnuts topped with a zabaglione of aromatic Moscato wine.
Monday
Explore the La Morra area, driving along its winding country roads, gazing in awe at the spectacular views of the verdant Barolo wine valley below.
Visit a great Barolo winery to get an introduction to the range of the region’s wines and learn how they’re made, their history and more. One of our favourite wineries is Gigi Rosso whose Barolo Arione 2005 won the maximum “Five Bottle” award from the prestigious Italian Guide dell’Espresso’s Vini d’Italia 2010. You’ll get a wonderful overview of Barolo, Barbera, Nebbiolo, Dolcetto wines and more from the passionate, welcoming owners or staff in this family run winery.
Eat a light lunch and sip wines like the aromatic white Arneis or robust red Barbera in the picturesque hill town, Castiglione Falletto on a cafe terrace with hill views.
Drive to a great restaurant outside a Barolo wine country town for a hands-on cooking class with a young, passionate, innovative chef who welcomes you warmly to his kitchen. Some of his typical, local dishes with a creative touch: delicate little torte of asparagus and cod, tasty risotto with Barbera wine and local tuma cheese cream, fabulous semifreddo with boysenberries, white chocolate and mint. Savour your creations for your dinner with a line-up of great local wines.
Tuesday
Drive through the Barolo wine country hills, taking in the marvelous views, to town of Barolo and visit the historic Marchesi di Barolo winery with 200 year old cellars. Discover the fascinating history of Barolo wine.
Travel to the hill town of Serralunga to visit a unique medieval castle, renovated in 1340. With the castle’s entertaining guide, discover ingenious architectural features that kept invaders. On the top floor, marvel at the 360 degree views of the medieval town walls and the vine covered hills all around you.
On an isolated ridge, visit a family farm where friendly Francesca shares a slice of their everyday life with you. On their farm they produce their own cheeses and most of what they eat. Lunch at their wooden dining table in their kitchen of Francesca’s specialties. After lunch Francesca tours you around their farm.
In town of Sinio enjoy a full menu hands-on cooking class of traditional Piedmont dishes with some wonderful local women, excellent home cooks and dine on your creations with them. Lots of fun!
Wednesday
Drive to Portovenere on the Italian Riviera south of Cinque Terre. Portovenere has beautiful coastal views, medieval walls, a castle and colourful, small port. Check into your four star hotel by the sea.
For lunch in Portovenere, enjoy fresh focaccia and vegetable torts on the beach or in an outdoor cafe – weather permitting.
After in your free time, walk along the sea, up to the castle, or along narrow streets filled with gelato shops and coffee bars or simply sit at an outdoor seafront cafe and watch life go by.
Dine on stellar fish and seafood at a local restaurant with stunning views of the Bay of Poets.
Thursday
Explore the food and culture of the nearby Cinque Terre – five villages that hug the dramatic cliffs of the northern Italian coastline. Towns are connected by an oceanside pathway so you can explore them on foot or arrive by boat or train.
In the beautiful Vernazza, walk past terraces of multicolored houses before lounging in a restaurant on the piazza by the sea for your midday meal of pasta with fresh basil pesto and local seafood.
In late afternoon return to Portovenere by boat, arriving back at your hotel at around 7 pm. Dine at another wonderful restaurant on sumptuous pasta, seafood and vegetable dishes.
Friday
After a final breakfast, you’ll depart with our private transfer for La Spezia train station.
View 8 night Italy cooking school tour Piedmont, Cinque Terre & Tuscany itinerary
View 5 night Italy cooking school tour Cinque Terre & Tuscany itinerary
