Tour Plan
Day 1 – Arrival in Milan and transfer to Lake Como
Upon arrival at Milan Airport, you will be met by your private English speaking driver who will transfer you your hotel in Lake Como: Hotel Mandarin Oriental 5*****. We will book 1 Double Superior room. Check in and rest of the day at leisure.
Mandarin Oriental, Lago di Como offers five-star lakefront splendor on the sunlit shores of Lake Como. Coupled with its serene setting, nestled between luxuriant botanical park and lake, the resort represents a seductive blend of Italian style, oriental charm and natural beauty.
Day 2 – Lake Como: Private Boat Tour
After breakfast at your hotel, you will meet you private English speaking guide in the hotel lobby and depart for a delightful lake tour by private boat. While sailing you will admire the several beautiful villas and natural landscapes that only Lake Como can offer, such as Villa Balbianello and Villa Melzi. Villa Balbianello is a beautiful 16th century residence that is under the ownership of the FAI (the Italian Foundation for the Environment) since 1988. This villa has been chosen also for some scenes included in the 17th movie of the 007 James Bond saga: ‘Casinò Royal’ of 2006 by Martin Campbell. Villa Melzi called Villa Gallarati Scotti, was formerly of the Melzi Family. This building with neoclassical features was built between 1810 and 1815 and designed by G. Albertolli. The extensive park, which goes down to the edge of the lake, surrounding the villa and scattered in between the trees, there are Egyptian, Etruscan - Roman, Renaissance and neoclassical Sculptures. At the end of the tour you can relax in the beautiful hotel swimming pool. Rest of the day at leisure.
Day 3 – Lake Como: private driver at disposal for Shopping in Lugano
Breakfast at leisure and then, meet your private English speaking driver who will escort you to Lugano where you will have free time to go shopping. Transfer back to your hotel and rest of the day at leisure.
Day 4 – Lake Como: free day
Today, you will have a free day to relax at the hotel and discover the beautiful Lake Como on your own.
Day 5 – Lake Como to Golf Resort in Menaggio
After breakfast and check out, you will meet your personal English speaking driver who will transfer you to a beautiful Golf Resort in Menaggio: Menaggio e Cadenabbia Golf Club. We will book 1 Double Superior room. Check in and rest of the day at leisure.
Cradle of golf in perfect British style, the Menaggio and Cadenabbia Golf Club is the second oldest golf club in Italy.
The elevated position of the field allows the sight of enchanting landscapes on Lake Como.
Day 6 – Menaggio: free day
After breakfast, enjoy a relaxing day at the golf resort.
Day 7 – Transfer to Turin & Welcome Dinner
After breakfast and check out from your hotel, meet your English-speaking driver and transfer to your hotel in Turin: Principi di Piemonte 5*****. We will book 1 Junior Suite. Check in and time to relax.
In the evening, meet your private English speaking driver and private transfer for dinner in a superb restaurant. After dinner, return to your hotel.
The Principi di Piemonte is an elegant 5-star hotel, located in the heart of Turin, just a stone's throw from the most renowned cultural, commercial and fashionable places in the city. The majestic building, where the hotel is situated, is one of the tallest in the city and gives an extraordinary and great panoramic view. The hotel has 99 rooms and suites, all furnished in elegant 30s style with high-quality finishings. The restaurant Casa Savoia, an awesome location deep in a warm and refined atmosphere, offers typical tasty national dishes, enriched with innovative recipes by the Executive Chef Giuseppe Fonsdituri. Additionally, the bar Il Salotto dei Principi proposes a vast range of cocktails, canapés and delicious appetizers. There are also meeting rooms of various capacities and sizes equipped with modern technologies, fitness center and wellness spa with fabulous saunas and hot baths offering beauty treatments.
Day 8 – Turin: Egyptian Museum & Chocolate Experience
Breakfast at your hotel and meet your English speaking guide and enjoy a short walk to the Egyptian Museum. It is the only museum dedicated solely to Egyptian art and culture other than the one in Cairo. The collections that make up today’s Museum were enlarged by the excavations conducted in Egypt by the Museum’s archaeological expedition between 1900 and 1935 (a period when relics found were divided between the excavators and Egypt). At the end of the tour, you will enjoy a wonderful lunch at a renowned restaurant located in a historic building in the city center. After lunch, you will meet up again with your private English speaking guide and reach a famous chocolate boutique where you can savor a tasting experience of the famous Piedmont chocolate. End of the tour and rest of the day at leisure.
Day 9 – Turin: Walking Tour of Turin & Michelin Dinner
Breakfast at your hotel and you will be met by your private English speaking guide for a walking tour, discovering the first capital of Italy. You will enjoy a pleasant walk along the city streets. The setting is enchanting, with the Po River flowing through the city, the genteel hills overlooking the city scattered with beautiful villas and surrounded by the Italian Alps in the distance. The famous architect Le Corbusier defined Turin as "the city with the most beautiful natural location in the world". At the end of the tour, you will have the lunch and the afternoon at leisure. In the evening you will meet your private English speaking driver and together, you will reach one of the most exclusive restaurants in town: 1 star Michelin restaurant. Here, you can savor their superb specialties. After dinner, your driver will accompany you back to your hotel.
Day 10 – Turin to Pollenzo with cheese tasting & Welcome Dinner
After breakfast and check out from your hotel, you will meet your private English speaking driver and depart for the Langhe Land. On your way, you will stop near Bra, the town where the Slow Food Movement was born in 1989. Here, you will enjoy a delicious cheese tasting.
In the afternoon, you will meet up again with your driver for a direct transfer to Pollenzo, to your hotel: Albergo dell’Agenzia 4****. We will book 1 Suite. Check in and time to relax. Dinner will be reserved for you at the hotel restaurant where we will reserve the special Tasting Menu for you. Rest of the day at leisure.
The Albergo dell'Agenzia hotel in Pollenzo is the brainchild of Slow Food. Endowed with a charm all of its own, it’s the ideal place for anyone keen to indulge in the pleasures of the palate. Housed in the same complex as the University of Gastronomic Sciences and the Wine Bank, it’s the fruit of painstaking restoration of the neo-Gothic buildings of King Carlo Alberto of Savoy’s royal estate. Situated a few kilometers from Alba and Bra, between the Langhe and Roero hills, a UNESCO world heritage site, the hotel has a restaurant, a bar, a summer swimming pool, a private garage and meeting rooms that can seat from 30 to 200 people. Its range of prestigious facilities is rounded off by two hectares of parkland, while the Cherasco Golf Club is just a few minutes away.
Day 11 – Wine Tour in the Barolo Area
Breakfast at your hotel, meet your private English speaking guide and driver for an exciting discovery of the Barolo area. Your first stop will be the town of Alba (called the one hundred towers town). It is considered the capital of the hilly area of Langhe and in October, it hosts the famous International White Truffle Fair.
Then, you will make your way to the charming Barolo village, rather different from the other local towns, perched on hilltops or stretching along the ridges. Barolo, closed in a small valley; it poses on a spur-shaped plateau, standing out from the slopes that surround it like an amphitheater. Here, you will visit the famous WiMu (Wine Museum), reaching the balcony of La Morra where you will enjoy the magnificent landscape. The tour will lead you through the Barolo Area to Monforte, where we will book a unique lunch for you. In the afternoon, you will reach Serralunga d'Alba where you will enjoy a wine tasting. End of the tour and transfer back to your hotel.
Day 12 – Visit at the Wine Bank and free day
Breakfast at your hotel and wine tasting and rest of the day to relax .
Today, we will reserve a private visit at the Wine Bank for you. The magnificent vaults of the Agenzia’s cellars have been silent witnesses to the most significant stages in the evolution of great Piedmontese red wines. It is no coincidence that the restoration project valorizes these spaces in particular to build up one of the most important collections of Italian wines in the world, all handpicked by a commission of experts.
The Wine Bank offers a unique experience: together with your private English speaking guide you will make a journey through Italian wine excellence and taste 4 wines. End of the tour and rest of the day at leisure.
Day 13 – From Pollenzo to Guarene
Breakfast at your hotel and late check out.
Meet your private English speaking driver for a direct transfer to your hotel: Castello Di Guarene 5*****. We will book: 1 Castle Suite . Check in and time to rest and relax.
The palace was built in the eighteenth century, a fantastically ambitious project conceived by local nobleman Carlo Giacinto Roero. He commissioned the building of this splendid new residence to his own personal taste, surrounded it with gardens and oversaw the furnishing work on what was to be a sumptuously decorated interior.
Today, the palace continues to make people’s dreams come true. Preserved as it was in its heyday, with all its works of art intact, it is now also home to a top-class hotel. An essential stopping point in any itinerary of the Baroque highlights of Piedmont, it stands out among the very best places to stay in the region. Sumptuously furnished antique-style bedrooms, haute cuisine, fine wines and the latest modern technology combine with historical heritage to offer the visitor a truly unique experience.
Day 14 – Tour of the Barbaresco Area
Breakfast at your hotel and meet your private English speaking guide and driver and you will discover the Barbaresco area. You will visit the villages of Neive and Treiso. Neive is listed among the most beautiful towns of Italy and is home of some of the best wines in the Langhe. The road to Treiso runs through the Nebbiolo, Barbaresco and Dolcetto vineyards. Note the impressive size of the parish church on the main square. Here, you will enjoy lunch in a one star Michelin restaurant. After lunch, you will visit the Barbaresco village and enjoy a wine tasting in the famous estate. Transfer back to your hotel and rest of the day at leisure.
Day 15 – Tour of the Moscato Wine Area
Breakfast at your hotel and meet your private English speaking guide and driver and be ready to enjoy your tour of the Moscato Wine area. First of all, you will reach Canelli. The town of Canelli is famous throughout the world as “the spumante capital”. Here, they produce the Asti Spumante, a prized white wine with a delicate and aromatic flavor. Almost the entire spumante industry of Piedmont is concentrated in Canelli territory, seat of the historical wine companies, considered part of the backbone in the Italian wine industry. It is also possible to take an underground tour, going from cantina to cantina, which leads to the regional Enoteca (wine cellar) of Canelli and of Astesana. Canelli’s cantinas are, therefore, true “underground cathedrals”, recognized as world heritage, that extends below the city dug out in several levels in the tuffaceous hills, creating a striking environment, true masterpieces of engineering and architecture.
In this unique location you will enjoy an aperitif and then continue with a one star Michelin lunch.
End of the tour and transfer back to your hotel. Rest of the day at leisure.
Day 16 – From Piedmont to Emilia Romagna
Breakfast at your hotel and check out. Meet your private English speaking driver and travel to Emilia Romagna Region, near Bologna, directly at your hotel: Palazzo Di Varignana Resort & Spa 4****. We will book 1 Junior Suite. Check in and rest of the day at leisure.
Palazzo di Varignana Resort & SPA is an elegant, prestigious eighteenth-century property set in the Emilia-Romagna countryside. Corte, Fienile, Poggio, Borgo e Villetta host the resort’s 89 rooms featuring exquisite high-quality furniture, elegant materials such as stone, wood and wooden floorings and magnificent panoramic outdoor areas. The 1300-sqm VarSana SPA is equipped with sensory pools and showers, biosauna, Finnish sauna, Turkish bath, ice waterfall, sound pool, Kneipp course, pool with jets and water blades, hydromassage sessions and a large Japonese relaxation/tisane area. Two outdoor pools, one with salt water, covered during the winter by a glass dome; and small pool for children. The ambience’s stylistic refinement merges with the cuisine of the gourmet restaurant Il Palazzo, where the noble tastes of the Bolognese tradition are offered alongside new culinary experiences. Palazzo di Varignana’s congress center offers a 300-sq m plenary meeting room with a 150-sqm foyer; its versatility makes it suitable for any kind of event or meeting. Recently, on the second floor it was opened a lounge area with windows overlooking the beautiful panorama of Bologna. Palazzo di Varignana is surrounded by a prestigious garden where the private Villa Amagioia sets.
Day 17 - Emilia Romagna: free day
Breakfast at your hotel and free day to enjoy the hotel facilities and relax.
Day 18 – Full Day Gourmet Tour
After breakfast, meet your private English speaking driver and transfer to a traditional Parmigiano Reggiano cheese producer for a visit and tasting. Visiting a "Caseificio" is like taking a step back in time. The "King of Cheeses" actually has very ancient origins, and today, like seven centuries ago, Parmigiano Reggiano is still made following the same traditional and genuine methods. Parmigiano Reggiano is simply made from local cows’ milk, heat, and the wisdom of the "cheese master’s" experienced hands…
After this experience, you will visit a traditional Prosciutto di Parma producer in a hillside town. Prosciutto di Parma is the other King of the Italian Food Valley. Here, top quality local fresh pork, coarse sea salt and the sweet briny air of the Ligurian Sea are the only ingredients. The ham is produced in Langhirano, a small foothill town in the southern part of the Parma province.
Picture stop at the medieval village of Torrechiara crowned by its romantic castle. For sure the most spectacular amidst the Castles of the Duchy of Parma and Piacenza and Northern Italy. Dating back to 1448 DC, built by Sir Pier Maria Rossi for his lover Bianca Pellegrini. For lunch, enjoy a rich tasting of typical products in a fascinating cellar of DOC wines “Colli di Parma” where you will taste Prosciutto di Parma and many more other local cold cuts, Parmigiano-Reggiano, a typical pasta dish, handmade cakes.. all combined with the different wines produced by the winery like Lambrusco, Malvasia and more.
After lunch, you will reach a real “Acetaia” with its barrels of Traditional Balsamic Vinegar. You will learn the difference between the "real thing" and the balsamic condiments that you usually find in the supermarkets. Enjoy the tasting session at the end of the visit.
Later, you will reach the Relais Antica Corte Pallavicina. The Old Castle is located by the big river Po, only 35 km far from Parma. Built, at the beginning of XIV century on a pre-existing fortress by the Marquise Pallavicini, the Castle offers magnificent cellars, the oldest in Italy dating back to 1320, where different types of cold cuts as “salami, culatelli, cheese” and wines use to be worked and aged. The Relais has an exclusive Restaurant that has received the Michelin Guide Star run by the well-known chef Massimo Spigarloi. It is a superb location rich in history.
You will personally meet the chef Massimo Spigaroli and visit their farm with the black pigs called “Nera parmigiana” (nera means black), the old race of dairy cows, courtyard animals, vegetable and fruit gardens behind the Castle, the production of Culatello, the visit of the “fresco rooms” inside the Castle and the old cellars. The Culatello di Zibello is considered the king of “Salami”. It is top end delicatessen product obtained from the upper hind legs of the pig. To make Culatello a specialized knowledge of many ancient traditional secrets is the minimum required. The production takes place during colder months from October till February and may last from 13 to 20 months. The visit will end with a delicious tasting of their products. After the tour transfer back to your hotel.
Breakfast at your hotel and check out. Meet your private English speaking driver and transfer to Bologna Airport for your flight back home.
4 nights at the Hotel Mandarin Oriental 5***** (or similar) in Como: 1 Double Superior room
All meals not mentioned in the program 
A perfect holiday in Italy! - From the time we arrived in Naples until the time we left Sorrento a week later, everything was perfect! The driver that we had was wonderful ( his name... read more 
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Betty M
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