Day 1: Fly overnight to Italy
Day 2: Milan • Turin
Meet your Field Director at the airportTravel to Turin
Enjoy dinner in Turin, an area famous for playing host to Slow Food’s Salone del Gusto and Terra Madre conferences
Day 3: Turin • Cuneo region
Travel via Turin sites to the Cuneo region, known for its specialized pasta called ravioli al plin
Take a guided tour of Turin
With an expert local guide you will see:
- Piazza San Carlo, located between the impressive San Carlo and Santa Christina churches
- The Cathedral of San Giovanni Battista, where the Shroud of Turin is kept
Enjoy dinner in Cuneo Region
Day 4: Cuneo region
Visit Piedmont Farm, where you will:
- Attend a cheese making demonstration
- See traditional pig farming
Enjoy a wine tasting in the Cuneo region
🔹 Cultural engagement: Enjoy lunch at Piedmont Farm and sample delicious farm products
Day 5: Cuneo region • Florence
Travel to Florence, the birthplace of the Italian language, opera, and the Renaissance
Enjoy dinner in Florence
Day 6: Florence
🔹 Guided learning: Take a guided tour of Florence
With your expert local guide you will see:
- Piazza della Signoria, which is lined with classic statues
- Ponte Vecchio, a medieval bridge where many of Florence’s famed leather and gold artisans still keep shop
- Basilica of Santa Croce, where Michelangelo, Machiavelli, Galileo and others are buried
- Gates of Paradise, bronzed doors that depict scenes from the Old Testament and are considered an icon of the Renaissance
Add this in-depth excursion:
Tuscan wine tasting
Take an excursion to a Tuscan winery and sample the distinctive wines of the region.
Day 7: Florence • San Miniato • Bologna
Take an excursion to San Miniato, best known in culinary circles for its white truffles
Enjoy a Tuscan virgin olive oil tasting; learn how olive oil is made and sample a variety of mouth-watering delicacies
🔹 Cultural engagement: Enjoy a tasting at a local butcher shop
Enjoy lunch at a Slow Food Association restaurant, made in accordance to traditional Slow Food methods
Travel to Bologna, well-known for its famous dish—tagliatelle al Ragù—commonly known as spaghetti Bolognese
Day 8: Bologna
Visit the University of Bologna, the oldest existing university in Europe founded in 1088
Take a tour of Bologna
With an expert local guide you will see:
- Piazza del Nettuno, which features a once-controversial statue of Neptune and the seductive sirens
- Basilica di San Petronio, Bologna's beloved church which was the site of Charles V coronation
- Palazzo Comunale, Bologna’s 14th-century town hall
Participate in a cooking class led by a local chef
Day 9: Bologna • Parma • Milan Region
Travel to the Milan Region via Parma, another culinary capital known for its meats and cheeses
Visit a local Parmigiano cheese factory to test and savor one of their most prominent local culinary traditions
Day 10: Depart for home
Add 3 more days
Day 10: Milan Region • Rome
Travel by train to Rome, Italy's historic capital where the Roman Empire flourished and left an enduring mark
🔹 Independent exploration: Spend a half day exploring Rome on your own
Day 11: Rome
Take a guided tour of Rome
With your expert local guide you will visit:
- Roman Forum, marking the former heart of the Roman Empire where Julius Caesar gave many of his political speeches
- The Colosseum, the world’s most famous arena used for gladiatorial combat
Participate in a cooking class with an Italian chef as you learn to cook a traditional meal
Day 12: Rome
Take a guided tour of Vatican City, the headquarter of the Roman Catholic Church and the Pope
With your expert local guide you will visit:
- Sistine Chapel and Michelangelo’s breathtaking frescoes
- St. Peter’s Basilica, a site of religious and historical significance over which the Pope presides
Take a self-guided walking tour of Rome
You will see:
- Trevi Fountain, Rome's iconic landmark
- Pantheon, built to honor all the gods of Rome
- Piazza Navona, a lively square lined with restaurants and shops
- Spanish Steps, Europe's widest staircase
Enjoy dinner in Rome
Day 13: Depart for home