At The Chef’s Table in Northern Italy
A Private Villa Culinary Retreat
October 2 – October 9, 2027 · 7 nights
TRAVEL STYLE & IDEAL FOR: A slow, chef-led culinary retreat for curious food and wine lovers who want to understand Italian food culture from the ground up. With a private villa in the Roero hills as your home for the week, spend time cooking with your chef, meeting winemakers and artisan producers, exploring farms and vineyards, and discovering how Piedmont’s celebrated ingredients are grown, made and transformed. Designed for travelers who want to taste, learn and participate rather than simply dine.
AT THE CHEF’S TABLE TOUR OVERVIEW
In Piedmont, great food begins long before it reaches the table. It starts in the vineyards, woods, hazelnut groves and small farms of the Roero and Langhe, in knowledge passed from one generation to the next. For seven nights, Casa San Grato becomes your home, while Monica – your chef, food expert and Tour Leader – guides you into the region’s culinary culture. Cook together at the villa, follow a truffle hunter and his dog into the woods, meet a local cheesemaker, discover how Piedmont hazelnuts are grown and transformed, and taste wines with the families who produce them. Between these encounters, explore Alba, Barolo country and the hill towns of southern Piedmont, with time deliberately left to slow down and enjoy life at the villa. This is a week about understanding where flavor comes from – through the people, landscapes and ingredients that give Piedmont its identity.
Tour Price: €5,170
Tour price includes:
- Group airport transfers between Turin Airport (TRN) and Casa San Grato on arrival and departure days
- 7 nights at Casa San Grato, a private villa in the rolling hills of Roero
- All breakfasts, 3 lunches and 7 dinners, including meals prepared and shared at the villa and selected local restaurants
- Monica, your English-speaking Chef, Food Expert and Tour Leader throughout the retreat, staying at the villa with the group
- Private coach transportation for the included excursions from Day 2 through Day 7
- Audio headsets for included guided visits
- Welcome pizza dinner at Casa San Grato prepared by a local pizzaiolo, plus a guided visit of Alba and a hands-on cooking class with Monica followed by dinner
- Full-day Langhe wine experience, including a private visit, wine tasting and traditional lunch at a family-owned winery, plus a second tasting at a historic Barolo producer
- Truffle hunt with an expert local Trifulau and his dog, followed by a private cooking class and lunch, plus a visit to a local hazelnut farm and a three-course dinner with the chef at Casa San Grato
- Visit and tasting with an artisanal cheesemaker, guided exploration of Dogliani, and entrance to the Sanctuary of Vicoforte including guided visit and dome ascent
- A second hands-on cooking class with Chef Monica at Casa San Grato, followed by lunch
- Visit to the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo, including a guided tour and sensory tasting workshop
- Professional English-speaking local guides in Alba and Dogliani, plus guided visits at the Sanctuary of Vicoforte and the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo
- VAT, city taxes and gratuities for included guides, Tour Leader, villa staff, servers and local drivers
Tour price is per person based on a minimum of 6 participants and double occupancy. A single supplement of EUR 980 is available for those traveling alone who would like their own room.
*International airfare is not included, but Olde Ipswich Tours can assist with booking flights.
DAY 1, WELCOME TO CASA SAN GRATO: Arrive at Casa San Grato, your private home in the Roero hills, where Monica – your chef, food expert and Tour Leader – welcomes you for the week. Settle into the villa and begin at an easy pace with a casual pizza dinner freshly prepared by a local pizzaiolo.
DAY 2, ALBA & COOKING WITH YOUR CHEF: Explore Alba with a local guide, discovering the history and food traditions of this elegant Langhe town. Back at the villa, join Monica for a hands-on cooking class focused on Piedmontese and Italian dishes, then gather around the table to enjoy everything you have prepared together.
DAY 3, WINEMAKERS OF THE LANGHE: Spend the day among the vineyard-covered hills of the Langhe, beginning at a family-owned winery for a private cellar visit, comparative tasting and traditional lunch. Continue through La Morra to Barolo, where a second historic producer introduces you to the vintages, traditions and people behind one of Italy’s most celebrated wine regions.
DAY 4, TRUFFLES, COOKING & PIEDMONT HAZELNUTS: Follow an expert Trifulau and his dog into the woods in search of prized local truffles, learning the rituals and knowledge behind this centuries-old tradition. Bring the experience into the kitchen for a private cooking session and lunch, then visit a local hazelnut farm to discover how another of Piedmont’s signature ingredients is grown, harvested and transformed. Return to the villa for dinner.
DAY 5, FROM MILK TO CHEESE, DOGLIANI & VICOFORTE: Meet a local cheesemaker and spend time on the farm following the journey from fresh milk to artisan cheese, with a tasting along the way. Continue to Dogliani for a guided walk, then visit the Sanctuary of Vicoforte, including the opportunity to follow the secured ascent route toward its remarkable dome.
DAY 6, BACK TO THE KITCHEN WITH CHEF MONICA: Return to the heart of the retreat with another hands-on cooking class at Casa San Grato. Under Monica’s guidance, prepare a new selection of dishes while exploring ingredients, techniques and family traditions, then sit down together for lunch. The afternoon is intentionally left free to relax and enjoy life at the villa.
DAYS 7-8, THE SCIENCE OF TASTE & DEPARTURE: Visit the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo, one of Italy’s distinctive centers for food culture, sustainability and sensory research, and put your own palate to the test in its Sensory Analysis Laboratory. Dinner is at a local restaurant this evening. The following morning, transfer as a group to Turin Airport (TRN) for your flight home.
*Group transfers are included between Turin Airport (TRN) and Casa San Grato on arrival and departure days.
