Piedmont & the Italian Alps Snapshot
Discover the best Northern Italy has to offer: culture, scenery, food and wine. Enjoy the scenery of ancient medieval villages, a landscaped dotted with vineyards, and taste the pleasures of the Parma food valley on this Piedmont tour.
Tour Price: $8,699
Tour price includes:
- Airport transfers*
- 11 nights deluxe accommodations: 3 nights in La Morra; 3 nights in Turin; 3 nights in Courmayeur; 2 nights in Orta
- All breakfasts, 4 lunches, 7 multi-course dinners, some with wine
- Full-time tour leader
- Transportation by comfortable mini-coach or mini-van
- Cooking class in Turin with professional chef, followed by dinner in a private mansion
- Wine tasting workshop and visit birthplace of Slow Food Movement
- Langhe winery visit and tasting of famous Barolo red, followed by wine-tasting lunch
- Visit to a dairy farm with Fontina cheese tasting, truffle hunt, boat ride on Lake Orta
- Excursion with mountaineering guide to Mt. Blanc, highest mountain in the Alps
- Boat ride on Lake Orta
- Excursion with mountaineering guide to Mt. Blanc, highest mountain in the Alps
- Walking tours with local expert guides of Torino, Alba, Reggia di Venaria, Aosta, Fénis, Orta San Giulio
- All entrance fees to attractions described in itinerary, tips and taxes
Piedmont & the Italian Alps Itinerary
DAYS 1-3, LA MORRA: Enter the Langhe wine region. Your boutique hotel for the next three days is in the center of one of the prettiest villages in Italy, high on a hill overlooking miles of vineyards and the surrounding countryside. Sample local wines in unique settings (such as a grape-shaped platform suspended above rolling hills). Stroll through ancient villages and explore Alba, the “City of 100 Towers.” Have a glass of Barolo in Barolo, which lent its name to the famous red wine. Visit a local producer of sheep cheese, made the traditional way with a centuries-old recipe. Dine at a Michelin-starred restaurant that boasts the largest wine cellar in Italy.DAYS 4-6, TORINO: Drive to Torino, capital of the Piedmont region, where your tour leader welcomes you to your beautiful hotel in the city center with an Italian aperitivo and Turin-style hors d’oeuvres. Discover the historic center and ancient ruins. Get a bird’s eye view of the city from the top of the Mole Antonelliana Tower, unique architectural symbol of Turin. Taste Turin’s famous chocolate and their signature hot chocolate-coffee drink, Bicerin. Visit the Porta Palazzo market with a local chef to select the finest ingredients for your cooking class. Dine on your creations in a private mansion.
DAYS 7-9, COURMAYEUR: After a visit to the splendid royal palace, Reggia di Venaria, head to the western Italian Alps and your base for the next three days, the beautiful town of Courmayeur. Explore the Aosta Valley with its gorgeous mountain scenery, castles, ancient Roman ruins, and its alpine farms, where you’ll taste wonderful cheeses prized throughout the world. Take an excursion to Mt. Blanc, the highest peak in the western Alps.
DAYS 10-11, ORTA SAN GIULIO: Your last destination is beautiful Lake Orta. Explore this enchanting alpine lake with its historic village, beautiful island, and idyllic setting. Your dreamy resort is the grand finale to an unforgettable vacation.
DAY 12: Depart for Milan Malpensa Airport for the flight home.
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- Visiting a vineyard in Northern Italy
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- Cellar tour in Parma, Italy
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- Enjoying a guided walking tour
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- Cobbled street between old church and houses in Alba, Italy
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- Small town of Barolo among hills and autumnal vineyards in Piedmont, Northern Italy
