NARRATORE

The Soul of the Langhe

Your journey begins as you depart the bustle of Milan, trading the city skyline for the emerald, rolling horizons of the Langhe. En route to the highlands, a celebratory stop for hand-crafted, sweet and savory seasonal gelato cleanses the palate for the flavors to come. By evening, you’ll find yourself in the heart of Bra, settling into a historic winery-hotel. The welcome is personal and profound: an intimate dinner at a father-daughter run restaurant, where the warmth of Piedmontese hospitality is served alongside recipes passed down through generations.

Sensory Awakening and Botanical Traditions

Prepare to calibrate your senses at the prestigious University of Gastronomic Sciences. Through a private sensory analysis workshop, you’ll unlock the professional secrets of tasting before a lunch of long-leavened, artisan pizza. The afternoon delves into the region’s aromatic heritage, from the copper stills of a 19th-century Alpine distillery—the birthplace of legendary vermouths—to a boutique cacao laboratory for a bean-to-bar, single origin chocolate immersion. Your day culminates at the very altar of the Slow Food movement, dining at the historic osteria where the global crusade for biodiversity began.

Terroir and the Liquid Library

Setting the stage for the day, you’ll descend into the subterranean “Banco del Vino” (Wine Bank). Here, inside this national treasure trove where Italy’s greatest vintages age in silent, brick-lined majesty, will be a wine seminar and tasting. After a sustainable, zero-waste lunch at the University’s academic canteen, the focus shifts to the earth itself. You’ll walk the rows of a pioneering biodynamic estate in the Barolo zone, learning how holistic viticulture breathes life into the soil and tasting world renowned Barolo wine. As evening falls, the pace slows at a natural wine enoteca in Bra, where the conversation flows as easily as the artisan pours, paired perfectly with local charcuterie and cheeses.

Pinnacle Piemonte – Ristotto, Nebbiolo, and Asti

Travel to the mist-covered Vercelli plains to witness the ancient cultivation of heritage rice before ascending the steep, sun-drenched slopes of the Belbo Valley. Here, you’ll trace the legacy of Moscato d’Asti and the refined elegance of high-altitude Nebbiolo at organic estates that champion the biodiversity of the Lirano ridge. Your home for the evening is a boutique hotel tucked within a medieval hilltop village, followed by a meal at a hidden, Michelin-reviewed gem where a passionate couple transforms Slow Food ingredients into a daily symphony of regional flavors.

The Grand Finale: Hazelnuts, Robiola, and Barbaresco

The final days celebrate the delicate craftsmanship of the hills, from a artisan goat dairy producing fresh Robiola to the “Tonda Gentile” hazelnut groves, where stone-ground Gianduja offers a sweet glimpse into local tradition. After a private tasting of micro-terroir Barbaresco wines and a leisurely picnic overlooking the vine-clad amphitheaters, your adventure reaches its crescendo. A farewell dinner, set within the ancient stone walls of a world-renowned architectural wine bar, toasts to the journey with a final grand vintage.

Tour subject to change based on the availability of producers, weather, etc.

Liguria’s Radical Landscape

Keep your eyes out the window as you enter into the dramatic, gravity-defying topography of the Riviera di Levante. Your base is a pioneering organic agriturismo in Lavagna, a sanctuary defined by its “radical” commitment to sustainability. Here, you’ll walk through tiered gardens to witness the sheer grit of heroic agriculture, where every vine and vegetable is a triumph over the steep terrain. As the sun dips toward the Ligurian Sea, a welcome farm-to-table dinner introduces you to Liguria’s liquid gold of local olive oil and the vibrant flavors of the sea.

Heroic Vines and Hidden Kitchens

Prepare to traverse the iconic cliffs of the Cinque Terre, where a trek from Vernazza to Corniglia offers a masterclass in coastal beauty. During your hike, you’ll visit a “Triple A” natural winemaker in Riomaggiore. In this landscape that defies machinery, you’ll taste “heroic” wines born from ancient vines that cling stubbornly to vertical sea-cliffs. The day concludes with an intimate, unscripted culinary encounter: a dinner at a local fisherman’s home, where the menu is dictated entirely by the morning’s catch.

Learning to eat Ligurian – By Land and By Sea

Today, the Mediterranean becomes your dining room. Board a traditional vessel for a Pescaturismo experience in the Gulf of Tigullio, working alongside the crew to haul in nets before enjoying the freshest possible catch, prepared right on the deck. From the sea, you’ll ascend to an eco-farm overlooking Portofino for an aperitivo among the botanicals and honey-producing hives. Then master the art of scratch-made focaccia in a private cooking class, followed by dinner at the estate’s rustic osteria.

Ancient and Modern Ligurian Preservation Methods

Trade the vineyard for the rolling pin in Recco, the spiritual home of cheese-filled focaccia. A private workshop reveals the secrets of this paper-thin, molten delicacy before a hot-from-the-oven lunch. The afternoon shifts to the preservation of the sea; you’ll join an artisanal fisherman for a candid look at Mediterranean ecology, participating in the traditional salt-curing of anchovies. By evening, the scene shifts to the storied “Vicoli” (alleys) of Genoa. Settle into a boutique city hotel before a dinner featuring “aged fish”, followed by a moonlit stroll to sample the city’s secret herbal liqueurs.

Pesto Mastery and Eating Like a Local

Dive deep into the medieval heart of Genoa, skipping the formal table for a gastronomic scavenger hunt through historic tripe shops and fried fish stalls. The journey continues into the hills above the city to a basil farm, where you’ll receive hands-on teaching of the rhythmic art of the mortar and pestle to create authentic Pesto Genovese. As you transition to a vineyard estate in the Ponente Valley, the evening turns soulful and “no-frills.” You’ll dine at a neighborhood favorite, shared with local farmers, for a taste of what is arguably the region’s finest chickpea farinata, followed by a nightcap in the medieval village of Finalborgo.

Ancient Olive Varieties and Wild Herbs

You’ll start your final day with a morning foraging trek on the agriturismo grounds, learning the basics of ‘feeding yourself’. Afterwards, you’ll meet a guardian of centuries-old trees to unlock the sensory profiles of high-quality extra virgin oil, learning to distinguish the artisanal from the ordinary. Returning to the agriturismo, enjoy a quiet afternoon exploring the estate’s cellars and a sunset aperitivo. A farewell dinner caps the trip off, with the chef incorporating the wild herbs you picked on your morning hike in a multi-course meal of regional flavors.

Tour subject to change based on the availability of producers, weather, etc.

Gateway to the Food Valley

Your journey begins in Milan, where a private transfer whisks you away into the fertile heart of the Emilia region. After settling into a boutique hotel in Bologna, you’ll be introduced to the soul of the “Food Valley” over a traditional merenda—a curated snack that sets the stage for the history and culture to come. Your first evening culminates in an intimate dinner at a local hidden gem, where the air is thick with the aroma of handmade pasta rolled fresh on-site, offering your first true taste of Emilian hospitality.

Foundations of Emilian Flavor

Prepare for a deep dive into the terroir of the Po Valley with a private seminar led by a renowned culinary expert, unmasking the secrets behind the region’s gastronomic fame. After a lunch of artisanal piadina, we’ll visit a heritage dairy to see milk from the original, ancient breed of “Vacche Rosse” (Red Cows) transformed into the most prestigious Parmigiano Reggiano. Your day ends at a rustic agriturismo outside Reggio Emilia, followed by an award-winning pizza experience centered on heritage grains and a tasting of local amari to aid in digestion.

Balsamico Tradizionale and the Art of the Cure

In the atmospheric lofts of Modena, you’ll discover the patience required to produce traditional Balsamico di Modena, aged in centuries-old wooden barrels. Following a traditional lunch of handmade pasta and slow-cooked ragu in the city center, we head into the hills for the ultimate “Prosciutto Experience.” You’ll explore the curing rooms of the “King of Hams,” DOP Prosciutto di Parma, and after, venture off the beaten path to taste black pig salumi—a delicacy that is as special as it is difficult to find outside of Italy.

Medieval Streets to Rural Luxury

After a stroll through the elegant streets of Parma to settle the “disagreement” between Emilian and Romagnan street food styles, we’ll indulge in local pastries and world-class gelato. The scenery then shifts as we check into a fortified 14th-century castle estate perched on the banks of the Po River. This area is the birthplace of the legendary Culatello; you’ll tour the historic aging cellars where the river’s unique mist helps develop the world’s rarest ham, followed by a hands-on cooking class to master the local techniques yourself.

The Peak of Emilian Romagnan Dining

Your gastro-adventure reaches its crescendo with a farewell dinner within the castle’s own Michelin-starred dining room, a refined celebration of farm-to-table excellence that pushes the boundaries of traditional Emilian flavors. On your final morning, enjoy one last breakfast of estate-made preserves and cured meats before your private transfer returns you to Milan.

Tour subject to change based on the availability of producers, weather, etc.