Unforgettable memories and some of the world's greatest wines await! Italy's Piedmont region, home to the famous Alba white truffle, is most-famous for its boutique wines and gastronomy. Travelers from all over the world come for the outstanding food, cult wines, Medieval castles and hamlets, and romantic, vineyard-covered hills. We'll spend six nights at the ****Hotel Da Felicin - Palazzo Boeri in Monforte d’Alba, a place that the Guide Michelin calls, “one of Italy’s most picturesque towns.” Highlights will include a private tour of the ancient city of Turin, participation in a genuine truffle hunt with a local Trifalu (truffle hunter), and the startling beauty of the Langhe countryside painted with amazing colors. Most of all, you'll enjoy exclusive tours and tastings with many of the region's top wine estates with renowned local wine guide and Piedmont expert Silvia Aprato.

 

SUNDAY, Day 1 (Welcome to Italy!) - Pickup at Milan-Malpesa, Italy. Transfer to Monforte d’Alba and ****Hotel Da Felicin - Palazzo Boeri, in the heart of one of the foremost wine and gastronomic areas in the world, the spectacularly beautiful Le Langhe in Piedmont. Located in one of Barolo’s foremost wine villages, Hotel Da Felicin Ristorante Albergo Dimora Storica in the historic center of Monforte, with wonderful panoramic views of the vine-covered hills and the entire Alpine arc—is at the epicenter of fine wine production, famous cuisine and woodlands that hide the prized Alba white truffle. Le Langhe has become the most prestigious food and wine area in Italy, and is a "must" destination for lovers of wine, food, beautiful scenery and Medieval hill towns. Palazzo Boeri offers the perfect location for wine tasting and seeing the gorgeous scenery. After settling in, guests are invited to join us at our welcome reception and introduction to Piedmont wines led by Silvia Aprato. Dinner tonight is a short drive east to the tiny village of Roddino, and Osteria da Gemma, a purely authentic and traditional restaurant where diners throng to eat like the Piedmontese do at home.

 

MONDAY, Day 2 (Barolo) - After breakfast we'll begin our winery visits with a tour and tasting at the historic wine cellars of Marchesi di Barolo located in the town of Barolo. It is here that more than 200 years ago, Barolo wine was born. We will tour and taste in the historic cellar which reveals a wine tradition that goes back for generations. Lunch will be at Marchesi di Barolo's very own Ristorante La Foresteria where chef Valter Quirico will suggest a menu dedicated to the most traditional Piedmontese dishes perfectly paired with a selection of Marchesi di Barolo's excellent wines. After lunch, we'll drive about 15 minutes east to Castiglione Falletto, for a winery visit and tasting at the incomparable Azienda Agricola Vietti. Dinner tonight is just a short walk from our hotel to the diminutive Osteria La Salita Sas di Saffirio Marco & C, in Monforte d’Alba.

 

TUESDAY, Day 3 (Torino Detour) - After breakfast, we'll travel about an hour north to the vibrant city of Turin. With its Baroque architecture and many cafés, Torino is reminiscent of both Paris and Vienna, but, surrounded by the Alps, with a feeling all its own. An expert, licensed Torino guide will lead us on a walking tour of the city's most important sites including Piazza Vittorio Veneto, the Mole Antonelliana (the location of the National Cinema Museum), Borgo Medievale, Real Chiesa di San Lorenzo, the Cathedral of San Giovanni (housing the famous Shroud of Turin), Piazza San Carlo, and the Palazzo Reale. Lunch today is at the charming and lively bastion of the Slow Food movement, Ristorante Consorzio at Via Monte di Pietà in Torino, serving delicious Piedmontese specialties with excellent local wines and cheeses. In the afternoon there is time to take in some of the city's eleven miles of arcades offering shops such as Guido Gobino and their incomparable chocolate, or to visit a museum. Turin's stunning Museo Egizio (Egyptian Museum) contains one of the world's top collections of antiquities. We dine tonight in Serralunga d'Alba, at the elegant Michelin 1-star Guido Ristorante that, according to viaMichelin, "is situated in a splendid old building on the top of a hill with panoramic views. It is renowned for its fine cuisine and excellent wine list. A superb combination of beautiful scenery and cuisine typical of the Langhe region."

 

WEDNESDAY, Day 4 (Morning in Serralunga d’Alba, Afternoon Truffle Hunt) - After breakfast, we spend the morning visiting the pioneering Azienda Agricola Vigna Rionda (Massolino). We'll break for lunch to enjoy the genuine flavors of the Piemontese table at Osteria Veglio in La Morra. In the afternoon, we will meander east toward Valle Talloria for a truffle hunt! Giuseppe Marengo offers some of the best truffle hunting in the entire area! Accompanied by his uncle Carlo and his dog, Red, Giuseppe offers an actual hunt, taking you through the forests where the precious white Alba truffle, as well as black truffles, are hidden treasures. Giuseppe explains how Trifalu (hunter) and dog are working together during the search, which lasts for about an hour in the forest. After working up our appetites, in the evening we will visit for another of Monforte’s colorful restaurants for dinner, Osteria dei Càtari which is a short stroll from our hotel into Monforte’s high town.

 

THURSDAY, Day 5 (Barbaresco and Alba) After breakfast, we’ll journey to Barbaresco, to discover another side of Nebbiolo with a tour and wine tasting at the innovative Produttori del Barbaresco. For lunch we will pause in Neive, for a light lunch at Al Nido della Cinciallegra, where we'll sample local wines and delicacies in the Piedmontese tradition offered by the house. After lunch, it’s just a short ride to Barbaresco, for a tour and wine tasting at Gaja. Founded in 1859, by Giovanni Gaja, it has acquired the reputation of being the finest wine producer in all of Italy. Today the winery is managed by Angelo Gaja and his three children, Gaia, Rossana and Giovanni. Gaja’s wines are known for their rare purity, concentration, elegance and personality. They produce a range of Barbarescos sourced from fourteen different vineyards, as well as cru Barolos and impressive whites including the Sauvignon Blanc ‘Alteni di Brassica’ and ‘Rossj Bass’ Chardonnay. Dinner tonight is at our ‘home base’ at Giardino - Da Felicin in Monforte d’Alba. “Run by the same family for over 100 years, this restaurant is a must for its excellent specialities from the Langhe region. Unfussy yet full of flavor and textures, Felicin’s classic cuisine never goes out of fashion and is accompanied by attentive service that is difficult to beat.” Guide Michelin

 

FRIDAY, Day 6 (Monforte d’Alba, and Castiglione Falletto) - After breakfast we will wend our way south to the neighboring commune of Monforte d’Alba to begin our day of tasting with the sublime wines of Elio Grasso. For lunch, we'll linger over the innovated dishes at Ristorante Trattoria della Posta, nestled into the bucolic countryside near Monforte d'Alba, after which we’ll visit another esteemed local producer, Fratelli Cavallotto – Tenuta vitivinicola Bricco Boschis in Castiglione Falletto. Our farewell dinner finds us in the nearby hamlet of Castagnito, at the table of Michelin-starred chef Marc Lanteri's new restaurant. There, we’ll enjoy his five-course "La Scoperta" menu composed of dishes that best represent Marc's French origins, surrounding Mediterranean flavors and always locally-sourced and seasonal ingredients. Over wine and the excellent meal we'll share the memorable moments of our past few days together before saying Arrivederci; fino a quando ci incontreremo di nuovo.

 

SATURDAY, Day 7 - After an early breakfast, guests will be transferred by shuttle to Milan-Malpensa Airport for departures home or onward travel.

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