TOUR DESCRIPTION:

 

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 five nights at the ****Hotel Casa Pavesi, an elegantly restored ancient home at the foot of Grinzane Cavour Castle, not far from Alba. 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, guests will 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 Grinzane Cavour and the fully-restored Hotel Casa Pavesi in the heart of one of the foremost wine and gastronomic areas in the world, the spectacularly beautiful Le Langhe in Piedmont. Located between Barolo and Barbaresco, Hotel Casa Pavesi—newly restored down to the last detail, and with commanding views of the surrounding vine-covered hills—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. Casa Pavesi 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 away to Ristorante Bovio, perched high on a hillside in La Morra, with an impressive view of the Barolo landscape, and an equally impressive menu and list of local wines.

 

MONDAY, Day 2 (What Makes Barolo 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, it's just a few minute's drive to Castiglione Falletto for the first of the afternoon's two tastings and tours at Cantina Terre del Barolo, an acclaimed cooperative that counts 300 of the region's smallhold family grape growers as members. Following, we will trek northward toward Alba to visit with another of the Barolo region's formative family wineries, Ceretto Aziende Vitivinicole. Dinner tonight is at Michelin-starred Locanda del Pilone situated in an old Piedmontese farmhouse, south of Alba, overlooking the region's famous vineyards and with a view of the Alps.

 

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 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 (La Morra and Dogliani, Afternoon Truffle Hunt) - After breakfast, we spend the morning and afternoon visiting stellar producers in La Morra and Dogliani accompanied by our guide. Our visits and tastings will take us first to the centuries-old family-run estate of Cordero di Montezemola in La Morra where we will be welcomed by Alberto Cordero. For lunch, we'll linger over the innovated dishes at Ristorante Trattoria della Posta, nestled into the bucolic countryside near Monforte d'Alba, then we'll visit the pioneering Poderi Luigi Einaudi in Dogliani. Near the end of the afternoon, we will set off north toward Valle Talloria for a truffle hunt! Giuseppe Marengo offers some of the best truffle hunting in the entire area! With his beloved truffle dog Luna, Giuseppe offers an actual hunt, taking you through the forests where the precious white Alba truffle, as well as black truffles, are hidden treasures. You are accompanied by Giuseppe's assistant Giacomo, who 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, we will travel 15 minutes northwest of Grinzane to the picturesque hilltop town of Verduno to enjoy a relaxed dinner with wines at the cozy and easy going Ristorante Trattoria dei Bercau.

 

THURSDAY, Day 5 (Barolo and Monforte d'Alba) - After breakfast we will wend our way through ten miles of steeply sloped vineyards on our way back to Barolo and our first of the day's tastings at G.D. Vajra. We'll break for lunch to enjoy the genuine flavors of the Piemontese table at Osteria Veglio in La Morra, after which we will visit two more esteemed local producers: Luciano Sandrone in Barolo, and Domenico Clerico in Monforte d'Alba. Our farewell dinner finds us just a short walk from our hotel, in the fairy-tale setting of Grinzane Castle, at the table of Michelin-starred chef Marc Lanteri's ristorante Al Castello. Over wine and excellent regional dishes we'll share the memorable moments of our past few days together before saying Arrivederci; fino a quando ci incontreremo di nuovo.

 

FRIDAY, Day 6 - After an early breakfast, guests will be transferred by shuttle to Milan-Malpensa Airport for departures home or onward travel.