FLORENCE  Welcome to Florence, the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance. Transfer to your hotel. Take some time to wander the oldest streets in the city, perhaps visiting one of the incredible museums this city has to offer before starting your food journey tomorrow.

FLORENCE FOOD TOUR   After breakfast at your hotel, meet your food guide who will take you where the locals go, sipping a caffè acommpanied by a homemade, mouth-watering pastry to balance the strength of the caffeine. Visit Mercato Centrale, the imposing 19th-century building where butchers, fishmongers and grocers display their colourful goods. Stop for a fritto toscano, delicious battered and deep-fried fish and vegetable morsels. In the heart of the city’s lively and tiny streets, taste a fragrant schiacciata with truffles, one of Tuscany’s unique bakery treats, similar to foccacia; taste a creamy gelato, considered to be the best in the world. Continue on to Oltrarno, on the other side of the Arno River to visit one of the finest winehouses in Florence for a cheese and cold-cut board served with a goblet of Chianti wine. Enjoy the rest of your day at leisure to explore. Later this afternoon, you may choose to take an optional cooking class, not included.

FLORENCE  Breakfast at your hotel. Today is a day at leisure. We suggest a tour of Chianti, a special place in Tuscany, blessed with a timeless landscape, excellent wine and lavish food, not included. Your pleasant drive through gently rolling hills brings you to Greve, a delightful borough known as the Gate of Chianti, where you will stop to explore their relaxed rhythm of life. Head to a local farmhouse where you will be shown around grapevines and cellars, followed by a tasting of delicious wines accompanied by local specialities. Continue on to Montefioralle, a charming town adorned by stone walls and climbing roses; enjoy a peaceful stroll along its windy, cobbled streets. Stop at Badia a Passignano, home to an historic Benedictine abbey, for beautiful views of Florence.

FLORENCE – BOLOGNA  After breakfast, transfer to the train station to board your First-Class train to Bologna. Upon arrival, transfer to your hotel. Explore the city on your own, or choose to add-on an optional private walking tour including the beautiful Anatomical Theatre of the Archiginnasio.

BOLOGNA FOOD VALLEY  After breakfast, make your way to your meeting point to begin your small-group gourmet food tour to the Italian Food Valley, where the most famous and delicious Italian products are produced. Learn the secrets of Parmigiano-Reggiano DOP and prosciutto DOP production with tastings. Experience authentic and delicious Reggio-Emilia black gold balsamic vinegar, born centuries ago as medicine used exclusively by kings and emperors, now a product of excellence in Italian cuisine. At a private vineyard, learn about how grapes are picked, crushed, blended and bottled; walk through this beautiful property with the winery’s sommelier and taste the finished product. End your tour with a delicious six-course gourmet lunch accompanied by a selection of local wines served in a family-run

BOLOGNA – TURIN  Enjoy breakfast at the hotel. This morning, transfer to the train station to board your First-Class train to Turin. Upon arrival, transfer to your hotel. In the afternoon, begin a walking tour of the capital city of Piedmont, known for its refined architecture, historical buildings and cuisine including chocolate and coffee shops. Walk through a variety of elegant Piazzas, while enjoying three ‘sweet’ tastings.

LANGHE DEL BAROLO   Breakfast. Begin your small-group halfday tour of the Langhe del Barolo region. Visit the region of La Morra, home to one of the most prestigious Barolo production and ageing cellars, to sample Barolo wine accompanied by carefully selected local products to enhance your tasting experience; enjoy a three-course lunch. Sit on the giant benches scattered among the vineyards and choose which wines to taste in one of the regional wine shops. Your return journey to Turin will be pleasantly inebriated.