10 Day Tour Of Italy
Italy Food And Wine Tour
"Slow Down & Smell The Pasta"
Italy Off The Beaten Path -- 10 Day Tour Of Italy
Get Ready To Take An Italy Food And Wine Tour Of Gourmet Culinary Delights And Enjoy Outstanding Wines
Italy is known worldwide for the variety and high quality of its food, wine, olive oil, cheeses, cured meats and many other artisan foods. There are a huge number of wines to taste and to enjoy from more than 310,000 Italian wineries -- as compared with just 11,000 wineries in the U.S. Most of the wine produced in Italy stays within Italy.
There is much to discover here in the land of high quality artisan wine producers – most of which are unknown to foreigners.
For these reasons, we are able to offer one of the best food and wine tours of Italy. This tour is geared toward those who consider themselves gourmets, foodies, and wine lovers.
We are located in the heart of Central Italy in the regions known as Umbria and Tuscany. This geographic area is famous among Italians but not so much with foreigners. Among Italians, it is known for being among the best places for food and wine in Italy.
A recent Trip Advisor study concluded that this region has the best food in all of Italy. Forbes Magazine recently crowned a local town "one of the top six wine touring cities in all of Europe."
During your Italy food and wine tour, you will sample and enjoy delicious fresh food, much of it organic and locally grown. Enjoy a combination of authentic lunches and gourmet dinners at Italian restaurants, trattorias, local wineries, and farmhouse hotels. Indulge in a scrumptious meal at a charming Conde Nast-rated family restaurant.
Savor delightful and exceptional wines from some of the best Italian vineyards and best Italian wineries to visit. We’ll treat you to a special rare red wine from a grape variety that is seldom found elsewhere the world. Shop for fresh Italian produce, take a private cooking class with an authentic chef or Italian “nonna”, and enjoy your private meal in a 17th century storybook palazzo.
There will be ample private time to do things on your own so you can enjoy during your relaxing trip to Italy.
Typical Italian Itinerary
Italy Food And Wine Tour
An Italy Food And Wine Vacation To
Umbria, Tuscany, Florence And Siena
10 Day Tour Of Italy - For 10 Days / 9 Nights
Saturday
Travel To Italy To Start Your Italy Food And Wine Vacation
Sunday Day 1
10 Day Italy Food And Wine Tour
Arrive In Italy And Travel To Enchanting Spello
Arrive in Rome at Fiumicino airport. You will be met by an Italian/English-speaking chauffeur who will whisk you away by private car for your visit to the spectacular heart of Italy.
Experience your first leisurely lunch in Italy at a restaurant that features local Italian specialties such as prosciutto ham, tartufo mushrooms, seasonal wild asparagus, and more.
The setting includes a stunning vista of the Italian countryside.
Enjoy the remainder of your afternoon on your own while relaxing at your authentic Italian hotel, lounging by the pool, or exploring the quaint small town of Spello.
We will start our evening early with an informal get-together where you will receive a brief orientation with a casual wine tasting and with a sampling heavy appetizers in a genuine privately-owned 17th century Italian palazzo.
Private driver from Rome Airport, lunch with local Italian wine (if desired), and a light dinner with drinks and heavy appetizers are included.
Monday Day 2
10 Day Italy Food And Wine Tour
Bevagna & Montefalco
After a quiet breakfast at your hotel, you’ll take a short trip and travel to the lovely walled Roman town of Bevagna.
We’ll continue on to the famous wine town of Montefalco where we’ll enjoy a scrumptious lunch at a Conde Nast-rated restaurant.
Known for delectable fresh pastas, the restaurant’s offerings change according to the season.
Our afternoon will be highlighted by two different wine tastings in the Italian countryside at two different family-owned wineries. You’ll get a chance to tour an Italian vineyard, see a century-old wine cellar and taste some outstanding red and wine wines during your visit.
We’ll then return to Spello to freshen up and walk five minutes to a casual dinner at a delightful local restaurant featuring a genuine 14th century interior.
Included: All meals, coffee, tea, sparkling water, wine tasting, and local Italian wine, if desired.
Tuesday Day 3
10 Day Italy Food And Wine Tour
Perugia: An Ancient Etruscan Town
After breakfast we’ll visit one of the best-known chocolatiers in all of Europe for an escorted tour. Of course, you’ll have time to sample many of their delightful and glorious chocolates.
We will then drive to the ancient Etruscan university town of Perugia where you will have lunch at a restaurant with a gorgeous view of the Italian countryside and enjoys a well-deserved reputation for preparing fine traditional Umbrian cuisine.
After lunch, you’ll have time to meander around Perugia and do some shopping along its main shopping street. If you like, you can also visit an impressive art museum that is the best in Umbria or perhaps even make a stop at an archeological museum.
During the afternoon, we will take a drive -- off the beaten path -- through the beautiful Italian countryside. We will visit a charming family-owned winery enjoy a wine tasting of white and red wine.
We will then make a fascinating visit to an Italian frantoio and take an olive oil tasting tour. You will see where superlative Italian olive oil is made. You will get a chance to sample some distinctive Umbria olive oils -- some of which have a hint of pepper with a light grassy taste.
While sampling some of the ultrafine oils you can watch a short video that explains how Italians make olive oil. If your trip to Italy occurs during harvest season, you can also see the process of olives being pressed and converted into sublime olive oil.
We’ll then return to Spello to enjoy our evening meal at an authentic, small family-owned Italian restaurant.
Included: All meals, coffee, tea, sparkling water, and local Italian wine, if desired.
Wednesday Day 4
10 Day Italy Food And Wine Tour
Italian Cooking Class & Trip To Visit Assisi
After a leisurely breakfast, we’ll go food shopping just like the locals do at the weekly Spello market day. On our way back we’ll make a couple of stops at various artisan producers.
We’ll gather back at a Spello palazzo with our newly-purchased produce and ingredients and learn how to prepare them in a special private Italian cooking class led by a charming chef who was born in France and who has worked at numerous restaurants in Italy.
Next, we’ll savor our hand-prepared feast on the palazzo’s private terrace that offers a splendid view of Umbria and the rolling countryside.
After our late lunch, you will take a trip to visit and shop in world-famous Assisi for the balance of the afternoon.
Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Assisi was founded over 2,500 years ago by the ancient Umbrians before becoming a Roman town.
You’ll have dinner on your own -- at our expense -- at one of several enjoyable local restaurants.
Included: All meals, coffee, tea, sparkling water, and local Italian wine, if desired.
Thursday Day 5
10 Day Italy Food And Wine Tour
Roman Aqueduct Walk And Italian Picnic
After breakfast we’ll take a leisurely, slow-paced tour by walking along a 2,000-year-old Roman aqueduct.
During your walk, you’ll love the view of the rolling green hills with thousands of olive trees, grape vines, and wild flowers in the imposing Italian countryside. You’ll take a break to feast on Italian gourmet specialties during a picnic which will be set up for you and your group along the aqueduct.
Return for a tour of Spello, enjoy your swimming pool or relish some private time in the afternoon. Later on, we'll stop by at a Spello wine bar for wine tasting with a well-regarded Italian sommelier, featuring wines from Umbria and other areas in Central Italy.
Afterward, we’ll have dinner at a popular and colorful pizzeria known for its vast selection of tasty wood-fired pizzas.
Included: All meals, coffee, tea, sparkling water, wine tasting, artisan beers and local Italian wine, if desired.
Friday Day 6
10 Day Italy Food And Wine Tour
Gubbio & Private Dinner In A Storybook Palazzo
Today, we’ll take a memorable drive off the beaten path in the beautiful Italian countryside through the mountains. Your trip will take you to the unforgettable Roman and medieval town of Gubbio.
We regard this hilltop town as one of the best unknown places in Italy. It is a favorite destination among Italians and we are sure you will love Gubbio as much as we do.
This town is truly one of those unique places in Italy to visit and is a very interesting hilltop town. The drive to Gubbio is picturesque. You’ll see vibrant red and white geraniums which line the road (in season) as we approach Gubbio. This mystical town seems to float halfway up Mount Ingino and can be seen from far away.
There are a large number of restaurants that specialize in food from the mountains: wild mushrooms, wild boar and many other tasty foods for foodies. Gubbio is regarded as one of the best food places in Italy.
Once we arrive, you can ramble around town, capture some great selfies, do some shopping, visit museums, take a cable car up to Mount Ingino high above Gubbio and enjoy the sweeping vista of the Apennine Mountains, and have lunch on your own (at our expense).
Return to Spello to enjoy your swimming pool, relish some afternoon private time and finish packing. We’ll have a farewell celebration with cocktails and an early private dinner arranged just for you, specially prepared by a highly regarded local Italian chef.
Included: All meals, coffee, tea, sparkling water, and local Italian wine, if desired.
Saturday Day 7
10 Day Italy Food And Wine Tour
Trip To Tuscany For Tour Of Florence And Siena
We’re off today to see some of the most popular places in Italy. During the last few days of your Italy Food And Wine Tour, you’ll see the incredible Tuscan towns of Florence and Siena.
Florence was once one of the wealthiest and most influential cities in the world. Today it is a major artistic, cultural, commercial, political and financial center. It is known for its extraordinary Renaissance architecture and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Forbes ranked Florence as the most beautiful city in the world in 2010.
We’ll make the short trip to Florence by train to enjoy the beautiful Italian countryside as we depart Umbria and arrive in Tuscany for our Florence adventure.
When we arrive, we will check-in to your 4-star Italian hotel located in the heart of Florence. We’ll grab a light lunch at a restaurant that specializes in Tuscan cuisine including homemade pici pasta, Tuscan meats, various tomato or bean soups, great Tuscan red and white wines, and more.
After lunch, we’ll take a guided walking tour conducted by a knowledgeable local tour guide to get oriented to Florence.
Florence will be a marked change from Umbria since it is not a hilltop town. Instead the historic center is quite flat. It is also a great place to mingle, explore and walk since vehicle traffic is restricted for local residents, taxis and hotel guests.
After your walking tour you can continue to explore the labyrinth of ancient Florentine streets while admiring the exquisite renaissance architecture. You can stop to taste some creamy Italian artisan gelato; admire numerous quaint jewelry shops which line the oldest bridge in Florence, the famous Ponte Vecchio; walk along the Arno River; do some shopping at myriad small shops, or grab a cocktail or glass of wine from one of the many wine bars in Florence. There are lots of different things to do in Florence that we can recommend.
You’ll will have dinner tonight at one of our favorite Tuscan restaurants. It is tucked away in a corner of an ancient piazza. The restaurant serves award winning authentic Tuscan foods. The fresh pasta and bread are prepared daily and made on-site. All dishes are based on the best seasonal ingredients and the menu changes with the season. For a special treat, you can also sample their deep green Tuscan olive oil which is produced on the restaurant owners’ estate outside of Florence. If you still have energy, you can go back to the sky terrace at your hotel to have a nightcap and enjoy a nighttime view of Florence.
Included: Transportation by train from Umbria to Florence, guided tour of Florence, all meals, coffee, tea, sparkling water, and local Italian wine (if desired) and lodging in Florence.
Sunday Day 8
10 Day Italy Food And Wine Tour
Tour Of Florence - Continued
Today, we’ll visit the Galleria dell’Accademia, one of Italy’s most popular museums. This well-known museum features Michelangelo’s colossal statue of David.
In addition to the David, there are six large unfinished marble statues that line the gallery. Many people grow quiet when they enter and stare in awe. The figures are so lifelike that they seem frozen in time.
After our experience seeing the David we will walk five minutes to the nearby Mercato Centrale. This 150-year old open-air marketplace features artisan food shops that cater to local residents and restaurants.
As part of your Italian small group tour you will be able to peruse the many interesting shops. They offer a vast selection local produce: cheeses, meats, salami’s, wine, liquors, soft drinks, and much more. We’ll get a whiff of the wonderful scents of all kinds of products and especially prosciutto hams with the local favorite called “Cinta Senese” that is prized throughout Italy. It is a lot of fun to sample and discover what you like best.
We will then have lunch at one of the authentic casual restaurants inside the market or from one of the many restaurants located outside, depending on your preference.
After lunch, we will go up to a square on a promontory high above Florence – the famous Piazzale Michelangelo. From here you can see an incredible panoramic view of all of Florence. You’ll see the giant basilica of Santa Maria del Fiore which from this vantage appears to be small. You see the historic wall surrounding parts of Florence and arc of the Arno River. The square is a great place to take some fine photos.
We’ll then return to the center of old Florence. You’ll have some time to do things on your own before dinner. You can go back to relax at your hotel, continue shopping, or walk around Florence and explore the narrow streets.
Florence is an international city that offers you some wonderful international dinner options. We’ll recommend several restaurants where you can find Indian, Turkish, Thai, or Japanese cuisine.
Or, you can select from one of our many favorite Italian restaurants. Perhaps tonight is the night to try an authentic Florentine beefsteak -- Bistecca alla Fiorentina -- or select from numerous other tasty Tuscan specialties.
Included: Museum tickets, transportation within the city center, and all meals, coffee, tea, sparkling water, and local Italian wine, if desired.
Monday Day 9
10 Day Italy Food And Wine Tour
Tour In Siena
After breakfast we’ll take you on a short public bus ride for your own Italian small group tour to one of the most beautiful cities in Italy – Siena.
Siena was first settled by the Etruscans around 2,500 years ago. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and was one of the most important cities in medieval Europe. Siena is famous for its food, art, museums and its medieval landscape. It also has one of the oldest universities in the world.
When you arrive in Siena, you will definitely feel like you have gone back in time.
You’ll see the gigantic Piazza del Campo which is regarded as one of Europe’s greatest medieval squares. It is renowned for its architecture and beauty and is lined with red brick buildings. Siena is also the site of a famous horse-race held twice each summer – the Palio of Siena.
After walking around a bit and having time to admire the piazza, we’ll have an early lunch at a Tuscan restaurant and pizzeria on the main square. You can do some people watching while enjoying a view of the piazza and all of its architectural glory.
After lunch we will stop at the Palazzo Pubblico across the piazza. The palace is a grand work of architecture in itself, with nearly every interior room frescoed. You can climb the stairs in the medieval tower next door to get a commanding view of Siena.
Siena is also a wonderful shopping town. We’ll walk around the medieval road that surrounds the piazza and is lined by all kinds of intriguing shops.
We’ll then visit the main duomo or cathedral located just a couple of blocks away. The duomo was completed in the 14th century and is a masterpiece of Italian Romanesque-Gothic architecture. It has an imposing zebra-like facade featuring alternating white and black marble.
You’ll have plenty of time to explore the town, do some shopping, or grab another gelato. Late in the afternoon we will take the bus back to Florence. There you can freshen up at your hotel.
We’ll then have a fond farewell celebration with cocktails, wine and a Tuscan dinner. There you can talk about the wonders of Italy and perhaps even start dreaming of a future return trip!
Included: Transportation to Siena and all meals with coffee, tea, sparkling water, and local Italian wine, if desired.
Tuesday Day 10
10 Day Italy Food And Wine Tour
Depart For Florence Airport Or Rome Airport
On the final morning of your 10 day tour of Italy, you will be picked up at your hotel to take you to the Florence airport for your flight back home. Instead, if you are flying out of Rome, we will escort you to the Florence train station and guide you to the high-speed train which will take you to Rome and Fiumicino Airport.
Transportation to Florence Airport or Rome Airport and breakfast are included.
Please Note: This schedule may change subject to weather and availability.
What’s Included
10 Day Italy Food And Wine Tour
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10 Day Tour Of Italy: For 10 days / 9 nights
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All-Inclusive In Italy Tour
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Ground transportation from Rome airport upon arrival. Upon departure, transportation to Florence Airport Or Train Tickets from Florence to Rome airport if departing from Rome. Bus transportation to and from Siena to Florence
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9 nights lodging in two Italian 4-star hotels in Central Italy regions of Umbria and Tuscany
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Transportation for each day of the tour as needed
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All breakfasts, lunches and dinners with Italian wine, if desired
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Private dinner prepared by an Italian chef
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Museum tickets
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Cocktail party featuring heavy appetizers at a private storybook palazzo
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Wine tastings will take place at cozy wine bars in Italian wine country. The tastings will also include tours of wine cellars and vineyards.
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Professional Italian tour guide available during portions of the tour
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Numerous opportunities to shop
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Optional time for biking, walking, hiking, trekking, cycling, e-biking or e bike
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Additional private time to do things together or on your own
What's Not Included
Italy Food And Wine Tour
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Flights to and from Italy
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Travel Insurance
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Passport Fees
Italy Food And Wine Tour Accommodations
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During your 10 day tour of Italy, you will stay at a small, boutique hotel. Many of our hotels are family-owned and are located in historic properties, some of which are centuries old. You will stay at an Italian 4-star hotel that is charming and authentic, featuring modern amenities including: wi-fi, air conditioning and a private in-suite bathroom. Many guests have remarked that our hotels are more quaint and memorable than chain hotels in North America.