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Food & Wine Culinary Tour from North to South Special Interest Italy Tours: Food & Wine Tour from North to South
Tour Features: Stay and Visit ® Italy presents an unforgettable Special Interest culinary tour of Italy from North to the South. Let us whisk you away on this luxury tour with excursions of Chianti, Rome, and the Amalfi Coast. You will live the "dolce vita" while in our beautiful, hospitable and centrally located four-star hotels. Your lunch (L) and dinners (D) will include house wine and mineral water at the Grand Hotel**** Ischia & Lido Resort & SPA. Breakfasts (B) will be continental buffet style. Day 1 – Departure from your city to Florence
Day 3 – Pontassieve - We will spend the whole Day visiting the Fattoria and discovering all the secrets of wine and olive oil production. Later we will view a demonstration of how they prepare the specialties of the "casa" that we will enjoy at the table. (B & D) Day 4 – Florence - A full Day in Florence including a guided tour of the Uffizi Art Gallery. Florence is an open-air exhibition of art and culture. It is famous worldwide, the heart of the Renaissance period and the home of the fine arts and literature. Florence has powerful symbols of Italian and European culture in every nook and cranny. It is a challenge to identify this city with just one symbol. It may be the sculpture of David by Michelangelo, or perhaps the romantic Ponte Vecchio, or Giotto's bell tower, but Florence could also be represented by famous people such as Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo or Dante Alighieri, to name a few. Back to the estate yet for another cooking demonstration and wine tasting followed by an unforgettable Tuscan dinner. (B & D) Day 5 – Chianti Rufina - After breakfast at the estate, we will explore the castles and farms of the Chianti Rufina area including its' wine towns: Pontassieve, Pelago, Londa and Dicomano. We will have a wine testing for each castle and farm. After a cooking demonstration and lunch in another ''fattoria'' we will return to our estate where we will have an olive oil seminar followed by a sumptuous dinner.
Day 7 – Orvieto & Rome - En route to Rome, we will visit Orvieto. Here is one of the loveliest cathedrals in Italy with a facade encrusted with brilliantly colored mosaics. Flanking the Duomo are wine shops offering the famous wines of the area. Sit at a cafe table and sip Orvieto Classico while you watch the ever-changing tableau of his evocative square. Or, stop for a gelato, at one of the finest ice cream shops in the land. After free time we will continue on to Rome the capital city of Italy, founded by the twins Romulus and Remus. The Grand Hotel**** Olympic in the city center will be our home for the next three days. (B & D) Day 8 – Rome - Morning at leisure. This afternoon we will have a tour of Imperial Rome. One of the symbols of Rome is the Coliseum, the largest amphitheatre ever built in the Roman Empire and used for gladiatorial combat. The Roman Forum was the central area around which ancient Rome developed. The Spanish Steps is a set of steps climbing a steep slope between the Piazza di Spagna and Piazza Trinità dei Monti. It is named after the nearby Embassy of Spain (1653). The famous Scalinata is without a doubt the longest and widest staircase in Europe. The Trevi Fountain is the largest and most ambitious of the Baroque fountains in Rome. This fountain was immortalized by films such as “Three coins in the Fountain, Roman Vacation, La Dolce Vita“. Typical Roman dishes: “abbacchio” and “spaghetti a’ matriciana” accompanied with a glass or two of “er vino de’ castelli”. (B & D)
Day 11 – Ischia - Today we will begin our exploration of the southern Italian cuisine, we will experience an intensive sampling of Neapolitan sweets at the famous Bar Calise where you will learn how to prepare those incredible desserts from Campania: sfogliatelle, cannoli and of course unsurpassed gelati. We will then continue to Gaetano’s, one of the best Italian “pizzaiolo” champion, where we will have lunch and view a pizza-making demonstration. This afternoon we will take a bus tour of the majestic island. (B, L & D) Day 12 – Amalfi & Positano - We will visit the world famous Amalfi Coast, thought by many to be the most beautiful stretch of scenery in the entire Mediterranean. We will visit two of the area's best-loved resorts with a mini-cruise. Amalfi, the main town of the coast lies at the mouth of a deep ravine surrounded by dramatic cliffs and coastal scenery, and Positano that sits in an enclave of the hills leading down to the coast. (B & D)
Day 14 – Caseificio - Full Day visit to a typical Caseificio (dairy farm) to view a demonstration of the way Mozzarella is made. This family-run farm uses an exclusive method and their own buffalos milk to process one of Italy’s finest cheeses. The Caseificio San Vito (1000 acres) is located in the Northern part of Campania. (B & D) Day 15 – Sorrento - A short walk to the port and… mini-cruise on our way to the best-loved resorts: Sorrento, the lemon-scented jewel of the peninsula. Free full day in Sorrento to shop for the local specialty inlaid carving (intarsia), to enjoy the best views of the enchanting bay of Naples or to have lunch and wine in a local trattoria. Back to Ischia for a quick swim or relaxation in the spa before dinner at the hotel. (B & D) Day 16 – Naples - Early transfer to Capodichino Airport, have a safe return home, treasure the memories and … Grazie and arrivederci a presto! (B) Departures from North America
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Day 2 – Florence & Pontassieve - We will be met at the 
Day 6 – Siena & Cortona - This morning we will visit 
Day 9 – Rome - Morning tour of 
Day 13 – Capri - Mini-cruise to the island of 
