Hedonistic Hiking, in association with World Expeditions, brings you a celebration of fabulous food and wine from Northern Italy. Walk the area immortalised by writers and poets over the centuries. Visit beautiful Parma, the undisputed gourmet capital of Emiglia Romagna. Walk part of the Via Francigena pilgrim route and discover an untouched area of Tuscany before descending to the Gulf of Poets on the Ligurian coast. Discover the enogastronomic wonders of north west Italy: Barolo wine, the legendary white truffle of Alba, porcini mushrooms, cured meats and hand-crafted cheeses. Beautiful hotels, stunning walks, fascinating history and exceptional food and wines. Enjoy a cooking class with a Piedmontese chef and meet with winemakers and local producers.
Northern Italy Culinary Tour
The price represents the true cost of your holiday. No hidden extras.
- 12 nights accommodation in 3&4 star hotels, on a twin share basis (including a 14th century castle)
- All meals including gourmet picnics, and a variety of superb restaurants offering top quality wines
- Two experienced and knowledgeable guides
- All museum entries and wine tastings as per the itinerary
- Cooking class in Piedmont and in Borgotaro
- Support vehicle, enabling you to walk as much or as little as you please
- Luggage transported from hotel to hotel - all you need to carry is your daypack
This trip will run from 19 April to 01 May 2013
Day 1
Meet Parma train station at 1.30pm. After a late lunch showcasing the famous cuisine of Parma we visit the cathedral and its fabulous marble baptistery. We continue (1 hour) to Borgo Casale, our luxury hotel nestled in the Romagnola hills, encircled by peaks of the Apennines. Time to settle in before dinner in the hotel restaurant.
Day 2
Today we learn how the famous Parmesan cheese is produced when we meet a local producer. We then drive high into the hills, on the border between Liguria and Emiglia Romagna, for a fabulous ridge walk. Later in the day we visit a local organic farm where Fabrizio and his wife Laura teach you how to prepare some of the local pasta dishes. (5.4km/3.4 miles)
Day 3
From the Passo della Cisa (1041m) we follow the Via Francigena through beech and chestnut woods passing over ancient stone bridges (9km/5.6miles). We picnic near a charming village. In the afternoon there is the opportunity to continue on foot along the pilgrim trail to the gates of Pontremoli (4km/2.5miles) or take the van and spend some time in the town. We stay in a beautiful agriturismo with pool converted from a 16th century hamlet, which overlooks the town. We use this as our base to explore the Lunigiana, an untouched part of Tuscany nestled between the Apennines and the Mediterranean. Dinner in the hotel.
Day 4
Today a short drive from the agriturismo takes us to a local farm in Oppilo where we visit a wine-maker and taste some of his produce. We walk back to the hotel (5km/3.1miles) for our picnic lunch. Relaxing afternoon with the chance to explore Pontremoli. The town lies in a strategic position on the river Magra and it was an important stopping place on the Via Francigena. The 14th century castle houses a fascinating museum of menhirs found in the Lunigiana. Dinner in a local trattoria in Pontremoli.
Day 5
We start today with a tasting at a local olive-oil producer and visit one of the few remaining chestnut mills operating in the valley. Enjoy sweeping coastal views as we walk to Fosdinovo where we visit the imposing castle of the Malaspina family. We stay the next two nights in Fosdinovo Castle which affords fabulous views to the Ligurian coast. Dinner in the castle this evening. (5km/3.2miles)
Day 6
Free day to explore the quaint villages of the Ligurian coast. Lunch overlooking the water in the lovely town of Portovenere. We return to Fosdinovo later in the afternoon and have a light dinner in a local trattoria.
Day 7
Drive (3 hours) to Piedmont. We stop en route to take part in a cooking class with a local chef where we learn how to make a typical Piemontese meal. We enjoy the lunch we have helped to prepare before continuing by road to the medieval town of Saluzzo, the artistic jewel of Piedmont nestled at the foot of Monviso (3841m). We spend the next three nights in a very peaceful and comforably restored Cascina (farmhouse), Antico Podere Propano, on the edge of town. Time to settle in before we head in to town to enjoy the lively passeggiata and an aperitif.
Day 8
Starting from the pretty village of Revello, the summer residence of the Marquis of Saluzzo, see the private chapel before following woodland tracks up to Mombracco - locally known as Leonardo's mountain as he favoured the stone quarried here. After a picnic lunch we visit the 12th century Cistercian abbey at Staffarda. Return to the hotel by van. Dinner in a restaurant in Saluzzo on this night. (Optional 7.3km/4.6miles)
Day 9
This morning we visit the lively weekly market in Saluzzo before seeing the stunning privately-owned botanical gardens just outside the town. After a picnic lunch in the gardens we drive to Manta and enjoy a fascinating tour of the 13th century castle with its delightful frescoes. There is an optional walk back to Saluzzo after the visit. Fabulous dinner at the Abbey of Staffarda this evening. (7km/4.4miles)
Day 10
A short drive takes us to the pretty medieval town of Cherasco - famous for its many churches, chocolates ... and snails! Continue to La Morra where we indulge in a leisurely lunch at an award-winning restaurant with views over the vineyards. We stay for 3 nights at the charming Corte Gondina hotel in La Morra. This evening we meet a local winemaker for an introduction to the fabulous wines of this region.
Day 11
Our walk leads us from La Morra through some of the top vineyards of the region to emerge at the family-run farm at San Biagio. Visit the cellars and taste their range of wines including Barolo, Barbaresco, Barbera and Dolcetto. Dinner in the nearby village of Santa Maria. (9.5km/6miles)
Day 12
Easy walk to the village of Barolo where there is an opportunity to visit the castle and wine museum where the world-class wine of the same name was created in the 19th century. Later in the day we visit the pretty regional capital of Alba, host to an important regional wine fair, to experience the passeggiata and an aperitif followed by dinner at a local Slow Food restaurant. (6km/3.8miles)
Day 13
Transfer after breakfast to Turin, stopping en route at Eataly, Italy's famous Slow Food supermarket. The trip concludes at Porta Nuova train station at 12.30 pm.
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