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Parma & Piemonte Food & Culture Small Group Tour

8 Days / 7 Nights

Parma Hills, Barolo, Biella

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An insider’s gourmet & culture tour of Parma and Piemonte to discover the rich wine and food culture through our exclusive “Master Classes” and tasting sessions. Enjoy scenic landscapes with rolling hills of vineyards, seaside settings and Unesco World Heritage sites. Worlds away from mass tourism, this is a unique journey to the heart of Italian excellence and a hands-on meeting of many signature products of Italian cuisine. This 7 night/8 day 'tiny group' tour (with maximum 8 participants) includes a series of meals (or tastings in place of meals), along with accommodation and an English-speaking guide/driver, airport pick-ups. Dates for 2018: Sun Jun 24 - Sun Jul 1 Sat Oct 27 – Sat Nov 3 (Departure Guaranteed. Just 4 Places Left) Other dates available upon request for private groups. Contact us for a quotation. Package price: $3750 per person, based on two sharing a double/twin room. All departures are guaranteed once four or more people have signed up. A deposit of 50% is required at the time of booking to secure your place. The balance is due 30 days before arrival. Travel insurance is not included and participants are advised to obtain their own policy. Price includes all meals/experiences listed, and a bottle of mineral water on transfers. Tasting experiences take the place of lunches on all the days of the tour, and 5 dinners are included in the program (day 1, 2, 4, 5, 7)
Route for Parma Hills, Barolo, Biella tour

3 Nights in Parma Hills

3 Nights in Parma Hills

4 days in Parma Hills
4 days in Parma Hills

3 Nights in Parma Hills

Day 1

Day 1 - Arrival in Parma Hills

Your flight should arrive around midday at Milan Malpensa airport where you will meet the rest of the group and your guide/driver and from here we will drive to our first overnight destination, close to the city of Parma in the Emilia Romagna region, home of the classics of Italian cuisine, Parmigiano Reggiano, Balsamico di Modena and Prosciutto di Parma, all of which you'll be sampling on your tour. Along the way we will stop in the historic center of Piacenza for your first taste of Italy at an artisanal butcher's shop. In the afternoon we will visit the first of many architectural wonders of this tour, the scenic medieval castle of Castell’Arquato. Upon arrival at the agriturismo (farm stay) you will have some time to rest before a traditional dinner to savor a sumptuous selection of home-made traditional dishes and the world-class Parma specialties such as Parmigiano Reggiano and Prosciutto di Parma accompanied by a selection of the DOC locally produced wines such as Malvasia and Rosso dei Colli di Parma.

Day 2

Day 2 - Your First Full Day in Parma Hills

Parmigiano, Prosciutto, Vino

After an early breakfast including a choice of home-made cakes, we will make a guided visit to a local producer of the famous Parmigiano Reggiano to discover its traditions and techniques. A real unique experience in a temple of Italian taste. What better to follow one signature product of Italian gastronomy than another? Our next stop is a visit to a traditional producer of the world-famous Prosciutto di Parma with tasting of the delicacy itself as well as locally produced cured meats salame Felino and culatello. Rounding out a trio of tasting stops today is a visit to a renowned vineyard to enjoy a selection of local Malvasia and Chardonnay DOC wines and local recipes. After this we will walk through scenic wine hills to visit the medieval fortress of Torrechiara, considered one of the masterpieces in its genre in Italy. Dinner this evening is again at the agriturismo to continue the discovery of the local home-made traditional dishes.

Day 3

Day 3 - Your Second Full Day in Parma Hills

The Red Heart of Italy

On Monday we will take a trip to "the red heart of Italy" to Modena, home not just of Aceto Balsamico di Modena, but also the most famous name in motorsport, Ferrari. We will visit the Enzo Ferrari Museum built in at Enzo Ferrari's house designed by the maverick Czech architect Jan Kaplicky, Lunch will be at a traditional restaurant famous for delicious fresh pasta, dressed with a creative touch of another regional specialty, Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale of Modena. We will learn its peculiar technique and specific taste with a private visit of a local producer before returning to the Parma area for a relaxing evening with optional dinner in a local restaurant.

Day 4

Day 4 - Traveling to Barolo

After breakfast it's time to head to the renowned Piemonte wine region, best known for its Barolo and Barbaresco wines, but you'll be discovering that there's much more to Piemonte than just the big names.

3 Nights in Barolo

3 Nights in Barolo

4 days in Barolo
4 days in Barolo

3 Nights in Barolo

Barolo is a small town and a wine district located in the region of Piedmont. Surprisingly enough, this area is pretty small, even though the wine production consists of around 10 million bottles a year. The region is composed by many small towns scattered among the hills; most of the them have less than 1000 inhabitants. This feature makes Barolo even more interesting to visit; tourists can explore the tiny villages, sample the wines and admire the surrounding Barolo landscapes.

Barolo is a small town and a wine district located in the region of Piedmont. Surprisingly enough, this area is pretty small, even though the wine production consists of around 10 million bottles a year. The region is composed by many small towns scattered among the hills; most of the them have less than 1000 inhabitants. This feature makes Barolo even more interesting to visit; tourists can explore the tiny villages, sample the wines and admire the surrounding Barolo landscapes.

Day 4

Day 4 - Arrival in Barolo

Our first stop in this region is at the famous “wine cathedrals" of Canelli, creators of the first Italian sparkling wine, with guided visit to its spectacular underground cellars and tasting of their premium bubbly. After midday we will visit a renowned and historical local producer of cured meat for a lunchtime “Salumi Experience" to taste traditional and unique preparations such as prosciutto arrosto, salame cotto, galantina, lardo, paired with local wines. After lunch we will reach the medieval village of Monforte to admire the picturesque architecture, seat of the dramatic events of the Cathar heresy movement in the 13th century at the heart of the Barolo wine region. Later in the afternoon we will check in to a charming B&B run by a family of traditional winemakers, and then visit the nearby wine cellars of another winemaking family for our first taste of Barolo along with premium Barbera and Nebbiolo wines and their famous "Castelmagno" cheese produced in the high Alps. In the evening we will sit down to a classic home-style dinner and dig into a selection of starters and main courses prepared according to original recipes and accompanied by local wine.

Day 5

Day 5 - Your First Full Day in Barolo

Cheese & Chocolate

After a sumptuous breakfast we will visit the thriving town of Bra, home of the world-famous Slow Food Association and host of "Cheese", an international festival held every September, where we will take a "Masterclass in Cheese" and lunch with a traditional cheesemonger. We will taste the famous “Robiola di Roccaverano", just one of a selection of prized cheeses from the high Alps, paired with special mustards and jams and a choice of Barbera and Barbaresco wines. From Bra we will drive to the baroque town of Cherasco, made famous by the peace treaty signed by Napoleon and the Savoy royal family, for an exclusive “Chocolate Experience" with a renowned master to discover the origins of cocoa, his secrets and unique techniques. Next we will return to our B&B for some downtime before heading out to a nearby village for a classic, informal Italian-style aperitif-dinner, in a cosy wine bar nested in the medieval heart of Monforte.

Day 6

Day 6 - Your Second Full Day in Barolo

Barolo Master Class

After a day with no winery visits (the horror!) we'll make up for it today with a trip to the small town of Barolo itself for a “Master Class in Red Wines" starting from a visit to the stimulating “Wine Museum" in Barolo Castle and continuing with the visit of a selection of the best wine makers to discover the secrets and traditions of Barbera, Nebbiolo and of course Barolo, the “wine for kings, and king of wines". Since most wineries provide a filling tasting of cheese and cold cuts, we prefer to leave you time to relax instead of a formal dinner, and to stroll around the scenic vineyards, magnificent at sunset. Our guide will be available to bring you to a good local restaurant and help you with a-la-carte choices if requested.

Day 7

Day 7 - Traveling to Biella

Today we leave Barolo behind and visit the capital of the Piemonte region, Torino, home of the Fiat motor company. Our interests lie elsewhere however, with the open-air food market, the biggest in Europe, to sample some fresh specialties during a colorful and stimulating “promenade lunch" including the famous “Bicerin" drink in the temple of the Italian chocolate tradition. Next it's time for some history and culture with a guided tour of the historical centre of Torino, from the Roman monuments to the UNESCO World Heritage masterpieces of Baroque architecture in what was the first capital of Italy and the host city of the 2006 Winter Olympics in the foothills of the Alps.

1 Night in Biella

1 Night in Biella

Day 7

Day 7 - Arrival in Biella

With Torino in our rear view mirror we head for our final overnight stop on the tour and you might well suspect we've saved the best for last. We will cross a landscape of medieval towns and rice paddies towards Biella, to spend the night in a charming castle-hotel whose origins date back to the 14th Century. There's time for one last dinner and one more icon of Italian cuisine as we take part in a “Master Class in Risotto" to taste the typical local production of Carnaroli and Arborio rice, and the unique food traditions of the area in combination with wines like Gattinara, Ghemme and Lessona.

Day 8

Day 8 - Departure Day

After a rich breakfast you will be transferred to Milan Malpensa airport for your departing flight back home, or you could continue on to another JayWay destination, such as Venice by train from the center of Milan (and continue on to Slovenia or Croatia) or fly to Prague, Budapest, Bucharest or Tallinn.

What's Included

Here are all the services provided as part of your complete vacation package. See what every JayWay trip includes.
Please let us know if you'd like to upgrade any transfers or add any additional tours or excursions to your itinerary.

Parma Hills

3 Nights Accommodation
Breakfast (hotels only)
Gourmet Tour Package, transport, guiding, tasting experiences, 7 breakfasts, 7 lunches or equivalent, 5 dinners or equivalent

Barolo

3 Nights Accommodation
Breakfast (hotels only)

Biella

1 Night Accommodation
Breakfast (hotels only)

package excludes:


  • Flights to and from Europe.
  • Tips for Tour Guides, Drivers and Local Reps.
  • Meals (other than breakfast if included in room rate and meals listed as included in food tours and excursions, unless explicitly stated otherwise).
  • Parking fees for your Rental Car (if you are booking one with us) unless otherwise indicated. Some hotels provide free parking facilities.
  • Travel Insurance. See the insurance link on our website
Benefits of Traveling with JayWay

A JayWay vacation is more than the sum of its parts. Our team work tirelessly to ensure your experience is memorable for all the right reasons. Your trip is personalized to maximize your enjoyment. You're taken care of every step of the way.

A Travel Advisor who speaks your language

We will make sure that all your requirements and interests are taken into account in preparing your itinerary.

A totally tailored itinerary for your vacation

Your trip is customized for you by  an experienced trip planner and an expert on the region.

A choice of hand-picked hotels and excursions

We've personally inspected and tested all the hotels and local tour providers we work with to ensure quality.

Detailed pre-trip preparation to make the most of every day

Your Europe-based Tour Manager will be in touch by email and phone a month before you arrive to finalize timings.

On-trip Concierge Service to smooth out any bumps in the road

Your tour manager is at your service throughout your journey. We'll provide a local SIM so you can stay connected.

Personalized Guest Page to make sure you're not missing out

Packed with detailed information and recommendations curated by locals on the best things to do, see and eat.
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