From Piedmont down to Emilia
7 nights & 8 Days
Culture and passion for food and wine. That is the main common denominator of the three different territories that you will explore during your journey.
You will be captured by the spectacular views with rolling hills, picturesque hamlets and vineyards as far as the eye can see.
Learn about the Piemontese wines and their "king" Barolo in the Langhe and discover between hills, castles and monasteries the beauties of the Oltrepò Pavese, one of the most well-kept secrets of Italy.
Get deep in the "Food Valley", where some of the signature ingredients of Italian gastronomy, such as Parmesan and Parma ham, are produced and you will be spoiled with the Emilian cuisine.
Dennis Cesco
Chef
At only 16, Dennis Cesco’s passion for cooking took him to follow a professional path starting from the most humble roles in the kitchen brigade to working alongside the most famous international chefs. He worked with Michelin star‘s chef Alain Solivérès, Yannick Alléno and Christoph Pelé. In 2013, he became the favourite pupil of Chef Damiano Nigro who, in 2021, handed over to him the kitchen of the DaMà, the Relais Villa D’amelia restaurant
From Piedmont down to Emilia
7 nights & 8 Days
Day 1 - Arrival
A relaxing welcome drink followed by dinner at Villa d'Amelia, a renovated nineteenth-century “Cascina in the heart of the Langhe between lush woods and with a magnificent view of the Alps and the soft hills of Barolo.What a perfect starting point for your food and wine experience !!!!
Overnight at Villa D’Amelia
Day 2 - Along the Wine Route of Barolo, the King of the Italian wines
Discover this surprising territory rich in culture but most of all in food and wine. you will visit the elegant Alba and family-run winery Pio Cesare. End your morning in Alba with a three Star Michelin lunch at Piazza Duomo with a tasting menu created by the renowned chef Enrico Crippa. Let’s go to the countryside driving through The Unesco Landscape of the Langhe and stop in the charming towns of Barolo, La Morra e Vergne before ending your day with a wine tasting at GD Vajra winery.
Overnight at Villa D’Amelia
Day 3 - Along the Wine Route of Barbaresco, the Queen of the Italian wines
Do you know why the town of Neive is listed among the most beautiful Villages in Italy? This is one of the many things you will discover today driving along rolling hills and vineyards as far as the eye can see. A day in the Barbaresco region and in the highest, most pristine part of the Langhe, the Alta Langa. You will learn about the Barbaresco wine, at the winery Francone in Neive and discover the secret of the “Sparkling Metodo Classico or Champenoise” production of the Alta Langa Docg at the Serafino winery.
Overnight at Villa D’Amelia
Day 4 - Oltrepò Pavese
It's time to say goodbye to Piedmont and continues towards the Lombardy region. Visit the elegant Pavia and have lunch at before continuing to one of Italy's best-kept secret: The Oltrepò Pavese. A delightful triangle of land with rolling hills, spectacular panoramic views, castles, medieval villages and monasteries, and excellent wineries still to be discovered by wine enthusiasts from all over the world. Tonight you will stay at the Prime Alture wine resort. You will be welcomed with a wine lesson where you can sip the best wines while learning to recognise their colours, aroma, and flavours and end your day with a delightful dinner paired with wine.
Overnight at Prime Alture
Day 5 - Emilia and the Food Valley
Today we explore the famous "Food Valley" where some of the signature ingredients of Italian cuisine are produced. Learn how the Parmigiano Reggiano is made at the Caseificio Montecoppe; enjoy the panorama of the vineyards from the terrace of Monte delle Vigne winery while sipping a nice glass of Lambrusco and visit Torrechiara Castle while you will learn about the love story behind its construction.
Being in the heart of the "Food Valley," you can not miss the opportunity to learn the secret of Emilian cuisine with a cooking class followed by dinner with the chef of Corte Finzi.
Overnight at Corte Finzi.
Day 6 - Parma and its great cured meats
Culatello, Parma ham and much more traditional cured meat. That is what you will taste during the visit at the producer Antica Ardenga in Soragna. After lunch continue to Parma. See the city centre's main highlights and discover why Parma has been recognized by U.N.E.S.C.O. as the first and only Creative City of Gastronomy in Italy and the Italian Capital of Culture 2020.
Overnight at Corte Finzi
Day 7 - Modena, Balsamic Vinegar and more
Start your day strolling around Modena city centre, a city rich in culture and history, before indulging in a lunch at La Badessa in San Donnino. In the afternoon discover all the secrets of Modena's Black Gold on an exciting journey through the barrels of Acetaia Leonardi.
The day draws to its close, and so our journey. At the Corte, Finzi will be waiting for you to say goodbye with a superb Barbeque dinner !!!
Overnight at Corte Finzi
Day 8
It is time to say goodbye and see you soon for your next journey!!!!!
Postcards
Discover some of the most remarkable wineries, farms, villages and restaurants you will touch during this journey.
Alba
Alba has a beautifully preserved medieval old town centre, and it is a superb place where to eat. It's not for nothing that it was declared UNESCO Gastronomy cities in 2017, and it is considered the Gourmet Capital of Piedmont. Renowned for its white truffles and chocolates - it is where Ferrero Rocher and Nutella come from, and the legendary Gianduia was invented here.
Villa D’Amelia
Relais Villa d’Amelia was born from the masterly renovation of the nineteenth-century Cascina Bonelli, in the heart of Piedmont’s Langhe region. The hotel’s elegant and warm interiors and its manicured blooming gardens surrounding the villa create the perfect atmosphere one would find in a private home.
Lear more about the hotel
Langhe
Langhe is one of the most scenic places to visit in Piedmont. Gentle hills covered with vineyards come to mind, small villages surrounded by fields, medieval churches and castles, scents of wine, truffles and chestnuts. This area is renowned for producing excellent wines, such as Barolo and Barbaresco, and wineries are often housed inside noble dwellings.
Pio Cesare Winery
Pio Cesare has been producing wines for 135 years in its ancient cellars in the centre of the town of Alba. The ancient cellars, built at the end of the 1700s, are delimited and surrounded by the ancient Roman walls, dating back to 50 B.C. Their wine comes from their 73 acres of vineyards, featuring high-quality hillside exposures intentionally located in multiple different communes of the Barolo and Barbaresco appellations.
GD Vajra Winery
GD Vajra is a family-run winery located in the municipality of Barolo. It is known for the consistently high quality of its range, particularly for its Barolo wine, but they are also distinguished in the production of other labels of red wines and white wines, such as Dolcetto, Pinot Noir and Moscato d’Asti.
The route between La Morra and Vergne
Through the Langhe's rolling hills, a panoramic Itinerary crossing some of the most well-kept and precious vineyards in the world. The perfect way to admire the Langhe landscape declared a Unesco Heritage site.La Morra is known for its privileged location, and from its large terrace overlooking the valley, you can admire almost the entire Langa area of Alba.
Francone Winery
A magical combination of sheer determination and passion for winemaking, in a unique setting: this typifies Cantina Francone in Neive, right in the Barbaresco wine region on the rolling hills of the Langhe.They are great producers of Barbaresco wine from generation; their roots lie in a family tradition, consolidated over time, with a solid bond to the local area.
Alta Langa
Alta Langa is a scenic spot of Piedmont still relatively untouched by mass tourism. It's the highest, most pristine part of the Langhe, where vineyards share the stage with hazelnut groves, ancient woods, and rustic farms producing excellent cheeses and salami.
Enrico Serafino Winery
Since 1878, Enrico Serafino has been a family winery crafting artisan wines. This careful dedication to quality comes from the vineyards spread in the UNESCO World Heritage wine region of Langhe-Roero and Monferrato. Enrico Serafino winery committed to creating an authentic wine portfolio of both Still and Sparkling fascinating worlds. Barolo & Barbaresco, Alta Langa and Indigenous grape varieties are the wines they made in their cellars.
The Village of Neive
The town of Neive is part of "The most beautiful towns of Italy" thanks to its medieval layout, dotted with splendid Baroque palaces. It is also known as the city of four wines: Moscato d'Asti, Barbaresco, Dolcetto and Barbera, all able to find, in this portion of the territory, expressions of the highest level.
Prime Alture
Prime Alture Winery & Resort is located in the foothills of Casteggio in Oltrepò Pavese.The idea of combining wine and hospitality has led to the creation of a winery, and high-quality “resort” with luxurious accommodation, in which every detail is important and offers the very best possible expression of quality. Surrounded by vineyards boast An impressive panorama and an atmosphere of informal elegance.
Oltrepò Pavese
A delightful triangle of land with rolling hills, spectacular panoramic views, castles, medieval villages and monasteries, and excellent wineries still to be discovered by wine enthusiasts from all over the world.
Corte Finzi
Nestled in the colours and scents of the Parma hills, the stables of this rustic eighteen century stone farmhouse have been transformed into an intimate and warm guest house in the heart of the "food valley". Every detail is carefully overseen with passion and respect for the region's culture. The four guest rooms are enhanced by furniture belonging to the family for over 100 years, recovered and restored to create an intimate atmosphere.
Montecoppe Dairy Farm
The Montecoppe Dairy Farm follows the entire Parmigiano Reggiano PDO supply chain within the Boschi di Carrega Natural Park, a natural oasis a few kilometres from the city of Parma. Traditional processing and the presence of favourable natural conditions give life to an extraordinary product: characteristic smell and aroma, intense and persistent flavour, perfect consistency.
Antica Ardenga
Antica Ardenga is a small company that produces limited quantities of cold cuts from the Lower Parma area. This coastal area of the River Po has always been devoted, by tradition and ideal climate, to the production of high quality cured meats. The most appreciated local product is the "CULATELLO", the undisputed king of Italian pork butchery. The production of other cold cuts is also quite wide, all of which linked to local traditions. The company is one of the thirteen producers of the Consortium of Culatello di Zibello, a Slow-Food presidium.
Torrechiara Castle & Panaro River
Overlooking the Parma valley, Torrechiara is one of the best-preserved fortifications in the whole region. It was built between 1448 and 1460 by Pier Maria Rossi in honour of the beloved Bianca Pellegrini. The castle is a pearl in which the Middle Age and Renaissance come together in a perfect marriage, elegantly mixing the powerful military architecture and the sophistication of the typical forms of residential structures.
Parma
Parma is the perfect town for foodies and music lovers. Home of parmesan cheese and Parma ham, it is also the land that gave birth to the great composer Giuseppe Verdi and famous conductor and musician Toscanini. Parma’s centre is full of art masterpieces, from the beautiful Parma Cathedral and the magnificent Teatro Regio to the interesting Museo Glauco Lombardi and the National Gallery.
Monte delle Vigne Winery
The Monte Delle Vigne winery is located in the production area of Colli di Parma DOC wine. Their wines have been multiple awarded over the years for their organoleptic characteristics and their quality. Whether it is the typical sparkling wines, based on Lambrusco and Malvasia, or full-bodied and structured interpretations, based on Barbera, Croatina or Cabernet, these wines contain the essence of a unique territory, famous in the world for the food and wine excellences.
Sala Baganza
Sala Baganza is a small town in the province of Parma in Emilia-Romagna. It is home to numerous companies in the agri-food sector (especially pork processing for cured meats). The eno-gastronomic offer can be considered high value: the municipality is the land of Parma Ham, Parmigiano Reggiano, and the production area of Malvasia wine.
Ristorante Badessa
At the Restaurant La Badessa, “Territory and quality” are the keywords. All the dishes are made entirely in the restaurant with particular attention to the zero kilometre philosophy and the careful choice of raw materials. The cuisine hybrids between ancient flavours and new ideas with specific attention to rediscovering lost flavours, seasonality and the short supply chain.
Acetaia Leonardi
The Vinegar farmhouse Leonardi was born on Modena hills, where the typical grape varieties of Lambrusco and Trebbiano are grown to obtain the so-called grape must, basic ingredient of the Balsamic Vinegar of Modena. From the pick-up of grapes up to the bottling, the Leonardi family follows all the production phases of this ancient condiment brown and velvety, very versatile on the balance of sweet and sour flavours.
