Day One

Our 12-day journey starts at 8:00 a.m. at the Hotel Grand Duca di York in Milan, Italy. We highly recommend that our travelers arrive one or two days prior to the start of the trip to get acclimated and enjoy the sights and cultural experiences of Milan.

We embark on a half-day walking-and-tasting tour of six of the city’s foremost food purveyors in the old central Brera district. Energized by the hustle and bustle of Italy’s culture and fashion capital, we savor the best of such local and regional specialties as mondeghili (Milanese meatballs), culatello (the king of cured meats), as well as classic, traditional cannoli and gelati for dessert.

After the tour, we depart Milan for a scenic drive south to the Langhe region and a lovely village called Castiglione Tinella. This Unesco World Heritage Site - a short distance from Alba and Asti - is home to the lovely Albergo Castiglione Langhe boutique-style hotel. Surrounded by world-class vineyards, this will be our private home for the week. Each room is air conditioned with a private bath. We’ll settle in, enjoy an aperitivo in the vineyard, tour the wine cellar and experience a welcome dinner prepared by our chefs Sylvain Jamois and Milo Waterfield, paired with wines hand-selected by our host Massimo Ponte, wine maker, and hotel owner.

Day Two

After breakfast, enjoy a Giro D’Italia (Tour of Italy) cheese tasting, presented by Madame Fromage and held in our private courtyard. The Giro will feature a selection of the region’s best known and finest artisan cheeses designed to set the benchmark for a week of tastings and pairings. Though the region is best known for wine, Piedmont is home to Italy’s innovative and world-renowned craft brewery, Birreria Baladin. They are a model of all-natural, sustainable, and forward-thinking practices and their beers pair beautifully with many of our favorite cheese and regional foods. We’ll enjoy a unique tasting of their Belgium-style beers at lunch.

Enjoy a little free time for a swim or walk in the vineyards before we travel down the road to the cellars of Contratto, one of Italy’s most historic and fascinating cellars as well as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Here we’ll enjoy a glimpse of one of the region’s best sparkling white wine producers and then return to Albergo Castglione for a relaxing evening and dinner.

Day Three

After breakfast we’ll drive to the remote hillside hamlet of Valcasotto, in southern Piedmont. This isolated village has been beautifully restored—as has the region’s local mountain cheese and butter production—by Beppino Occelli, an Italian cheese legend. Part of Valcasotto’s charm is its renovated 19th century flour mill which is fully operational today. Meet and experience first-hand the Occelli team as we enjoy a pasta making experience with Occelli’s chef and Anna’s dear friend Alessandra Ingenetti. We’ll tour their caves and indulge in a lunch of regional specialties, wine and their award-winning and delicious “cake-like after-dinner cheeses”. We’ll return to Albergo Castglione in time for a swim and an Aperitivo before a chef prepared dinner.

Day Four

After breakfast, we’ll meet up with Giorgio Cravero, a renowned Parmigiano- Reggiano affineur -exporter, and a close friend of Anna and all the Cheese Journeys team. Guests will be treated to an intimate look inside his five-generation family business, learn about the unique way he ages his cheese, and enjoy lunch at his family’s restaurant. We’ll spend the afternoon at the University of Gastronomic Sciences, Slow Food’s academic arm - a picturesque, sprawling campus encompassing several restored buildings of an ancient castle on the edge of Bra. We’ll walk the grounds before enjoying a horizontal tasting of regional Langhe/Piedmont wines at the affiliated Banca di Vino (wine bank). The tour and tasting will include delicious reds: Barbera, Dolcetto, and Nebbiolo-based Barbaresco and Barolo. White wines will include Roero Arneis and Moscato D’Asti. We’ll return to our hotel in the countryside for a chef-prepared dinner.

Day Five

After breakfast, guests have three options for the day: 1) Stay at the hotel and relax, 2) Join Chef Sylvain on a private shopping spree at Alba’s renowned farmer’s market or, 3) Join the Cheese Journey guides and all intrepid cheese trekkers on a scenic drive to Cueno’s newest dairy and then up into the high mountains for a visit to Valliera where Castelmagno is made. One of Italy’s most historic and traditional mountain cheeses, Castelmagno is an artisanally -produced, rustic, naturally blue cheese – a truly indigenous treasure! It’s revival at the Valliera creamery high in the Alps is largely the brainchild of Chiara Boschis and some friends. We’ll learn about high-pasture transhumance and enjoy a traditional lunch at the Valliera agriturismo before stopping for something sweet at a renowned chocolate producer. The day concludes with an engaging evening with a local wine producer and chef prepared dinner.

Day Six

While in Italy, a big Sunday family-style meal is a must, so Chef Sylvain has designed one for our guests. Enjoy a relaxing morning or spend time in the kitchen with the chefs for cooking and hands-on fun! After a light lunch, join Anna for a truffle hunt with our local trifulau (truffle-hunter), Livio, and his dog, Lula, on their home turf in the nearby woods. Learn the mysteries surrounding the most precious of Mother Earth’s fruits. We have orders from the chef to bring some of these delicious treasures home –the perfect final touch to his impressive Sunday feast! Enjoy dinner with our truffle experts, Franco and Claudia as we pair regional wines and truffles!

Day Seven

After breakfast, join our chefs and hosts for a day of cooking, cheese, and Italian food education. Half the guests will grab their aprons and join Chef Sylvain in the kitchen as he shares some of his favorite recipes. You’ll be sure to learn a new cooking technique or two while using local ingredients as you help create lunch for the group. The other guests will spend the morning with Madame Fromage to indulge in her local favorite cheeses, while learning how to store, select and serve artisan cheese. In the afternoon guests will switch classes and then have time for a swim or a stroll in the vineyard. We’ll all indulge in your creations for lunch and dinner! Wrap up the day with an educational cocktail experience before a chef-prepared dinner- alfresco style!

Day Eight

After breakfast, we have a private invite from the renowned wine maker Chiara Boschis herself, to enjoy a tour and tasting at her Barolo winery. Learn how she helped elevate Barolo wines to world class status by getting “the Rat Pack” men’s club of wine producers to transition to organic production practices. After our tasting, we’ll travel through some of the most coveted vineyard real estate in the world- leaving us a lasting memory of Piedmont.

After a picnic lunch in the vineyards, we’ll head north to the shores of Lake Maggiore with vistas of palm trees and views of the Swiss Alps. Enjoy a scenic boat ride to Isola Superiore (Fisherman’s Island), a sleepy island, home to 35 families with narrow, cobblestone streets, shops, and home to Hotel Belvedere- our accommodations for the last leg of our tour. Settle in, enjoy a welcome event before dining at a local restaurant of your choice.

Day Nine

After a leisurely breakfast, we’ll join our local guide to explore this ancient and interesting island. Guests can shop and we’ll enjoy a classic pizza lunch before hopping on a boat to Isola Bella where we’ll tour the baroque palace and formal gardens. Late afternoon, we have a private invitation from one of Anna’s friends, owner of La Casera: an ultimate wine, cheese & charcuterie shop in the lovely lake side town of Verbania. Get an inside glimpse of one of the best cheese shops in Italy and enjoy a beautiful evening meal with local foodie legends and friends.

Day Ten

After breakfast, guests will have a rare opportunity to travel up into the alpine region of Val Taleggio to meet up with one of our favorite producers- the charming Adele Ravasio of the CasArrigoni family. www.casarrigoni.it. View the breathtakingly beautiful Taleggio Valley and witness the ancient Taleggio cheese being traditionally made. Enjoy a lunch at a local restaurant and an afternoon hike with locals. The return drive through Italy’s Northern Lake Country is scenic and relaxing. Back at the hotel on the island, guests have a free evening.

Day Eleven

After breakfast, we’ll visit the aging facility and shop of Luigi Guffanti 1876, one of Italy’s premier selector and affineur of over five hundred cheeses. This fifth-generation family-owned firm, spearheaded by the Fiori brothers, Davide and Giovanni, offers us a tour and a delectable selection of their finest cheeses for tasting and mid-day meal.

You’ll enjoy some of your favorites: mouth-watering Gorgonzola Dolce and Piccante as well as many delicious rarities unavailable in the United States. This is a perfect opportunity to purchase cheese before returning to the states. After our farewell lunch at Guffanti’s, you’re free to stroll and shop in the nearby lakeside town Stresa, which has a quaint lineup of 19th century luxury hotels along the water along with lovely shops for a relaxing afternoon before we prepare to say a fond arrivederci to this beautiful lake country and return to Malpensa Sheraton Hotel at the end of the tour.

Day Twelve

After breakfast at the hotel, guests will depart from Malpensa airport to travel back to the USA or on to another destination. The tour concludes at this time.

Tour Price Includes:
Lodging for 11 nights, 11 breakfasts, 9 noon meals, 10 evening meals, and alcoholic beverages served with meals. All transportation during the tour, all classes and/or day tours provided by local hosts, cheese educators, and chefs.

Tour Price Does Not Include:
Round trip airfare to and from Milan, hotel accommodations before or after the tour, and any personal shopping, additional food, and beverage during walking tours and free time.

Disclosure:
To the best of our ability, this itinerary is final. However, if due to unexpected changes in weather, or an emergency with our hosts, Cheese Journeys reserves the right to substitute an event if needed. During the tour, you have the option of declining a particular excursion or tour, but please note that we are unable to make refunds for any missed meals, classes, or events. Please see Terms and Conditions for additional details.