Itinerary

Day One

Prepare to be whisked away from Milan (9 a.m. departure from the Sheraton Hotel of Milian-Malpensa Airport) by private coach and ferried through the gorgeous Italian countryside to Piedmont – home to decadent cheeses such as Taleggio and Robiola, along with beautiful wines such as Barbaresco and Barolo. On the way to our villa for the week, we’ll stop for lunch and a sparkling wine tasting in Canelli, home to Contratto Winery, Italy’s first producers of Champagne-method sparkling wine. Contratto’s extensive underground cellars are a UNESCO World Heritage site, and their opulent private tasting room is exquisite. By late afternoon, you’ll find yourself happily rolling through vineyards and poppy-lined fields as you head to your home-away-from-home for the week: a charming villa-style property in the village of Castiglione Tinella – a place time has forgotten. You can expect Old World charm, rustic roads dotted with fruit trees, and peaceful evenings where tractors roll in at sundown from the grape harvest. Once you settle into your room, treat yourself to a dip in the infinity pool overlooking the vines, then join us at a long table in the courtyard for a chef-prepared dinner featuring local provisions.

Day Two

After a hot breakfast, prepare for Part I of our two-part Giro D’Italia (Tour of Italy) cheese tasting in our private cantina, presented by our two award-winning educators for the week: Tenaya Darlington, (a.k.a Madame Fromage) and Emilia D’Albero, the reigning World’s Best Cheesemonger! Today’s tasting will focus on soft cheeses and washed rinds to introduce you to the finest selections from the area and familiarize you with some of the terms and tastes you’ll encounter at the festival tomorrow. You’ll go in-depth on cheese, learn to identify flavors, and take away expert tips on pairing beverages and accompaniments so you can recreate this experience at home. After a light lunch, our educators will orient you to the mission of Slow Food and tomorrow’s festival highlights. You’ll receive maps, VIP tickets, and an overview of the festival grounds in the village of Bra. After lunch, a cheese chariot will ferry you to nearby Slow Food University for a tour of their Wine Bank and a private tasting. Their cellar, which houses great wine from all over Italy, alongside soil samples, offers fascinating insight into how Italians preserve their food culture. Plus, Slow Food’s exquisitely curated wine shop is a wonderful place to pick up a rare bottle with the help of a docent.

Day Three

Time to hit the Slow Food Cheese Festival! After a villa breakfast, your cheese chariot will drop you off in the village of Bra, where every hard-core cheese lover in the world joins together to celebrate traditional cheesemaking. Our educators will function as your guides: they’ll point out not-to-miss makers, offer insider insights, and help you discover your own finds to share with the group at tomorrow’s “Show-And-Tell Aperitivo,” our evening cocktail hour and debriefing session. Prepare to hit the festival in search of your favorite cheese style or cheese-board accompaniment – you’ll find honeys, unusual jams and pickles, plus charcuterie, sweets, and breads. Each day, Cheese Journeys has arranged private tastings for you with key makers, so prepare to meet some serious celebrities today and tomorrow, including Giorgio Cravero of Cravero Parmigiano-Reggiano, Betty Koster of L’Amuse Gouda in The Netherlands, and Roland Sahli of Gourmino Cheese in Switzerland. Plan on VIP treatment at the Neals Yard Dairy tent, too! Today, lunch is on your own, but save room for tonight’s fabulous chef-prepared meal with a special Mystery Cheesemaker Dinner Guest who will share her family’s cheeses with us during our aperitivo hour!

Day Four

It’s Day 2 of the festival, and now you know your way around. After a villa breakfast featuring fresh dairy, fruit, and baked goods, you’ve got plenty of time in Bra to seek out souvenirs (need an olive wood cheese board, or a jar of real truffle oil?), or hit the shops to pick out a designer scarf, a tablecloth, or some Italian sunglasses. Snack your way around town, pop into a wine bar, and be sure to end lunch-on-your-own with some buffalo-milk gelato at one of the festival stands. Of course, if you’re looking for a great slice of pizza, you won’t have to look far for that either – Bra is a town of great gastronomy, everywhere you look. Today is also a good day to consider buying any cheeses you’d like to take home with you – we’ll provide you with a cooler bag and plenty of refrigerator space, plus tips on getting your cheese home in good shape. Back at the villa later this afternoon, you’ll have time to relax in the courtyard for our first round of “Show-And-Tell Aperitivo,” with a special cocktail prepared by Madame Fromage. Then, freshen up for dinner – chefs have prepared a sumptuous supper with plenty of local veg, and as always, a homemade dessert!

Day Five

Today, you’ve got the option to take a free day or head back to the Slow Food Cheese Festival for the morning. Our educators will be on hand to assist you in networking or hunting for any final souvenirs. If you decide to stay back, take a photo walk through the vineyards, follow a hiking path through some spectacular scenery, or just enjoy a ramble through the village and meet some of the local cats. You’ll have a sumptuous lunch of local products prepared by our chefs, then it’s a free afternoon to read, write postcards, or join us for a pool party, complete with pool-side cocktails. Join us under an umbrella, or relax in the sun before gathering for a second round of “Show-And-Tell Aperitivo,” with finds from the festival. Then, come on down for a festive Sunday supper in the candlelit courtyard.

Day Six

Hanging out with our chefs in the kitchen is always a Cheese Journeys highlight, whether you’re a novice pasta maker, a trained gourmet, or a chopper of vegetables! After breakfast, grab your Cheese Journeys apron, then join Chef Sylvain Jamois (yes, he’s cooked for Mick Jagger) and Sous Chef Angelika Golten (of 40 Maltby Street in London) for a half day of cooking. We’ll split into two groups, so that half will cook in the morning and the other half will join our chefs in the afternoon. Get ready to learn some new recipes and work with local ingredients. Did you know that Piedmont is famous for its hazelnuts? You may end up filling your suitcase with these fabulous filberts because Chef has a special source!

Tonight, it’s Supper & Storytelling with Rachel Juhl of Essex St. Cheese. A lifelong cheesemonger, educator and entrepreneur, Rachel will teach you everything you could want to know about how an importer makes her cave selections, then prepares the best wheels to cross the ocean and reach cheese counters. Get ready to fire questions at this insider who makes a living by traveling around Europe in search of the next great cheese to import!

Day Seven

It’s a final deep dive into cheese! Get ready to spend the whole day learning from professionals, starting with a cheese tasting, a board-building class, and a conversation about how to shop for, serve, and store cheese. After a villa breakfast, you’ll head to class with Madame Fromage for Part II of our Giro D’Italia (Tour of Italy) cheese tasting, complete with beverage pairings. This time, the focus is on aged Italian cheeses, like Provolone, Parmigiano and Pecorino, along with Gorgonzola. After your festival experience, you may find yourself picking up more nuanced flavors. Guess, what? – your palate is expanding, and you’re even beginning to notice subtle visual clues about cheeses that are connected to milk type and seasonality! Feeling ready to hang with the cheese pros? You will!

After a courtyard lunch, you’ll have a lesson with World’s Best Cheesemonger Emilia D’Albero. Emilia will draw from her years of experience as a cheesemonger at Eataly in New York and her current role as a representative for Formaticum (professional-grade cheese paper) in order to teach you everything you could ever want to know about cheese-counter culture! You’ll learn How to Talk to a Cheesemonger, and Emilia will show you How to Build a showstopping Cheese Board – including how to artfully cut cheese, select accompaniments, choose cheese knives, and then wrap leftovers. Tonight, get ready for an exquisite farewell dinner. Yes, things may get a bit rowdy as the whole team gathers to give you a giant toast!

Day Eight

We can’t let you leave Italy without one more tasting! As we make our way back to Malpensa airport, you’ll enjoy a stop with a very special series of sips. But first, we’ll have a final villa breakfast (order those beautiful fresh eggs with golden yolks, one last time!) and say farewell to our hosts, Lara and Massimo. After a lunch en route to Milan and a special stop to visit a regional beverage producer, you’ll arrive back at the Milan-Malpensa Airport Sheraton around happy hour. Our tour officially ends at 5 p.m., but there’s still time to have one last glass with your newfound cheese friends at the bar. Thanks for joining us!

Disclosure: To the best of our ability, this tour itinerary is final. However, if, due to unexpected extreme weather, a schedule emergency with hosts, or limitations due to imposed travel restrictions, etc., 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 we are unable to make refunds for any missed meals, classes, or events. Please see our Terms and Conditions for additional details.

TOUR PRICE INCLUDES
Lodging for seven nights, breakfast provided seven mornings, six lunches and seven evening meals (alcoholic beverages served with meals) and additional food events and tastings. All transportation during the tour (from Milan Malpensa Sheraton in Italy, day trips) and returning to Milan Malpensa Sheraton. All classes and/or day tours provided by local hosts, cheese educators and chefs.

TOUR PRICE DOES NOT INCLUDE
Round-trip transportation to and from Milan, hotel accommodations before or after the tour, personal shopping during the Slow Food Cheese Festival, and gratuity for chefs, staff or housekeeping. During our stay at the villa specific alcoholic beverages, other than those served at meals and tasting events may be purchased separately from the host or at locations during the tour.