# 5.6 – Wine Tour: Lombardy & Veneto

da € 2.260 per person

Segment 2 of “The Grand Wine Tour of Italy”: Lombardy & Veneto (Milan to Bologna)

Private Tour with Wine Expert Guide & Driver

The Grand Wine Tour of Italy is a journey within a journey. From the renowned Italian Journey by Goethe it takes some key elements, such as the slow and experiential style of travelling, which will allow participants to discover “off the beaten tracks” Italy, Ancient Rome classicism, Italian fine arts and local food & wine traditions.

We will look at some of the traditional destinations of The Grand Tour through the eyes of some very famous artists and writers, who visited the same destinations in the 18^th and 19^th centuries, as an integral part of their journey of a lifetime to receive a wide on-site informal cultural education.

With the educational support of our wine experts, we will cross Lombardy and Veneto Regions to retrace history and geography of local Fine Wine. They will accompany the tour, helping participants understand the distinctive wines of each region, the local vine varieties and the specific characteristics of soils and styles of vineyard plantation, that make each wine unique.

We will visit a selection of particularly relevant wineries for their excellent and world-wide renowned wines as well as for the high standards of hospitality services and experiences they provide. Their experts will lead the guests through the history of the wineries, the vineyards, the vinification and the fining cellars and the prestigious company estates and historic houses. With a bit of luck, we will have the chance to meet the descendants of the founders, who still carry on this wonderful adventure.

Food & Wine, Fine Arts, Cultural & Natural Heritage, along with authenticity of places and people will be at the heart of The Grand Wine Tour of Italy experience. We will discover the world-famous Italian sparkling wines where they are born, different grape varieties, which made Italian wine famous in the world, and a special selection of local vine varieties, particularly significant for their special symbiotic relationship with the soils from which they originate and with the traditional cusine they are paired with. We will have direct experience of all this thanks to a careful selection of Italian fine trattoria & osteria, which elegantly develop the local food traditions.

The great art of Giotto, Michelangelo and Leonardo Da Vinci, opera theatre history at Museo Teatrale alla Scala in Milano, sea, valley and hill landscapes, along with the Northern Italy Lake District will be some of our destinations.

To round off a unique experience, we will often stay overnight in historic houses, we will enjoy tasting lunches at the wineries, to directly experience the wine pairings, we will enjoy the Italian Cultural and Natural Heritage through some outdoor experiences.

The transfers as well will be part of the experience. On board our luxury minivan with driver, you will be also accompanied by our experts, to get the opportunity of gaining a deeper knowledge of the wines and the different experiences of the day.

Do not forget to keep an eye out the window: the scenery will change at any turn!

Also during your free time, your tour leaders and local guides will be delighted of being at your disposal to give specific advice on the best local experiences and opportuinities.

To guarantee the best quality service, every tour will welcome at most ten participants. We look forward to accompanying you through this new and wonderful adventure.

The Grand Wine Tour of Italy is developed in collaboration with The Grand Wine Tour Association, to create a unique experience. It is the result of decades-long experience of its organizers in the cultural and food & wine tourism industry. Italy Destinaiton by Paltours and The Grand Winr Tour Association are the perfect combination to create your memorable tour.

Duration: 5 days / 4 nights

Transfers: Private Mercedes minivan with driver

Participants: small groups up to 10 people

Discover the whole The Grand Wine Tour of Italy portfolio, departing from Milano, Bologna, Roma, Napoli

The Expert Guides of The Grand Wine Tour of Italy

Antonio Grimaldi: Wine has always been an important part of his life. It all began when as a child he used to follow his father in the little family cellar in wintertime. Therefore, it was very clear what field he would have chosen for his education: Wine Science. This decision brought, obviously, to a series of simple and straightforward consequences: Bachelor in Agriculture Sciences (University of Firenze, Italy), PhD in Wine Microbiology (University of Adelaide, Australia) and then Master in Wine Marketing (University of Piacenza, Italy). To complete the picture he also got a professional diploma as a Wine Sommelier. Wine consultant, cellar winemaker, export manager, sales agent, wine tour guide: there is not a single aspect of wine that he has not explored.

Claudia Tacchino: After graduating in Philosophy in 1998, she attended an MA – Master in Arts & Culture Management at SDA Bocconi in Milano, where she started her career as a teacher and researcher in Arts Management (1999-2015) and where she was appointed coordinator (2004-2008) and director (2009-2014) of an MA – Master in Performing Arts Management. In 2014 she spent a semester at New York University as visiting scholar. In 2015 she moved to Lake Iseo, where she started consulting Guido Berlucchi Winery in Franciacorta on hospitality management and events. She teaches Arts and Event Management at SantaGiulia Fine Arts Academy in Brescia, where she launched in 2019 a Master programme in Management of Arts, Heritage and Cultural Tourism. She has also attended the three-level training course to become a professional sommelier at AIS – Associazione Italiana Sommelier di Brescia.

Dates & Prices (*)

Fees 2022 – 2023

Fee: 2.260 euro Single room extra fee: 360 euro

(*) Per person with double occupancy.

The Fees include

Wine expert Guide for the entire tour;
Private transfers with driver and Mercedes Minivan for the entire tour;
4 winery guided tours;
1 Welcome Dinner in Milano, wines included;
4 nights in hotels, historical houses, charme hotels, boutique hotels, with overnight stay and breakfast;(**)
2 private lunches and wine tastings at the wineries, wines included;
1 lunch in Italian restaurant or fine “trattoria” of the local tradition;
2 wine tastings (tre wines each) at the wineries;
Guided tour of the historic centre of Milano, entrance to Castello Sforzesco and Museo Teatrale alla Scala included;
Ferry trasfer Montisola – Lake Iseo (round-trip);
Evening of relaxation at Terme di Abano;
Entrance to Cappella degli Scrovegni of Giotto in Padova;
Porterage service at the hotels;
Italy Destination by Paltours assistance;
Globy Incoming Insurance.

(**) Hotel details in the Tour Plan or similar of the same or superior category.

The Fees do not include

Everything not expressly mentioned in The Fees Include.

Food Special Needs

Italy Destination by Paltours staff will make any effort to guarantee food special needs. However, it may happen that they can not satisfy every single request. All the particular dietary requests have to be advanced along with the reservation.

Meeting Point

We will meet in the late afternoon in the lobby of the Clerici Boutique Hotel, Via Clerici 11, MILANO (MI).

The hotel is a 2-minute walk from Duomo Metro Stop, with links to Milan Centrale Train Station. Linate Airport is 7.5 km away. Contact us to reserve your private tranfer.

A welcome dinner will follow at the Wine Shop Signorvino Milano Duomo.

Book your tour or ask for further information: info@italy-destination.it

Tel. +39 030 7400561

Payment

Bank transfer
Credit Card (VISA, Mastercard, American Express)

Payment Terms

25% deposit upon booking.
Final payment 30 days before the date of departure.

Cancellation Policy

More than 60 days before the date of departure: 100 euro.
From 59 to 30 days before the date of departure: 25% of penalty;
From 29 to 15 days before the date of departure: 50% of penalty;
Less than 15 days before the date of departure: 100% of penalty.

5 Days

The Grand Wine Tour-en

Natura Relax-en

Arte e Cultura-en

Food & Wine-en

Departure
From Milan to Bologna

From our gallery

# 5.6 Itinerary of the Wine Tour: Lombardy & Veneto (S2)

“Poles are planted between the long, low rows of vines, and the brown grapes hang gracefully from the top, ripening in the warmth of the soil below”. (J.W. Goethe, Italian Journey, 1786-1788).

Food & Wine, Art & Cultural Heritage, Nature & Outdoor, combined with the authenticity of places and people, will be at the heart of The Grand Wine Tour of Italy experience.

Day 1: Lombardia | Milano

Let's do the introductions

Meeting point at Clerici Boutique Hotel in Milano

Welcome Dinner at Signorvino Milano Duomo

Overnight stay at the Clerici Boutique Hotel

Here we go! A warm welcome to all the participants of the Grand Wine Tour of Italy at the Clerici Boutique Hotel in Milano, a historic building in a charming part of Milano just a few steps from the Duomo and the most important historical sites of the city.

After a short briefing at the hotel, during which you will meet the staff who will accompany you and assist you during the tour, we will walk through the historic centre of Milano to reach the Signorvino wine shop, where we will inaugurate our unforgettable experience with a dinner overlooking the Duomo.

Overnight stay at the Clerici Boutique Hotel.

Day 2: Lombardia

Milano, Monte Isola and Lake Iseo

Guided tour of the historic centre of Milano, Castello Sforzesco and Museo Teatrale alla Scala

Lunch at the El Brellin Restaurant on the Navigli in Milano

Private transfers with driver and wine expert

Transfer by boat to Monte Isola and free time for a walk

Overnight stay at Hotel Ulivi in Paratico on Lake Iseo

After breakfast at the hotel we will start the guided tour through the centre of Milano and its key places. From the Museo Teatrale alla Scala to the majestic Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, then discover the beauty of Piazza Duomo, Via Mercanti and Via Dante, up to the drawbridge of the Sforza Castle. Inside you can admire the Pietà Rondanini, an unfinished work by Michelangelo Buonarroti of late, and the historic Sala delle Asse, frescoed by Leonardo da Vinci during his stay in Milan.

We will move on to the Navigli where the layout of Old Milan is still clearly visible, until we arrive at the Darsena and the Vicolo dei Lavandai, near the Naviglio Grande, where we will have lunch based on traditional Milanese cuisine at the El Brellin Restaurant.

We will then leave for Lake Iseo and move on to Monte Isola, Europe's largest lake island, which, in addition to being counted among the most beautiful villages in Italy, has been included on the podium of the Best European Destinations in 2019. You can enjoy a few hours of relaxation in an unspoilt natural environment, thanks also to the ban on cars. The famous land art installation The Floating Piers by Christo & Jeanne-Claude (18 June - 3 July 2016) led to this destination. Hotel accommodation in rooms overlooking the shores of Lake Iseo. Free dinner and overnight stay.

Day 3: Lombardia | Veneto

Franciacorta and Peschiera del Garda (UNESCO)

Private transfers with driver and wine expert guide

Guided tour of the Guido Berlucchi winery in Franciacorta

Private lunch and wine tasting at Palazzo Lana Berlucchi

Guided tour and tasting: Zenato Winery in Peschiera del Garda Visita

Overnight stay at the Hotel Palazzo ai Capitani in Peschiera del Garda (city walls UNESCO)

After breakfast at the hotel, we will leave for Borgonato di Corte Franca, in the heart of Franciacorta's morainic amphitheatre, where we will be taken to visit the historic Guido Berlucchi winery. "What if we made a sparkling wine in the French style?" This was the question posed in the 1950s by the young oenologist Franco Ziliani to the gentleman Guido Berlucchi, a direct descendant of the Counts Lana de' Terzi. The beginning of that adventure would change the destiny of Franciacorta. The winery tour will end with a private lunch-tasting at Palazzo Lana Berlucchi, the historic and fascinating 16th century family home, where we will taste the winery's iconic Franciacorta wines.

The afternoon will continue with a visit to the Zenato Winery in Peschiera del Garda. Another family tale, where the passion and entrepreneurial vision of the founder Sergio Zenato led to the realisation of a dream: to create a winery capable of capturing the fruits of the earth and transforming them into emotions with a unique flavour. More than 60 years later, the company continues to be run by the Zenato family, which has brought the Lugana and Valpolicella wines we will taste to their current levels of excellence.

At the end of the visit we will transfer to Peschiera del Garda. Accommodation in the reserved rooms and free dinner. Overnight stay at the Hotel Palazzo ai Capitani, located in the heart of the historic centre of Peschiera, in a 16th century palace, where the frescoes of the period are still well preserved.

Some of the wines which we will taste during the day:

Lombardia: Franciacorta DOCG and Lugana DOC;

Veneto: Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG and Valpolicella Ripasso DOC

Day 4: Veneto

The Hills of Prosecco Valdobbiadene (UNESCO) and Abano Terme

Private transfers with driver and wine expert guide

Winery visit with private lunch and tasting at the Bortolomiol Winery

Panoramic tasting of Col Vetoraz in Santo Stefano in Valdobbiadene (UNESCO hills)

Evening of relaxation at the Romanae Thermal SPA in Abano Terme

Overnight stay at Abano Grand Hotel in Abano Terme

After breakfast at the hotel we will leave for Valdobbiadene (TV), whose hills have recently been included in the list of cultural landscapes recognised by UNESCO as World Heritage Sites. The morning will be dedicated to a visit to the Bortolomiol winery, where you will be able to learn more about the company's strong vocation for social, cultural and environmental sustainability. The visit will end with a tasting lunch in the winery, which will be paired with some of the winery's most representative Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore wines.

After lunch we will move to Santo Stefano in Valdobbiadene, the highest part of the iconic Valdobbiadene hills, overlooking the prestigious Cartizze vineyards, the jewel in the crown of Prosecco. In the magnificent setting of the panoramic headquarters of Cantina Col Vetoraz we will taste some of the winery's best sparkling wines.

We will then depart for Abano Terme, where we will settle into our reserved rooms at the Grand Hotel Abano and have the evening free to relax at the hotel's Thermal SPA.

During the day we will taste various Veneto wines belonging to the denomination:

Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG

Discover the whole The Grand Wine Tour of Italy portfolio, departing from Milano, Bologna, Roma, Napoli

Day 5: Veneto | Emilia-Romagna

Padova, Bologna. Goodbye and farewell!

Private transfers with driver and wine expert guide

Entrance to the Scrovegni Chapel and visit to Giotto's frescoes (UNESCO)

End of tour

After breakfast at the hotel we will transfer to Padua where we will visit the Scrovegni Chapel, one of the extraordinary treasures of art history, which preserves a cycle of frescoes dating back to 1306, created by Giotto. The work is a masterpiece of 14th-century Italian and European painting, and is considered the most complete cycle of frescoes created by the Tuscan master.

We will then depart for Bologna, to return to place of departure or to discover other memorable destinations in Italy.