# 6.2 – Wine Tour: Central Italy & Costiera Amalfitana
Segment 4 of “The Grand Wine Tour of Italy”: Central Italy & Campania (from Bologna to Rome)
Private Tour with Wine Expert & 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 18th and 19th 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 five Italian Regions to retrace history and geography of Italian 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 a special selection of local vine varieties, ripen in the Central Italy and Campania Sun, 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 Amalfi Coast (UNESCO) and its unique villages of Furore, Amalfi and Ravello, the stunning archeologic site of Pompei, 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: 6 days / 5 nights
Transfers: Private Mercedes minivan with driver
Number of 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: 2.990 euro Single room extra fee: 450 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;
- 5 winery guided tours;
- 5 nights in hotels, historical houses, charme hotels, boutique hotels, with overnight stay and breakfast;(**)
- 4 private lunches and wine tastings at the wineries, wines included;
- 1 lunch in Italian restaurant or fine “trattoria” of the local tradition;
- 1 dinner and wine tasting in a winery, wines included;
- 3 dinners in hotels, restaurants or fine “trattorias” of the local tradition;
- 1 technical tasting guided by our sommelier wine expert;
- Guided tour of Amalfi and Ravello;
- Entrance and guided tour of Pompeii Archeological Site;
- Transfer with high speed train Napoli – Roma (1:15 h);
- 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
- Extra fee Lunch Experience Chef Enrico Crippa Ristorante Piazza Duomo Alba (three Michelin stars). Quotation on request.
- Everything not expressly mentioned in The Fee Includes.
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, Information & Reservation
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.
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Departure
From Bologna to Rome
From our gallery
# 6.2 – Itinerary of the Wine Tour: Central Italy & Campania (S4)
“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: Emilia-Romagna | Marche
Bologna, Castel San Pietro and Gradara
Private transfers with driver and wine expert guide
Guided tour of the Umberto Cesari Winery in Castel San Pietro with private lunch and tasting
Dinner at Ristorante Mastin Vecchio in Gradara
Overnight stay at the Relais La Loggia di GradaraLet's go! We will meet at the Bologna Centrale railway station to leave for
Castel San Pietro, for a guided tour of the Umberto Cesari Winery, magnificently set among the vineyards of the rolling Bolognese hills. The visit will conclude with a private lunch-tasting, skilfully designed to be paired with some of the most representative wines of these lands and with some local variations of Sangiovese, characteristic of this region.
The awareness of the centrality of the land and the territory to produce high quality wines are at the heart of the values of the company, which has long since embarked on a path of respect for nature, taking up the new challenges of sustainability and innovation.
At the end of the lunch, we will move to the Relais La Loggia di Gradara to settle in the rooms reserved in an authentic former convent of the fifteenth century, expertly restored to accommodate the traveller of the Grand Tour of the twenty-first century. The Relais is just a short walk from the walls of historic Gradara, a fortified medieval town, made famous by Dante's passionate account of the tragic epilogue of love between Paolo and Francesca, poetically recounted in the Fifth Canto of the Inferno of the Divine Comedy.
Free dinner and overnight stay at the Relais.
Among the Emilia Romagna wines we will be tasting:
Day 2: Marche | Abruzzo
Gradara, San Savino di Ripatransone and Sulmona
Private transfers with driver and wine expert guide Guided tour of Tenuta Cocci Grifoni in San Savino di Ripatransone with private lunch and tasting
Cooking demonstration and private dinner at the hotel Overnight stay at Hotel Santacroce Ovidius in SulmonaAfter breakfast at the hotel, the Grand Wine Tour of Italy will continue in the direction of San Savino di Ripatransone (AP) where the Cocci Grifoni Estate is located, magnificently overlooking the Marche Apennines. From here you can admire both the highest peaks of Central Italy, including the Gran Sasso and the Sibillini Mountains, and the numerous vineyards from which the most characteristic wines of these lands are born. Wines strictly produced from native vines. Montepulciano, Pecorino and Passerina grapes, as well as a new shade of Sangiovese are the basis for the production of these wines. The visit to the winery will end with a tasting lunch, where traditional dishes will be harmoniously combined with the Tenuta's wines.
Tenuta Cocci Grifoni is a family-run business characterised by a female team, born out of a long tradition of bonding with the land and a passion for viticulture. The company boasts almost one hundred years of experience in the production of indigenous wines born from sustainable agriculture and handcrafted with low environmental impact techniques.
The winery's focus and commitment is on the local community, promoting the area and its traditions and encouraging young people to enter the labour market.
In the afternoon we will move to Sulmona, in the heart of Abruzzo and close to the Majella National Park. Known as the "City of Sugared Almonds" since the 15th century, Sulmona boasts a much more ancient history, whose splendour dates back to Roman times. In 43 B.C., it was the birthplace of Publius Ovidius Naso, the poet of the Metamorphoses.
The evening will continue at the Hotel Santacroce Ovidius, magnificently surrounded by mountains. We will dine in the company of the owner, who will hold a cooking demonstration, explaining the different stages of preparation of handmade pasta, which will then be among the dishes we will taste. Overnight stay in the hotel.
Among the wines of the Marche region that we will taste:
Giorno 3: Abruzzo | Lazio
Sulmona, Le Ferriere and Gaeta
Private transfers with driver and wine expert guide Guided tour and private lunch and tasting at Casale del Giglio in Le Ferriere
Visit to the Roman Cryptoporticus at Villa Ireland in Gaeta
Private Technical Tasting Italian Rosé Classical Method in comparison 
Dinner and overnight stay at Hotel Villa Irlanda in GaetaAfter breakfast at the hotel we will move to Le Ferriere (LT) to visit the Casale del Giglio winery where we will have lunch at the family farmhouse. Casale del Giglio was founded in 1967 by Dr. Berardino Santarelli and is located in the Agro Pontino. This territory represented an environment to be explored from the point of view of viticulture. For this reason, the Casale del Giglio research and development project was launched in 1985, inspired by the wine-growing models practised in Bordeaux, Australia and California, which are comparable in terms of climate and soil characteristics. Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Sauvignon and many others are the international grape varieties magnificently interpreted by these lands.
After lunch, transfer to the Hotel Villa Irlanda in Gaeta, accommodation in the reserved rooms and dinner at the hotel. The hotel is located on the ancient archaeological site of a Roman Villa with cryptoporticus, whose construction, dating back to the 1st century B.C., is said to have belonged to Marco Filippo, adoptive father of Emperor Octavian Augustus.
Before dinner, we will have a private technical tasting led by our wine expert. The focus of the meeting will be a tasting guide to Italian Classic Method rosé sparkling wines. Our sommelier will select a few wines for us from:
Among the wines from Lazio that we will taste during the day:
- Some of the Italian most interesting interpretations of international varieties
Scopri l’intera offerta The Grand Wine Tour of Italy, in partenza da Milano, Bologna, Roma, Napoli
Day 4: Lazio | Campania
Gaeta, Sorbo Serpico and Furore in the Amalfi Coast (UNESCO)
Private transfers with driver and wine expert guide
Guided tour of the Feudi di San Gregorio winery in Sorbo Serpico Tasting lunch at Marennà Restaurant (Michelin Guide)
Guided tour of the Marisa Cuomo Winery in Furore on the Amalfi Coast
Sea view tasting dinner at Hostaria di Bacco Furore
Overnight stay in sea view rooms at Bacco Furore HotelAfter breakfast at the hotel, we will travel to Sorbo Serpico to visit the Feudi di San Gregorio winery with a tasting lunch at the Marennà Restaurant, noted by the Michelin guide for its quality cuisine, where the Chef offers creative tasting menus with references to the territory, in combination with the wines of the winery.
Feudi di San Gregorio is today an icon of the "Oenological Renaissance of Southern Italy" for its careful work in enhancing the value of native vines, the land and traditional Irpinian viticulture. It transcends the classic concept of the "cellar", turning it into "a place for meeting, confrontation, knowledge, meditation, a laboratory of ideas and culture, a place of welcome and refreshment". World-class professionals participated in the project: Japanese architect Hikaru Mori and Italian designers Massimo and Lella Vignelli.
After lunch, we will head to the beautiful Amalfi Coast where we will visit the Marisa Cuomo Winery in Furore. "The grapes that grow clinging to the rock of Furore are exposed to the magical action of the sun and the sea of the Amalfi Coast. In addition to the charm of the geometry of the winery's vineyards, there is the evocative cellar carved into the rock." At the end of the visit, dinner-tasting at the adjacent Hostaria di Bacco, splendidly overlooking the sea.
Overnight stay in the sea-view rooms of the Bacco Furore Hotel, a setting that surprises with its frescoed landscape. Opening the window of your room, you will find yourself projected from the green of the mountains to the blue of the sea of the Amalfi Coast.
Among the wines of Campania that we will taste during the day:
Day 5: Campania
Amalfi Coast (UNESCO), Pompeii (UNESCO) e Napoli (UNESCO)
Private transfers with driver and wine expert guide
Guided tour of Amalfi and Ravello (UNESCO)
Lunch at the Raffaele Restaurant in Ravello
Guided tour at the Pompeii Archeological Site (UNESCO) Overnight stay in sea view rooms at the Grand Hotel Santa Lucia in NaplesAfter breakfast we move on to Amalfi for a guided tour of the town. Overlooking the Amalfi Coast (UNESCO site) and dominated by the imposing Duomo di Sant'Andrea, Amalfi was one of the most powerful Maritime Republics between the 9th and 11th centuries and preserves wonderful monuments of Byzantine tradition.
We will move on to Ravello, the natural terrace on the Amalfi Coast, where we will have lunch at the Ristorante Raffaele, before continuing on to discover the ancient remains of Pompeii. We will be greeted by an authentic Roman City, destroyed and preserved at one time by the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD. We will relive the excitement of life at that time thanks to its domus, baths, marvellous frescoes and mosaics, amphitheatre and streets perfectly preserved since the tragic eruption. The Pompeii site was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997.
At the end of the visit we will transfer to Naples, where we will be accommodated in sea view rooms reserved at the Grand Hotel Santa Lucia, on the city's seafront. The hotel was designed in 1906 by the famous architect Giovan Battista Comencini in the Art Nouveau style. From its balconies you can admire an unforgettable view of Naples, its gulf, the "smoking mountain" of Vesuvius and, in the foreground, the majestic Castel Dell'Ovo.
Dinner at your leisure and overnight at the hotel.
Scopri l’intera offerta The Grand Wine Tour of Italy, in partenza da Milano, Bologna, Roma, Napoli
Day 6: Campania | Lazio
Napoli (UNESCO) and Roma (UNESCO). Goodbye and farewell!
Private transfer with driver to Naples Central Station 
Transfer to Roma Termini by high-speed train (1:15 h)
End of tourAfter breakfast at the hotel, we will head to the station in Naples from where we will travel to Rome on a high-speed train, return to your places of departure or continue and discover other wonderful destinations in Italy.
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Location
5 Regions, 12 destinations, 4 UNESCO World Heritage sites, 14 official wine denominations
