From the Adriatic to the Alps




From the Adriatic to the Alps Food, Wine and History of Northern Italy 7 -23 October, 2010 This tour is offered in association with Academy Travel Overview We are delighted to offer a 16-day journey that takes you well off the regular tourist beat and explores some of northern Italy’s most beautiful regions. Beginning near the Slovenian border in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, we explore Italy’s north east, from the shores of the Adriatic to the foothills of the Julian Alps. We then travel through the scenic Dolomite ranges to Asolo, in the heart of the Veneto region. Small villages and villas dot the countryside, which boasts an excellent culinary tradition. We then cross northern Italy to Lombardy for a few days in the spectacular setting of Lake Como before heading to Torino, now emerging as the elegant and sophisticated centre of Italy’s north east. There is a special – but not exclusive – focus on food and wine on this tour. Tour leaders are Leonie Furber and Carolyn Andrew. Leonie Furber, founder of Convivial Times, is well known in Australia for her work in the Slow Food movement and organiser of gastronomic tours. Leonie’s knowledge of Italy’s traditions, and her excellent contacts, have been used to ensure some memorable food and wine experiences of the highest order. The tour culminates with the Salone del Gusto in Turin, Italy’s premier food event. The tour features extended stays in carefully selected four-star hotels. Highlights Five days in Gorizia, an elegant small town in Friuli, on the border with Slovenia Excursion to Aquileia and Miramare, historic sites on the Adriatic Visits to wine and food producing villages in Friuli, and the former Venetian capital of Udine Day trip through the spectacular Dolomites Three nights in Asolo, perhaps the most beautiful hill town in the Veneto region The renaissance villas of the Veneto Lake Garda and Sirmione Two nights on Lake Como, touring the fine lakeside villas Four nights in Turin, visiting the palaces and museums of the city The hill towns of Piemonte, an outstanding wine and food region Thursday October 7 Group flights depart Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane cities in the afternoon. Friday October 8 \| Arrival Group flights arrive in Frankfurt in the early afternoon, connecting to an onward flight to Venice. The group will assemble in the arrivals area of Venice airport for our private coach transfer to Gorizia in Friuli (about 90 minutes away), our base for the next five days. After hotel check in there will be time to stretch your legs on a stroll through Gorizia’s small centre before a light dinner in our hotel. (D) Saturday October 9 \| Gorizia and Cividale del Friuli This morning we take a walking tour of Gorizia with a local guide, visiting the 14th century castle and the baroque church of St Ignatius. We then travel to the town of Cormons to dine at Al Cacciatore della Subida, one of the region’s finest restaurants. In the afternoon we head for Cividale del Friuli, regarded as the prettiest village in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region. Founded as a Roman municipium, Cividale has fine medieval buildings and a Governor’s palace designed by the renowned Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio. (B, L) Sunday October 10 \| Historic Friuli Today we visit a selection of most significant historical sites in Italy’s north East. All a short drive from Gorizia. We begin with Palmanova, once a ‘star fortress’ built by the Venetians to defend their territory. Our next stop is Aquileia, the Roman city famously sacked by Attila the Hun in 452AD. The town – a UNESCO World Heritage Site – contains Roman remains and a fine 5th century basilica, with mosaics. After a break at the seaside town of Grado, we travel to Miramare Castle, on the shores of the Adriatic. The castle was built in 1856 for the Hapsburg Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian, younger brother of the Emperor. The splendid 22-hectare gardens were built to the Archduke’s designs. (B) Monday October 11 \| Prosciutto Heaven The village of San Daniele is generally regarded as producing the finest prosciutto in Italy – to the extent that menus in better restaurants simply mention that they serve ‘San Daniele’ without having to identify what it is. This morning visit the Dall’Ava’s family’s Dok establishment. Here we observe all the stages in prosciutto production and enjoy a lunch at a nearby restaurant sampling Dok’s products. This afternoon we visit Venzone, a white walled medieval village, painstakingly reconstructed after an earthquake in 1976. (B, L) Tuesday October 12 \| Udine and dinner in Slovenia This morning we meet a local guide to tour the nearby city of Udine, capital of the Friuli region. Udine’s elegant city centre dates from the Renaissance, when it was the second largest city in the Venetian state, and great architects such as Andrea Palladio were employed to embellish the city centre. There will be time to visit the Patriarch’s Palace, with frescoes by Tiepolo, and the Civic Museum, containing works by Caravaggio and others. This evening we cross the border from Gorizia to Slovenia to dine at Pri Lojzetu, one of Slovenia’s best restaurants where the chef prepares a special meal for our group (the restaurant is normally closed on Tuesdays). (B,D) Wednesday October 13 \| The Dolomites We leave Gorizia and Friuli today and take a very scenic journey through northern Italy’s alpine scenery. Morning tea is at Sauris, a major prosciutto centre. Our second stop is Pieve di Cadore, birthplace of the artist Titian, in a pretty valley beside an alpine lake. A winding road then takes us through the hills to Agordo and back to the edge of the Veneto plain. We arrive at the town of Asolo in the early evening, our base for the next three nights. There is dinner in our hotel. (B,D) Thursday October 14 \| Villas of the Veneto The morning is free to explore the attractive village of Asolo, with its fine houses, gardens and vistas. More energetic travellers may wish to climb to the medieval fortress high above the town. This afternoon we travel a small distance into the countryside to visit two Renaissance architectural masterpieces by Andrea Palladio. The first is the Villa Barbaro, just 6km from Asolo. The refined design and interior fresco cycle by Paolo Veronese have led to a UNESCO World-heritage listing. We also visit the Villa Emo, whose long loggias and classical facade disguise a working farm building. (B) Friday October 15 Canova, Grappa and Prosecco This morning we visit the monumental temple-tomb of the neo-classical sculptor Antonio Canova, at Possagno in the hills behind Asolo. Possagno was Canova’s birthplace and he remains its most famous son. We continue to Bassano, at the foot of Monte Grappa, and home of the eponymous spirit. We visit some of the towns distilleries and sample the meringues which are a speciality of the town. We then visit Valdobbiadene, in the centre of the prosecco-growing district. Over a lunch of local dishes such as the red ‘radicchio di Treviso’ we enjoy a degustazione of sparkling prosecco wines and learn more about the growing and production of this excellent wine. (B, L) Saturday October 16 \| To Lombardy We depart Asolo this morning and head across the Po River plain to Lombardy. On the way we visit some of the cantinas in the Valpollicella Hills, on the shores of Lake Garda. Valpollicella produces a range of red wines blended from a variety of local grapes. We take a break for lunch at the lakeside village of Sirmione and stroll to the ruins of a large Roman villa on the lake shore, before continuing to Bellagio on Lake Como, our base for the next few days. There is dinner in our hotel tonight. (B,D) Sunday October 17 \| Exploring Lake Como We spend a leisurely day exploring the villas of Lake Como by local ferry. Highlights include the 19th century Villa Melzi, whose Japanese Garden will be splendidly coloured at the time of our visit. There is also time to stop in at the Villa Monastero in the town of Varenna, across the lake from Bellagio and the Villa Carlotta, once owned by a Russian princess. Throughout the day we enjoy the outstanding alpine scenery of the region. (B) Monday October 18 \| To Piemonte, via lake Maggiore or Milan Today we travel to Turin, the last stopping place on our journey. Our itinerary will depend on the weather. If it is fine we will travel to Stresa on Lake Maggiore and cruise to the Borromean Islands, where the noble Milanese Borromeo family remodelled the islands with villas, terraced gardens and even an idealised fishing village. If the weather is inclement we will travel to Milan and visit the vast Gothic cathedral, the world-famous La Scala opera theatre and the Renaissance Sforza Castle. We continue to Turin in the late afternoon. There is dinner in our hotel. (B, D) Tuesday October 19 \| Exploring Turin Today we explore the centre of Turin with a local guide. We walk from our centrally-located hotel along the Via Roma to the 19th-century royal gardens, Palazzo Madama and the Royal Palace. We finish the morning with a guided visit to the Egyptian museum. The afternoon is free for individual sightseeing. You may like to take the rack railway to the 18th-century Basilica della Superga, 650 metres up, to enjoy the great views over Turin and to the Alps. Another major attraction is the ‘Antonellian’ tower, a 19th-century building originally designed as a synagogue and today housing a museum of cinema. (B) Wednesday October 20 \| The food and wine of Piemonte Stretching from the Alps near the French border to the Lombardy Plain, Piemonte’s varied climate and topology allows for a wonderful variety of food and wine. The main stops on our coach excursion today are Alba and Barbaresco. The gentle hills around Alba are the centre of the white truffle industry. This morning we will participate in a truffle hunt and learn more about the use of this most extravagant of ingredients. Our journey into culinary excellence continues this afternoon, when we visit nearby Barbaresco and Barolo, producing some of Italy’s finest red wines. In the course of our degustazione we will appreciate just why these wines are so highly regarded. (B) Thursday October 21 \| Salone del gusto Today is the first day of the Salone del Gusto, a major biennial food festival attended by up to 40,000 producers and consumers of fine foods. We spend the full day at the Salone, and you will get to meet specialty manufacturers of meats, cheeses, wines and many, many other products from Italy and France. The Salone del Gusto follows the principles of ‘Slow Food’ – with a focus on small, localised producers who are in touch with their cultures and traditions, and environmentally aware. The Salone takes place in the Lingotto fairgrounds, once the manufacturing headquarters of Fiat. The grounds are a fascinating piece of industrial architecture, with a race track on the roof of one of the buildings (today Le Meridien hotel). This evening we gather for a farewell meal at the historic and excellent Ristorante del Cambio in central Turin. (B,D) Friday October 22 This morning there is a transfer to Milan’s Malpensa airport for those participants travelling out of Italy. Group flights leave Milan in the early afternoon. (B) Saturday October 23 Group flights arrive in Australian cities in the evening. Food & Wine Events on tour Gastronomy is a major focal point of this tour. We have organised a number of special events, Lunch at Al cacciatore della Subida, one of Friuli’s best restaurants Visit to Dok prosciutto producers at San Daniele, near Udine Dinner at Pri Lojzetu restaurant in Slovenia Degustation of prosecco wines in Valdobbiadene in the Veneto Degustation of Valpollicella wines near Lake Garda Visit the white truffle markets and participate in a truffle hunt at Alba in Piemonte Degustation of Piemonte’s outstanding red wines at Barolo and Barbaresco Participation in the first day of the Salone del Gusto in Turin Dinner at the historic Ristorante del cambio in Turin All these events are included in the tour cost. Contact For more information or to discuss the tour please contact Leonie Furber: P + 61 2 9380 8327 E lfurber@ozemail.com.au > Download a full tour brochure here Bookings To make a booking please contact Doina Coombe at Academy Travel: P + 61 2 9235 0322 or 1800 639 699 (outside Sydney) E doina@jetsetmlc.com.au Tour Price The tour costs $7,400 per person, with twin share accommodation. The supplement for a single room is $1,200 per person (limited availability). A deposit of $500 per person is required to secure a place on the tour. Included in the tour price: All accommodation in selected four star hotels All breakfasts Nine lunches or dinners, including some of northern Italy’s finest restaurants Wine and food degustation as mentioned in itinerary Land travel in Italy by air-conditioned coach Background notes Services of Australian tour escort throughout tour All entrance fees to sites mentioned on itinerary Local guides for most cities and sites Porterage of one piece of luggage at all hotels Tips to local guides and drivers Not Included International air fares, taxes and surcharges (see below) Airport transfers if not taking suggested flights Travel insurance Meals not stated as included in this itinerary Group air travel We are holding group seats - contact us for further information. BOOKING CONDITIONS What happens if Academy Travel is forced to cancel a tour? You will get a full refund of all monies paid. Even though most tours are budgeted on a group size of 15 to 20 people, we will attempt to ensure that all tours depart, irrespective of numbers. Will the tour price change? If the number of participants in a tour is significantly less than budgeted, or if there is a significant change in exchange rates Academy Travel reserves the right to amend the advertised price. If this occurs you will be given the option of cancelling your booking and obtaining a full refund. Will the itinerary or airline change? Occasionally circumstances beyond the control of Academy Travel make it necessary to change airline, hotel or to make slight amendments to daily itineraries. We will inform you of any changes as soon as they occur. Passport and visa A valid passport is required for all international travel. If you do not hold an Australian passport you may require a re-entry permit. Some countries require visas to be issued before you depart Australia. We will advise you of all passport and visa requirements, but it is your responsibility to ensure that you meet passport and visa requirements before you depart. Travel insurance Academy Travel requires all participants to obtain comprehensive travel insurance. Our booking agents, Jetset Travel MLC Centre will send you a travel insurance application form when you book. Deposits A deposit of $500 per person is required to confirm your booking on a tour. We accept all major credit cards for deposits only. Cancellation fees If you decide to cancel your booking the following charges apply: More than 60 days before departure $500* 60-45 days before tour start 20% of total amount due 44-15 days before tour start 50% of total amount due 14 days or less before departure 100% of total amount due * This amount may be credited to another Academy Travel tour within 12 months of the original tour you booked. Unused portions of the tour We regret that refunds will not be given for any unused portions of the tour, such as meals, entry fees or accommodation. Final payments Full payment of the tour cost, travel insurance and any additional travel is due 60 days before departure. There is a 1% surcharge for final payments made by Visa or Mastercard. There is a 3% surcharge for final payments made by Diners Club or American Express.