A trip to the fascinating North Italy: Milan, Piedmont and the Lake district
Starting from Milan, the city of the famous Duomo cathedral with its rich history, fashion culture and hundreds of things to see, this journey takes in the marvellous islands of Lake Maggiore, the city of Turin and the UNESCO Heritage site rolling hill landscape of the Langhe in Piedmont!
Highlights
- Understand Milan, Italy’s powerhouse with a medieval heart
- Discover all about fashion and costumes
- Visit a fashion atelier and live a Made in Italy experience
- Visit the elegant islands of Lake Maggiore
- Explore historical Orta and meditate on San Giulio island
- Take a step back in time in the Savoy city of Turin
- Be enchanted by the rolling hill landscapes of Piedmont
- Sample the gastronomical delights of the region, including special cheeses and hazelnuts
- Visit small food and wine producers and listen to their tales
- Learn to cook traditional recipes like a local
Why choose this trip
A trip for those who want to travel outside of the usual touristic routes, getting under the skin of their destinations. A tour where you’ll be amazed!
Sample day by day itinerary
DAY
01
Welcome to Milan
Benvenuto!
Relax at your boutique accommodation. We have chosen you a hotel in one of the main elegant Milanese quarters, close to the fashion boutiques and elegant cafes.
DAY
02
Discover Milan through an insider’s eyes
Today you’ll experience Milan accompanied by your private tour guide, starting from the famous Duomo. This Gothic cathedral is thought by many to be one of the most beautiful churches in the world, and your guide will point out the details of its impressive facade. You’ll admire its flying buttresses, and the gilded bronze statue of the “Madonnina” atop the main spire. Continuing to the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II for a walk amongst the glass vaults of this majestic 19th-century shopping arcade, an area often referred to as the “Salotto di Milano” (“Milan’s Salon”), the gallery is surrounded by boutique shops and cafés. Then you’ll reach nearby Piazza della Scala for a tour of the legendary La Scala Theatre opera house. You’ll amble through the medieval heart of Milan to the Sforza Castle, the impressive fortress of the former Dukes of Milan, now home to many of Milan’s finest museums.
DAY
03
Welcome to an italian atelier and more!
Today, your experience in Milan continues with a foray into fashion (“moda”) and costumes, visiting the Brera district and the Museo del Costume e Moda. This building was recently chosen as the ideal place to exhibit, in rotation, the rich collection of clothes and accessories owned by the Civic Museums. Between the crinolines, stiff busts, laces, rustling silks or less noble fabrics, it weaves an intriguing story about “dressing”, and therefore also about fashion, of which Milan has always been the undisputed capital.
Your tour continues taking you to the atelier of one of our fashion prodigies, today a relevant spokesperson for the highest Italian fashion standards. But most importantly, here you will have the chance to be part of our workshop experience, which means you will witness the process by which a pure Made in Italy creation comes about. You will experience firsthand all the sensations, emotions and magic that come from touching the fabrics, admiring exclusive models and patterns – you will learn Italian secrets about fabrics, personal styling, accessories and hats, shoes, style identification and fashion drawings.
DAY
04
Lake Maggiore and its islands
Today you’ll board a private motorboat and reach the marvelous islands of Lake Maggiore, where each island offers a different experience.
First, you’ll visit Isola Madre with its English gardens and the Palace of the aristocratic Borromeo family. It has a very special exotic atmosphere to it and here you will also enjoy an Italian aperitivo.
Continuing by private boat, you will reach Isola dei Pescatori (Fisherman’s island), the smallest and most picturesque island, whose village is unchanged by time. Here we can reserve a table in a great restaurant for you.
In the afternoon, you continue to Isola Bella with its Baroque palace and Italian-style terrace gardens, a real symbol of luxury and opulence crafted by the best architects and gardeners of the past.
DAY
05
Explore Lake Orta
Today you’ll reach the centre of Orta with your private tour guide, travelling along the road that runs around the lake. Amongst the narrow streets of Orta San Giulio, a place where time seems to have stood still, there is a whole world to be explored. This small village has an historical, artistic and natural heritage that makes it a fascinating destination.
After just a few minutes of sailing, you’ll reach the island of San Giulio, a jewel. The first thing that will strike you is the elegant Romanesque Basilica, accessed by a staircase that you will find in front of you as soon as you land. After visiting the Basilica of San Giulio, you can walk along a road that crosses the whole island, known as the path of silence and meditation.
DAY
06
Let yourself be charmed by the elegant city of Turin
Turin was the city chosen by the Royal House of Savoy to be its home, and was the first capital of Italy.
Its charm as a noble, refined city is expressed through its magnificent palaces, endless white arcades, eighteenth-century gardens, by the riverside walks, historic lounges, chocolate makers and cafés, all of which will take you on a trip back through time. The city also surprises thanks to it imposing Roman ruins.
DAY
07
Welcome to the langhe area: Discover the Barolo wine area and truffle hunting
Together with your private tour guide, start to discover the growing area of Barolo, one of the most highly-prized wines in the world, starting in Barolo itself, the town which gives its name to this “King of Wines and Wine of Kings”.
You’ll visit a well-known wine cellar where you will taste their wines, followed by a picnic lunch: whilst comfortably seated in the vineyards that grow the Barolo wine grapes, you will sample some of the specialties of Langhe-style cuisine. Then you’ll reach Alba, the capital of Langhe hill area, taking a stroll in the elegant town centre amongst boutiques, historical cafes and shops selling typical products – there will be leisure time for shopping.
In the afternoon, you will have the magical experience of a private, simulated truffle hunt: you will be led into the woods, where you will meet the “trifolau” expert hunter and his dog,
DAY
08
Piedmont flavors: cheese, hazelnuts and a special cooking class
With your local tour guide you’ll discover the area of Alta Langa, where the landscape becomes wilder, thanks to the thick woods and hazelnut groves.
Visit a small farm producing hazelnuts, following the process from the grove to the laboratory, including a final tasting. The panoramic tour continues with a guided visit to a niche cheese producer with a tasting lunch. Time to relax and enjoy the pure air and the bucolic surroundings!
Today you will also have an exciting cooking lesson based on ‘Langhe cuisine’, a “hands-on” experience where you will learn how to prepare a complete traditional menu based on local recipes: the dishes that you prepare during the lesson will then be tasted afterwards at dinner, in a very special atmosphere created by wine casks illuminated by candlelight.
DAY
09
Arrivederci day
Arrivederci
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