Custom Food & Wine Tours in Italy - Italy Hotline Custom and Gourmet Tours

Food & Wine

Join Italy Hotline for the finest Italian cooking classes and Food & Wine tours. Whether you choose to enjoy a hands-on cooking extravaganza in the home of a local chef, indulge in a pizza, biscotti and coffee-tasting walk through the romantic streets of Rome, or whisk off to a day of wine tasting in the Tuscan hills, our Food & Wine tours will help you learn about revered Italian foods, imbibe history, and eat and drink until your heart is truly content.

Italy is a country forever proud of and obsessed by its food, a place where eating food di stagione (of the season) is the norm, where the Slow Food movement was born and artisan food makers create mouth-watering specialties for our pleasure. Walk through the streets of Rome, Florence and Naples and see how food and wine are entwined with culture. In Rome, for example, you’ll find that locals target one part of town for the best pistachio gelato, then cross the city to delight in the most luscious raspberry and sage varieties. We’ll help you discover Italy’s hidden gems, from traditional favorites like Roman pasta all’amatriciana (topped with tomato, guanciale and pecorino cheese) and Neapolitan spaghetti alle vongole e pomodorini (spaghetti, clams and small, sweet, fresh tomatoes) to freshly poured cappuccino and delicious structured wines.

In our hands-on classes, you’ll cook classic Italian recipes with local food experts. From pasta and pizza making to exquisite gelato and tiramisu, our cooks and you will create the meal of your dreams. Our Food & Wine tours are original, authentic and private and include vineyard visits, market walks, cultural monuments and inspired dining. We can’t wait to share our love for Italian cooking, eating, wine and life with you!

Pompeii, Amalfi & Naples

Alla Sorrentina Culinary Class with Luciana

Join your host Luciana for a cooking class in her wonderful aristocratic villa in the charming town of Sant Agnello di Sorrento. Learn why 'Alla Sorrentina' is an item that one sees on menus throughout Italy, but the real thing can only be found within this beautiful coastal area. Luciana concentrates on the true 'casareccia' cooking with traditional regional specialties. Famous dishes of the area will be taught including the delicate gnocchi potato dumplings, lasagna alla Sorrentina, simply cooked local fish and desserts such as lemon tart made with local citrus. Luciana also makes her own wines and liqueurs and will share these traditional recipes with you as well. In the gorgeous setting of her home, you will enjoy the delicious meal you've created in the beautiful garden or the evocative dining room complete with Pompeiian-style frescoes. The Sorrento Coast offers up some of the most stunning vistas in the world; bright sun, blue Mediterranean sea, sheer cliffs, deep gorges, lush foliage and citrus plants have sealed its glory. Italians have known this region as a producer of delights of the culinary world since antiquity. The fine produce of the area and the simple, but rich and delicious, recipes makes this cuisine truly outstanding.

Cooking with a Neapolitan Mamma

Come learn traditional Neapolitan cooking from a Napoletana Mamma who learned her secrets from her Napoletana Mamma! Nothing could be more authentic than this. We are not talking about cooking with a famous chef in a splendid palace, but being invited into the home of Mamma, who will coddle you with her generosity and send you away with her home-cooking 'casareccia' secrets to last you a lifetime of great meal preparation. Starting with a visit to a lively local market, she will tell you about the best ingredients and the key to simple recipes that everyone in your family will love. During the Grand Tours of the 1800s, Naples became famous for its'Macaroni Eaters'. Children and adults were seen blissfully eating the street food spaghetti with their hands, inspiring countless postcards in the 19th and 20th centuries. Naples was already famous for its food in ancient Greek and Roman times and the kingdoms of Spain and France influenced it as invaders came and went. Fresh vegetables, hard and soft cheeses and seafood all make great contributions to its cuisine. Handmade gnocchi potato dumplings, fresh pastas and rice are strong components of Neapolitan cuisine, as well as fresh tomato, vegetable or ragu meat sauces.

Naples Food Lover's Tour

Every town has its food secrets and Naples is full of them. In ancient times street food was common, with vendors setting up stands and shop fronts selling food to go, and Naples maintains this tradition today. Let us guide you through its labyrinthian ancient streets where tiny street food stands sell famous fried foods such as golden breaded mozzarella balls, stuffed potato balls rolled in breadcrumbs,'sciurilli';zucchini flowers fried in a batter, and 'scagliozzi';fried slices of delicious polenta. There are also deep-fried rice, tomato and cheese balls and 'pastacresciute';fried bread dough balls. Pizza is sold all over Naples but we'll show you where to find the best, and exactly when to arrive in order to avoid the insane crush to get a piece. The simple Margherita, famed for its delightful marriage of fresh tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese and basil, is the most popular. On the more sophisticated side is the artisan caffe of Naples, said by Italians to be the best in Italy. Try a thick, rich and creamy espresso or cappuccino at the best bar in the city, accompanied by one of the most delicious pastries you will ever taste, the crispy sfogliatelle, filled with perfectly sweetened fresh ricotta cheese and citrus zest.

Tuscany

Tuscany Etruscan Culinary Tour with visit to Chiusi

With this wonderful tour we will visit the beautiful city and region around Chiusi, the heart of the ancient Etruscan world. The first stop is at the celebrated Etruscan Museum for a quick overview of the fascinating civilization that dominated this part of Italy before the Romans. They have left intriguing traces of their dance-, food- and wine-loving civilization in tomb paintings and sculpture as well as cooking utensils, mirrors and other artisan works. From here we descend beneath the city to visit the underground labyrinths. During this unforgettable visit, a historian guide will take you to see one of the seldom-visited ancient tombs near the evocative Lake of Chiusi. Lunch will be based on recipes thought to be similar to what Etruscans ate: fresh perch from the lake smoked over canes and dressed with local olive oil, home made pici—the local pasta with ancient roots—and local Sangiovese wine.This tour is led by Pamela Sheldon Johns, cookbook author and culinary professional who has been cooking and exploring the back roads of Italian food culture for 20 years.

Tuscan Paradise Wine and Culinary Tour

Tuscany is renowned for its wine, cheese and artisan products. What better way to spend a day than touring the Tuscany countryside while eating, drinking and enjoying gorgeous views? This scenic drive takes you to Pienza via the cheese route. Pienza, the home of the famous Pecorino Toscano cheese, was also the first ideal Renaissance city to become a reality. We’ll wind along picturesque streets past travertine palaces, stop in shops showcasing gourmet delicacies including wines from Montalcino, Montepulciano and Buonconvento and, of course, sample the famous local Pecorino. On our way out of Pienza, we will visit a rural Pecorino cheesemaker where the farm will be toured and your guide will explain how Pecorino is made. You will get to meet the local farmers and savor this bold and delicious cheese. We'll then drive to the famous town of Montalcino where we will visit a traditional cantina to taste Brunello di Montalcino, one of the noblest of Italian wines. Of course our day would not be complete without trying some Brunello, Rosso di Montalcino and Super Tuscans and experiencing exquisite Tuscan food at a charming enoteca before the return trip. This tour can be designed as a way to get from one part of Tuscany to another or as a full-day trip from Rome or Florence.

Tuscan Paradise Wine and Culinary Tour photo

Food Artisans Tuscan Culinary Workshop with Pamela

Immerse yourself in the unique culture and lifestyle of Tuscany by experiencing the passion of food and wine in the kitchen, at the table, and in the marketplace. This full-day immersion includes a hands-on cooking class in a beautiful country home near Montepulciano with seated lunch, along with a visit to a local food artisan of your choice. The class is taught in English and outings are fully translated, offering you an experience of regional, seasonal Tuscan cuisine and culture that's impossible to get without an insider to open the secret door for you! Many traditional food-making practices still exist in Tuscany. The signature foods of the region include Pecorino cheese, truffles and porcini mushrooms, and Chianina beef. You’ll also be introduced to some uniquely local products such as pici, an ancient type of pasta, and finocchiata, a pork sausage that is salted and cured in a coating of aromatic wild fennel flowers and black pepper. You can choose whether to visit an antique frantoio olive pressing mill, for a demonstration and tasting of olive oils, or an artisanal cheesemaker to learn about Pecorino cheese, Cinta Senese (an heirloom Tuscan breed of pig), and salumi production.

Food Artisans Tuscan Culinary Workshop with Pamela photo

Florence

Florentine Market Tour and Cooking Class

Italy is known for its incredible food and the Tuscan region is understandably famous for its traditional culinary specialties - from the special DOC Lard of Colonata, to cheeses aged in Etruscan caves, from special salamis such as Finocchiona to bread and tomato soup, from wild boar ragu to roasted porcini mushroom, and from truffles shaved over home-made pasta to wild grilled asparagus; there is no end to this regions mouth watering specialties! Regarding wine, there is an incredible variation between traditional and designer wines - from the earthy terroire wines of small vineyards, to the Super Tuscans and everything in between. Begin your day in Florence with a local chef at the market to pick out the best seasonal ingredients for your private cooking lesson, to meet the sellers and producers and learn about what makes Tuscan foods and Florentine recipes unique. From here you will go to your cooking class in a Florentine home or at a local restaurant, for either a hands on lesson or demonstration- as you prefer. Here you will learn recipes for a five course meal with wines matched to each dish. Recipes will be prepared for you to take home as well. When in season, we will propose specialty dishes such as the Schiacciata d'uva- the 'squashed grape' dessert in the photo, artichokes, truffles or porcini for instance.

Florentine Market Tour and Cooking Class photo

In the Kitchen with Roasters, Bakers and Chocolate Makers

Every successful food artist has a secret and we want to let you in on it with this tour of the best in artisan food production. Florence has the benefit of a combination of the most traditional culinary producers of breads and pizza, pastries, fine chocolates, coffee and gelato. With this tour we go behind the scenes in order to see what lies behind the production and how age old recipes have met with modern creative interpretation to produce a delightful culinary treat. In each place you will sample the best of these key Florentine products and have an insiders look at the work behind the scenes, meeting these people that devote their lives to realizing the perfect recipes and delectable taste. You will have the opportunity to make purchases and your culinary guide will point out historic sites of interest along the way relating to the food history of Florence. This tour is designed so that you will have the opportunity to taste a wide variety of specialties so plan on making a meal of this tour!

Behind the Scenes Market Visit with Food Artisans and Chefs

Florence holds a unique charm due its strong ties visually and economically to the surrounding countryside. Florentines, sophisticated, yet down to earth, cultivate this relationship in order to bring out the best in artisan production of food and wine. They take their gastronomy seriously, as shown by the incredible amount of great restaurants, cafes, wine bars and osteria that offer traditional Tuscan cuisine with a modern sophistication. We have designed this tour so you can meet the producers in the market as well as the chefs who create their magic with these ingredients. We open up the secret door for you in order to highlight the special relationship between artisan producers of fine traditional products and chefs, learning about their kitchen. We start your day with our culinary guide visiting a special food market to meet individual producers, and learn about the vast wealth and variety of products ranging from the traditional to the gourmet. We will take a look at everything from the fish market and what seafood is prized in Florence, to the butchers and how meat cuts vary from what we have at home, and about traditional breeds such as the Chianina that produces the famous Fiorentina steak. In the market you will have a tasting of artisan cured meats and cheeses, seasonal fruits and vegetables and olive oils.

Behind the Scenes Market Visit with Food Artisans and Chefs photo

Rome

Rome Market Visit & Cooking Class

This tour gives you the chance to do something impossible while staying at a hotel: go food shopping for fresh Italian delicacies and cook and eat a wonderful traditional and authentic lunch in a Roman home. We take you to several small family-run gourmet Italian food shops to buy the freshest, most delicious ingredients made in the traditional Roman way. These shops include local vegetable markets, a wine enoteca, a bakery, a fresh pasta shop, a cheese shop and deli. You will learn about a wide variety of classic foods and wines and how to order them. You can shop to take ingredients back home with you as well!

Then we are off to our chef's kitchen where we will prepare a traditional lunch for you, speaking about traditional Italian cuisine, the ingredients used and how to prepare them while sampling some antipasti and prosecco. The grand finale: lunch! Weather permitting we will dine on a private terrace in Rome surrounded by lush plants and a garden rarely experienced by the normal tourist. Otherwise we eat inside in a lovely dining room in your host's home.

Rome by the Glass

Are you a follower of Bacchus? Let one of our charming certified sommeliers take you on a tour of Rome's most interesting wine bars for an evening that is part wine-tasting, part history and one hundred percent pleasure. Your wine guide combines a broad knowledge of Italian wines with an unpretentious attitude. As a committed locavores, they'll give you the chance to not only sample some of the historically great wines upon which Italy rests its reputation but also exciting newcomers based on long-forgotten vinaccia, heritage vines quietly begetting great wines below the radar of international critics. You will visit 2 to 3 characteristic wine bars in the heart of Rome. In the course of the evening you will sample at least four different and characteristic Italian wines accompanied by appetizers. The rich history behind the making of Italian wines and a chat about a number of the professional terms and approaches used in tasting wine will be part of your tour. Cost of this tour is 230 Euros excluding wine and appetizers. This allows you to determine together with your sommelier a range within which you would like to remain. Your guide will fit this tour to your budget. Average cost for wine and appetizers is 30 euros per person. Let your guide know if you want to taste higher caliber wines such as Brunello or Super Tuscans.

An Exclusive Wine Experience- The Best in Italian Wine

Drink wine in a cellar that is thousands of years old, experiencing the best wine italy has to offer, in the heart of the Ancient City. From Barolo to Brunello and Amarone to Sagrantino, to wines aged in amphorae we can provide you with the most exclusive wine tasting experience for a memory of a life time. Learn about the history of wine and what makes a unique wine. We will choose an exclusive selection of the best vintages and most excellent producers. We select wine makers who work tirelessly, sometimes in extreme conditions who create boutique, authentic, traditional wines that bring out the best in Terriore. We will tailor make our selection to your desires. We can arrange vertical tastings, or tastings of four or five bottles of Italy's top wines. If you have a special request, we will provide it. Otherwise you can let us make the choices for you. We will provide the perfect accompaniment to the wines in a carefully selected assortment of antipasti, meant to bring out the highlights of each wine. This wine tasting is held in an exclusive location, chosen as the perfect accompanyment to exclusive wines.

Culinary Tour with Food Journalist Elizabeth Minchilli

On this tour Elizabeth Helman Minchilli, the author of six books on Italy, who has written for over 40 magazines including Food & Wine, Saveur and Bon Appetit, will lead you on an intensive, food-packed exploration of Rome’s most loved food traditions. While eating and drinking the entire way, of course.

Here is a description of your day: Meet Elizabeth for a cappuccino and cornetti, and start your wonderful conversation about food in Rome. You will start off with a lesson in making a perfect Cappucino! Elizabeth will give you a brief run down on the city’s culinary history and what sets it apart from other Italian regions. You will learn about specific Roman dishes, ingredients and festivals, as well as what defines Roman cooking and what you should look for, and enjoy, while you’re here.

Your first stop is a century-old cookie factory, in the heart of Trastevere where you will learn about the Roman traditions of biscotti, and sample both cookies and cakes, like Brutti Ma Buoni (ugly but good), Torta alla Ricotta (ricotta cake) and Lingue di Gatti (cat’s tongues). Next you'll take a trip across the river to Rome’s Jewish Ghetto. Here you will learn what defines Roman Jewish cuisine, and have a quick demonstration of either Carciofi alla Giudea (deep fried Artichokes) or Fiori Fritti (Stuffed deep fried Zucchini Flowers) depending on the season. With a stop by a traditional Jewish bakery, you will get to taste several unique and historic sweets made only there, including the sweet “jewish pizza. Another quick stop at a local bakery will provide the opportunity to try osse, (bones), and rosette two typical Roman breads and learn about their traditions. Roscioli bakery is considered to be one of the best in the city, and their Pizza Bianca, made with a centuries old starter, is unique. We’ll not only taste this delicious pizza, but get a tour of the bakery. Campo de’ Fiori has one of Rome’s oldest markets, and certainly it’s most beautiful. Here we’ll stroll - and graze – our way through the stalls, exploring seasonal local produce and how it influences Roman cooking. Next stop: Norcineria Viola's pork heaven. This store has been specializing in cured meats for over a century. Salamis, prosciutti, sausages, pancetta and guanciale hang from the ceiling and cover every surface of this shop. We’ll choose a few things to nibble on while we have our aperitivo before lunch. With a stop at an outside café (weather permitting) for an aperitivo, as you sip prosecco, Campari or spritz, we’ll nibble our goodies from Viola while Elizabeth tell's you a little about Italian cocktails and aperitivi. One of the most important parts of the day is Lunch: it’s hard to choose where to eat, so we’ll let you decide. You can choose from:

-A Working Class Trattoria: Paper covered tables, with dishes like Carbonara and gnocchi, followed by coda alla vacinara, pollo alla caciatora or other Roman specialities. Big hearty portions of simple, delicious, Roman cooking.

or

-An Enoteca: Located on the ground floor of a palazzo, this restaurant has one of Rome’s best cellars. You can either choose from the list yourself, or the sommelier can lead us on a tasting to accompany the menu.

After all this eating (and drinking) we’ll need a pick-me-up, so will head to one of Elizabeth's favorite Torrefazione for an excellent café. Rome is currently in the throws of a gelato renaissance. We’ll visit one of the best, that uses artisanal ingredients to craft some of the creamiest gelato in town!

Culinary Tour with Food Journalist Elizabeth Minchilli photo

Rome Food Lovers Tour

Italy is a food mecca. Each city has its own unique dishes and traditions handed down from generation to generation. During our Food Lovers Tour, we'll discover the best food in Rome, from coffee and cornetti to pizza and gelato as we make our way through the historic center of Rome, snacking all the while we learn about Roman culinary traditions, past and present, and Rome's street food.

What better way to start our walk than by drinking what is hands down the best coffee in Rome? Close to the Pantheon we'll find one of Rome’s historical coffee bars. The history of these establishments, the ritual coffee plays in Roman life, and what it is that makes a perfect espresso or cappuccino will be explored. If the roasting schedule coincides with our visit, we will have the opportunity to see a roasting demonstration before savoring a delicious coffee.

Rome is experiencing a Renaissance of mouth watering artisan chocolates found in a few boutique chocolate shops.

Roam like a Roman: Group Wine Tasting in the Historic Center

Great for everyone from the wine novice to the oenophile, this tour is for wine lovers who want to have a fun night out, and experience an authentic Roman atmosphere in the beautiful historic center of Rome. You will visit two distinct enotecas- The first is the oldest in Rome, and gives an idea of a traditional rustic 'Vino-Olio' locale, before the modern invention of the enoteca. Walking cobblestone streets you will arrive at the second, more modern locale, which gives a great sense of how the wine bar has developed over time. Both feature great atmospheres and have excellent selections of wine. Your sommelier~historian will guide you through a selection of wines from the most important wine making regions of Italy explaining the history of wine making and its traditional and modern developments. You will enjoy five full glasses of wine from the most important wine making regions, from North to South and come to know your own personal preferences for wines, where they are from and how to buy them. Understand what makes Italian wines distinctive from others and how Terroir, or the land makes the wine.

Roam like a Roman: Group Wine Tasting in the Historic Center photo

Castelli Vineyards & Villages with Chauffeur

A mere thirty minute drive from the center of Rome, past the evocative ruins of the aqueducts the plain gives way to the Alban hills and their patchwork of chestnut forests and graceful vineyards. Topped by the medieval villages of the Castelli Romani, they speak of another, more ancient world. For thousands of years this area has been a refuge from the chaos of the city. Joined by scenic country roads, this network of villages make for a delightful day trip.

This region so close to Rome holds an astonishing variety of history and geography. The ruins of Tusculum, once a retreat of wealthy Romans are only minutes from the papal summer palace of Castel Gandolfo. The hill top where the mighty Hannibal once camped with his Elephants is only minutes away from the crater lakes of Albano and Nemi.

Castelli Vineyards & Villages with Chauffeur photo

Lazio - The Roman Countryside

DOC Lazio Food and Wine of the Castelli Romani

For a day out of Rome featuring DOC Lazio Food and Wine, ancient and medieval history and beautiful countryside, join our sommelier and food and wine expert on a chauffeured trip to the Ernico Mountains region. Within the walled city of Anagni, the city of the popes, we will visit picturesque monuments, a cathedral featuring an underground crypt with reknowned Medievel frescos, the oratory of St. Beckett built within an ancient Roman Mithraium and take in the stunning views all around the city. Great food is to be found here, a charming fruit and vegetable market and antique shops. Anagni is a gorgeous town in Lazio that is not to be missed. When it comes to choosing a place to eat for lunch, Alatri, the best preserved town in Lazio is the place to go since it has one of the best Osteria in Lazio, Osteria Bacco e Ciacco. Known for its local, organic, fresh ingredients in a traditional Laziale kitchen with a modern twist and an excellent wine menu, it is a hard to find rare gem in small towns like this. This area is famous for the Cesanese del Piglio, Lazio's only DOCG wine.

DOC Lazio Food and Wine of the Castelli Romani photo

Umbria

Umbrian Culinary and Wine Paradise

Have you ever been some where that embeds itself in your memory forever because it is so perfect? Come to Podere Calzone for just that kind of experience, a stimulation to all the senses with its beautiful views, vineyards and gorgeous villa, to the delicious smells of rising dough, roasting meats, and other culinary delights. Hear the sounds of the countryside, from the sweet bird songs to the occasional braying of the donkey from across the valley. Taste the wines made from the vineyard, visit the cantina for a wine tasting and tour the lovely grounds of this private home, opened to you, for an amazing Umbrian cooking experience.

Your host will welcome you with a tour of the property to see her vineyard, pick produce from the organic garden and tour her lovely home, featured in Bon Appetite and Italian Rustic. Off to the kitchen for a hands on cooking class with Paula, the best cook in Umbria, in a wonderful kitchen. Anything that you want to cook is at your fingertips with this extraordinary, down to earth chef.

Umbrian Culinary and Wine Paradise photo

DOCG Feast in Umbrian Paradise

This privately catered lunch or dinner will become part of your most favored memories forever. You will be welcomed to Podere Calzone for an unparalleled dining experience, a stimulation to all the senses. The setting: A beautiful Villa in the green heart of Italy with evocative views of the surrounding hills dotted with ancient ruins, olive orchards and vineyards~In one word idyllic. You will be hosted at this gorgeous rustic, yet refined villa, greeted with a welcome drink and antipasto on the terrace. Once settled in, your charming hostess will take you on a tour of the lovely grounds with olive orchard, Sangiovese vineyard, organic garden and cantina and recount the history of her creation. In the cantina you will meet your sommelier for a vertical tasting of the best Sagrantino Red and Grechetto white wines for which Umbria is justly famous, paired with delicious antipasti. From here you will be taken to a vine covered pergola or in the beautiful dining room for a five course lunch or dinner featuring the seasonal DOCG culinary delights of the region.

Podere Calzone Pizza Making Extravaganza

Come to Podere Calzone for the ultimate in pizza making experience. Not just a cooking class, this is a stimulation to all the senses with beautiful views, vineyards around this gorgeous villa. Smell the delicious scent of rising dough, and indulge sfizzi, delicious fried antipasti, which you will learn to make while the dough is rising. Hear the sounds of the countryside, from the sweet bird songs to the occasional braying of the donkey from across the valley. Taste the wines made from the vineyard, visit the cantina and tour the lovely grounds of this private home, opened to you, for an amazing Umbrian cooking experience.

Your host will welcome you with a tour of the property to see her vineyard, pick produce from the organic garden and tour her lovely home, featured in Bon Appetite and Italian Rustic. Off to the kitchen for a hands on cooking class with Paula, the best cook in Umbria in a wonderful country kitchen with all the modern accoutrements. You will learn to make home made pizza dough, appetizers such as Deep Fried Sage Leaves and an assortment of battered and deep fried vegetables. Next learn the secret to hand made pizzas with fresh local ingredients, cooked in a wood fired pizza oven.

Podere Calzone Pizza Making Extravaganza photo

Venice

Wine Tasting in a Venetian Palace on the Grand Canal

Arrive at a 17th century Venetian palace on the Grand Canal for a private wine tasting with an historian-sommelier. Located in the center of Venice between the Accademia Bridge and Piazza San Marco, the views of the canal reveal Venice in all her splendor. Ascend into the main reception room of the palace via the grand staircase, where your guide will show you the beautifully decorated rooms, furnished in traditional Venetian style, and tell you about the history of the family who created it. Find out what it is like to live like the past kings and queens that inhabited this historical palace. After this you will move to the grand dining room graced with a beautiful chandelier where your wine tasting features DOC Veneto and Friuli region wines. The normal wine tasting consists of a guided tasting of four glasses of wine for each participant, usually one white, two reds and a sweet one, produced in the Veneto and the Friuli Region or in a gifted Italian area. We can customize the tour for you if you prefer whites or reds. Each wine will be served with the appropriate food to enhance its special qualities, such as cheese, cold cuts, and Venetian cookies.

Following Bacchus~ Ombre and Cichetti Wine and Food

In the city of Venice wine is definitely more popular than water, in fact an average of 50.000 glasses of wine are served every day in local wine bars! A long time ago Venice imported new grapes from the island of Crete in Greece and since then vineyards have became a feature of the Veneto landscape. Today our Region holds a national record with 53 million gallons of wine produced every year!   Your sommeliere will involve you in the session, and ask you about your sensations and impressions about wine. She will help you to discover the true spirit of the land it comes from, give you information about its history and its organic characteristics, its versatility in matching local food, and a selection of the best reasonably priced wines and where to buy them in Venice.

Each tasting will take place in a typical "Osteria" or wine bar chosen for the quality of the wines and food products. We will also stop at a traditional Bacaro, a small standing room only wine bar with white or red, serving delicious traditional cichetti antipasti.

Following Bacchus~ Ombre and Cichetti Wine and Food photo

Spend a Day as a True Venetian

Enjoy a day discovering how the special inhabitants of Venice live and learn the joys and secrets of the city that only an insider knows. Your Venetian friend will meet you at your hotel in the morning and you are off to start your day as a Venetian. Traversing little known walk ways, canals and bridges where few tourists go you will discover what it is like to be a resident of this unique city. An early start can give you the best view of the city without tourists so you can see how the real Venetians start their day. Your path will take you for a caffe and cornetto at the best morning bar, past your host's favorite shops, into a wine bar for an 'ombra' and a 'cichetti' and to see some of their favorite local sites.

Gourmet Rialto Fish market tour and Seafood Lunch

Are you crazy about Venetian style seafood dishes? Take the chance to experience the whole process, step by step, from raw to cooked fish with the help of local experts! In the morning your guide will take you to the Rialto fish market to discover what seasonal fish is available, how to distinguish farm raised from fresh catch, how large the variety of local seafood is, which are the most common species in the Adriatic and the Mediterranean Sea and why each is so delicious.

We will take a gondola-ferry (this is the exciting moment when you can choose to stand in the boat like a local or sit like a visitor!) across the Grand Canal where a renowned restaurant is located, "Al Fontego dei Pescatori", owned and run by Loris Manna, President of the Rialto fishmongers. While you are shown how to properly clean and cook a fresh fish, Loris and Chef Massimo will be pleased to answer your questions, explaining how to transform a traditional Venetian recipe into a creative work of art.

Gourmet Rialto Fish market tour and Seafood Lunch photo

Rialto Market, boat and Cooking Lesson with Venice Chef

Traditional Venetian cooking is simple and based on local products including fish and shellfish from the Veneto lagoon and vegetables and game. With relatively few ingredients, it has created a large variety of dishes and flavors thanks to cultural influences such as those from the French and the East with their unique ingredients and flavors (seen in the use of many different spices such as pepper, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg) and the incredible variety in the preparation of rice.

Spend your morning at the famous Rialto Market, one of the most ancient in the world, where you shop for local Venetian ingredients with a wonderfully talented and personable local Venetian chef . Here you will learn how to select and cook fabulous meat and vegetable dishes and how to identify the freshest fish and seafood for dishes that will stay with you forever. You will be taken by boat along the Grand Canal and across the Venice Lagoon to Chef Marika's lively Venetian Liberty style villa on the Lido Island, where she will teach you how to make a five course traditional Venetian meal with a delightful modern twist.

Rialto Market, boat and Cooking Lesson with Venice Chef photo

Venetian Feast in a Private Glass Blowing Factory in Murano

Dine in a private Venetian Glass Blowing Factory on the Island of Murano with demonstrations of this fiery and beautiful art. An evocative and magical atmosphere will be created specially for your party, candle lit, with exquisite table settings and the glow of glass furnaces lit like amber fires. For your dining experience chef Marika will prepare a menu rooted in the simplicity and tastes of traditional Italian cooking, yet brought to life with exciting contemporary touches. In harmony with perfumes and tastes and with great attention to the placement of colors and forms, small gastronomical works of art are created that are a joy to the eye even before tasting. This event is a unique and exclusive experience, designed to satisfy the desires and requirements of the client and where nothing is left at random. The elegance of the table settings, the meticulous care taken to every possible detail, the refinement of floral decorations and the masterly work of the chefs are the elements and colors will become an unforgettable sensorial experience for you and your guests.

Venetian Feast in a Private Glass Blowing Factory in Murano photo

A Day with the Fishermen Of the Venetian Lagoon

In 2002 the city Council approved the Northern Venice Lagoon project, which aims at preserving a unique natural and historical heritage, such as the symbiosis of water and land, the indigenous agricultural produce, the native fish species and fishing techniques, the wine and local culinary traditions.

We offer two gourmet Venice Lagoon tours, focusing on either the island of Burano or St.Erasmo. Each itinerary is based on a slow paced experience, in which we get to have direct contact and interaction with fishermen of the area. Many fishermen are "lagoon farmers" and are involved in an ancient tradition of aquaculture for prized seafood that forms a vital part of the cuisine of Venice. Local chefs and wine producers are committed in supporting this traditional economy and peculiar lifestyle. This tour provides you with a unique experience to leave the touristed islands of Venice and take off into the world of real Venetians who support the and produce the wonders of the culinary traditions of this incredible region. You will discover a dynamic local community, excited to show you what they do and share with you their own enthusiasm for their work.

Venetian Cooking Class in 17th Century Palazzo

Traditional Venetian cooking is simple and based on local products including fish from the lagoon and vegetables and game. With relatively few ingredients, it has created a large variety of dishes and flavors thanks to cultural influences such as those from the East with their unique ingredients and flavors (seen in the use of many different spices such as pepper, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg) and the incredible variety in the preparation of rice. You will learn a five course menu based on seasonal ingredients.

Spend a half day cooking with this amazing professional chef who will teach you traditional Venetian cuisine with a delightful twist in her beautiful palazzo. Tie on your apron and get ready for an authentic experience in a Venetian kitchen! You'll start by shopping in the local outdoor markets for in season delights before returning to your chef's apartment for a wonderful hands on lesson on Venetian cooking. You'll savor a glass of prosecco (italian champagne) and nibble on antipasti while preparing your lunch all the while talking about Venetian food specialities that make Venetian cuisine unique from that of the rest of italy.

Venetian Cooking Class in 17th Century Palazzo photo