Experience Truffle, Balsamic Vinegar and San Domenico Restaurant in Bologna Area
Visiting Emilia Romagna during the cold season will allow you to do activities and experiences not possible in other periods of the year. In October, the white truffle season starts, November is the month when we harvest olives and make the new extra virgin olive oil.
Take the opportunity to hunt truffles with the truffle man and his special trained dog, to harvest the olives and taste the first drop of the new olive oil, drink the new wine together with the chestnuts (very traditional in this area), visit a Parmigiano Reggiano cheese factory and a balsamic vinegar producer, end the tour with a fabulous gala dinner at the Michelin star restaurant San Domenico in Imola. Come and taste our Italy!
Itinerary
Sunday – Get settled, an introduction to the region, and a welcome dinner
We will meet you at the Bologna train station or airport and provide private transfer to your hotel in the heart of the city. Once you have settled into your room, we will meet with an English-speaking guide for an introduction to the city and the Emilia Romagna region. We will enjoy a welcome dinner together in Bologna at a traditional Italian restaurant where you will feast on typical regional dishes.
Monday – A truffle hunting adventure with scent dogs and a rustic truffle-based lunch
Your early morning wake-up call will be well worth our countryside excursion with expert truffle hunters and scent dogs. This is an unforgettable experience with excitement that comes with each truffle finding. After our adventure, we will feast on truffle-based dishes and seasonal products at the home of the truffle hunter and his family. In the afternoon, on the way back to Bologna, stop at a winery for a wine tasting (Sangiovese, Albana, Trebbiano, Pagadebit and other indigenous wines, Back to Bologna where you will have free time to rest or explore the city, and we will meet together in the evening for dinner.
Tuesday – Explore the Bologna food market and a cooking class with regional specialties
Tuesday will begin with a visit to the Bologna central market. Your eyes and your taste buds will indulge on all of the colorful foods that overflow the narrow streets at stands, delis, and shops. We will buy ingredients at the market to use at our afternoon cooking lesson, and afterward you will have free time to shop and explore this historic town. We will have a light lunch at a quaint osteria in Santo Stefano square along with a glass of wine and tastings of local cheeses and salumi. Our afternoon will be filled with more delicious food at our hands-on cooking class with an Italian family cook. We will learn the art of making egg pasta by hand in a private family home as the experienced cook teaches us how to create other traditional dishes of the Emilia Romagna region. We will feast on our creations for dinner and you will receive a collection of all of the recipes learned that day to take home with you.
Wednesday – Learn about and taste Parmigiano Reggiano and balsamic vinegar of Modena, plus a gourmet lunch
Our morning will include visits to two different family cooperatives. First, we will watch the production of Parmigiano Reggiano and finish our tour with a tasting of this world-famous cheese. Then we will transfer to Modena where we will learn about and taste traditional balsamic vinegar of Modena (balsamico) at each stage of its production. While in Modena, we will visit the kitchen of Chef Luigi for aperitif and watch him prepare a beautiful gourmet lunch. We will feast on plates with pairings of Parmigiano Reggiano and balsamico along with Lambrusco, a sparkling red wine unique to the Modena region. We will return to Bologna in the afternoon and you will have the rest of the day to stroll through the city on your own before we meet for dinner.
Thursday – Byzantine mosaics in Ravenna and a gourmet farewell dinner at a Michelin-starred restaurant in Imola
On Thursday morning we will make the short trip to Ravenna, a historic coastal city famous for its architecture and Byzantine mosaics. We will take a walking tour of the mosaics of San Vitale and Galla Placidia, after which you will have free time to explore the streets and shops of this charming city. We will have light lunch together in the city center and then return to the hotel. In the evening, we will have an unforgettable farewell gala dinner at San Domenico Restaurant in Imola. This two-star Michelin restaurant and its world-famous chef, Valentino Marcattilii, have received global attention throughout its more than 45 years in existence. Its cellars hold more than 25,000 bottles of wine, with some bottles dating all the way back to the time of Napoleon!
Friday – Departure day
We will start the day and end our wonderful time together with a quick breakfast at the hotel, and then you will depart from the Bologna airport or train station.
