Food and Wine Holidays in Italy:
Piedmont + Barbaresco + Barolo Vineyards (rail/drive)
Enjoy one of our tailor made food and wine holidays in Italy, taking the Eurostar from London & travelling by day through beautiful France to Turin, the capital of Italy’s northerly Piedmont (or Piemonte) district. After exploring Turin, collect your hire car & drive to the Barbaresco & Barolo vineyards, famous for their world-class wines & ‘Slow Food’ artisans. Depending on the season, we can organise a truffle hunt for you.
Price: from £1,990 per person sharing
No. nights: 7
Deposit: 10% (min £400 pp)
Best Time to Go: April – October
Reference Code: EIT19
DETAILED ITINERARY
Day 1: London to Turin by train
Begin your rail holiday to Piedmont by leaving London St Pancras at about 09.30 hrs, travelling on the Eurostar to Paris Gare du Nord. You have just under two hours in Paris to transfer to the Gare de Lyon before your high-speed train to Turin departs. Watch the scenery change as you travel south, passing through Lyon and Chambery before climbing into the Alps and crossing the border into Italy. The journey time from Paris to Turin is about 5.5 hours. You reach Turin just before 20.30 hrs and spend the night in Turin.
Day 2: Turin to Piedmont
Enjoy this morning sightseeing in Turin perhaps, before collecting your hire car for the drive of just over an hour to your base in Piedmont for the next few days.
Days 3 to 7: In Piedmont
Explore Piedmont at leisure from your base in the heart of the Langhe region. Piedmont beckons lovers of wine and food, art and architecture and dramatic, natural landscapes. Spend your time here enjoying the sights, food and wine that this beautiful region has to offer.
Some of our recommended visits are to the town of Alba, renowned for its truffles as well as wine. Its narrow streets are lined with shops selling numerous gastronomic delights, including truffles, wine and olive oil. Barolo is both a village and a wine produced in only a handful of villages.
Nearby are the vineyards of Barbaresco. We can arrange for you to visit wineries and have wine tastings and visits. Another interesting spot is the hilltop town of Cherasco, famous for its snails and chocolate. The Slow Food movement originated in Piedmont and there are numerous local artisan producers of all sorts of foodstuffs that can be visited.
Depending on the season, you may want to take part in a truffle hunt. This can be arranged by us for you in advance, and the truffle hunter with his most important assistant, his dog, will accompany you as you forage for a couple of hours for the region’s famous truffles.
Day 8: Turin to London by train
There is quite an early start this morning from your hotel, as the train leaves Turin just after 10.00 hrs (An option is to return to Turin for an overnight stay before the train leaves). This is another enjoyable daytime journey by fast train from Turin to Paris, arriving at the Gare de Lyon station about 16.00 hrs. Two hours later there is a Eurostar departure that arrives into London St Pancras at about 19.30 hrs.
PRICING
Price is based on two adults sharing en-suite accommodation on a bed and breakfast basis. This price includes second class rail travel, with supplement for first class of about £460 per person. Local car hire is also included.
We offer a choice of hotels at different prices, so please discuss your requirements with us. All hotels are subject to availability.
Before your departure, you will receive personalised holiday information, including full directions and suggestions on places to visit, to help you get the most from your trip.
It is essential that you have personal holiday insurance and an appropriate driving licence. The AA and FCO should also be consulted.