I fell in love with the Italian way of life many years ago, and my passion for it has grown with each subsequent food and wine tour of Italy. I’ve discovered many of its secret corners with local chefs, restaurateurs, producers and winemakers. Now I’d like to share them with you. Ready to be a traveller, not a tourist?
“The people of Emilia-Romagna eat more, care more and talk more about food than anyone else in Italy,” says food writer Claudia Roden. On this northern Italian food & wine tour we'll explore the home of Parmigiano Reggiano, Prosciutto di Parma and Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena and discover many other smallgoods, cheeses, pastas and baked goods rarely seen outside the region.
Southern Italy is a land of easy-going hospitality, where fresh natural produce is turned into almost unreasonably tasty dishes! Olive oil, garlic, chilli and wild aromatic herbs blend with the citrus, nuts, honey and dried fruits brought by the Arabs. And the tradition of taking time to enjoy ‘le piccole cose’ (the little things) makes life worth living.
Venice is a beautiful old girl, but in her senior years she can be a touch contrary until you get to know her. On this food and wine tour we'll discover her secrets – like which tiny calli to wander down to find the best bàcari and settle in for cicchetti e un’ombra. Then we'll head into the Veneto countryside where wealthy Venetians had their farms and iconic wines like Valpolicella and Prosecco are produced.
Each of my culinary tours explores a different Italy.
Emilia-Romagna is Italy’s Food Valley – home of Parmigiano Reggiano, Prosciutto di Parma and traditional balsamic vinegar – plus the Adriatic seafood and hilltowns of lesser-known Romagna.
Southern Italy & Rome pairs classic Roman dining with the lemon groves of the Amalfi Coast, the cave city of Matera and the ruins of Pompeii.
Veneto & Venice takes you behind the scenes: a few nights living in Venice like a local – wandering its residential neighbourhoods and eating and drinking in the bàcari Venetians love – then a stay on a family-owned wine estate in Valpolicella, visiting small producers from there to the Prosecco hills, to understand Venice in the context of its broader region.
As we stay in the historic centre of cities – and given the nature of Rome and Venice – there’s more walking in these tours. If you’d prefer a gentler pace, Emilia-Romagna is the ideal choice.
Food-wise, the south is more about olive oil and pasta, while the Veneto leans towards dairy and rice. As Italy’s Food Valley, Emilia-Romagna offers the best of both worlds.
We visit Veneto & Venice and Southern Italy & Rome in the northern spring. That’s when spring produce – like asparagus, new-season artichokes and the soft-shell crabs of the Venetian lagoon (moeche) – features in local dishes.
The Emilia-Romagna tour is in the northern autumn (fall), which is when the wild mushrooms are at their best, cave-aged cheeses are just ripening and the vineyards are at their most beautiful.
All tours are in shoulder seasons, when the weather is milder, there are fewer visitors and seasonal produce is at its best.
Yes – I always offer at least 2 tours back to back so you can make the most of your time in Europe.
The Veneto & Venice tour and the Southern Italy & Rome tour only have a few days between them.
And in autumn (fall), the Emilia-Romagna tour comes immediately after a delicious 11-day tour to Switzerland.
I can arrange accommodation for the days in between, and transport from one to the other.
My small-group food tours of Italy are all-inclusive from the moment the tour begins – comfortable accommodation, every meal with local wines, private transport with a professional driver, producer visits, entry fees and local guides. For more on what’s included and how my tours work, see the full FAQ on my Food & Wine Tours page.
