Great beauty, paired with great value. Need we say more?

Come join us in June, 2016 for immersion into the food, wine and easy-going lifestyle of the heart of Italy. We’ll start our week in the countryside outside Bologna, the quirky left-leaning city where gastronomy rules. Says renowned food writer David Rosengarten:

If you ask an Italian where the best food is in Italy, you almost always get the same answer. “Eh,” they like to say. ‘At my mother’s house!’…looking like ‘how could you be so stupid to not know that?’ But if you push it to a regional discussion…as I have hundreds of times…the most likely answer is…”Emilia-Romagna”…the wondrous north-central region that lies in the fertile Po River Valley.

Forbes, November 28, 2013

We’ll discover what David and the Italians are raving about — and more – through immersion experiences. Cuisine, wine (yes, Lambrusco IS a great choice with this amazing food!), age-old crafts, fabric printing, and even e-biking — through one pretty village after another. This is Emilia Romagna. Then, on the border between Tuscany and Umbria, flanked by the Apennine Mountains which slope gently along the hills and valleys down to the Adriatic Sea, lies Le Marche. We’ll discover them both during a week of authentic Italian living. Here are some highlights:

• pamper yourself at three quality properties (here’s one: Oste del Castello), with time to enjoy their spas or pools as well as stroll through the surrounding hills

• breathe the atmosphere of the films by Federico Fellini, the famous director who was born in Rimini and left his imprint on this region, at a winery built into a medieval village. Follow with a coffee overlooking the rolling Romagna hills

• prepare “piadina”, a typical bread of Romagna, and homemade tagliatelle, tagliolini and pappardelle using a rolling pin as our grandmas did in the past. We’ll also prepare “brodetto“, the most famous fish stew of the region, in a villa overlooking the Adriatic Sea

• crafts….we will visit the ancient Stamperia Marchi, which has been printing fabrics with artisan techniques for four centuries. Another day we’ll create in the studio of a local sculptor our own (suitcase size) masterpiece out of sandstone!

• ever e-biked? You’ll have the chance on our guided e-biking morning excursion along the sea and through one scenic village after the next

Tempted? We think you’ll love this week. It’s perfect for those who know the big cities, and are ready for the heart of Italy.