Turin and the Lake District

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There’s a hint of Paris in Turin’s elegant tree-lined boulevards and echoes of Vienna in its art nouveau cafés, but make no mistake – this elegant, Alp-fringed city is utterly self-possessed.

The innovative Torinese gave the world its first marketable hard chocolate, perpetuated one of its greatest mysteries (the Holy Shroud), popularized a best-selling car (the Fiat), and inspired the black-and-white stripes of one of the planet’s most iconic football teams (Juventus).

Turin also gave the world Italy as we now know it: Piedmont, with its wily Torinese president, the Count of Cavour, was the driving force during the Risorgimento (literally ‘the Resurgence’, referring to Italian unification). Turin also briefly served as Italy‘s first capital and donated its monarchy – the once venerable House of Savoy – to the newly unified Italian nation in 1861.

The 2006 Winter Olympics shook the city out of a deep post-industrial slump and triggered an amazing urban revival, with a cultural shock that has fostered a great contemporary art, architectural and design scene in the city.

The Lake district is one of the most enchanting areas of Italy. Nestled between the largest Italian plain, the Po valley, and the high peaks of the Alps, it boasts some of the most fascinating sights around: small, picturesque towns, little hamlets, and stunning villas with beautifully-kept gardens overlooking the water.

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11 days, 10 nights
(6 nights in Turin, 4 nights in Varese)

 

Day 1
TURIN

Welcome to Turin, Italy’s first capital city. Time to unpack and freshen up before we get together with our local Outhentico guide and fellow travellers and enjoy our first group dinner with local specialties.

Meals included: dinner

 

We’ll meet our guide at 10:00 am in the lobby for a short lecture on Turin, then by private bus head to the centre of town for our walking tour. Enjoy the unique French atmosphere of this city, which was the first capital city of Italy from 1861 to 1865 and is still reminiscent of that period of time with its magnificent architecture. The highlight of today’s visit will be the Holy Shroud which draws thousands of pilgrims to Turin every year.

Lunch in a typical family-run “trattoria” with traditional Piedmont delicacies. You’ll understand why Italy is not really the best place to ….. start a diet.

Enjoy the rest of the day and dinner wherever you like, or ask your tour leader for hints and suggestions.

Meals included: breakfast, lunch

 

After a delicious breakfast, we’ll embark on our second guided tour of the city and head out to the Pinacoteca Giovanni & Marella Agnelli, a little gem which boasts works of art from Canaletto to Picasso, set in a most unique building that looks like a spaceship that has just landed over the Lingotto. We’ll then visit the Lingotto, which is the former Fiat headquarters, now converted into a deluxe shopping centre. Lunch will be at Eataly, a worldwide Italian food chain that aims to promote and present the best of the country’s niche food production.

Our day will continue with a visit to some of the most important historic residences that the House of Savoy, the Italian royal family, owned on the outskirts of Turin. By far the most stunning, Venaria Reale is a grandiose baroque estate just outside the city and a natural and architectural masterpiece declared part of the World Heritage by UNESCO in 1997. The rest of the day is free. Dinner not included.

Meals included: breakfast, lunch

 

Today we’ll head to Alba, famous for its truffles. Our local art expert will lead us through the town’s medieval streets, filled with food stores, artisans, workshops and boutiques. This is the right time to gather for a light aperitif and then lunch with some local truffle recipes, including homemade tagliatelle with a generous splash of pungent white truffle.

To end the day in the town, Cavour castle is worth a visit. The Count of Cavour, the most important owner of the castle, was the first prime minister of the newly unified Italy in 1861.

Back to Turin again. Dinner not included.

Meals included: breakfast, lunch

 

After a hearty breakfast, we’ll hop on the bus, this time heading out to Asti where some of the most well-known producers of Italian spumante are located. After a quick walking tour of the town, we’ll enjoy a nice lunch together and then leave for Mura-Mura, the farm that produces the main ingredients used in the Gromm gelatos.

After the visit, we’ll drive back to Turin. The rest of the day is free and dinner wherever you want.

Meals included: breakfast, lunch

 

Today we’ll head to the small town of Barolo and…the name says it all, the home of one of the finest Italian wines and one of the first to be exported to the US. The town is a typical medieval hamlet in the Piedmont hills. A quick walk will take us to the Castle of Marchesi Falletti. After the visit to the Castle, back to Turin and a free afternoon, farewell dinner and a free last evening in Turin – make it a special one!

Meals included: breakfast, dinner

 

After breakfast and checkout, this morning we’ll go to Lombardy, another Italian region, stopping on the way at the Antica Riseria San Giovanni, where we can learn more about the rice production in this part of Italy, still today one of the major production areas in the world. Lunch and then back on the bus to go to Varese, a small but elegant town on the border with Switzerland. After a tour of the town, with its shops and cafés dating back to the 19th century and the typical porticoes of northern Italian towns, a delicious dinner awaits us.

Meals included: breakfast, lunch, dinner

 

Today we’ll sail around one of the largest lakes in Italy, visit its beautiful islands and charming towns along the shores and then take the ferry boat in Laveno and head to the Borromean Islands. Their name derives from the Borromeo family which started acquiring these islands in the early 16th  century (Isola Madre) and still owns most of them (Isola Madre, Bella, San Giovanni). Enjoy a restful lunch in a typical restaurant on the Island of Pescatori.

The afternoon will be spent in Stresa, a beautiful small resort on the shores of the lake. The splendid countryside, architectural gems and mild climate combine to make Stresa one of the most popular tourist attractions in Italy. We return to Varese in the late afternoon.

Dinner not included.

Meals included: breakfast, lunch

 

After breakfast, this morning we’ll head out to Tremezzo, a small hamlet on Lake Como, famous for being featured in the movie “Grand Hotel” starring Greta Garbo. The Lake is known worldwide for the beauty of its landscape that attracts many jet-setters from all over the world. We’ll have the chance to visit the renowned Villa Carlotta, whose first owner filled it with art works from past centuries, such as paintings by Canova. Lunch will be at a family-run restaurant in Bellagio. On the way back to Varese, we’ll stop in Como, the biggest town in the area, for a visit to the Silk Museum. Dinner not included.

Meals included: breakfast, lunch

 

The last day of the tour will be spent on Lake Orta. The area around this lake has long been a favourite among tourists, thanks to its quiet beauty, fascinating history and wealth of artistic treasures – principally Romanesque and Baroque architecture. For ages in the past this lake inspired a myriad of writers, poets and philosophers such as Browning, Balzac and Nietzsche. For lunch, star chef Antonino Cannavacciuolo will prepare mouth-watering delicacies in his Michelin starred restaurant. Unforgettable! Farewell dinner right in our hotel in Varese with personal chef Alessandro.

Meals included: breakfast, lunch, dinner

 

Meals included: breakfast

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