A Week In... Italy's Hidden Wine Country

Tour begins: 6:00 PM, Principi di Piemonte. A transfer is included upon arrival at Milan's Malpensa or Turin's airport to Principi di Piemonte, a historic Art Deco hotel ideally located in the heart of Turin. Join us this evening for a welcome reception and dinner at your hotel.

Baroque beauty, revolutionary history, and culinary firsts define your day in Turin – Italy's original capital and a city as refined as it is quietly radical. Begin with a guided walking tour through the elegant city center, where ornate facades and grand piazzas speak to Turin's regal past under the House of Savoy. Step inside the Chapel of the Holy Shroud, home to centuries of intrigue and devotion, then take in sweeping views on a panoramic drive en route to the National Automobile Museum, tracing Italy's deep ties to innovation and industry. Before lunch, view the very first Eataly – a global Italian marketplace – to learn more about its history and enjoy time to stroll the former vermouth factory in which it is housed. The afternoon brings a regional lunch at a local favorite, where the flavors of Piedmont unfold course by course. The rest of the day is yours to explore Turin as you please.

Travel outside of the city for an exclusive early-opening visit to the UNESCO World Heritage site of La Venaria Reale, a former royal residence of the House of Savoy dating back to the mid-17th century. Regarded as the Versailles of Italy and considered a natural and architectural masterpiece, the grand restored estate was the summer retreat of the Savoy family and today is home to the dazzling Reggia of Venaria Reale and expansive parklands. Continue on to the Langhe hills for a visit to the Banca del Vino, where a guided tasting introduces the region's wines, followed by lunch at the University of Gastronomic Sciences, the birthplace of the Slow Food movement. Your picturesque spa hotel is set amidst a paradise of vineyards.

This morning, set out into the wooded hills with a trifulau and trained dogs in search of Alba's coveted white truffles – an experience that connects you directly to the land and its traditions. The scent of earth and forest lingers as you learn how these rare delicacies are found. Later, enjoy a chef-hosted cooking class inside Castello di Roddi, surrounded by nut trees and vineyards, where the chef shares traditional recipes with you. Explore the sights of Alba as you wish this afternoon before returning to your hotel for time at leisure. Dinner is at a local restaurant this evening. 

Today unfolds among the vineyards of the Langhe, where wine, history, and landscape are inseparable. This morning, a scenic drive reveals a patchwork of hills, cellars, and hilltop villages – an Italy few travelers experience. Visit Grinzane Cavour Castle, perched above some of the region's most prestigious vineyards, and take in sweeping views that define this UNESCO-recognized wine country. Lunch celebrates local ingredients and wines that express the character of the land. Following time at leisure, dinner is at a countryside farmhouse where regional dishes are paired with wines produced just beyond your table.

Drive today to the Gavi wine region, stopping for a tour of a 1,000-year-old castle in the town of Ovada. Owned by a noble family since 1498, the castle overlooks vineyards where the family continues the centuries-old tradition of tending the grapes and producing local wines. Enjoy lunch, with a tasting of Gavi wines, at an award-winning Piedmont winery that cultivates native grape varieties dedicated to the production of Gavi and Barbera wines. Drive to Stresa where your grand hotel is nestled along the shimmering Alpine shores of magnificent Lake Maggiore. Dinner tonight is at your hotel. 

The morning is yours to savor the peaceful elegance of Stresa, where lakeside promenades, flower-filled gardens, and Alpine views invite quiet exploration. Later this afternoon, set out by private boat across Lake Maggiore, bound for the jewel-box island of Isola Bella. Tour the lavish halls and terraced gardens of this Baroque palace of the Borromeo family. Continue by boat to neighboring Isola dei Pescatori, the charming "Fisherman's Island," where your farewell reception and dinner await.

Tour ends: Grand Hotel Des Iles Borromées & SPA. Fly home anytime. A transfer is included from the Grand Hotel des Iles Borromées & SPA to Milan Malpensa airport or Turin's airport. Allow three hours for flight check in.