Tour Plan
Day 1 - Bologna: Arrival & VIP Assistance & Michelin Starred dinner
Upon landing at Bologna Airport, you will be greeted by your personal English-speaking assistant & porter at the entrance of the terminal, who will assist you through immigration, security and customs and escort you to the luggage delivery belt to pick up your luggage. You will then be escorted to your private English-speaking driver for a transfer to the hotel in Bologna: Majestic Grand Hotel Già Baglioni 5*****L. We will book 1 Double Grand Deluxe Room. Check in and time to relax.
The Majestic Grand Hotel Già Baglioni, the only 5-star deluxe hotel in Bologna, located in a prestigious palazzo dating back to the 18th century, is in the heart of the city. It counts 109 luxurious rooms featuring classic style, decorated walls, rugs, brocades and exquisite finishings. The gastronomic offering includes the famous restaurant I Carracci, open to external guest, offering gourmet cuisine in a refined ambience decorated with frescoes from the 16th century. The Enoteca Morandi offers a vast selection of Italian and foreign wines with a selection of traditional dishes. Facilities includes Health & Wellness area with Turkish bath, sauna, emotional shower with chromotherapy as well as a fitness corner with Technogym equipment.
In the evening, meet your private English-speaking driver who will transfer you to the Michelin starred Restaurant Fourghetti, run by the famous Chef Bruno Barbieri. Here you will enter a dream where the only thing that counts is you and your table companions. Your dinner will be a unique experience as his cuisine is tailored for your taste buds rather than your brain, as Bruno likes to describe his creations, consisting of a bouquet of fragrances, colors, shapes and flavors in which the imagination is immediately satisfied not to mention the palate. At the end of this one of a kind experience, your driver will take you back to your hotel. Rest of the evening at leisure.
Day 2 – Bologna: Walking Tour with Food Experience
After breakfast at your hotel, meet your private English-speaking guide and walk together through the ancient roads of the city. You will admire the Fountain of Neptune, one of the symbols of the city, Piazza Maggiore with its Basilica of San Petronio, Sala Borsa, the city’s economic center. From the piazza, walk along the beautiful Portico del Pavaglione and see some of the most desirable shops in Bologna. The tour will focus also on the food aspect. During the tour, you will stop in some traditional food shops and taste the local produce, learning about their legends, stories and jokes. Walking around the medieval market, you can taste mortadella, ciccioli, salsiccia, passita, chocolate, etc. All the different tastings will make your lunch an unforgettable experience. At the end of the tour, you will have the afternoon at leisure.
Day 3 – Bologna: Cooking class
After breakfast meet your private English-speaking chef-guide at your hotel and be ready to enjoy a private Cooking class, with focus on the Italian Pasta. Make your own hand made pasta with a 38 inches long rolling pin: Ravioli, Tortelloni and Tagliatelle and learn how to prepare the authentic Ragu Bolognese (+ two more sauces) and other seasonal pasta sauces. The best way to learn is "hands-on"; we do not believe in just a demonstration! You will begin by mixing flour and adding eggs, using the proper, fool-proof ratio of flour to eggs. You will proceed to kneading your very own fresh egg pasta. Your professional pasta chef will guide you to master the timeless technique of incorporating the egg into the flour and working the dough to the perfect consistency to make the best fresh pasta product possible! You will also learn to prepare three classic Bolognese sauces. After the cooking is done, you will be able to savor your own pasta and homemade sauces. Remember that the techniques learned and the skills acquired, gives you the chance to make your own pasta and sauces when your return home, so you can delight your friends. End of the experience and rest of the day at leisure.
Day 4 – Bologna to Parma with Tour of Culatello DOP in the Lowands of Parma & PM Bike Tour of Parma
After breakfast and check out from your hotel, meet your private English-speaking driver and be prepared for another amazing day. You will discover one of the less known Italian products that will be a real surprise for you: “Culatello di Zibello”, known as the king of the cold cuts. You will visit the farm the “Low Lands” of Parma and see the black pigs called “Nera parmigiana” (nera means black), the old race of dairy cows, courtyard animals, vegetable and fruit gardens behind the beautiful Castle, the production of Culatello, the visit of the “fresco rooms” inside the Castle and the old cellars. The Culatello di Zibello is a high market delicatessen product obtained from the upper hind legs of the pig. To make Culatello you need an excellent knowledge of the local secrets. The production takes place during the colder months from October to February and can last from 13 to 20 months. After the tour, you will enjoy a rich tasting of all the production of cold cuts from the farm paired with their wines. End of tour and private transfer to your hotel in Parma: Park Hotel Pacchiosi 5*****. We will book 1 Suite Premium. Check in and time to rest. Immersed in a beautiful park of 10,000 sqm in the oldest district of Parma, the Park Hotel Pacchiosi is the ideal place to live the city, in total privacy and relaxation. The historic building that houses the hotel dating back to early 20th century. It was in fact the "Reale Clinica Chirurgica", designed by Eng. Enrico Bovio. The entrance, elegant and marked by a monumental scale, is spacious and bright, with ceilings up to 15 meters. The Park Hotel Pacchiosi is the most luxurious hotel in Parma, and has 59 rooms furnished in neo-Renaissance style, with Carrara marble floors and handcrafted furniture made specifically for the hotel. In the afternoon, you will be met by your private English-speaking guide in Parma and together you will visit the Ducal city with its parks, monuments, history and charm by bike. You will enjoy the unique Cathedral and its Baptistery, the Pilotta Palace with the amazing wooden Farnese theatre, San Giovanni and Steccata churches and much more. During the tour, you will stop in some of the traditional food shops including a historical pastry shop and bar to taste the local products, such as Parmigiano-Reggiano, Prosciutto di Parma, Culatello di Zibello, Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale, while tasting these products, you will learn all about their legends and stories. End of the tour and rest of the day at leisure.
Day 5 – Parma: Gourmand Tour on the Hills of Parma
After breakfast, meet your private English-speaking driver at your hotel and be ready for a full-day gourmet tour in the province of Parma – an absolute must do for foodies! At first, you will visit a traditional Parmigiano Reggiano cheese producer and learn about the origins and the traditional production process of the world’s most famous cheese. Next stop will be at a Prosciutto di Parma producer located on a hillside town near Parma. Here, top quality local fresh pork, coarse sea salt and the sweet briny air off the Ligurian Sea contribute to making one of Italy’s best hams. On the way, stop to take some pictures of the impressive Torrechiara Castle, the most spectacular and well-preserved castle in the province of Parma. At lunch time, you will enjoy a tour of a wine cellar followed by lunch and a wine tasting experience. Your last stop is an ‘Acetaia’ located near Modena, producing a well-known balsamic vinegar: here you will discover the secret and the skill in traditional balsamic vinegar lie in optimal ageing and refinement in sets of wooden barrels starting from a minimum ageing of 12 years up to 75 years old. Enjoy a tasting and learn the many secrets behind the balsamic vinegar-making process. After the tour your driver will bring you back to your hotel. Rest of the day at leisure.
Day 6 – Parma: Truffle Hunting Experience
After breakfast at your hotel, meet your private English-speaking driver and you will be ready for your last unique experience of the week, walking through ancient woods, searching for the treasures of the under bush of this off the beatentrack part of Italy: Porcini Mushrooms and Black Truffles. An expert guide with his dogs will be your buddy for this unforgettable journey along the Appennini mountains. You will be greeted at your arrival by your private authorized environmental guide and together you will discover this amazing natural territory searching for the treasures of the woods: Porcini Mushrooms and/or Black Truffles. After the hunt, you will be welcomed by one of the best chefs of this part of Italy who will make a short cooking demo on how to professionally cook these amazing products and then will let you taste them during an unforgettable lunch. At the end of the tour, re-join your private driver for a transfer back to your hotel. Rest of the day at leisure.
After breakfast and check out, you will be met at your hotel by your private English-speaking driver for a transfer to Bologna International airport to get your flight back home.
3 nights at Majestic Grand Hotel Già Baglioni 5*****L in Bologna – 1 Double Gran Deluxe Room
Municipality tax at hotels: they must be paid directly at all the hotels
A perfect holiday in Italy! - From the time we arrived in Naples until the time we left Sorrento a week later, everything was perfect! The driver that we had was wonderful ( his name... read more 
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Dennis D
Betty M
Jacob A