October 21 to October 28, 2011

Friday, October 21- Milan and the Aperitivo Tradition

Vanessa and Donato will meet you in Milan at our first hotel, Starhotel Rosa Grand, just a few steps from the Duomo and Milan’s city center. Our meeting will be around 2pm, leaving just enough time in our afternoon to head to one of the most amazing food stores in the whole world, Peck. We will take a peek at the foods and get a tour, and then we will head to a pasticceria to taste and look at panettoni being made for the Christams season just around the corner. We will start our food fest with an aperitivo in Milan, the city that invented the tradition, where drinks and light dinner fare will be served.

Saturday, October 22- Alba and Truffle Hunting

The real reason why we kept a light dinner on the first night is because we’re going to be heading straight to Alba. After checking in at our hotel, we will be exploring the 80^th annual Alba International White Truffle Fair. Inside the Palatartufo you will be able to see, smell, touch and even buy white truffles, and outside in the courtyard over 100 food vendors will be setting up shop to bring you the most amazing flavors of Piedmont. Lunch here is only meal that will not be planned and included in the trip, since we want to give you the chance to explore and taste to your heart’s content the flavors of this amazing food court on steroids. We will have some free time to explore Alba and the fair, and then we will head to the hills for a beloved Piedmont tradition, the merenda sinoira, a late afternoon dinner that is supposed to be “light”- if you consider bread, salame, cheese, wine and everything that is promptly available such! After such reinvigoration, we will be ready for the hike in the woods after sundown to follow a trifolao on a truffle hunt!

Sunday, October 23- Langhe and Roero

Our first hands-on cooking class will be in the heart of Roero, a prize-winning wine region adjacent to Langhe. Our friends of L’Enoteca in Canale will be showing us a few traditional Piedmont dishes we will feast on for lunch, as we get ready for a new expedition- this time, a wine-tasting one! We will start in Roero and end in Barbaresco, which is not only a wine region but also a charming town in the hills of Langhe, where we will enjoy dinner before taking a well-deserved rest back in Alba.

Monday, October 24- Franciacorta

Moving from one wine region to the next we will leave behind Piedmont today and head to Lombardia, where we will stay in the heart of Franciacorta. This is going to be another wine-tasting day, and Donato will show us his favorite wineries in his own backyard! Dinner will be at the agriturismo he personally trusted with his son’s First Communion celebration, so we are prepared for a feast!

Tuesday, October 25- Bergamo and 3 Michelin Stars

Today we will be guest of Donato’s hometown, Bergamo. A truly under-discovered tourist destination, this charming little city will surprise you- it is so steep that it has a gondola to reach the Citta’ Alta, the historical downtown! Donato will show us his favorite digs and foods, and we will have some time to explore the city and maybe even prepare some food ourselves!, but we won’t overtire since the night features a highlight- a dinner in a 3 Michelin stars restaurant! Da Vittorio in Brusaporto will delight us with its fabulous creative offerings, its incredible wine selection, and its sophisticated atmosphere. This is going to be an unforgettable dinner.

Wednesday, October 26- Valtellina and Pizzoccheri

After checking out from our Franciacorta hotel we will be heading to Valtellina, the DOC wine region that is also home to pastures and bresaola production- a real food valley of sorts! We will start the day preparing pizzoccheri, a buckwheat pasta made to warm up your heart and your soul from the cooler temperatures of this alpine valley. Another way to warm up is to drink some wine, so we will do that, too! We will wrap up our night with a dinner and overnight stay in a rustic family lodge.

Thursday, October 27- Bresaola, Cheese and back to Milan

Traditional Valtellina fare is not limited to pizzoccheri, and we will have a wonderful chance to explore the area’s typical products by visiting the cheese makers and the bresaola producers in their facilities. Apparently, those who feel so inclined could also milk a cow to make sure their cheese is truly to their taste! We will head back to Milan later in the morning, but not before stopping for lunch on Lake Como and giving a try to the “gocce di Piona”, a strong… shall we say “tonic”?- historically prepared by the monks of Piona, right on Lake Como’s shore. After checking in we will have some free time to shop and explore Milan, before wrapping up our culinary excursion with a tasting of Milan’s traditional dishes.

Friday, October 28- Departures and Goodbyes

After breakfast we will part ways and say goodbye!