The highlight of this tour will be a visit the fairy tale town of Sirmione on Lake Garda, before driving onto the countryside of the Valpolicella wine region for a wine tasting at Le Marognole. On our return we will make a short stop in the lovely city of Verona to visit Juliet’s house and the Arena (coliseum).

Other points of interest will be an early morning visit to the local ‘caseficio’ to see how the famous Parmigiano Reggiano is made and the delicious local ricotta as well as visiting a local dairy farm to learn about the different method of farming as practised here.

Also included will be cooking class to learn to make egg pasta and how to make and shape tortelli and tortellini. The class is followed by a leisurely lunch sampling the dishes you have made.

A visit to the large weekly markets in Pavullo nel Frignano will give you an opportunity to shop, and to explore small towns and villages in the area.

On this tour we will explore the lovely city of Modena as well as learn about the foods of the province when visiting its special undercover food market where you will see an amazing variety of seasonal fruit and vegetables. Famous for the traditional Balsamic Vinegar we will see how it is made and have a taste, as well as learning all about Italy’s fabulous gelato, when visiting the Gelato Museum.

Another highlight is a visit to the city of Mantua, famous for its renaissance architecture, and 500 room Ducal Palace and the beautiful Palazzo Tè. We will also visit the theatre where Mozart played a concert at the age of 14.

As Thursday is market day in Polinago, after purchasing our ingredients we will go to the small farmhouse in Cinghinello for our cooking class, followed by a leisurely lunch made by you.

In the larger town of Pavullo nel Frignano you will spend a morning at the large weekly market day, see the coffee shop where the local farmers have congregated for years and have an opportunity to shop and bargain for a variety of wares such as clothes, shoes, household items etc.

After meeting at Bologna Station, we will walk around the City of Bologna, the capital of the region of Emilia Romagna and famous for the oldest university in Europe and its 45 kilometres of covered arcades.

On Saturday after visiting the weekly market in Pavullo nel Frignano, we will go to Ponte Olina a 16-century bridge which linked the cities of Pistoia and Modena and now sits in the middle of a farming area. From here we will go on to have a walk in the woods and walk on the monolithic bridge, Ponte Ercole.

During your stay in Polinago you will also spend a day learning to make several local dishes, such as fresh egg tagliatelle and the art of making tortelli (large tortellini filled with spinach and ricotta) as well as see how the world-famous Parmigiano Reggiano is made.