Italy is often imagined as a single, unified idea: a place of beauty, art, and extraordinary food. But the real Italy lives in its regions, each shaped by centuries of distinct histories, dialects, and culinary traditions. Long before unification in the 19th century, the peninsula was a mosaic of independent city-states and kingdoms, and that legacy still defines its culture today. On this journey, we’ll step foot in four of Italy’s twenty regions: Lazio, Campania, Tuscany, and Emilia-Romagna, each offering its own story and flavor. This trip explores that richness through the country’s food, wine, and people. You’ll experience everything from the vibrant streets of Rome and Naples to the art-filled avenues of Florence, the vineyards of Chianti, and the culinary heart of Emilia-Romagna, through markets, kitchens, trattorias, wineries, and, most importantly, the locals we’ll meet. Along the way, tastings, cooking experiences, and gastronomic excursions will reveal how Italy’s layered past continues to shape the distinctive flavors and identities of each region. We’ll also dine at some of the best restaurants in the cities we visit. As always, come hungry!
Itinerary: Using Rome and Florence as our base, we will visit the following cities, regions, and sites: Rome, the village of Palombara Sabina, Naples, Florence, the Emilia-Romagna countryside, and the Chianti wine region. However, this outline below is tentative and can be adjusted based on the interests of the group.
Dates: TBD
Arrive, relax, and explore a few local neighborhoods. Optional activities for today and tomorrow, depending on the group's interests: Colosseum, Roman Forum, Palatine Hill, Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, Castel Sant’Angelo, Villa Borghese, Galleria Borghese, Trastevere, Campo de’ Fiori, Piazza del Popolo, and more.
Welcome dinner at a classic trattoria featuring staple dishes of Roman cuisine
Stay in Rome as a base for the next 4 nights
Morning market tour in the Testaccio neighborhood, long considered one of Rome’s most authentic food centers. Once shaped by the city’s old slaughterhouse and the bustling riverside warehouses that fed the city for generations, Testaccio still reflects the traditions of working-class Roman cooking. As we weave through produce stalls, butchers, and bakery counters, we’ll learn how this neighborhood became the cradle of dishes like cacio e pepe, amatriciana, and quinto quarto. We’ll shape our breakfast and lunch around the market itself, tasting what’s seasonal, local, and central to everyday Roman life.
Evening walking tour to explore the history and culture of Roman food and drink. As the city eases into the passeggiata—that early-evening ritual when Romans stroll, chat, and enjoy the rhythm of the streets—we’ll join the flow and wander, eat, and drink our way through the centro storico and across the river into Trastevere. Along the way, we’ll stop for bites that tell the story of the city: Roman-style pizza from a generations-old forno, suppli from a family-run spot, a glass of Frascati or Cesanese in a neighborhood enoteca, and lots more Roman fare. Dinner will be composed of various stops along our walk.
Day excursion to a small village in the Lazio region. You’ll spend the afternoon in the home of a local nonna, learning how to make fresh pasta from scratch: working the dough by hand, feeling for the right texture change, and shaping everything from simple ribbons to filled or hand-rolled styles. You’ll learn the small, practiced gestures that only come from decades in an Italian kitchen: how to judge the dough by touch, how to coax it into uniform strands, and how to match each shape with the right sauce. Traditional recipes are passed down by the best teachers imaginable: Italian grandmothers.
The medieval town of Palombara Sabina offers a contrast to Rome’s street food and restaurant scene, giving you a sense of everyday home cooking and the rhythms of village life. After cooking together, you’ll sit down to enjoy the meal you’ve prepared, paired with local wines.
Dinner back in Rome for more Roman cuisine.
From Rome, we'll take a full day trip to Naples: the beating heart of Italian food culture, the birthplace of pizza, and home to some of the country’s most passionate culinary traditions. Between wood-fired pizzerias, bustling markets, and pastry shops stacked with sfogliatelle, the city offers a deeply local, intensely flavorful look at everyday Neapolitan life. Starting in elegant, hillside Vomero, we’ll enjoy panoramic views and local snacks before making our way down toward the Pignasecca market in the historic center.
Throughout the day, we’ll taste a wide range of Neapolitan foods, from pizza margherita and pizza fritta, to frittatine di pasta, cuoppi with seafood or vegetables, and freshly made mozzarella di bufala. Sweets include sfogliatelle, babà, struffoli, zeppole, and pastiera, and other savory highlights are ragù Napoletano, pasta e fagioli, taralli, and panini with cured meats and cheeses. Today offers a full immersion in the flavors and traditions that make Naples one of Italy’s (and the world's) most important food cities.
Dinner back in Rome.
Depart for Florence in the morning. We’ll learn about the city through its rich food culture, one shaped by medieval guilds, Renaissance wealth, and the traditions of the Tuscan countryside. At the Mercato Centrale, we’ll see how Florentines have sourced ingredients for centuries, from butcher stalls specializing in bistecca alla Fiorentina and trippa to vendors selling olive oil, Pecorino, and seasonal produce from nearby hillsides. Beyond the market, we’ll explore the neighborhoods of Santa Croce and the artisan-filled streets of the Oltrarno, where small workshops, bakeries, and family-run trattorie, despire mass tourism, still reveal a Florence that still lives at a human scale. Through its foods, crafts, and daily rituals, you’ll get a sense of how history, art, and local identity intertwine in this iconic Renaissance city.
Afternoon options available for sightseeing, shopping, and other cultural excursions: including the Duomo, Giotto’s Bell Tower, and the Baptistery. You can visit museums like the Uffizi and the Accademia, walk across the Ponte Vecchio, explore the streets of the Oltrarno, and see landmarks such as Santa Croce and Santa Maria Novella.
Dinner at a local trattoria, featuring Florentine and Tuscan cuisine made from traditional, seasonal ingredients
Stay in Florence for the next 3 nights
Day trip to Emilia Romagna, a region long considered the beating heart of Italian gastronomy and home to some of the country’s most iconic foods: prosciutto di Parma, mortadella, culatello, Parmigiano Reggiano, traditional balsamic vinegar, tortellini, lasagna bolognese, and many other specialties. Known since medieval times as a crossroads of trade and craftsmanship, Emilia Romagna developed a food culture rooted in a deep respect for technique and terroir. Today, its cities—Parma, Modena, and Bologna—remain living kitchens of Italian culinary history. Our visit gives you a chance to experience how these products are made, why they’re protected, and how food here reflects a culture built on abundance, pride, and meticulous tradition.
Today, we'll tour a few different artisanal producers, starting at a Lambrusco winery, tasting the region’s signature sparkling red wines. We'll also visit a Parmigiano Reggiano dairy to witness the early-morning cheese-making process followed by cheese tastings. We'll continuewith a tour of a Prosciutto di Parma curing house to see how the pork is cured and aged. Nearby Modena, we’ll stop at a traditional balsamic acetaia for tastings of 12- and 25-year (and older) barrel-aged vinegar. Included in the day is a traditional Emilia-Romagna lunch showcasing the region’s cusine.
Dinner back in Florence
A visit to the Chianti wine region. Leaving Florence for the day, we’ll visit two or three family-run organic wineries, each offering tastings of Chianti, Super Tuscans, some whites, and other styles of wines. You’ll enjoy the countryside, meet interesting winemakers, and experience the region’s cuisine, including locally produced olive oil and a traditional Tuscan countryside lunch.
Chianti is synonymous with Sangiovese, the grape that defines the region’s reds. Wines here often show bright cherry, wild herbs, and earthy notes, balanced by natural acidity that makes them exceptionally food-friendly. Chianti Classico is the historic core: its wines are typically more structured, with deeper fruit, spice, and aging potential, and they’re marked by the black rooster seal. Chianti is home to innovative “Super Tuscan” wines: bold blends that may include Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, or Syrah, offering richer textures and modern expressions of Tuscan terroir.
Return to Florence for one last Tuscan dinner.
Return back to Rome for a final day in the eternal city
Free time for shopping, exploring, and any final bucket-list items to check off
Farewell dinner at a special Ristorante featuring modern Roman cuisine
Airport transfer to FCO
Return to USA or stay a few extra days
Included:
8 nights of accommodations in 3 or 4 star hotels in Rome and Florence
Double occupancy accommodations; if you are traveling solo, single rooms are available for an additional supplement
All gastronomic excursions listed in the itinerary
Regional transportation by rail
Daily breakfast, 5 lunches, 3 dinners
Private airport transfer, to and from Rome Fiumicino Airport
24/7 on-site presence of tour leader
Local guides, experts, artisans, and friends who will join us throughout the trip
Not Included:
Airfare to and from Italy (can be arranged)
Travel insurance (strongly recommended)
Gratuities for local guides (optional, at your discretion)