Food and wine

Authentic experiences

Food and wine represent the essence for many visitors of the real Italy . Traditionally food plays an immense role in the life of an Italian and the elemental dishes of the daily Italian table have spread worldwide to an extent that the lives of many people would not be the same without them . What better then than to come to Italy and not just experience its food and wine on an everyday level , but to be able to delve deeper and explore the pleasures of real Italian food – by visiting where it is made , tasting its flavours , watching it being made and learning the art of cooking the true Italian way , perhaps under the guidance of a great Italian chef ?

EXPRESSIONS HOLIDAYS offers you an epicurean voyage around Italy , with cookery holidays for small groups of 2 to 6 people , with one-off cookery lessons incorporated in a hotel stay , with truffle hunting weekends , opportunities to explore limoncello and pizza , see how real mozzarella is made and a celebration of ham , cheese and balsamic vinegar . Plus , never far away either , are the many-varied and splendid wines of Italy , from the sparkling prosecco of the northern hills to the robust Nero d ’ Avola of Sicily with opportunities to taste and buy both at our hotels and at vineyards nearby .

Here is a roundup of some of the food and wine holidays we can offer – more can be seen on our website – and also on the next few pages are the Cookery holidays for small groups in detail , but which can also be operated for couples .

Castello del Nero Tuscany

Share the secrets and passion for cooking of the Chef at Castello del Nero and participate in these lessons held in the hotel ' s kitchen for 2 to 6 people at a time . Each lesson has a theme ; perhaps All about Pasta , a Tuscan Menu or All about Fish . You finish by dining on the food that has been created . You receive an apron and you go away with the recipes that have been cooked .

Prices for a three night break including one cookery course start at about £ 1390 per person based on four people taking part .

Masseria Torre Coccaro Puglia

On request the Masseria Torre Coccaro in Puglia will organise a cookery lesson of a duration of two and a half hours for a minimum of just one person and a maximum of eight . Lunch is included in your course and recipes include pasta such as orecchiette or frisciddi and traditional local dishes including Tiella of rice , potatoes and mussels , broad beans and chicory , eggplant timbale and Puglian pastries .

Price for a three night break including one cookery course start at about £ 1520 per person based on two people taking part .

Truffle-hunting in Piemonte

Stay at the Relais San Maurizio and let them accompany you on a local truffle hunt where you also sample the truffles and a selection of local fine wines . This can take place all year but the autumn months are the best months for truffle hunting . Perhaps combine a visit here with a visit to Alba , home of the world famous white truffle festival that takes place in October and November . The truffle hunting lasts about two and a half hours and can take place in small groups of 2 to 5 persons .

Prices for a three night break including the truffle hunting start at £ 1650 per person based on 2 people participating .

Celebration of ham , cheese and balsamic vinegar

Combine a city break in Parma with the Parma Golosa Experience , where you can visit the production sites of Parma ham , traditional Balsamic vinegar and parmesan cheese and witness the production methods that have been used for 2000 years . You need to drive yourself to the factories but the visits are pre-arranged for you . You can visit just one or two of the three foods but if you do all three , allow about 6 hours in total . The visits are conducted in English .

Prices for a three night break staying at the Palace Hotel Maria Luigia in Parma including the visits to ham , cheese and balsamic vinegar sites start at £ 1380 per person based on 2 people participating . The price comes down slightly if there are four of you .

Limoncello and flavours of Sorrento

More mozzarella but also limoncello and pizza – famous flavours of the Sorrento region – are available here . This half day tour ending with lunch starts with a drive from Sorrento to Sant ’ Agata sui Due Golfi , a small village not far from Sorrento and a local farmhouse where they make mozzarella and limoncello , the lemon flavoured liqueur so popular in this area . On arrival at the farmhouse you are met by the owner for a coffee and biscuits before taking a stroll through the garden . Then there is a hands-on demo that includes mozzarella cheese making , pizza and limoncello . At the end enjoy a lunch of these local products .

Prices for a five night holiday at the Grand Hotel Cocumella near Sorrento including the visit to the farmhouse and lunch start at about £ 2,290 per person .

Mozzarella in Puglia

This is a rare and fascinating insight into one of our most loved and versatile cheeses . You are taken to a traditional farm set in olive groves where your experience starts with the sheep and goats whose milk is used for ricotta cheese and the cows whose milk is used for the mozzarella and burrata . The farm manager shows you how to make both mozzarella and burrata which you can also taste . Then you finish off with a visit to Monopoli and its markets where you can taste ice-cream or the focaccia barese . The tour lasts from 9.30 to 12.30 . Stay at the Masseria Torre Coccaro .

Prices for a five night holiday at the Masseria Torre Coccaro to include the visit to the mozzarella farm and the market start at £ 1960 per person .

Borgo San Felice

Borgo San Felice in the Chianti Classico region has its own wine production in the hamlet . The Agricola San Felice owns about 650 hectares of which 140 produce high quality wine . It also has about 17,000 olive trees . Its labels include Poggio Rosso and Vigorella , one of the Supertuscans . The estate also has land in the Montalcino area where it produces Brunello and in the Maremma too . Vin santo and grappa are also produced as is olive oil . Many clients are unaware of how prestigious the winery is when they come to Borgo San Felice . We suggest you have a tasting of 3 wines and extra virgin olive oil on one occasion and then enjoy a traditional Tuscan country-style dinner in the cellar accompanied by four of their wines on another occasion . One of the original Chianti producers , the Castello di Brolio , is about five minutes by car from the hotel , so we suggest you visit this along with Badia a Coltibuono and the Castello di Fonterutoli , 25 and 45 minutes ’ drive respectively .

Prices for a five night break at the Borgo San Felice including the tasting and a dinner with wine start at £ 1980 per person .

Valpolicella Hotel Villa del Quar

The Hotel Villa del Quar has a splendid cellar , worthy of its 2 Michelin star restaurant . We suggest you take one of the organised wine tastings in the cellar with the Sommelier . A fitting appreciation would be one of Amarone della Valpolicella , the most important wine of the Valpolicella region . The hotel ’ s cellar holds vintages from 1960 to the present day . You taste three different vintages of Amarone .

Prices for a five night break at the Villa del Quar including the Amarone tasting start at £ 2360 per person for a minimum of four .

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