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staycation piemonte autumn 2023 tour

STAYCATION

PIEMONTE

GO TO TOUR

$4075 Double / $4950 Single

Tucked into the northwest corner of Italy, Piemonte is one of the most prosperous and less visited regions in Italy. Castle-topped hill towns will delight you with stunning view of farms, fields and vineyards and the magnificent mountains that surround much of the area (pied=foot and monte=mountain) will beckon to you to gaze at their natural beauty and visit hidden sanctuaries. During our week together we will enjoy walks in the countryside, visit a cheese farm, enjoy some local wineries, exquisite food, visit the largest elliptical cupola in the world at the Sanctuary of Vicoforte and delve into the rich history of the region. The home base for our tour will be the lively and liveable city of Cuneo.

Why Cuneo?  This city is lovely, comfortable, not at all touristy, has great food and one of the largest weekly markets in northern Italy.  Cuneo also has about 8 Km of porticoed streets and lively pedestrian zone which makes it a great place to stay rain or shine to experience la dolce vita.

More lunches than dinners…working a marvellous lunch into a fun filled day is an important part of Italian culture, especially while on vacation or on weekends.  It also gives your body more time to digest and sleep better which makes for a happy holiday. By including more typical lunches than dinners you can decide whether you simply want a light meal or to wine and dine in the evening too.  Cuneo, has many bars where apericenas (drinks plus light food) are all the rage.

We have enjoyed our small groups so much that we will continue to keep numbers low and personal attention high. This tour is very boutique and will have a maximum of 10 guests.

If you would like to book this tour just for your own group of friends or family (minimum 6 people), we can offer a private tour with different dates to suit your travel needs.

Tour Leader: Lisa Anderson

For some details and photos of the 2022 Piemonte tour see the blog!

Day One

Overnight: Turin

Welcome to Piemonte

Upon arrival at our hotel in Turin we will gather our small group for an introduction of this tour with an Aperitivo and a quick walking tour of our neighborhood.

Day Two

Overnight: Turin

An Elegant Introduction

After breakfast we will start our day with a guided walking tour of this magnificent city stopping to sample the chocolate and coffee it’s famous for, followed by a visit to Turin’s impressive Palazzo Reale. This afternoon you will be free to explore the many shops and museums at your own pace before meeting up again this evening for a Piemontese feast.

Day Three

Overnight: Turin

Cars and Cinema

The Fiat Automobile company was founded in Torino and opened its first manufacturing facility in 1899. This morning will visit the Museo dell’Automobile and explore the evolution of cars in this magnificent city. After visiting the museum, we will wander over to the original Eataly where you will be free to explore and find lunch before we make our way to the National Museum of Cinema where you can spend as much time as you like exploring the museum. Free evening and dinner on your own

Day Four

Overnight: Cuneo

Royal Treatment

We pack our bags and will depart on a private bus for Cuneo with a stop on the way to the beautifully restored Veneria Reale, one of the Savoy family hunting palaces where we’ll have a guided tour of the museum and a walk in its extensive garden. Lunch will be on your own before we depart for Cuneo and get checked in to what will be your home for the next 7 days as we explore the region. We’ll have a quick orientation walk on arrival and dine together in a local trattoria..

Day Five

Overnight: Cuneo

Market Day

Market Day in Cuneo (Tuesday or Friday). Morning with a local guide to learn more about the town of Cuneo and enjoy the many flavors that the market has to offer. You’ll have free time to explore the market on your own and we will end our day with a visit to a cioccolateria to learn about the Cuneese al Rhum chocolates that the city is known for.

Day Six

Overnight: Cuneo

Wine Country and Castles

Wonderful walks, food, and wine. After breakfast, board our private bus and head towards the Langhe, home to some of the most influential wineries in Italy. After a morning walk with splendid views, enjoy a multi-course lunch in a medieval castle followed by a visit to a grappa distillery and learn to appreciate the many nuances of this digestive liquor. Arrive back in Cuneo in the evening where you can explore more or relax as you like.

Day Seven

Overnight: Cuneo

Folk Culture and cheese

Cheese, and Pinocchio. Today will include a tour of a local caseificio (cheese farm) where we will meet the cows and learn why the cheese in Piemonte is so delicious. We will also visit the mountain town of Vernante for a visual journey of Pinocchio through the towns many murals.

Day Eight

Overnight: Cuneo

Truffle hunt, slow food and wine

Truffles, wine, and a tasting lunch. Another great gastronomic experience today as we once again head to the Langhe for a truffle hunting experience, lunch in a local trattoria, and a visit to a local winery to explore the complexities of the Nebbiolo grape.

Day Nine

Overnight: Cuneo

Sanctuary, Comfort Food and Mountain air

Outstanding architecture is on our agenda today as we visit the largest elliptical dome in the world at the Sanctuary of Vicoforte. After our morning tour, lunch will be in one of your guides favorite trattorias; the place she goes to celebrate birthdays and baptisms and sometimes just because. After lunch head into the mountains for a walk in the woods and visit a partisan cemetery before heading back to Cuneo for a free evening.

Day Ten

Overnight: Cuneo

Trust Me

A day to play, one day of our tour will be given to whimsy and can really fall anytime during the last week of our tour depending on what’s happening in the area. It might be a local fair or a charming town…whatever it is will be fun!

Price: $4075 (Air not included). Single Supplement is $875. We welcome singles and can try to pair you with another single to room with, but the single supplement will be required if we can’t.

What’s included: 4 dinners and 4 lunches (wine included), 10 nights lodging in a clean, comfortable, and centrally located hotel. Wine tasting in local cantina, tastings of cheese, truffles, chocolate, and locally produced beer and grappa. Locally guided tours of the Sanctuary of Vicoforte and the Racconigi Castle and Park.  Walks in the countryside and mountain (not overly strenuous) Transport and private guide

You can reserve a spot on this tour with a deposit of $600.

Tour begins in Turin/Torino. International airport there is TRN. Tour ends in Cuneo where you can take train or private transfer to Turin

I have been visiting friends and showing them my photos from the Piemonte tour. I was telling them how great it was to become immersed in this area and see things you would not normally have the opportunity to do or know about. Having a caring and inquisitive guide who delights in sharing where she lives brings so much to the experience. Go visit Piemonte with Lisa- you will have such an amazing time and fond memories to share and relish!

Patricia Eaganafter a tour in Piedmont, Italy with Lisa

I have had the joy of traveling with Adventures with Sarah many times, from Thailand, to Turkey, and many places in between. I choose to book with AWS because I can rely on a tour that is paced well, varied in activities, with great food and even greater guides. As a frequent traveler to Europe, I really enjoy AWS tours due to a small group size and the opportunity to go in depth into a region and really experience the culture of the area I’m visiting. And every time, with every group, I meet fellow travelers who are now friends. Adventures with Sarah is a tour company that I would recommend without hesitation. In fact, I have 3 tours booked for this year!

Betsy McGregorafter multiple tours with Adventures with Sarah

Fantastic look at more "out of the way" spots and wonderful experiences of food and wine. No crowds, just the Sicilian countryside and lovely towns. Traveling in April was fantastic with all the wildflowers. And walking on Mama Etna's shoulders was a highlight!

Barbara B.Sicily Pleasures tour

It really was a wonderful trip. This was our first group trip, and the size was just right. We all got along well which was a bonus. Everything was smooth, and Sarah had picked out some really wonderful things for us to do. I felt like we were getting "sneak peeks" of special things regular tourists don't get to do. We were willing participants for her to try out new things on this trip. The hotels were lovely, and the wine lunches perfect! There was a good balance of planned activities and free time which I appreciated. I will definitely be looking for more trips to go on with Adventures with Sarah!

Leslie P.Sicily Pleasures tour

Good accommodations in the heart of all important areas. Food experience was excellent with incentive to try new foods. Sarah is very personable and has each tour member's concerns and needs in mind. Love the small groups.

Larry C.Sicily Highlights tour

We had a great time! Perfect mix of free time and planned group excursions/tours. The food was amazing! Our accommodation was comfortable and our views were unforgettable! I would book another trip with this company.

Jen R.Dalmatian Staycation tour

My husband and I had a great time touring Dalmatia with Sarah and the local guides that joined us. A favorite activity was sailing on a traditional sail boat from the island of Vis. Lovely group of travelers and many memories made!

Dawn R.Dalmatian Staycation tour

Food and wine blitz in beautiful areas of Slovenia and Croatia. You will appreciate it most if you are a true wine lover. Meetings with young enthusiastic, creative winemakers were the highlight.

Betsy W.Harvest tour

We had a wonderful trip with no issues at all. Gorgeous area, plenty of delicious food, perfect weather and knowledgeable guide!

John G.Harvest tour

What a perfect way to get back into European travel. It was obvious from the start that Trish had put her heart and soul into the planning of the Hidden Paris tour. It was a great mix of adventures and I throughly enjoyed my travel group, who became like family, and it was obvious to see why most had traveled with adventures with Sarah before, Our local guide, Julian, was excellent and it was fun finally getting to also meet Sarah and sons. Merci beaucoup, Trish for this great time and I hope to travel with you again in the future.

Leslie A.Paris Staycation tour

A thoroughly enjoyable trip. George, our leader, was super-knowledgeable, helpful, energetic, and fun. His knowledge of people and places gave us experiences we couldn't have duplicated on our own. The itinerary was great - I thought the pace was good and we had a variety of experiences. The only thing I didn't like was that the weather in late April was rather chilly and often wet, more so than I expected. However, traveling later in the spring would have meant missing Orthodox Easter, which was the highlight of the trip for me. We spent it in a rural village, and participating in the villagers' traditions was a rare privilege that I'll never forget. So take an umbrella and some warm clothes and prepare for a special experience. Maybe you'll get the sunshine that we mostly didn't get!

Melissa M.Romania tour

Our guide Susanna was both professional and thoughtful. She cared for our health and happiness! I had some health issues and was treated with kindness and help! Our accommodations were both comfortable and clean. The bus driver was fearless and professional. I will travel with Susanna again!

Melva O.Sicily Pleasures tour

This was a wonderful trip! Susanna was such a wonderful tour guide, thoughtful, funny, informative. I can’t imagine a better guide for this trip! Our accommodations were wonderful as were all the varied activities and dining experiences. I enjoyed the other travelers in our group and felt as if we were family. I have made new friends that I will keep in touch with. Thank you!

Anne B.Sicily Pleasures tour

We had a wonderful tour with our guide Susanna and fellow travelers. The tour was well planned out touching on most all the main destinations in Sicily. Susanna was super well organized, kind and considerate and a lot of fun to travel with. She was a great communicator before, during and after the tour and was helpful with day to day needs like finding laundry service, restaurants and transport to the airport. The local guides, meals, accommodations, etc were all top notch. We had a great small group of 7 travelers that all got on very well. The spacious van we used for traveling was very comfortable and the driver Giuseppe was highly skilled at driving the chaotic streets in Sicily’s cities and towns. We highly recommend booking a tour with Adventures with Sarah and especially with Susanna Perrucchini!!

Randal D.Sicily Highlights tour

In short, we will travel with AWS again and would highly recommend them! Oh!! We also felt that we received far more in value and experience than the price for the tour.

Veneto Slovenia tour