Two centre holiday combining the Italian Lakes and Piemonte
This eight-night two-centre holiday combines a stay on Lake Como in the foothills of the Alps with a stay in the wine-producing region of Piemonte. First, travel to the shores of Lake Como, and then across the undulating relief of northern Italy to Benevello in Piemonte, at the heart of the Barolo wine region, where the Alps are still visible in the distance. Whilst staying on Lake Como, visit the elegant villas with their fragrant gardens, such as the Villa Carlotta, the Villa Cipressi, and the Renaissance Villa del Balbianello. Admire the views from the water on a boat trip or drive around the shore to the picturesque lakeside towns of Varenna, Griante, Como, and Lecco. In Piemonte, visit the wineries of Barolo, Barbaresco, and Alba, home to rich reds, and Asti, home to sparkling whites. Acquaint yourself with the Piemonte Slow Food Movement in characterful restaurants, on truffle-hunting excursions in the autumn, or by sampling local cheeses.
Highlights
• Visit villas and gardens on Lake Como • Visit Villa Carlotta • Boat trips on Lake Como • Visit Alba • Arrange wine-tasting in Piemonte • Arrange truffle-hunting in Piemonte
I enjoyed every minute of the tour. Cindy-Marie was simply fantastic and her knowledge, kindness and humour was all that I could have asked for. This was a first class experience. Thank you for making it all happen.Customer on Tuscan wine tour, June 2022
Holiday price guide Sample prices are per person based on two people sharing a double or twin room for 8 nights.
From about
£3,200
Holiday Code FHIT32
The prices displayed here are a guide only. Each holiday price will be tailor-made at the time of booking to reflect all actual costs including up-to-date special offers.
Call us on 01392 441245
Two centre holiday combining the Italian Lakes and Piemonte
Arrive at Milan airport, collect your hire-car and drive to your hotel on Lake Como.
You have three full days to discover Lake Como and the region. You can use your hire-car to explore or travel along and across the lake by ferry. There are walks in the hillsides, cobbled streets of Bellagio with charming shops, cafes and restaurants, and many noteworthy villas with outstanding gardens to visit. There are also lakeside villages and small towns such as Varenna, Cadenabbia and Menaggio.
Today you drive yourself south-west from the foothills of the Alps to the region of Piemonte that lies south of Turin and north of the Mediterranean coast. The wine-growing region around the towns of Alba, Barolo and Barbaresco is compact but charming with its patchwork of vineyards in small parcels. In the distance you see the Alps. Check-in to your hotel, the Villa d’Amelia, just to the south of Alba and surrounded by hazelnut trees, that are the source of the praline that this region is also famous for.
You have three full days to explore the scenic attractions of the area and of course to partake in the memorable food and wine products of the region. We can arrange any number of wine-tastings for you (and provide a car and driver for a day if you don’t want to drive yourself), local guides can accompany you, a truffle hunt can be organised, and there are chocolate shops and cheese specialists you can visit. This region was and still is at the heart of the Slow Food movement and local producers pride themselves on high quality, natural ingredients, with local production. The Villa d’Amelia has an excellent restaurant, but there are also many regional trattorias that you can visit.
Today, drive yourself to Turin, the nearest international airport, for your return flight to London.
I enjoyed every minute of the tour. Cindy-Marie was simply fantastic and her knowledge, kindness and humour was all that I could have asked for. This was a first class experience. Thank you for making it all happen.Customer on Tuscan wine tour, June 2022
Holiday price guide Sample prices are per person based on two people sharing a double or twin room for 8 nights.
From about
£3,200
Holiday Code FHIT32
The prices displayed here are a guide only. Each holiday price will be tailor-made at the time of booking to reflect all actual costs including up-to-date special offers.
Call us on 01392 441245
I enjoyed every minute of the tour. Cindy-Marie was simply fantastic and her knowledge, kindness and humour was all that I could have asked for. This was a first class experience. Thank you for making it all happen.Customer on Tuscan wine tour, June 2022
Holiday price guide Sample prices are per person based on two people sharing a double or twin room for 8 nights.
From about
£3,200
Holiday Code FHIT32
The prices displayed here are a guide only. Each holiday price will be tailor-made at the time of booking to reflect all actual costs including up-to-date special offers.
The journey and how you get there There are several scheduled flights with British Airways from London to Milan Malpensa and Linate daily and there are return flights daily from Turin to London. Lake Como is about 90 minutes’ drive from Milan Malpensa. Your hotel in Piemonte is about an hour’s drive from Turin. It takes about three hours to drive between the two places.
Call us on 01392 441245
Two centre holiday combining the Italian Lakes and Piemonte
Grand Hotel Imperiale Resort & SPA offers period Art Nouveau grandeur in a splendid lakeside setting. This hotel offers the chance to experience both the peaceful beauty of Lake Como and a taste of Italian town life.
Park view double
Relais Villa d'Amelia is a 4-star hotel amid beautiful countryside. Michelin-starred cuisine, excellent spa and wellness facilities and immaculate gardens afford guests a truly relaxing and restorative retreat.
Deluxe double or twin room
Special offers
Call to make your booking and save an extra £50 per adult Call us instead of emailing us when you are thinking of booking a holiday and save an extra £50 per adult (in addition to any special offers that might be available). We want to talk to you to discuss your requirements and a phone call is usually the best way for you to define what you want enabling us to respond more accurately. We want to talk to you and you save an extra £50 per adult.
I enjoyed every minute of the tour. Cindy-Marie was simply fantastic and her knowledge, kindness and humour was all that I could have asked for. This was a first class experience. Thank you for making it all happen.Customer on Tuscan wine tour, June 2022
Holiday price guide Sample prices are per person based on two people sharing a double or twin room for 8 nights.
From about
£3,200
Holiday Code FHIT32
The prices displayed here are a guide only. Each holiday price will be tailor-made at the time of booking to reflect all actual costs including up-to-date special offers.
The journey and how you get there There are several scheduled flights with British Airways from London to Milan Malpensa and Linate daily and there are return flights daily from Turin to London. Lake Como is about 90 minutes’ drive from Milan Malpensa. Your hotel in Piemonte is about an hour’s drive from Turin. It takes about three hours to drive between the two places.
Call us on 01392 441245
Two centre holiday combining the Italian Lakes and Piemonte
About Italian Lakes
An Expressions tailor-made holiday to the Italian Lakes spans the northern Italian regions of Lombardy, Piemonte and the Veneto. We offer hotels located by the undisputedly beautiful Lake Maggiore, Lake Como and Lake Garda and also the smaller, quieter lakes of Orta and Iseo, both well-worth exploring in their own right. Each lake has its own character and atmosphere, distinctive terrain, architecture and style. Placed as the lakes are to the south of the Alps and to the north of the Po Valley, they naturally possess a charming mixture of the vibrant coolness associated with the Alps but enlivened by the warmth of the South. The landscape around the Italian Lakes is one of deep blue waters surrounded by greenish-blue tinged mountains, often snow-capped. On the shores of the lakes and the lower slopes of the hills you find a profusion of lemons and olives, chestnuts and palms, magnolias and camellias. Pretty villages with rustic stone and wood houses hug the sheltered bays and fishing boats still moor next to sailing boats. Wrought-iron balconies and colourful shutters adorn gaily-painted houses with terracotta roofs. Dining is usually al fresco in the summer months and a magical atmosphere is created with the lapping of the waters and the twinkling of the lights around the lake and in the hills above. The close proximity to Milan and Verona as well as other less well-known but artistically interesting cities means that you can visit the Italian Lakes quite easily for just a weekend or short break as well as a longer holiday. The Italian Lakes can all be visited as part of a rail holiday, and the many beautiful gardens located in the vicinity of Lakes Como and Maggiore are well worth a visit as part of a garden tour holiday. Our favourite four and five star hotels for luxury holidays in the Italian Lakes include Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni and Villa d'Este on Lake Como, and the Hotel Cannero Lakeside Resort on Lake Maggiore.
Highlights of the Italian Lakes
Historic villas are to be found on every lake from the Grotte di Catullo Roman villa at Sirmione on Lake Garda to Villa Melzi and Villa Olmo on Lake Como and the Palazzo Estense in Varese. Most of these villas also have extraordinarily beautiful gardens (which can be visited as part of an Expressions Garden Tour holiday) such as the Villa Carlotta on Lake Como, the Isola Bella in Lake Maggiore and Villa Taranto at Punta della Castagnola on Lake Maggiore. Monte Mottarone above Stresa on Lake Maggiore and Monte Baldo above Lake Garda can both be reached by cable car and afford spectacular views. At Gargnano on Lake Garda you can see the stone pavilions where lemons were traditionally cultivated. Within the region there are national parks such as the Stelvio National Park north of Orta and the Parco Nazionale della Val Grande above Verbania on Lake Maggiore.
Cultural highlights of the Italian Lakes
Much of the artistic and architectural cultural wealth in the region is concentrated in the great cities such as Milan and Verona but also in the less well-known but culturally-rich centres of Bergamo, Brescia, Pavia, Mantova and Vicenza (not directly on the Lakes but within reach for a day`s excursion). Highlights include the frescoes by Masolino at Castiglione Olona, the Rocca (castle) at Angera, the Flemish tapestries on the Isola Bella Lake Maggiore, the marble cathedral of Santa Maria Maggiore at Como and the works of art in the Galleria dell`Accademia Tadini at Lovere on Lake Iseo. Milan has La Scala, the Museo Poldi Pezzoli, the Brera Gallery (containing Raphael`s `Marriage of the Virgin` and the Montefeltro altarpiece by Piero della Francesca) and its Gothic cathedral. Verona has its annual opera festival from June until the end of August, the Romanesque church of San Zeno, the Renaissance Loggia del Consiglio and the Roman Arena.
Festivals in the Italian Lakes
The Verona Opera Festival takes place in the Roman Arena every year with performances running from June until the end of August. Verona also celebrates Carnival every year culminating on the Friday before Shrove Tuesday. Como holds a flea market, the Fiera di Pasqua, over the Easter weekend. Music festivals take place in Bergamo throughout the year. The Mille Miglia veteran car race starts and ends in Brescia (via Ferrara to Rome in May each year).
Gastronomy in the Italian Lakes
The cuisine of northern Italy tends to contain more meat and butter than further south and rice and polenta compete with pasta. Saffron is used extensively as in Risotto alla Milanese. Bresaola is cured raw beef served as an antipasta (now often with rocket and parmesan). Manzo al Barolo (beef in Barolo wine), Costolette alla Milanese (veal cutlets in breadcrumbs) and Ossobucco (veal in wine and tomatoes) are all popular dishes. Panettone cake and Zabaglione are two regional desserts. This region produces some of Italy's most famous cheeses such as Gorgonzola, Bel Paese, Fontina and Taleggio as well as some of Italy's most exportable wines such as Soave, Bardolino and Valpolicella. Less well known but interesting wines are produced in the Valtellina in the north of Lombardy and in Franciacorta near Lake Iseo.
Call us on 01392 441245
Two centre holiday combining the Italian Lakes and Piemonte
About Piemonte
An Expressions tailor-made holiday to Piemonte beckons lovers of wine and food, art and architecture and dramatic, natural but also gloriously cultivated landscapes. Piemonte is essentially a country region of alpine peaks in the north, flat rice-producing river valleys further south, rolling vineyards with attractive villages, forested hills dotted with mediaeval castles and almost at its centre the city of Turin, known throughout the world as a great industrial centre but in fact, outstandingly rich in architectural gems, both modern and in particular Baroque. North of Turin is the Parco Nazionale del Gran Paradiso, with miles of unspoiled natural scenery of mountain peaks and meadows, of rare wildlife and flowers. The splendid palaces, parks and hunting lodges of the Princes of Savoy can be visited in the countryside near Turin on your holiday. Our Piemonte hotels are situated in the remarkable wine-producing regions of the Langhe and Asti, renowned for their beautiful scenery, magnificent wines and fine gastronomy.
Highlights of Piemonte
Turin, the regional capital, is a fascinating city of Baroque architecture and famous for its association with Fiat cars. Visit the car museum, the Mole Antonelli for a panoramic view. Visit some of the beautiful 18th Century House of Savoy palaces, many built by Filippo Juvarra, including Rivoli, Venaria Reale and Mandria. North of Turin is the subalpine region of Canavese with numerous castles many of which have been opened to the public very recently such as the Castello di Masino, now carefully restored. Lace is produced in the Valsesia. Alba is the centre of the white truffle and of course the local wines (Barolo, Barbera etc) should be tasted and purchased. Cuneo holds a market in the Piazza Galimberti every Tuesday.
Cultural highlights of Piemonte
Turin is laden with architectural treasures including the Palazzo Madama by Filippo Juvarra (now home to the Museo Civico d`Arte Antica which contains the 15th Century Portrait of an Unknown Man by Antonello da Messina), Guarini`s Palazzo Carignano, the Baroque buildings of the Piazza San Carlo.In Cuneo is the 18th Century Church of Santa Croce with a concave facade by Francesco Gallo. Vercelli had a school of art and its masterpieces can be seen in the Museo Civico Borgogna and in the Chuch of San Cristoforo are to be found frescoes and a 16th Century Madonna painted by Gaudenzio Ferrari. In the Palazzo Comunale of Alba is a painting of the Madonna and Child by the 16th Century artist Macrino d`Alba.The finest Romanesque buildings in Piemonte are to be found at the Abbey of Vezzolano at Albugnano.
Festivals in Piemonte
Many are linked to food and wine in this region. Asti holds an annual horse race in the Piazza del Campo del Palio, accompanied by mediaeval pageantry and coinciding with a local wine fair in September.
Gastronomy in Piemonte
Cuneo holds a cheese fair in November. Ivrea is famous for its Carnival celebrations including a Battle of Oranges. The region is renowed for its gastronomy and wine. Beef, cheese, butter, red wine, rice and truffles (particularly the white truffes of Alba) are all basic ingredients. Specialities include Manzo al Barolo (beef in red wine and garlic), Fonduta (hot dip of fontina cheese, milk, eggs, truffles and pepper), Bagna cauda (hot spicy sauce with garlic and anchovies), The wines of the region include Barolo, Barbaresco, Dolcetto.
