7-Day Italian Culinary, Wine, and Gelato Making Tour

Zicasso's travel agency far exceeded our expectations. We had our five-year-old and 11-year-old children with us, so the tour guides and walking needed to be kid-friendly.

Our hotel in Rome was wonderful, the location was perfect, and they had good A/C and a breakfast buffet. There were plenty of great restaurants within easy walking distance, as well as the Vatican.

Our tour guide for the Colosseum and Roman Forum was great. Pompeii was amazing. Our tour guide was basically a celebrity down there and knew exactly how to take us around the ruins without ever waiting.

Tuscany was our favorite by far. We did a cheese-making experience and lunch that was super-cool. The kids got to play with the farm animals and the owners were so attentive and interesting. We did a cooking class with a chef that was the kids' favorite thing on the entire trip. I would make a point to book this experience; the kids still talk about it and wear the aprons around the house. The resort in Tuscany was nice. We had our own private pool, plus the resort pool, and could easily walk to a small local town with some great food.

Venice was good, but probably our least favorite on the trip. You have to walk a ton, which was difficult for the kids, but it's still worth experiencing.

We travel a bunch and I would highly recommend using Zicasso's travel partner.

Zicasso's travel specialist asked for our interests, to which we replied history, art, food, and wine. When queried about accommodations, our preferences were that they have character and be varied. Our expectations were exceeded.  

We were two couples who had a spectacular survey trip of Italy. Our agent addressed our request for history by arranging private tours with expert guides. We visited multiple eras: ancient times at the Egyptian Museum in Turin and the Colosseum in Rome; medieval times at the Medici palazzos; Byzantine times with views of the frescoes in Puglia; and modern history during a delightful food tour of Turin that featured historical cafés renowned for their political meetings and plotting. 

We indulged in a smorgasbord of art and history, as it is readily available wherever you journey in Italy. The guides and drivers were knowledgeable, pointing out treasures in the palazzos, the Vatican, the public squares, cafés, the cathedrals, and churches. Food tours featured cheese, capicola and truffle tasting. Multiple types of wines and vineyards were sampled, the settings varied and the offerings enjoyed.  

Accommodations could not have been better chosen. We enjoyed staying at a converted fortified monastery and a historic 16th-century palace. We appreciated the sunset over Turin from the upper deck of the hotel and enjoyed hidden privacy in Rome in our suites.  

During the trip, our guide shepherded this complex trip and promptly addressed any issues that occurred (delayed trains and coordinating tour guides). Unequivocally, each tour was unique and well picked by our agent. We strongly recommend this agency to help you have a fantastic trip to Italy! 

We loved our itinerary! We gave the locations we wanted to visit to Zicasso’s tour operator and they fit everything in. They were with us every step of the way and listened to feedback about any adjustments, and stayed within budget.

We did a lot of research on tour groups and travel companies, and are so pleased we chose Zicasso and their specialized Italy team. They organized every detail of transportation, first-class hotels, and cut-the-line attraction visits with extremely knowledgeable local guides.

We ran into some minor interruptions due to protests and our team quickly navigated around them with their in-country specialists. We felt we saw the best of each location, with additional free time to explore other local things like food, shopping, etc. These folks know their stuff and we will look to use them in the future.

This was my third customized trip with Zicasso. I previously worked with Zicasso to plan and take mother-daughter trips to Iceland and Croatia. They are the perfect company to help your dreams for a personally unique adventure come true!

This time, I traveled with my daughter, son, and daughter-in-law to Italy. My hope was for my daughter and son to see the towns where their great-grandfather and great-grandmother emigrated from in the Abruzzo region, in the towns of Roccamontepiano and Bugnara. My research had an address for where their great-grandfather was born. Our driver found the address and we took photos of us standing in front of the house, which could now be considered a real fixer-upper. Just the same, it was a moment never to be forgotten. Thank you to our driver and his wealth of information!

Our home base was in Pescara, where we enjoyed a walk on the beach, excellent local cuisine at a local restaurant, and seafood at another local restaurant. These were recommended by our local travel agent and were clearly favorites of the locals.

We had a wonderful tour in Chieti, an historic and cultural gem, with our guide. She too was a gem of a guide!

We then traveled to Venice, which was far less crowded with tourists than in the high season. Upon arrival, a private gondola ride during dusk and at sunset was a surreal way to be welcomed to this beautiful city.

The next day we had a magnificent tour of St. Mark's Basilica and Doge's Palace. Our guide was so engaging and knowledgeable, and eager to share ideas about other things to see while in Venice. We followed our tour with lunch at a historic restaurant, home to the invention of the Bellini. Yum! After lunch, we took the elevator to the top of the tower across from the basilica, with its spectacular panoramic view of the city and surrounding islands. Then our group splintered off—two of us did a Grand Canal boat ride and the other two headed to the isle of Murano to search for glass souvenir treasures.

Our next stop was Lake Como, with a one-hour unexpected stop in Verona. Thank you to our driver for suggesting the stop! Who knew there was a Roman arena and some to-die-for hot chocolate in Verona!

Then off to Lake Como. We had time before we could check in to our hotel, so we did a walkabout to acquaint ourselves with the city. We took a ride on the funicular for another delightful panoramic view and enjoyed cocktails while surveying the lake and city below. That evening, we traveled up into the mountains and had a marvelous meal at a mountain trattoria. We were just us and one other couple in the restaurant, and we watched the chef prepare our local food specialties from our table in front of the wood-burning fireplace. The mantel was adorned with trophies and photos of the local bocce teams over the decades. Again, if you want to travel for cibo delizioso, go to Italy!

The next day, we had a three-hour boat ride on Lake Como. Our skipper and guide made certain to point out and give some history on the villages dotting the coastline and the famous villas.

The following day we traveled north to Domaso for an afternoon at a family-run vineyard and restaurant with views of Lake Como and the Alps! Bellissimo! A family member gave us a wonderful tour of the history and the winemaking facility, as well as the many wines we sampled. We were treated to local charcuterie and ravioli that was made fresh while we were busy sampling. When we received the wine we ordered and shipped back home, they threw in extra gifts for us, with wishes for a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Then we were off to Milan for a chance to try our luck at making our own pasta, sauces, and gelato at a cooking school. Our chef instructor guided us as we made tagliatelle with a pesto sauce and pumpkin ravioli with a cream sauce. Of course, there were wine pairings! He made certain our creations were delicious!

That evening, we donned our fancy apparel and headed to La Scala to take in the opera, "Così fan tutte." The modern take on the comedy was refreshing and the venue was a must-see!

The next day, we were met by our guide, who shared the history of the UNESCO site of Santa Maria delle Grazie and Leonardo da Vinci’s "Last Supper" with expertise and reverence, while keeping us engaged. She likewise inspired us as we toured the Duomo di Milano, San Maurizio al Monastero Maggiore, and the controversial Il Dito sculpture outside the city’s stock exchange.

That evening, we experienced a delightful meal at a Michelin-starred restaurant. The chef, from Naples, created and explained a never-to-be-forgotten bite-sized sampling plate highlighting the tastes of Naples on a plate shaped like the region, with its various borders.

Before leaving Milan, we had a tour of La Scala and its adjacent museum with our guide. She provided us with a history lesson that was quite interesting. That night, we dined at a local seafood restaurant, another treasure clearly favored by the locals. Our waiter was a gem and sent us off with the gift of a bottle of wine.

Our final stop was Turin. Once again, we divided—two of us visited the National Museum of Cinema and the panoramic lift housed in the museum. At the top, we gained a wonderful sense of the city,and the cinema museum was a fun surprise! Our other two toured the Juventus Museum and Stadium, and they thoroughly enjoyed their experience as well.

Our final day, we met our guide, who spent the entire day with us, with only a short break, beginning with a gourmet food tour of traditional Piedmont dishes. Along the way, she shared insights into the history and cultural significance of the foods. Later in the day, she guided us through the Royal Palace of Turin, including the Holy Shroud Chapel, Armory, and Museum. Once again, we were treated to a knowledgeable and entertaining guide.

We departed the next day, leaving with priceless memories of our Italy adventure.

Thank you so much to Zicasso’s travel agent. You helped make our trip come true with such care. Grazie mille!

The trip was very good, with a great hotel and location, and tour guides.