SOLD OUT – JOIN THE LIST: Trip to Italy 2023!

Besides cooking, I LOVE to travel! Now that my kids are out of college, I’m excited to travel and eat my way around the world! I’m hosting AMAZING culinary vacations. Have you always dreamed of going to Italy? Let’s do it! I’ve planned THE ULTIMATE trip to Italy. Join me!

I’ve been working hard and planning every last detail.  This trip is over the top and AMAZING!  I added one more night!  I felt like with one more day, we could see, do, and eat a little more! Why not! We’ll fly out Friday afternoon, September 8th, 2023. The weather is just perfect that time of year, and no summer crowds.

My trips are really special and unique!  Let’s start with our hotel.  It’s gorgeous! We’ll spend 8 nights at a beautiful 14th-century Tuscan villa resort, the Villa Casagrande.

It is in the Chianti region with views of the countryside, yet just a short stroll to the cute village for shopping and restaurants. The resort has two pools, a spa, beautiful courtyards to enjoy coffee or wine outside and relax and unwind. It even has a huge wine cave where they produce lovely wines! We’ll get to take a private tour and sample them!

A gourmet breakfast is included every morning. Our hotel even has an amazing cooking school! We’ll learn how to make several authentic Italian dishes like the best ever lasagna, homemade focaccia, biscotti and more. Then we get to eat what we make!

This is just one of 3 different cooking classes I’ve planned for this trip. All of them are wonderful but one will be extra special! We’ll visit my friend Mama Teresa’s beautiful farm. We’ll tour her gardens and pick all the vegetables for our multi-course Tuscan meal. We’ll learn how to make the freshest tomato bruschetta, homemade pasta with sauce and so much more. This will be a magical day you’ll never forget!

In fact, while we are in Tuscany, we’ll take a few different cooking classes. On my last trip to Tuscany one of the highlights was a trip to a real Tuscan farm. I’m so excited to go back there! We’ll meet the family and tour the beautiful farm. Then we’ll roll up our sleeves to learn how to make homemade pasta with Momma Theresa. She’ll show us how to make the best ever bruschetta, tiramisu and more.

We’ll explore several towns in Tuscany, like Cortona, where the movie Under the Tuscan Sun was filmed! We’ll visit the quaint hilltop town of San Gimignano, home of the world’s best gelato. Yes, we’ll get to taste too. It’s so yummy!

For wine lovers, you are in for a real treat! We’ll go to some of the best wineries in Italy. We’ll taste so many amazing Italian wines on this trip. We’ll even get to enjoy a gourmet Tuscan steak dinner one night in a gorgeous vineyard!

Speaking of wine, on this trip we’ll visit Montepulciano. I’ve always wanted to go to this area! They produce some of my favorite wines. We’ll spend the day exploring vineyards and tasting wines from 3 different wineries. I can’t wait!

We’ll also go into a Tuscan forest on this trip, to hunt for the world’s best Italian white truffles. It was one of the highlights of my last trip! It was so fun that I just knew we had to do that again! After we find the truffles we’ll enjoy a truffle pasta lunch with Italian wines at the most beautiful hilltop restaurant.

We’ll shop and eat our way around the beautiful vibrant history-filled city of Florence. The central market and food scene there is incredible! We’ll also visit Siena, one of my favorite Italian towns. It’s got so much charm! Great shopping too. When I travel, I love discovering the hidden gems. We’ll tour both Florence and Siena, but, these aren’t your typical tours. Besides seeing the sights and learning the history, we’ll eat our way around both cities with a local foodie. We’ll get to taste the very best!

Have you always dreamed of visiting Cinque Terre? I’m sure you’ve seen pictures. It’s a string of colorful seaside villages on the rugged Italian coastline. It’s spectacular! On this trip we’ll have the option to explore beautiful Cinque Terre one day. We’ll spend the day there exploring this gorgeous area and come home to relax and enjoy a pizza party for dinner!

After our 8 day trip to Tuscany, you’ll have the opportunity to extend the trip and travel with me around Italy for a few more days. We’re in Italy already, so why not see and eat a bit more? Come with me for 3 extra magical nights in Rome! It’s actually quite a bit cheaper to fly home directly from Rome instead of flying home from Florence in Tuscany so why not extend your stay so we can see even more of Italy?!  

On Sunday 9/17, after we check out of our beautiful Tuscan Villa resort we’ll make our way to Rome.  But first, we’ll stop in the charming town of Orvieto.  We’ll have a guided tour of this beautiful town.  After our tour, we’ll stop at a beautiful nearby vineyard for a wine tasting and delicious lunch!

From there, we’ll continue on to Rome. We’ll stay in a beautiful hotel in Rome. It’s in a great location! It’s near all the places we’ll want to explore.  Our hotel has a wonderful breakfast that will will be included every morning.

  On our first full day in Rome we are going to have some serious fun! We’ll explore the city in a really fun and special way!  We’ll go a guided 4 hour tour of one of Rome’s most charming neighborhoods. It’s an area filled with amazing Italian food! We’ll also get to taste all the best food and wine! We’ll sample the best Italian meats and cheeses and lots of other wonderful food too, like pizza, pasta and so much more! We’ll even visit a secret wine cellar.  It’s going to be a magical afternoon and evening filled with surprises!  This is all included in the Rome add-on.

On this trip there are two optional excursions. There will be a very special tour of the Vatican with no waiting in the huge lines. We’ll skip the line go right to the front to visit the Sistine Chapel, The Basilica and Vatican museums.  I can’t wait!

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You’ll also have the option to go with me on the Ancient Rome Tour with a wonderful guide. Again, we’ll be able to skip the lines and go right to the front to see the Colosseum and Forum.  After 3 wonderful days in Rome we’ll fly home Wednesday 9/20/23.

Come with your husband or wife. We have lots of couples on my trips! Come with your mom or daughter. Come with your girlfriends, or come alone. You’ll never feel alone on my trips!

If you’re interested don’t wait! This trip ALWAYS sells out and it’s booking up fast! We have a limited number of rooms and I don’t want any of you to miss out on the fun!

Call Sara with Rose Travel with any questions! You can reach her at 720-884-7913 or email sara@rosetravelgroup.com. For a detailed itinerary or to book your trip, click 2023 Trip to Tuscany.

Let me know if you want me to keep you informed about all my upcoming trips. I’d also love to hear where you’d like to go! Email me at: info@thecookingmom.com