Autumn 2024 in Bologna & Emilia Romagna ​With Chef Cathy Whims

We will meet you at the Bologna train station or airport and provide private transfer to your 4 star hotel "PHI - Al Cappello Rosso" in the heart of Bologna.
Get settled into your room.
In the late afternoon we meet for an aperitivo in Bologna center.
Welcome dinner in Bologna restaurant where you will taste some of the mouthwatering bolognese dishes.

In the late morning we drive towards east to reach a winery in the beautiful hills of Romagna where the family produces very good wines. We will taste the typical wines of the area: such as Albana, Trebbiano, Sangiovese, accompanied with local tasty food.
We proceed to Casa Artusi in Forlimpopoli, a cooking school entitled to Pellegrino Artusi, the most famous and important food writer of the Italian cuisine.
You'll learn how to make some of the typical pasta and the sauce, helped by "Mariette" the "sfoglia" experts.
Dinner will follow and will include your pasta production.
Back to Bologna.

Our morning will start with an early drive to a Parmigiano Reggiano cheese factory to watch the production of Parmigiano Reggiano, learn all the secrets of the King of the cheeses and finish your tour with a tasting of Parmigiano Reggiano at different agings.
Then we drive to Parma area to visit one of the prosciutto factories that produces the famous prosciutto di Parma. You will watch all the stages of the production, from the fresh leg of the pig, to the agings rooms.
Lunch based on prosciutto and other fantastic salumi and local wines typical of Parma.
After lunch, on the way back to Bologna we stop in Modena area to visit a traditional balsamic vinegar producer of Modena. Davide, the owner, will explain everything you need to know about this precious traditional produce of the area.
Back to Bologna and dinner in a bolognese trattoria with warm hospitality.

Your morning wake-up call will be well worth our countryside excursion with expert truffle hunters and scent dogs. This is an unforgettable experience with excitement that comes with each truffle finding. After our adventure, we will feast on truffle-based dishes and seasonal products at the farmhouse.
After lunch free time to relax or walk in the beautiful countryside.
Later with the chef we will make together a wonderful apple cake.
Back to Bologna and dinner on your own.

In the morning we drive to the bolognese hills to an agriturismo where the family grows chickens for producing eggs and as well sheep and other animals. There, guided by Federica, we will make pasta with a pasta machine that you can easily reproduce at home following the little tips and secrets of the family.
We will spend time relaxing at the farmhouse.
For lunch we will taste all the pasta of our production and other dishes.
Back to Bologna in the early afternoon.
Dinner on your own.

In the morning meet your guide for a guided visit of Bologna. You will see the highlights of this medieval city.
Lunch on your own.
In the late afternoon we drive to San Domenico restaurant in Imola for a special aperitif in their spectacular cellars and an unforgettable farewell gala dinner. This two-star Michelin restaurant and its world-famous chef, Valentino Marcattilii and his nephew Max, have received global attention throughout its more than 45 years in existence. Its cellars hold more than 20,000 bottles of wine, with some cognac bottles dating all the way back to the time of Napoleon!

We will start the day and end our wonderful time together with a quick breakfast at the hotel, and then you will depart from the Bologna airport or train station.