DAY 1: Verona – Garda

Arrival at Verona airport. Rental car delivery (if requested). Arrival at the farmhouse in the Lake Garda area. Accommodation

DAY 2: Lake Garda – Verona

Breakfast. The leitmotif of the day will be the Castles; you will see five of them: Monzambano, Valeggio, Villafranca Veronese, Soave and Montecchio Maggiore on the way. You will be able to see several castles that are located in a vineyard environment along the Veneto hills; these fortresses often shape the landscape in which they are located and become true landmarks.

Then departure to Verona, this beautiful city on the Adige River, where you will take a sightseeing tour on foot. Built in the characteristic local pink marble, Verona has a rosy hue, as if the sun is constantly setting. What was once a thriving Roman settlement is now one of the most prosperous and elegant cities in Italy. Shakespeare’s setting for Romeo and Juliet attracts lovers of all ages.

Lunch at a local restaurant where authentic Veronese cuisine will be served.

The famous opera season of the Verona Arena draws opera enthusiasts to the Roman amphitheater. The sophisticated center is still a people-watching parade, from the café-lined Piazza Brà to the Piazza delle Erbe, once home to the Roman forum. Verona is also a citadel of consumerism, full of sunglasses, shoes and jewelry. Return to the rural house and accommodation

DAY 3: Bardolino and local wines – Oil mill on the shores of Lake Garda

After breakfast, departure to Bardolino. Visit the local wine museum that connects to a historic winery along the slopes of the city’s neighboring hills for a different view of the streets and waters of Lake Garda. The museum contains a scent of cedar and earth to capture the vast history the galleries display. Each room is dedicated to a different phase of the winemaking process and contemporary differences in winemaking, from the soil to the bottle. You will find clay jugs painted with elaborate cartoons and tools used to cultivate the land, such as old pumps and plows showing grafting systems. In the fourth room you can see the mastery of the coopers and their tools that shape the wooden barrels in which the wine rests for months or years to absorb their flavors. The museum offers a comprehensive tour followed by a tasting of the wines produced on the property. Bardolino Classico has an intense ruby ​​color as the aroma recalls flowers and delicate red fruits. The velvety texture leads to a full and decisive taste that lingers on the palate.

Free time for lunch and in the afternoon transfer to a local oil mill on the shores of Lake Garda. The olive oil museum attracts 50,000 visitors each year, offering insight into the Turri family, who have been producing highly acclaimed olive oil for more than 50 years. You will learn everything about the past and present processes of olive oil production.

Of course, you will not leave the Turri oil mill, without having tasted the delicious extra virgin olive oil from Garda, using the special glass, and at the end of the visit you will also have the opportunity to taste olives and various savory dishes with olive pate , pesto and other sauces.

Return to the rural house and accommodation.

DAY 4: Valpolicella and Amarone

Breakfast. Departure to the Valpolicella area, land of Amarone.

Its vineyards begin on the outskirts of the city of Verona and extend in two directions from the romantic house of Romeo and Juliet: to the west towards Lake Garda, in the historic heart of this very traditional wine, and to the east, where it is younger and more modern. The region produces only red wines, and while its reputation has suffered in the past as the kind of inexpensive wine you order at a pizzeria, today it produces some of the best in Italy.

First you will arrive at the “temple” between the Valpolicella wineries, the Giuseppe Quintarelli winery, an Amarone legend, who is the godfather, if not the father, of Amarone wine. Enjoy a guided tour of the winery and a wine tasting.

At lunchtime, you will stop at a typical restaurant in the heart of Valpolicella Classica and enjoy a traditional lunch on a splendid terrace overlooking the impressive panorama of the valley. Return to the rural house and accommodation.

DAY 5: Asiago – Bassano Del Grappa – Treviso

Breakfast. This morning you will leave the Lake Garda area to arrive at your charming new accommodation in the province of Treviso at the end of the day. You will make stops along the way to visit the historic town of Asiago and the wonderful Bassano del Grappa.

Located at an altitude of 1,001 m asl, Asiago is undoubtedly the most famous among the peoples of the Plateau of the seven Municipalities (today 8 since 1796 – Rotzo, Roana, Gallio, Foza, Enego and Lusiana, and the recently added Conco) , also known as the “Asiago plateau”. Tourist attractions, points of interest, historical and natural landscape beauties, events, tracks, trails, etc. they are distributed throughout the territory of the plateau among its charming corners.

After a walking tour of the city, you will visit the Asiago Military Sanctuary: built between 1932 and 1936 that houses the remains of more than 55,000 soldiers in Italy and Austro-Hungarians who died in the fighting that took place on the plateau during the war of 15-18. Inside the ossuary there is an interesting museum open to the public where remains of war relics and photographic documents of the time are exhibited.

One of the best-known delicacies that can be tasted on the Asiago plateau is cheese, made in various degrees of maturity. However, it is not the only specialty of the region: there are also potatoes from Rotzo, celery from Rubbio, dandelion from Conco, cold cuts, honey, jams and many other specialties of exceptional quality.

Before leaving this historic center, you will stop at a local farm to see the production process of the famous “Asiago” cheese. Cow’s milk is collected by local farmers and processed according to strict discipline that respects traditional production methods. The quality is certified by the D.O.P. and guaranteed by the Asiago Cheese Protection Consortium (“Asiago Cheese Producers Association”).

You can try Asiago cheese from different stages of maturation : fresh (or pressed), medium, old, and very old. From a few months to three years. In summer you can also taste the Malagasy cheese, made in high mountain pastures.

You will continue in the afternoon to Bassano del Grappa, located near the confluence of the Po and Brenta rivers. Cross the 16th-century Ponte degli Alpini, a carved wooden bridge that leads to the historic city center. You’ll visit the 15th-century Palazzo Ducale, towering over the shore of Lake Garda. The 500-room structure features sumptuous frescoes, including a “trompe l’oeil” painting depicting court pranksters ready to drop a potted plant on wandering tourists.

At the end of the tour of the historic center, stop at the local Grappa Museum to learn about the deep roots of the liquor located within the Palazzo delle Teste. You will learn the contemporary process of aging the drink in wooden barrels. Much of the liqueur’s flavor comes from the natural qualities of the grapes, stems, and leaves, yet many producers dip medicinal plants into Grappa liqueur to release aromatic properties during distillation.

Once you’ve learned all about “grappa,” it’s time for the tasting: you’ll have a selection of tastings that span the various characteristics, from shades of light hay to molasses. You will find a liquorice aroma that melts with the sweet blueberry, and the characteristic flavors that will be offered to you during an unforgettable tasting in a unique historical place.

Departure for the Treviso area where your next accommodation is located. Accommodation

DAY 6: Villas Palladio- Prosecco Tour

After breakfast, you will leave for the visit of two of the masterpieces created by the famous 16th century architect, Andrea Palladio: Villa Emo in Fanzolo di Vedelago and Villa Barbaro in Maser, both Palladian, both decorated with frescoes by Paolo Veronese and / or by his student GB Zelotti.

Once a farm, Villa Emo is built on a high base, with two arcaded service buildings and surrounded by dovecote towers. The façade is extraordinarily simple, with a Doric tetrastyle loggia topped by a triangular tympanum with the family crest, supported by angels.

The linearity of the building contrasts with the interior decoration that embellishes the rooms with an extraordinary world of people and views.

Not far from Vedelago, is Villa Barbaro: also known as Villa di Maser, the Villa is located in the center of a prosperous estate whose historic cellar produces high-quality wines. Open all year round, it maintains the charming character of a house where the owners still live and work, and during the many events organized, you can enjoy its beauty and magical atmosphere during the change of season. Climbing roses, wisteria and bignonie adorn the entrance courtyard and welcome visitors to the villa.

Free time for lunch and in the afternoon enjoy a Prosecco tour visiting some of the most famous areas of the Venetian wine tradition and experiencing the luxury of one of the best food and wine tours in Italy: the Prosecco road and the wines of the Conegliano hills and Valdobbiadene.

This tour will satisfy the needs of modern wine tourists who, in addition to tasting gastronomic and oenological delicacies, wish to explore the environmental and cultural components that make up the traditions of the area; through uninterrupted vineyards and small medieval churches to savor the delicacies and aromas of the famous Prosecco di Valdobbiadene.

Stop at a local winery to taste this nice white sparkling wine, and at the end of the tour you will have a typical dinner at a local restaurant in the area. Return to the rural house and accommodation.

DAY 7: Venice

Breakfast. This morning you will take a two-hour guided tour of Venice, also known as “La Serenissima”. “Serenissimo” was a Byzantine title, first conferred on the doge and the signoria, then extended to the entire Venetian Republic. “Serenissimo” was an honorary call and an indicator of sovereignty. The intricate network of canals, alleys, bridges, elegant architecture, and gondolas along the canals is what makes Venice one of the most romantic cities in the world. The regal atmosphere of St. Mark’s Square, St. Mark’s Basilica and the Doge’s Palace will blow you away.

Stroll between the church and the palace-lined squares of Campo SS Giovanni e Paolo and Campo Santa Maria Formosa, where Byzantine, Renaissance and modern elements combine their timeless portraits of the city, and also admire the mythical Bridge of Sighs, which owes its Name the prisoners who sighed as they were escorted through the canal to adjacent cells.

Your lunch, even light, will be under the motto “Ombre and Cicchetti”. You will visit a local bar in the center of Venice. Each tavern has its own unique atmosphere and cicchetti specialty.

Return to the rural house and accommodation

DAY 8: Venice

After breakfast, departure to Venice airport. Return of the rental car (if requested previously).

Inclusions

– 4 nights in the Lake Garda area in a rural house (Agriturismo Antica Dimora del Turco or similar) in standard rooms bed and breakfast

– 3 nights in the Treviso area in a country house (Agriturismo Il Cascinale or similar) in standard rooms bed and breakfast

– 1 lunch at a local restaurant in Verona (2 courses – without drinks)

– 1 visit to the Bardolino Museum with tasting

– 1 visit to an oil mill in the Lake Garda area with tasting of oil and local products

– 1 visit to the Valpolicella winery followed by lunch and restaurant (3 courses – drinks included)

– 1 visit to an Asiago cheese producer with tasting

– 1 visit to the Grappa Museum with tasting

– 1 visit with Prosecco tasting in a local winery

– 1 light lunch based on cicchetti and shades of a Venice bar

– Local guide of Venice available for the city tour (max 2 hours)

Valid until 31 Oct 2024

Contact Us at 800-621-2259 or info@tourcrafters.com to book today!

*Package descriptions and pricing are subject to change without notice.