Magnificent Marche... starting from the charming Bologna!
1st day: WELCOME TO BOLOGNA…
Arrival at Bologna apt, meeting with Linda and the driver and transfer to the hotel in down-town Bologna. Check-in and relax. Free time to relax and enjoy this charming city, known as the “the largest and best preserved old town center in the world” by Unesco, with its arcades, monuments, the Two Towers “Garisenda” and “Asinelli” and its cultural heritage. According to your arrival time, guided tour (2 hours) of Piazza Maggiore: Bologna’s main square, with its medieval buildings: the oldest one is the Podesta’s Palace; San Petronio’s Cathedral dominates Piazza Maggiore: it is Bologna’s main church and the sixth largest church in Europe. “Palazzo della Mercanzia”, also called “Loggia dei Mercanti” (“Merchants’ Lodge”) or Carrobbio Palace has been the main seat of Universitas Mercatorum (“the court of merchants”) from the end of the 14th century till the end of the 18th century. The “Quadrilatero” (the “quadrilateral”): the traditional shopping heart of the town. Nearby the main squares, from Piazza Maggiore to Piazza Santo Stefano, passing through Piazza Galvani, Piazza Minghetti, Piazza della Mercanzia, Piazza di Porta Ravegnana and Piazza Re Enzo, the “Quadrilatero” offers a wide range of fine
jewellery and quality food: a great and charming area, ideal place for a shopping tour and to enjoy Bologna’s famous “aperitivo”! Free time and independent dinner (we suggest you nice local inns). Back to hotel and overnight stay.
2nd day: HD discovering GELATO …or…cooking-lesson in down town Bologna
Breafast at hotel and you can choose among:
1. HD Gelato experience: private transfer to Anzola dell’Emilia (15 km from Bologna) to visit the Museum of the Icecream by Carpigiani, guided visit of the museum and Workshop Discovering Gelato with icecream tasting (1h30min).
2. Full morning cooking lesson starting from the “Mercato di Mezzo” of Bologna. The morning class includes a short walk, a historic tour of the area and a visit to the "Middle- Market”. Every experience is unique because we decide the menu and choose the ingredients based on products' availability and seasonality. After strolling and sampling through the market and purchasing ingredients, you return to class and the culinary adventure begins. It's a great day of culinary fun, food and wine and it will be a day to remember! You will advance your cooking skills because you will be taught by Englishspeaking,
professional restaurant chefs and you will not just be taught recipes, but rather, you will be learning cooking techniques that will generalize to all types of dishes. Focus: cooking healthy and explore the simplicity and elegance of true Italian cuisine.
3rd day: RAVENNA and FANO…magnificent exemple and heritage of ancient civilizations.
Breakfast at hotel and private transfer to Marche Region with stop at Ravenna, morning (2 h) dedicated to discover this special town breathing the greatness of its precious mosaics and ancient buildings coming from bizantin civilisation…eight of them have been recognized as Unesco World Heritage. Possibility to visit: “Mausoleo di Galla Placidia”, the “Battistero degli Ortodossi”, “degli Ariani”, the cathedral of “Sant’Apollinare Nuovo” and the magnificent “Mausoleo di Teodorico”…we can not miss the grave of our “Sommo Poeta” Dante Alighieri. Stop at Casteldimezzo and lunch with fish menu or nearby in a very typical agritourism with local meat food, in a very special place of Parco Naturale San Bartolo, with wonderful Panorama view on the Adriatic sea. Transfer to Fano and slow visit (with Linda) of this colored town of Roman origins and Renaissance heart. Arrival at Monterado, check-in at the castle, dinner just at 10 steps from the castle and overnight stay.
4th day: URBINO…The Ideal Renaissance Court, OPZIONAL Sant’Ippolito the village of Stonemasons…rustic dinner in an ancient and sweet village.
Breakfast at hotel and transfer to Urbino, the jewel of this part of the Region and one of the most important cities in Italy during the Renaissance period. Through the sweet hills among the valley of the Cesano and Metauro Rivers you will discover Federico da Montefeltro’s ideal city. Meeting with the English speaking guide and soft visit of the historical centre. Imbiss/tasting session in Urbino down town at Monia’s. She makes the cave available to guests that can taste quality products of the Montefeltro, such as truffle and ancient delicacies. Possibility (not included in the package price, as “add on”): Transfer to Sant’Ippolito where you will leave a very special experience: the village of stonemasons who "make beautiful things with sweet stone" (Anonymous Forlivese sec. XVII), to meet the sculptor Natalia Gasparucci, listen to her story and dedicate the full afternoon (about 4 hours of theory and practise) to a mini-course in team-building sculpture. Each lady will have her piece of sandstone and the necessary equipment and directly at Natalia’s laboratory of Natalia, you will create your own opera, followed step by step by the sculptor. At the end of the mini course each guest will bring work home! Short transfer to another really small and charming village nearby to taste your rustic dinner together with Natalia! Back to the Castle and Overnight.
5th day : Luxury Shopping, special museum of straw hat tradition, lunch in historical building and arrival at Ascoli Piceno…
Breakfast at hotel and private transfer to the South part of the Region with stop in the centre for a “marathon-shopping-morning” visit a special luxury fragrance factory Danhera, Hogan /Tod’s outlet and short transfer to Montappone to visit a special museum: straw hat museum of ancient tradition, with a special guide. Lunch in historical building of the town and transfer to Ascoli Piceno. Check-in at hotel in the beautiful Palazzo dei Mercanti in superior room. After settling in, enjoy a great welcome drinks and and 1 hour guided tour of Ascoli Piceno.: the city of 100 ancient towers and “Olive Ascolane”! the city of travertine stone... with its spectacular squares, Roman churches, the 100 towers carved in travertine stone, enclosed between the river Castellano and river Tronto, of Picen origins, then conquered by the Romans in 268 BC. You can visit “Piazza del Popolo”, “San Francesco” church (Roman-Gothic with cloister and “Loggia dei Mercanti”, 1513). We will suggest you dinner in a special and famous Trattorias in the historical centre. Overnight stay.
6th day: Olives and wine…whatelse!
Breakfast at hotel and private transfer to the sweet hills towards Ripatransone at an ancient winery where Marilena is waiting for us: guided visit of the wine cellar listening to the history of the family and wines tasting this special drink enriched by local products. Transfer back to the a hill just up Ascoli till an historical Villa, where Elena, the owner, is waiting for us with the olive ascolane and typical fried meat making hands-on lesson (1h). Lunch tasting. Visit of the Villa, ancient wine cellar. Back to the hotel to relax and have free time for shopping. Farewell dinner tonight in Ascoli in a very splendid location: the historical Caffè meletti. Overnight stay. 7th day, 11.10: Arrivederci Magnificent Marche! Breakfast at hotel and you can have a walking tour of Ascoli for some shopping and then departure to Rome. We will drive through the fast highway to reach Rome, because we will stop by at the beautiful Porta Dei parchi Farm in Anversa where wE will have a tour of the local farm and typical lunch, before reaching Rome. We will arrive at Fregene/Fiumicino and check in at the Le Conghiglie. Dinner on own and overnight stay. 8th day, 12.10: Back home! Breakfast and transfer to the airport. End of services.
According to the number of participants, RainbowItaly can propose this itinerary in self-drive, minibus, GT bus, luxury car with private driver and everything can be personalized, starting from a basic package