Welcome to Bologna! Upon arrival at Bologna airport (BLQ), guests will be privately transferred to their hotel in the city center and assisted with check in. Take in your first sights of Bologna, widely considered the food capital of Italy, where tortellini, tagliatelle al ragù and mortadella were born and where the markets, osterie and family-run shops are an integral part of the experience. Miles of covered porticoes (now UNESCO World Heritage) line its terracotta-colored streets, making it one of Italy’s most walkable and atmospheric cities, with far fewer crowds than Rome, Florence or Venice.

Check in to your hotel, I Portici, set inside the renovated 19th century Art Nouveau Palazzo Maccaferri, where frescoed Liberty-style interiors meet contemporary design in the heart of the city. With a Michelin-starred restaurant on site, a terrace lounge and a location on Via Indipendenza between Piazza Maggiore and the train station, it’s both a beautiful retreat and a perfect base for exploring the city on foot.

Once settled, take some time to refresh before a warm welcome dinner at Ristorante Diana, a perfect introduction to regional cuisine in a cozy environment. Guests will enjoy a traditional set menu of local specialties served with regional wines.

Meals included: Dinner

Private Transfer from Hotel to La Cavaliera Cantina & Agriturismo. Tucked into the hills outside Modena, La Cavaliera is a family-run organic farm and winery where you’ll experience Emilia-Romagna the way locals do. The family has been making wine here since the 1980s, growing Lambrusco Grasparossa and other local grapes organically and naming each bottle after a member of the family. You’ll walk the vineyards and see how their sparkling wines are made by natural refermentation in the bottle, a far cry from the sweet, fizzy Lambrusco many of us know. Then climb up to the tasel, the family’s attic acetaia, a treasure passed down through generations, where traditional balsamic vinegar ages slowly in wooden barrels and earns its nickname, the “black gold” of Modena. You’ll finish with a long, hearty lunch of traditional Modenese home cooking, paired with the farm’s own wines.

Guests will partake in their VIP Private Balsamic Vinegar and Lambrusco Tour & Tasting. Your day begins with a guided walk through the vineyards of Castelvetro, home of Lambrusco Grasparossa, where you’ll learn how this sparkling red is made from vine to bottle.

Then step into a traditional acetaia to discover the slow, time-honored art of balsamic vinegar. Afterwards, sit down to a hearty lunch of authentic local cooking, finishing with homemade crostata, coffee, water and wine. Afterwards, rejoin your driver and head back to the hotel.

Evening at Leisure to explore Bologna at your own pace. 

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Private Bologna Food Tour with a Local Chef. Your food tour starts with a coffee from one of Bologna's best baristas, enjoyed under the city's famous porticoes. Then head to the Quadrilatero and Mercato delle Erbe to shop for lunch and meet the people behind the stalls.

Next, watch local sfogline roll out fresh pasta by hand, then try a plate of one of the city's classic pastas. Lunch is at Italy's oldest osteria: cured meats, local cheese with balsamic and a glass of Pignoletto. Finish with some of the best gelato in town.

Afternoon at Leisure - Enjoy some time to walk around the town at your own pace. Site and activity suggestions will be provided before your arrival.

Then in the evening, reconvene with your travel group for a special dinner experience. Private Transfer from Hotel to Maranello (1 hour) for a Private Dinner at Ristorante Cavallino, one of Massimo Bottura’s Michelin-starred restaurants. Enjoy an exclusive evening in the restaurant’s main dining room, reserved entirely for your group.

Dinner is a four-course tasting menu, each dish paired with a specially selected wine. Afterwards, rejoin your driver and head back to the hotel.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Embark on a private tour of the Emilia-Romagna food corridor: Parmigiano Reggiano, Prosciutto & Parma.

You'll be picked up at your hotel and head to Parma first to explore the food valley. Start at Parmigiano Reggiano dairy, just in time to watch the cheese being made. Follow it from the copper vats to the salting pools and into vast aging halls, then taste wheels at different stages of maturity.

Next, visit a Prosciutto di Parma producer to see how the ham is made, from the cold rooms to the final curing. Lunch follows at a local restaurant, starting with a selection of Parma ham and cured meats.

The afternoon ends with a guided walking tour of Parma’s historic center, including a visit inside the cathedral to see Correggio’s famous frescoed dome, alongside the pink marble Baptistery i Piazza Duomo.

Afterwards, rejoin your driver and head back to the hotel. Evening at Leisure

Dining and site suggestions will be provided

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch

Morning at Leisure to explore the city at your own pace.

In the afternoon, private transfer to Palazzo di Varignana for an afternoon VIP Olive Oil & Wine Tasting at Agrivar, with Private Dinner at Trattoria le Marzoline

Your visit takes you to Agrivar, the farm estate of Palazzo di Varignana in the hills just outside Bologna, known for its multi-award-winning extra virgin olive oil. The experience begins in the courtyard overlooking the vineyard, where you’ll hear about the estate’s farming project, before touring the production area and barrel cellar and learning how its sparkling wine is made using the Classic Method.

In the tasting room, sample two of Agrivar’s extra virgin olive oils alongside two of its wines, served with bread, breadsticks and streghette, Bologna’s thin, crispy flatbread crackers.

The evening continues with dinner at Trattoria le Marzoline, in a private area reserved just for your group. Afterwards, rejoin your drivers and head back to your hotel

Meals included: Breakfast, Dinner

Private Bologonese Cooking Class - Roll up your sleeves for a private, hands-on cooking class led by a local chef. Learn to make fresh pasta the Bolognese way, rolling out the sfoglia by hand and shaping classics like tagliatelle and tortellini, while picking up the secrets of a proper ragù. At the end, sit down together to enjoy the dishes you’ve made, paired with local wines.

In the evening, indulge in a Farewell Dinner at Casa Merlò. Close your journey with a final dinner at one of Bologna’s most delicious restaurants. Gather around the table one last time to enjoy a menu celebrating the best of Emilia-Romagna, paired with local wines, and toast the flavors, places and memories you’ve collected along the way.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After your final breakfast at the hotel, say goodbye to your travel companions. Transfer to the airport according to your flight schedule.

Price Includes

• Round-trip airport transfers from BLQ
• 6 nights of 4-star hotel accommodations at I Portici* or similar.
• 14 meals, plus tastings and drinks as outlined in the itinerary
• English speaking local private guide throughout the trip
• All entrance fees and equipment for tours and experiences
• On-site Concierge assistance during trip 

Price Does NOT Include the Following Services

• Personal expenses & extras in the hotels
• Additional meals and drinks, unless specifically listed
• Taxi rides & transfers outside of program
• Flights
• Travel & Accident Insurance

Important information for consideration
Several of the experiences included in this itinerary are provided by small, family-owned businesses. We select these suppliers deliberately for their local character and quality; however, availability can be limited and cannot be held indefinitely. These services will be booked once the final number of travellers are confirmed and their deposits collected. Should any of the itinerary’s components no longer be available at that stage, we will arrange a comparable alternative of equivalent quality. This applies to the experiences and activities mentioned throughout the itinerary, as well as to hotels, restaurants and other local suppliers. 

If the above-mentioned hotels are fully booked or overbooked, we reserve the right to replace them with accommodation of an equivalent standard.

The operator reserves the right to make changes to the itinerary as needed, provided that such changes do not significantly affect the overall course of the trip.

If attractions are closed due to local conditions such as natural disasters, strikes, political unrest, or similar circumstances, the operators reserve the right to adjust the program as needed. Naturally, we will do our best to provide an equivalent alternative if and when the need arises.

In large cities, traffic conditions are often unpredictable. For this reason, both the order of the sights visited, and the pick-up times may change. All tour times provided are approximate.

Travelers should hold their own travel insurance. We recommend this trusted provider for travelers needing coverage. 

Travelers should be in good health with a physical condition that allows for light to moderate walking. Due to local conditions, we cannot guarantee accessibility for wheelchair users. 

If guests have dietary restrictions or allergies, they should disclose this at the time of booking. While our team cannot guarantee special arrangements, we will request accommodations with suppliers as necessary.

Minimum Passenger Sale Requirement:
The minimum passenger sale requirement for this group is 20 paying travelers, and the maximum is 40. If the minimum is not met, the trip will be cancelled or rescheduled.

Passenger Deposit, Cancellation, and Payment Scheduling
$100 RSVP payment per person to hold a spot. This deposit will be applied toward the final balance of the trip. If the trip is cancelled due to not meeting the minimum, or if the traveler cancels before January 15th, 2027, the travelers can apply this payment to any future travel experience managed by Vacationeeze.

Approximately 30% deposit due by February 1, 2027.

Remaining balance due by May 1, 2027. 

All amounts paid are non refundable. Travelers are strongly encouraged to purchase a travel insurance policy that protects them from losses in unforeseen circumstances. 

$200 discount per person will be applied only for bookings received through December 1,  2026.