Our tour starts on Piazza Maggiore, the heart of the city, with its medieval civic buildings. This central square is also home to the Fontana del Nettuno featuring sculptures by Giambologna. We then head to the Basilica di San Petronio to see the frescoes in the Bolognini Chapel and the sundial made by noted astronomer Cassini among other highlights. The tour continues along the Pavaglione portico with its elegant retail shops until we reach the 16th century Palazzo dell’Archiginnasio. A stroll through the picturesque alleyways of the Mercato di Mezzo brings us to the charming Piazza di Santo Stefano and its group of small Romanesque churches sometimes called the “Jerusalem of Bologna” or “The Seven Churches”. The Gothic Palazzo della Mercanzia and the charming 13th-century buildings on Piazza della Mercanzia come next, before we end our visit at the foot of the Due Torri, Bologna’s landmark twin towers.

WHAT IS INCLUDED

• Guided tour Transfer to and from the hotel
• Museum entrance fees not included

A mouth-watering and temptation-filled tour to celebrate Bologna La Grassa, this itinerary centers around the charming Mercato di Mezzo, where we explore the origins of the city’s famous food culture and sample several local and regional specialties: Mortadella ham, Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, traditional balsamic vinegar, “La Sfoglia" as locals call the egg pasta made by pulling the dough with a rolling pin (used in tortellini, tortelloni, tagliatelle, etc.), chocolate and much, much more. Amusing traditions and anecdotes from Bologna’s food and wine heritage accompany our stroll through Piazza Maggiore and to several classic retailers. And finally, you will have the opportunity to sample typical regional flavors paired with a glass of Pignoletto or Sangiovese wine and a tasting of cremini, tortellini di cioccolato and ravioli cookies to accompany your caffè.

WHAT IS INCLUDED

• Guided tour Transfer to and from the hotel
• Museum entrance fees not included

FICO is the world’s largest agri-food park! Starting with our own regional “terroir”, the outdoor complex boasts five acres of exhibits featuring Italy’s main crops and most representative animal breeds. FICO’s so-called ambassadors of biodiversity will then guide you to the 40 artisanal workshops that form the heart of the park and feature true masters demonstrating the secrets of our Italian culinary traditions. Then you move from the making to the tasting in FICO Ristoro with the world’s most extensive offering of artisanal foods from the origins of Italian cuisine to the latest, most pioneering experiments. Finally, your tour takes you through the 100,000-square-foot market and shop area to learn the finer points of shopping for food, Italian-style.

WHAT IS INCLUDED

• Guided tour Transfer to and from the hotel

Head for Maranello, home to the world’s most prestigious car manufacturer, a synthesis of passion and cutting-edge technology. Our first stop is the Ferrari Museum to see the many legendary models on display and indulge in a rich lunch of traditional fare. We then head to downtown Modena for a tour of the old town (Piazza Grade, the Torre Ghirlandina and the Cathedral, a masterpiece in the Po Valley’s Romanesque tradition and a UNESCO World Heritage site) or a tour of a vinegar factory to discover the traditional production and aging process of Modena’s celebrated balsamic vinegar. Alternatively, you could also visit the Museo Casa di Enzo Ferrari in Modena, which includes the house where “Il Drake” was born and a gallery in the shape of a yellow aluminum hood, a state-of-the-art architectural masterpiece designed to show the world how one man’s dream became a legend.

WHAT IS INCLUDED

• Full-day guide
• Transfer to and from the hotel
• Museum entrances
• Guided tours of the museums

Head for Borgo Panigale to relive Ducati’s glorious past: the perfect blend of innovation, Italian style and motorsport victories that began in 1926. After visiting the Ducati factory and museum, the tour continues to Sant’Agata Bolognese for the Lamborghini Museum. There, the exhibit starts with Ferruccio’s origin story and his first successes with the 350GT and Miura, moving on to the main models from the past and present as well as the racecars and the Formula 1 winners. The tour continues with a deep dive into the major phases of technological innovation at Lamborghini, including the 4X4 suspension, the aluminum, carbon and hybrid materials, the jewel-like motors, the new Lamborghini Urus and much, much more. It’s a great way to get a better understanding of how technology and passion have made real magic for decades in the Motor Valley.

WHAT IS INCLUDED

• Full-day guide
• Transfer to and from the hotel
• Museum entrances
• Guided tours of the museums

This tour is all about discovering the how the world’s most famous cheese is produced: Parmigiano Reggiano. We start with a tour of the production hall in one of the area’s main cheese factories, taking a closer look at the production stages, e.g., the pre-salting rooms, the salting room with over 2,100 wheels, the hot room and finally the warehouse and packaging room where the wheels are prepared for sale. A highlight of the tour is a visit to the warehouse where roughly 33,570 wheels of Parmigiano Reggiano are aging on certified earthquake-resistant ladders. The tour ends with a tasting of various types and ages of cheese before returning to the hotel.

WHAT IS INCLUDED

• Guided tour of the cheese factory
• Transfer to and from the hotel
• Parmigiano Reggiano tasting

On the foothills outside Bologna, surrounded by a landscape of incredible beauty, we will visit one of the area’s premier wineries. The loose soil and the dry, sunny and breezy climate on these hills provide the optimum conditions for cultivating grapevines, a practice that started here in the 1500s. With meticulous care of the age-old varietals and the more recently added Pignoletto vines, the respect for their inherent characteristics, the hand harvesting and the most advanced vinification techniques make for a wine of great quality and prestige.

WHAT IS INCLUDED

• Winery tour
• Tasting
• Transfer to and from the hotel

Ferrara was recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1995 for its “admirable example of a Renaissance-designed city with a completely intact historic center”. Our tour begins with a panoramic drive along the old Renaissance walls before venturing into the heart of the old town. We continue on foot along Corso Ercole I d’Este to the Castello Estense, the true symbol of the city, notable for its dramatic transformation from city fortress to lavish ducal residence. This is followed by a tour of the medieval city dominated by the huge bulk of the Cathedral and the Jewish ghetto.

WHAT IS INCLUDED

• Guide
• Transfer to and from the hotel