Piemonte

The land of truffles and wine - Barolo, Barbaresco, Nebbiolo, Dolcetto and more. On this ten day all-inclusive tour we spend two nights in Torino (Turin) with its glorious Napoleonic architecture, signature chocolate and outstanding food and shopping. Home of the Winter Olympics in 2006, it is Italy's fourth largest city.

Then we take up residence in a luxurious villa for a week and explore my hidden gems - Madonna della Neve, Alba (Home of the Alba Truffle Festival), Cessole, Alba and the Barolo region - La Morra, Barolo, Dogiliani and more where we taste exquisite wines. We go truffle hunting one day and cook that evening with our bounty!

We take in Santuario Di Vicoforte, a marvellous cathedral with the largest unsupported dome in the world. We take a hike one afternoon through the Langhe Hills. We visit the Slow Food University and enjoy rare wines at the Banca Del Vino. We make a day exploring cheeses of the region visiting Bubbio and Roccoverano for its DOC Robbiaolo cheese. And of course we cook with the products of the region each evening back at our stately Italian villa.