caprionline.com

This month, ItalyTraveller’s Experiences include a festive shopping spree in the country’s Christmas Markets, a spot of sled dogging, and a trip to the Sacred Mountain of Varallo to see one of Italy’s greatest works of religious art. December is a month for being merry, all the more so when it includes a tour of Count d’Attimis-Maniago’s wine cellars in Friuli or a taste of Helene Markart’s Alpine cuisine at the Hotel Adler in the Dolomites. Those wanting to make it as well as eat it, will find what they’re looking for near Turin, at Moncalieri’s Officina del Gusto cooking school whilst, for holidaymakers who simply want to relax, Cortina d’Ampezzo’s 5 star luxury Cristallo Hotel Spa & Golf is the ideal place in which to indulge in some serious pampering.

ItalyTraveller’s Experiences for November focus on a number of the country’s major cities, starting with the waterways of Milan, Florence and Rome, and Catania’s spectacular Stanze In Fiore garden. Whilst wine connoisseurs will love the trip to Trentino’s Cantine Ferrari, foodies will find it hard to choose between a few lessons at Milan’s Cucina Italiana cooking school and a gourmet vacation at Venice’s Hotel Cipriani.

November is a great month to take a break in the Italian capital and to visit Rome’s MAXXI and MACRO: the city’s brand new contemporary art museums. Art historians will be loathe to miss the “Great Venetians. From Pisanello to Titian, from Tintoretto to Tiepolo” exhibition, currently on display in Rome’s Chiostro del Bramante. After a morning devoted to art, what could be better than a relaxing ritual in the Acanto Day Spa, the luxurious wellness center located within steps of the Pantheon?

The month of October has arrived and for those considering a fall getaway in Italy, ItalyTraveller has selected seven fabulous autumnal travel ideas, commencing with a journey to Chianti. Here in the countryside between Siena and Florence, we discover the history, cuisine and, of course, the wines of one of Tuscany’s most loved regions. From the vine carpeted hills of Chianti we head to the Ligurian coast to participate in one of the entertaining cooking classes held at Genoa’s Chef per Caso cooking school. In Cermes we have fun getting lost in the maze of grapevines.

In Piedmont, in the province of Asti, we venture 32 meters underground to visit the cellars of the Casa Contratto winery, to indulge in a glass or two of the finest spumante. Whilst in Piedmont, we take a tour of the contemporary art gallery in Rivoli Castle. In Umbria we stop over at Relais Villa dei Colli, a stunning country hotel and spa, to enjoy the benefits of wellness treatments inspired by the Ancient Greeks. ItalyTraveller’s October experiences conclude, as they began, in Tuscany, savoring the delicious cuisine in Sinalunga’s Coccole dell’Amorosa restaurant.

ItalyTraveller’s experiences for September take visitors on a countrywide tour of Italy’s historic thermal stations and to the town of Ravello, to taste the delicious cuisine served in Palazzo Sasso’s Rosselini’s restaurant.

From the Amalfi Coast, we head to Florence to join one of the popular Tuscan cooking lessons organized by La Pentola delle Meraviglie and to the countryside surrounding Lake Garda, where the Cantina Fratelli Zeni produce some of Veneto’s finest wines.

From North to South, Italy boasts any number of beautiful places in which to relax, from the park surrounding Piedmont’s Racconigi Castle to the luxury spa in Sicily’s Hotel Kempinksy Giardino di Costanza.

August is the perfect time of year to enjoy an Italian holiday together with the Italians, visiting one of the much-loved holiday destinations dotting the country’s sun drenched coastline, its islands and their satellite isles. This month, Italytraveller takes you to Puglia, to the Borgobianco Resort & Spa where to indulge in days of professional pampering, and to the Leone Castris Cellars, where some of Salento’s finest wines are produced.

From the Adriatic coast of Puglia we head west, towards the Tyrrhenian sea and the Campania region, to attend lessons at the Sorrento Cooking School before crossing the waters to reach Sicily and the fascinating city of Taormina, home to the San Domenico Palace Hotel and the Principe di Cerami restaurant run by Massimo Mantarro. From Sicily we sail to another Italian island, Sardinia, to explore the magnificent Dunes of Piscinas and Laconi’s fascinating Menhir Museum.

Summer has finally arrived and to celebrate, ItalyTraveller has sourced a suitcase load of new travel experiences to make sure your holiday in Italy is one you’ll never forget! Starting in Liguria, and the Cinque Terre, ItalyTraveller follows the old mule tracks linking 5 ancient coastal sanctuaries, before heading to the Riviera dei Fiori, to take a peep inside Royal Hotel Sanremo’s exclusive wellness center, where luxurious treatments using spa products made with the grapes from the hotel’s vineyard are performed. Staying with the grape theme, this month’s visit to the Cantina Terre Bianche provides the perfect introduction to Imperia’s world famous wines.

As the outside temperatures soar, why not seek refuge in one of Italy’s super cool museums, such as Sorrento’s fascinating Museo Correale? Heat is ,of course, no problem for the Calabrians who, despite living in one of Italy’s hottest regions, can’t resist adding generous doses of fiery chili pepper to their food – whether it be sausage or ice cream! Like his Calabrian colleagues, Ischia’s well-traveled chef, Nino di Costanzo, knows all about tantalizing the taste buds, something he does exceptionally well at the Hotel Terme Manzi’s award winning Mosiaco Restaurant. For those who don’t just want to taste it but make it too, Sicily’s Egata Cooking School is the ideal place where to discover the secrets of Mediterranean cuisine.

ItalyTraveller’s latest selection of experiences take lovers of all things Italian to the country’s legendary Amalfi Coast, where to discover the A to Z of the area’s great gastronomic tradition, and the highly prized ingredients you might easily find in the kitchens of Grand Hotel Angiolieri’s award-winning L’Accardo restaurant. From the Sorrentine Peninsula, we take a hydrofoil to the island of Capri to see the 14th century Charterhouse of San Giacomo and Karl Diefenbach’s artworks, before indulging in a few hours pampering at the Quisi Beauty, the historic Grand Hotel Quisisana’s luxury spa.

Southern Italy’s Campania region is the protagonist of the another of June’s experiences, that dedicated to wine and, more precisely, to the fabulous vintages produced by Irpinia’s Feudi di San Gregorio winery. Professional and amateur cooks eager to improve their skills this summer, should head to the capital city and Rome’s multilingual A Tavola con lo Chef” cooking school.

Designed for those who dream of leaving the routine of everyday life behind them, of packing a bag and heading off to unknown climes, ItalyTraveller’s Experiences for the month of May will take you throughout Italy, discovering the art and cuisine which, in the 18th century, made the country the principal destination of the Grand Tour.

The journey commences amidst the mountains of Valle d’Aosta, with a trip to Cogne and Hotel Bellevue’s three award-winning restaurants, before heading south, to Tuscany and the province of Siena, where to reap the benefits of Borgo la Bagnaia’s thermal waters and visit Abbadia Ardenga’s cellar museum devoted to the region’s world famous Brunello wine.

Hopping across the border, into Umbria, travelers will want to spend time savoring the small, landlocked region’s rich and varied cuisine, and make a trip to the ancient city of Spoleto, home to the prestigious International Culinary Academy. This month’s Grand Tour of Italy comes to a spectacular conclusion in the vibrant city of Naples, with a visit to the Museum of the Treasures of San Gennaro.

Ravenna Art Museum’s exhibition dedicated to Britain’s Pre-Raphaelite painters and Centrale Montemartini’s incredible display of Ancient Roman and industrial archeology: the two unmissable art escapes which head ItalyTraveller’s new series of Italian experiences. This month, those planning a regenerating spring break in Naples, will want to pop in to Grand Hotel Parker’s “Daylight Spa” (open to both hotel residents and non), where to enjoy one of the fabulous treatments performed using red coral.

All those who have ever dreamed of becoming Chef for the night, in one of Milan’s most highly rated restaurants, should sign up for Teatro 7’s unforgettable cooking courses. For those not yet ready to step into the culinary spotlight, the Crete Senese food and wine itinerary will provide the perfect introduction to some of Tuscany’s finest gastronomic fare whilst, at Villa Crespi’s gourmet restaurant, on the shores of Lake Orta, Antonino Cannavacciulo’s fusion of Southern and Northern flavors is guaranteed to delight the palate.

Even with the fullest of stomachs, visitors to the gardens of Piedmont’s Pralormo Castle will still be able to feast their eyes on the magnificent display of the 50,000 or so tulips in flower during the annual Mister Tulip Festival. Further food for thought awaits in the towns where literary greats such as Francesco Petrarca and Giacomo Leopardi were born, and to which April’s ‘Top of the Month’ experience pays homage.

The legends of Italy’s Castles and the inspiring images within the National Museum of Photography in Florence head the list of new experiences designed to delight lovers of all things Italian.

Other experiences spotlighted by ItalyTraveller for the month of March include an unforgettable meal at the Certosa di Maggiano’s award winning “Il Canto”, cooking with spring flowers in Trentino’s “Centottantagradi” gastronomic laboratory and spa luxurious treatments at the environmentally friendly Lefay Resort & SPA, on lake Garda.

March is the month which marks the much-awaited arrival of spring, and the perfect time of year to visit the bio-energetic gardens at the Marche’s Borgo Storico Seghetti Panichi or take a trip to Umbria and the wineries where the region’s ancient Sagrantino di Montefalco is produced.