Taste authentic Italian cuisine, join hands-on classes, and explore iconic regions on this exclusive spring culinary journey.

Only two rooms remain for this incredible Culinary Italy journey—secure your spot now before this exclusive experience sells out!

Experience the ultimate 15-day, 14-night Culinary Italy adventure, expertly curated by John McKay of Orleans Travel & Cruise Centre. Priced at $7,799 per person (including all gratuities), this exclusive spring journey invites you to savor authentic Italian cuisine, hands-on cooking classes, and immersive foodie walks across Rome, Umbria, and Tuscany.

Your trip begins with an overnight flight to Rome, where you’ll settle into 4- and 5-star hotels and villas. Enjoy 13 breakfasts, 3 lunches, and 4 dinners, plus two interactive cooking classes and three wine tastings featuring Brunello and Chianti wines. Discover Italy’s culinary heart with guided market tours, truffle hunting, olive oil tastings, and visits to cheese farms and pasta factories.

Explore iconic sites like the Colosseum, Roman Forum, Assisi Cathedral, Florence’s Renaissance treasures, and the rolling hills of Chianti. Delight in home-hosted lunches, countryside ATV adventures, and leisurely days to soak in the local culture. All tours, entrance fees, and gratuities (a $400 value) are included, ensuring a seamless and indulgent experience.

With limited spots and a $1,000 deposit securing your place, this is your chance to taste, learn, and explore Italy’s legendary flavors. Book now and let your spring culinary escape begin!

Contact our travel agency for more details and booking!

day 1

Sunday

Ciao a Tutti! Flights are on your own. Orleans Travel & Cruise can help with your flights. Flights need to arrive into Rome and depart from Florence. Transfer to your hotel will be at your own expense. If you wish we can arrange transfers for you.

day 2

Monday

Location

Located a short walk from the tourist heart of Rome entfernt and built in 1200, this 4-star urban hotel is especially appealing for its historical atmosphere. Rome - Ciampino (CIA) Airport and Rome - Fiumicino (FCO) Airport are both about 20 miles away.

Facilities

The hotel has 72 rooms, including 17 junior suites, 4 single rooms and 48 double rooms, which are located on 4 stories and are reachable by elevator. Multilingual staff (English, German, French) at the reception are happy to assist guests at the reception desk around the clock. Check-in and check-out are available 24 hours a day. A baggage storage service, a safe and a currency exchange service are available. Wireless internet access allows guests to stay connected while on vacation. The tour desk offers assistance with booking excursions. The hotel offers various facilities for guests with disabilities. Wheelchair-accessible facilities are available. There are also a number of shops that make for great strolling and browsing. A garden provides extra space for rest and relaxation in the open air. Guests arriving by car can park their vehicles in the garage or in the parking lot. Further services include medical assistance, a transfer service, room service (for a fee), a laundry service, a coin-operated laundry and a hotel shuttle bus. A business center with fax machine and projector is available. Larger events can be organized with the help of the conference service.

Meet our tour representative

Our Tour representative will be at the hotel to guide us through check in and porterage.

Afternoon at leisure. Dinner on your own

Spend your afternoon visiting some of Rome's greatest attractions. For Dinner dine at an Osteria, a cafe or even try a street vendor.

day 3

Tuesday

Breakfast at Hotel

Breakfast is served from 0630-0930

Morning Colosseum and Forum Tour and Afternoon to Explore on your own

In the morning come with us as we explore the Colosseum and Roman Forum

Enjoy a free afternoon in Rome. We can help you arrange tours to Trevi Fountain, the catacombs, a hop on hop off day pass or just get some advice walking around the city.

600 pm Italy Pizza Experience

In Rome they bake a special Roman version of Neapolitan pizza. A full immersion in local culture and a fun way of having a real Italian dinner. Pizzas with different toppings will be taken to the table already cut, so that everyone can get a slice of a different type. The owner will give explanations on the ingredients so you will be exposed to a real pizza experience, learn about this typical dish and also learn how to order an Italian pizza in case you want to replicate, during one of their dinners on your own. You will get : a bruschetta, a pizza, one drink and a dessert.

After your day exploring and eating we will meet at the hotel for our orientation where we will learn all about the amazing
tour ahead of us

day 4

Wednesday

Breakfast at Hotel

Breakfast is served from 0630-0930.

Rome Market Tour

Following breakfast we will meet with a local chef/guide and walk for 20 minutes (with breaks) and explore the neighbourhood of Trastevere, Rome’s medieval heart . Learn how to find fresh produce, explore the many varieties of vegetables and fruits used in local cuisine.

Local restaurant cooking class.

After the food market tour roll up your sleeves and get ready to prepare a hearty lunch of pasta with wine at a local restaurant.

Afternoon and evening at leisure.

day 5

Thursday

0700 Baggage collection
Breakfast at Hotel
Breakfast served 0630-0830

Check out from Kolbe Hotel Rome.

9:00 am - Departure - Central European Summer Time

Rome-Spoleto-Umbria

We head out this morning to Spoleto, considered one of the premier olive oil producing cities in Italy. Our first stop is at an Olive Oil Mill where we will see a demonstration in olive oil pressing and enjoy a sampling of the oils produced at the mill.

Check in at Dei Duchi
Location

This hotel is located in Spoleto.

Facilities

The hotel has an elevator and features 33 rooms and 2 suites. The friendly staff at the reception desk are happy to answer any questions. Amenities available at the hotel include a baggage storage service and a safe. Wireless internet access allows guests to stay connected while on vacation. The tour desk offers assistance with booking excursions. The hotel has a range of facilities for guests with disabilities. Wheelchair-accessible facilities are available. The grounds of the hotel feature a playground and a lovely garden. Additional amenities include a TV room and a library. Guests arriving by car can park their vehicles in the parking lot. Further services and facilities include a babysitting service, a childcare service, a car rental service, medical assistance, a transfer service, room service, a laundry service, a coin-operated laundry and a hotel shuttle bus. Complimentary newspapers are available. A business center with fax machine and projector is available.

1930 Dinner at Hotel

Gather around the hotel restaurant and listen to everyone's tales of the historic town of Orvieto.

day 6

Friday

Breakfast at Hotel

Breakfast is served 0700-0900

Assisi Tour

Discover Assisi’s rich history on a 3-hour at your own pace tour. Receive admission tickets and an audio guide to the St. Francis Basilica. Pay homage to Assisi’s famous patron saint at the Basilica of St Francis, which boasts one of Italy’s finest collections of church art. Stop as often as you like and enjoy the audio guide at your own pace. Stroll through the charming squares and narrow streets of old town, and learn see the city’s multilayered past as you view ancient Roman ruins and medieval buildings.

Home Hosted Lunch

At appx 1230 we arrive at a local residents home and enjoy a typical Umbrian lunch. feel free to ask questions about culture, history, way of living.

Departure - 1 hour

Depart for Hotel

your evening and dinner (on your own) will be at your leisure

day 7

Saturday

Breakfast 7-9 am

Truffle hunting

In the shadow of the Apennines, experience Umbria’s epicurean side. Join a local truffle hunter in search of the elusive fungi in the company of his trained, truffle-sniffing dogs. Sample the goods yourself during a rustic, home-cooked lunch before returning to your hotel in the late afternoon.

Dinner included (surprise)

day 8