Italian Delights Tours “7 Day Cinque Terre and Italian Riviera Tour” (2 days on the Cinque Terre, Portofino, Camogli, Genoa and a host of Hidden Delights) A Fully Escorted Intimate Land-Based Tour of the Cinque Terre & Italian Riviera 2018 Tour Dates May 9th to May 15th September 19th to September 25th 2019 Tour Dates September 25th to October 1st Lombardy Delights Pty Ltd trading as Italian Delights Tours -Bentleigh, Australia. PH; OS-+613 9018 6624 / AUS-1300 681 822 Email: [email protected] www.italiandelights.com.au Our Itinerary Legend for Meals provided breakfast | lunch | dinner Day One (Arrival Day) Arrival: Milan/Voghera to Sestri Levante You will be met by Jim at Milan’s Malpensa Airport at 12 pm, or the Voghera train station at 1.30 to 2pm. A well- appointed private, air-conditioned 9 seater vehicle will transfer you to the Hotel Genova in time to unwind either in your room, or on the rooftop terrace. In the evening we head off for a welcome dinner at a delightful local restaurant in the charming old part of Sestri Levante. Here we will enjoy a range of tasty local Ligurian dishes and wines. Day Two – (A day in a seaside Paradise!) Cinque Terre Today we spend a full day in the stunning Cinque Terre National Park, where you are free to walk or utilise the train service at your leisure in this wonderful part of the world (our suggestion would also be to take a boat ride!). We provide you with the time and flexibility to get the most out of your day. You will simply have to work your way back to Levanto train station by a set time in the late afternoon, before we head back to our hotel and a free evening in Sestri Levante. Day Three – (A charming day by the seaside!) Camogli – Abbey of San Fruttuoso – Leivi We begin our third day in Camogli, a very popular town for Italian holiday makers during summer. It is also a place where one can enjoy a sumptuous slice of cheese focaccia, more commonly known as Focaccia di Recco (the name of a neighbouring town). We arrive early in the morning in time to take the ferry to the nearby location of the Abbey of San Fruttuoso. We spend the morning in this isolated and idyllic location, which is only reachable by boat or foot, before heading back to Camogli for a free lunch. After lunch we head back to Sestri Levante to relax at our hotel and prepare for tonight’s provided meal at the Ristorante Pepen, in the town of Leivi, high up in the hills above the Ligurian coastline. Day Four – (Genoa - Historical Port City and Europe's largest Historical Centre) Genoa - Guided Walking Tour and Free Afternoon – Sestri Levante Today we visit the historical port city of Genoa. We spend the morning exploring the narrow alleyways (caruggi), in the company of a local walking guide, and afterwards guests have the opportunity to visit two of Genoa's amazing Palazzi, The Palazzo Rosso and the Palazzo Bianco (included as a part of our walking tour). But before guests visit the Palazzi we enjoy a scrumptious Genovese lunch together in the heart of the old town. Another place of interest for those curious about the history of this very young nation (unified as a Kingdom in 1861), is the former house and museum of one of its founding fathers, Giuseppe Mazzini. After our Genoa sojourn, guests have a free evening to dine at their pleasure back in Sestri Levante. Day Five – (Cinque Terre - Return to Paradise!) Cinque Terre – Sestri Levante Today we head back to the beautiful Cinque Terre. Your morning is free and all you need to do is arrive at Manarola for our scrumptious provided seafood lunch. For the rest of the afternoon you're also free to walk and/or ride the trains/boats as much as you like in an attempt to get the most out of your final day in this seaside paradise! We meet up together again in the late afternoon/early evening at the Levanto train station, where we will then return to Sestri Levante for a free evening or an optional visit to nearby Chiavari. Day Six – (Views, glorious views - and Opulence a la Italian Riviera!) Rapallo – Sanctuary of Montallegro – Portofino – Cooking class Today we visit two very different landmarks along the Northern Italian Riviera. The first is a religious monument called the Sanctuary of Montallegro. The easiest route to the sanctuary is by the cable car from Rapallo. It is a breathtaking ride and at the end there are magnificent views of Rapallo and as far as Portofino. Around the sanctuary there are also picnic places and lovely walks. The church, with its Neo Gothic façade, was consecrated in 1559 and local legend has it that the Virgin Mary appeared to a farmer and presented him with a Greek-Byzantine icon and asked him to construct a church in which it could be housed. In the late morning we return to Rapallo before heading off to Portofino, the town of the rich and famous, for our free lunch and afternoon sojourn. View of Rapallo from the Later in the afternoon we head back to Sestri Levante so we can Sanctuary of Montallegro prepare our dinner for the evening at a local cooking school or restaurant in Sestri. Here you will be taken through the preparation of some local Ligurian dishes, and when this is done, all we have to do is eat, drink and be merry! Day Seven – (Departure Day- End of Tour) Sestri Levante / San Gimignano - End of Tour Today we say goodbye to the gorgeous Northern Italian Riviera and end our tour in Sestri Levante. As an alternative guests can continue their independent travels from the town of San Gimignano, where we will arrive at lunchtime to continue another tour on this day. Arrivederci !!!!! Accommodation Sestri Levante’s Hotel Genova The Hotel Genova is an extremely well looked after hotel with very clean, modern rooms and great wifi service and breakfasts. It also has a rooftop sun terrace with nice water views and is located a stone's throw from Sestri Levante's stunning Bay of Fables. Jim and Lynette Romagnesi The Owners of Italian Delights Tours Italian Delights is owned by Lynette and Jim Romagnesi. They returned to Australia in 2007 after a two year period living in Southern Lombardy (an hour's drive from Milan and Genoa). Lynette and Jim had many friends and family members visit them during their stay and it was their feedback and love for this area that helped Lynette and Jim realise how wonderful it would be if more people from outside Italy could have the opportunity to discover this magical place. Jim was born in Melbourne, Australia and is also a dual citizen of Italy and Australia. His father was born in Varzi, the small medieval village in the heart of the area where two of the tours are undertaken. Jim is a true “Italophile”. He soaks up any information he can gather about Italy and longs for all things Italian – its wine, food, the blessed football or "calcio", motor cars and of course the coffee!! Lynette is also a dual citizen of Australia and Italy. She is very keen to employ her skills in the area of teaching, communication and cooking, so that she can be the best possible host for her guests when participating in Italian Delight’s tours! She first travelled to Italy on her and Jim’s honeymoon. Put simply, she fell in love with all things Italian and always dreamed that one day she would return. Ten years later her dream came true. Spending two years in the region of Lombardy with Jim, and their two sons Jason and Marcus. During this time her love for Italy grew as she was able to watch and learn from the local people in the little town near to where they were staying in. Guest Testimonials "I can absolutely recommend this unique tour! Every day was different, fun and interesting. Best of all was the undivided vitality, knowledge and caring guidance of our host and hostess, Jim and Lynette. They are such a caring and helpful couple. Our needs were their desire!" Sue – Sydney - Australia. “This has been such a good tour with you Jim. We know now why you love this part of the world so much. It is beautiful! Thank you for taking such good care of us. Grazie mille!” Adi and Roger - New Jersey, US "Our Italian Delights tour was a great opportunity to have an "inside" look into local Italian life and really explore Italy. The tour was intimate, and the hosts, Jim and Lynette were very caring, attentive, punctual and knowledgeable. They always went the extra mile to ensure that our tour was memorable. Great driving too Jim!" Anthony - Canberra, Australia. “Jim's attention to detail and desire to help out when we had a problem was exceptional.”Graham - Melbourne, Australia “This tour allowed my friends and I to experience the beauty and different cuisines relative to each different town we visited in Italy. Various people in our party had already been to Italy and all of the obvious popular cities, but this trip allowed them to experience something totally out of the box and see parts of Italy that were amazing and unexpected. Thank you Jim.” Joanne - Melbourne, Australia "Our Italian Delights Classic Tour exceeded all our expectations! The great thing was that each day was different.