Italy has long been known as the land of romance, good food, and rolling vineyards. The true birthplace of satisfying and hearty cuisine that fills up the stomach and the soul, Italy has become more famous for its food than almost any other part of the historic and beautiful country.
Originating such classics as pasta, pizza, bottarga, polenta, risotto, and more, every part of Italian cuisine is designed to tempt and tantalize with every bite. With so much culinary history, you might be wondering if it’s even possible to experience it all! Some of the best Italy food tours address that question by taking you through a guided tour of all the best parts of Italian food in the locations of their birthplace, traveling through many different food and wine tours of Italy to ensure you experience the richness of every part of its cuisine.
The luscious vineyards of Italy are dripping with plant goodness that’s present in every dish. Wine-tasting holidays in Italy are equally popular and allow you to tour this world-famous wine location, but you can also plan a complementary culinary holiday Italy won’t let you forget anytime soon.
With so many wonderful options for food vacations in Italy, it can be hard to know where to start. Luckily for you, we’ve reviewed and prepared some of the best food tours in Italy so you know exactly what to book to help yourself discover the best Italy food tours have to offer and experience the many joys of Italian cuisine.
Italy Real Food Adventure – 8 Days with Intrepid Travel
Uncover the secrets of delicious Italian cuisine while traveling across the northern and central Italian landscape from Venice to Rome, two of the most popular destinations included in the best Italy tours. Visit regional locations and take in seasonal and fresh ingredients for a delicious and authentic tasting food tour that’s inspired by the days of the year.
Your tour won’t just be limited to pizza and pasta- you’ll get to enjoy every part of Italy’s classic food traditions here thanks to the unforgettable restaurants and dining experience with your experienced guides.
Your guided tour travels from Venice to Rome, with pit stops in San Gimignano and Bologna (and a loop around Modena). You’ll experience four incredible staple cuisines in the Italian culinary landscape: Rome, Tuscany, Emilia Romagna, and the Veneto, and get to taste fresh ingredients at farm stays that let you watch fresh wine and olive production as well as original balsamic vinegar handcrafted by local chefs.
Take hands-on cooking classes, roll your own pasta, and prepare authentic meals guided by trained chefs in the heart of Italy for the perfect Italy food tour package.
Gastronomic Barolo Walk – 9 Days with Exodus Adventure Travels
Known for its fine delicacies and luscious landscapes, with this Northern Italy tour, you will find a region that is a gastronomic heaven overflowing with tantalizing flavors and delicious meals and traditions. The Northern regions of Italy are known for such famous foods as their Bolognese pasta, Parmigiano Reggiano, Barolo wine, and even their delicious and worldwide famous truffles.
This culinary tour will start and end in the town of Benevello in the northern Piedmont region and will take you to sample the local delicacies as well as admire historical landmarks such as frescoed chapels, castles, and quaint villages. In the Barolo area, you’ll tour the fields your food is harvested from and learn more about the rich local truffle traditions of this region.
Private Wine Tour between Garda Lake and Prosecco Hills – 5 Days with Soleto Travel
This is a delicious food tour in one of the favorite Italian regions at the discovery of one of the most famous wines. You will be exploring the Valpolicella region in the Verona province and also visiting the beautiful city of Verona itself.
Your guide will show you towns like Conegliano, Asolo, and Valdobbiadene. You will stay at a farmhouse, discover the region, and enjoy wine-tasting experiences to savor local wines such as Valpolicella Classico, Ripasso, Amarone, Recioto, and Prosecco in the beautiful Prosecco Hills.
Foodie Tour of Northern Italy – 8 Days with Flag Travel Holidays
This week-long vacation in northern Italy is designed to offer you unique and unforgettable experiences. This tour connects you with local Italians in an authentic way helping you to live among the townspeople, meet local artisans and crafts, and learn about the true faces of Italy’s culinary history.
This foodie tour takes you to several key locations in Italy, including Bologna, Modena, and Pavia, and will end in Turin. Everywhere, you will have the chance to sample the best of the local products with enchanting backdrops of wine estates and countryside farm stays, as well as take part in a cooking class and also visit the historical landmarks in each destination.
Tuscany Wine Trails – 8 Days by Flag Travel Holidays
Designed to offer the best of the best in terms of Italian wine tour packages, the Tuscany Wine Trails experience allows you to soak up all the best wine and alcohol craftings of the Tuscan wine scene on a simple eight-day experience that’s luxurious and culinarily satisfying.
Your stay includes accommodation and an expert guide as well as meals and transport from location to location. Your first day begins in the Chianti region, where you can experience traditional and classic wines while exploring your surroundings in the wonderful Tuscan countryside and even strolling through nearby vineyards.
The day after, you are off to the famous Montalcino wine region where you will learn the local wine-making traditions and also taste the renowned Brunello wines while visiting two wineries.
You’ll also spend an entire day with winemakers in Montepulciano, soaking in the natural order of winemaking and learning local secrets and traditions along with great wine. Taste many different delicious wines alongside traditional Tuscan light lunches or fares and walk along the sloping landscapes to admire the greenery-draped hills.
Next, visit the Val D’Orcia and the river along the provinces of Grosseto, southern Tuscany, and Maremma, visiting historical sites and of course drinking delicious Tuscan wines before returning home sated and full of culture, culinary delights, and good wine.
Gourmet Puglia – 8 Days with Cosmos
Take your travel to the next step by exploring the southern Italian region of Puglia (Apulia), full of deliciously packed and traditional flavors and dishes all steeped in local culture and history. Book this South Italy tour to explore the breathtaking city of Bari and wander through the narrow alleys of its historic center watching local women making the typical orecchiette pasta at their doorstep.
The eight-day odyssey of meals takes you through some incredible local and larger culinary areas and combines tasting and fine dining with cooking classes taught by locals with experience, heritage, and handcrafted products.
Travel across this stunning region discovering highlights such as Martina Franca, Alberobello, Cisternino, Ostuni, Altamura, and even an excursion to nearby Matera in Basilicata. If you’re looking for traditional dishes and stunning landscapes, this is the perfect tour to book as one of the best food tours in Italy.
Tuscany to Cinque Terre: Wines, Villages & Unforgettable Walks – 7 Days with G Adventures
Cross through the trails of Italy and its luxurious wine locations to soak in some of the best wine on this side of paradise. Your seven-day tour is a lavish wine-tasting experience that takes you through some of the richest wine regions Italy has to offer.
Complete with an expert guide who’s well versed in both wine history and local history, this tour allows for the perfect combination of local history and delicious wine tasting as well as traveling through many highlights of Italian travel. This will also include a stop in Pisa before heading to the Tuscan countryside.
Your tour begins and ends in Florence and will take you to explore the five colorful towns known as Cinque Terre. Spend a day and night there before traveling to Manarola, Riomaggiore, Corniglia, Vernazza, & Monterosso, all surrounded by lush nature and pristine waters. Soak in vineyards, olive groves, citrus orchards, and connect with both nature and mankind in this incredible vintner’s experience.
You’ll also visit the Tuscan wine region for a nice wine-tasting experience. Lavish, richly taught and filled with perfect wine, you’ll love your time in Cinque Terre with this guided tour.
Tuscany Gourmet Cooking Tour – 7 Days with Caspin Journeys
On this food tour, you will spend a week in the beautiful town of Etruscan origins Cortona in the Tuscan province of Arezzo. With activities such as sightseeing, truffle hunting, and cooking classes, this tour is exciting and diverse.
You will be taking several day trips to world-famous locations such as Siena, Chianti, and Montalcino learning everything about the local history, the culture, and the making of traditional dishes.
5 Days Italian Cookery Getaway in Umbria with Let’s Cook in Umbria
Immerse in the culinary art of the wonderful Umbria region sampling local products and visiting famous landmarks such as the Perugina Chocolate Museum in Perugia and the ceramics factory in the quaint town of Deruta, as well as enjoying a wine tour in the region of the Sagrantino wine.
Apart from the days of arrival and departure, the remaining three days will start with a hands-on cooking experience where you will prepare a full four-course meal that you can enjoy on the same day for lunch.
The afternoons are devoted to visiting important regional landmarks and areas such as the medieval towns of Bevagna and Montefalco and the mystical city of Assisi.
Cultural, Culinary & Olive Harvest Experience in Abruzzo – 7 Days with Italia Sweet Italia
This tour starts and ends in Rome. Your guide will come to pick you up at Fiumicino airport and will take you to Vasto, an ancient Roman town in the Abruzzo region on the Adriatic Coast.
In a week, you will savor the local way of living by visiting a farmers’ market, an olive oil mill after harvesting olives yourself, and an agriturismo to learn everything about Abruzzo’s farming life. You will also take part in traditional cooking classes, visit the coast, and enjoy wine-tasting experiences.
Small Group Sicily Food & Wine Tour By Sicily Activities
Travel your way with Sicily Activities on this personalized small group Sicily tour that takes you through all the best parts of Sicily’s food and wine experience on your timetable and preferences. Begin in the historic location of Catania and travel for eight days through six historic locations in Italy.
End in Palermo, a city of pizza, pasta, and wine, and depart from there for your next travel destination! Your tour includes accommodation and meals as well as transport with your expert guide who’s well-trained in local cultural and culinary traditions.
Your tour will take you through many different local, family-oriented traditions and culinary routines as well as larger cities’ restaurants and meals. Visit the countryside of Etna and taste the best of their food and wine, and learn to cook yourself in Taormina alongside the Family Trattoria.
Take a walking tour through Noto and enjoy fresh seafood at lunch before heading to Syracuse for a light lunch and winery tour. End on the streets of Palermo for an authentic Italian experience that will leave you craving more Italy culinary vacations. If you prefer a private food tour in Sicily, the same operator also runs this Private Sicily Food & Wine Lovers Tour.
Bologna Gourmet, Good Food and History 4 Days Tour with Soleto Travel
This straight shot through the food capital of Europe takes you through the rich wine and food traditions of the Emilia Romagna region- considered by many to be one of the highlights of Italian culinary culture. Your four-day tour package takes you through many significant Italian locales as well as exposes you to traditional dishes and meals.
Begin with one day in Bologna where you will about the local history, art, and architecture before tucking into the city’s delicacies such as a pasta dish, local cold cuts, one glass of Lambrusco wine, coffee, and the typical Majani Chocolate.
The day after, you can choose between a visit to the Parmigiano Reggiano factory or experience balsamic vinegar tasting in Modena. This tour gives you the possibility to extend your stay with an extra day in Parma.
Emilia Food Tour – 7 Days with Flag Travel Holidays
If you can afford a week in Emilia-Romagna, this tour is a full immersion in all the culinary gems this region has to offer and a deep dive into its history and culture. You will explore Bologna and learn to make tagliatelle or tortellini. You will then visit Faenza to try the local olive oil, the famous Lambrusco wine, and the Squacquerone cheese before heading to the wonderful Ravenna to admire its Byzantine mosaics.
But this is not all. This food tour in Italy carries on in important cities like Parma and Modena to learn about and sample the original Parmigiano Reggiano and Modena’s balsamic vinegar. On day four, you will also visit the Ferrari Museum in Modena before heading back to your accommodation in the countryside.
Taste of Salento – Authentic Culinary Experience – 7 Days with Soleto Travel
Experience Italian cuisine personally with this private tour that exposes you to local cuisines, local cooking styles, and historical local sightseeing stops all in one simple trip. Start and End in Brindisi for a circular experience that takes you through eight high-quality destinations in Italy that are off the beaten path but still packed with gastronomic history.
Enjoy the authentic Salento culinary experience by sipping on local wines and pastas as well as training with local chefs to make your own. Follow along with a local expert to learn the art of olive oil production before visiting Castro and the prehistoric cave of Zinzulusa.
Learn how to make your own pasta with guidance from trained professionals and complement your meal with local wines and delicious blends from nearby vineyards. Cross from Castro, Gallipoli, Lecce, Maglie, and more, ending again in Brindisi for easy travel in and out of your tour.
Conclusion
Booking a food or wine tour is one of the best decisions you can make for yourself when making travel plans. Food and wine tours provide incredible benefits to your local holiday that turn an average trip into the vacation of a lifetime. Booking a guided package makes your travel plans incredibly simple. If you are traveling independently, you can also opt for a day tour like one of these food tours of Florence.
Rely on the experience of your booking company to organize and manage the minute travel planning details and transportation, leaning back and relaxing while they coordinate your arrival. Your stress levels will decrease drastically with an expert guide in charge who knows the area. The second benefit to booking a pre-paid Italy food tour is that expert guides can add local life and flavor to the sightseeing experience by sharing their knowledge and learned experiences of the area to your tour. Hear a local’s opinion and the colorful and authentic Italian experience as you travel with a local guide in charge, as well as one who can help you connect with locals in the communities you’re touring and visiting.
The best part of booking prepared expert tours is that you can soak in Italian experiences for a far better price with prepackaged tours that minimize spending on the go and package everything neatly into an all-access, all-inclusive package. Accommodations, travel, and meals are all paid for ahead of time, making it easy to budget for your trip and keep a tighter budget while you’re actually traveling. Whatever your reason for booking a food and wine vacation, Italy continues to offer some of the best food tours in the world, making them an ideal destination for your next food holiday.
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