Compare Gardens of Italy: The Italian Lakes, the Piedmont, Tuscany, Umbria & Rome by ASA Cultural Tours vs Classic Northern Italy by Culture Trip

Day 1: Arrive Milan – Transfer to Moltrasio

Meals: Dinner

Afternoon at Leisure

Introductory Meeting

Welcome Evening Meal

On arrival at Milan’s Malpensa airport, those taking the ASA ‘designated’ flight transfer by private coach to Moltrasio. If you are travelling independently, you should meet the group at the Grand Hotel Imperiale. Note: private transfers from the airport to the hotel can be arranged through the hotel’s concierge, please contact ASA for further information.

Afternoon is at leisure to relax on the shores of Lake Como with panoramic views of the Grigne Mountains. Evening: Short introductory meeting before dining at the hotel’s restaurant. (Overnight Moltrasio)

Day 2: Moltrasio – Tremezzo – Bellagio – Moltrasio

Meals: Breakfast

Villa Carlotta, Tremezzo

Villa Melzi, Bellagio (optional)

Villa del Balbianello, Bellagio

Morning cruise across Lake Como to 18th century Villa Carlotta, a garden with a huge botanical collection and a traditional Italian formal design, unlike most lake gardens that were heavily influenced by the more fluid layouts of English landscape gardening; it thus has a wide variety of architectural features – parterres, stairways, ponds, fountains, etc. In April and May Villa Carlotta offers a sea of multi-coloured azaleas shaped in high rounded cushions alongside the garden paths.

During the lunch break you will have some time at leisure to visit Villa Melzi (optional).

Afternoon visit to Villa del Balbianello, an exquisite villa set in woods of pine, soaring cypress and oak with pollarded plane trees and manicured lawns and flowerbeds. Facing the promontory of Serbelloni, from the Lavedo point it boasts unparalleled views down the three branches of the lake. The first villa was built in 1540, but was later moved to a new site inland to protect it from flooding. Cardinal Durini erected a casino with a loggia in 1790, open to the sun and breezes; today it is trellised with Ficus pumila (creeping fig) and flanked by a library and music room. (Overnight Moltrasio)

Stresa - 2 nights

Day 3: Moltrasio – Bisuschio – Casalzuigno – Stresa

Meals: Breakfast

Villa Cicogna Mozzoni, Bisuschio

Villa della Porta Bozzolo, Casalzuigno

Depart Moltrasio to visit Villa Cicogna Mozzoni, located on a steep hillside in the village of Bisuschio. Its garden looks out upon sweeping views, with a glimpse of Lake Lugano. Founded in the 15th century, the villa took its present form in the 16th century. The Cicogna family, who inherited it in 1580, still owns this lovely villa. The formal gardens rise on 7 narrow terraces and adjacent to them is a small sunken garden with formal box parterres and patches of lawn. We tour the villa residence that houses a fine antique collection. Above the villa is a great terrace with Renaissance grottoes offering shade in summer, and a magnificent water stair. Flowing water was an essential feature of Italian formal gardens, offering a cooling spectacle and a lively, burbling sound.

After lunchtime at leisure we visit Villa della Porta Bozzolo, which is unusual for Lombardy because its measured stately design is laid out upon a steep slope. Parterres, terraces with stone balustrades and grand stairways flanking fountains rise to an octagonal clearing, or theatre, surrounded by a thick ring of cypresses and woods. The perspective rises further to the villa, set to one side in order not to interrupt the silvan view. We continue to our hotel located on the shores of Lake Maggiore. (Overnight Stresa)

Day 4: Stresa – Lake Maggiore – Lake Orta – Stresa

Meals: Breakfast

Isola Bella, Lake Maggiore

Isola Madre, Lake Maggiore

Orta San Giulio & Isola San Giulio, Lake Orta

We take the ferry across Lake Maggiore to Count Carlo Borromeo’s Isola Bella (1632), one of Italy’s most extraordinary Baroque gardens. Located on an island off Stresa, it appears to float like a palatial barge, with 10 terraces rising like a ship’s prow from the reflecting waters. It shares the island with the Borromeo palace and its adjacent village.

We also visit Isola Madre, with semi-tropical plantings amongst which white peacocks roam. In 1845, Flaubert wrote that ‘Isola Madre is the most sensual place that I have ever seen in the world’. It has a fine swamp cypress, citrus fruit trees, crape myrtle, hibiscus, leptospermum and acacias. The landscape woods have groves of native trees – aromatic cypress, bay and pine – interplanted with camphor, pepper trees and styrax. Its pathways are lined with magnolias, camellias, rhododendrons and azaleas.

Afternoon visit to Lake Orta to the west of Lake Maggiore, a tiny jewel surrounded by hills and mountains acting as a great natural theatre enveloping local towns and villages. The most beautiful of these is Orta San Giulio, whose town hall has a frescoed façade. Its narrow streets are lined with Rococo houses. We take a ferry to San Giulio Island to visit the 12th century Romanesque church whose pulpit is one of the outstanding masterpieces of medieval sculpture in Northern Italy. (Overnight Stresa)

Turin - 4 nights

Day 5: Stresa – Caravino – Turin

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Castello di Masino including lunch and ‘The Cloud Garden’ by Paolo Pejrone, Caravino

We drive south from Stresa to the Castello di Masino to tour the castle and its monumental park. This great Savoyard property ‘sets the scene’ for your exploration of Piedmont, one of Italy’s lesser known, yet extremely important regions. Nestling at the foot of the Alps, this ‘gateway to Western Europe’ absorbed many foreign garden influences, particularly from nearby France, and from the United Kingdom. In 1860 the venerable House of Savoy, founded in the 11th century, gave a newly unified Italy its royal family. From the 17th century the Dukes of Savoy had built grand palaces and vast gardens often influenced by those of the French Ancien Régime. Our tour of the interior of Castello di Masino and then of its grand park introduces not only Savoyard culture but also contemporary developments in Italian gardening. A captivating aspect of the park is the Giardino delle Nuvole (the Cloud Garden) designed by one of Italy’s foremost garden designers, the internationally renowned Paolo Pejrone, founder of the Piedmontese Garden Academy. Inspired by Russell Page and Roberto Burle Marx, Pejrone has designed gardens in Germany, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Austria, France and the United Kingdom. Pejrone is a committee member of FAI (Fondazione Ambiente Italiana), dedicated to the restoration and conservation of Savoyard castles and palaces; it is headquartered at Castello di Masino. The Castle also hosts an extremely important garden festival in May. After lunch we will make our way to Turin, Italy’s first capital city after unification and home to the House of Savoy.  (Overnight Turin)

Day 6: Turin

Meals: Breakfast

Orientation walk of Turin, including guided visits to the Palazzo Reale (Royal Palace) and Palazzo Madama

Afternoon and evening at leisure

This morning we will enjoy a guided orientation walk of the city’s centre with a local guide. Our walk will include a visit to Turin’s Royal Palace, seat of the House of Savoy (1646-1859) and of Vittorio Emanuele II, King of Italy (1860-1865). This grand palace, a major essay in Italian Baroque and Rococo, has sumptuous decorations and furniture from all periods. We will also visit Turin’s Palazzo Madama, a medieval castle behind a Baroque façade, with a major art collection that includes Antonello da Messina’s Portrait of a Man. The afternoon and evening we will be at leisure to explore Turin in greater depth. (Overnight Turin)

Day 7: Turin – Moncalieri – Turin

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Villa Silvio Pellico – including lunch (exclusive private visit)

Private Garden Visit (to be confirmed)

Today we visit Villa Silvio Pellico, a fine Neo-Gothic mansion (1870) with a Russell Page garden, arguably one of his three masterpieces. Page had gained an understanding of the Italian and French formal tradition of gardening from Edith Wharton and Geoffrey Jellicoe. On an ill-kempt hillside in the 1950s he created a fine terraced garden on two axes divided by pools; Page was particularly sensitive to the use of water in gardens. Symmetrical hedges create a series of ‘rooms’ of different designs, using diverse vegetation and ground patterns, as well as sculptures. The present owner, Raimonda Lanza di Trabia, daughter of the last Prince of Trabia (Sicily), and her husband Emanuele Gamna, will host us for lunch. You can read more about this garden in Marina Schinz & Gabrielle van Zuylen’s book The Gardens of Russell Page.

We continue our afternoon with another private garden visit (details to be confirmed). (Overnight Turin)

Day 8: Turin – Villar Perosa – Revello – Moncalieri – Turin

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Program hosted by Paolo Pejrone

Gardens of Casa Agnelli at Villar Perosa (exclusive private visit)

Bramafam, Paolo Pejrone’s Private Experimental Garden (exclusive private visit)

Private Garden of Silvana and Alberto Peyrani (exclusive private visit to be confirmed in 2017)

We are particularly privileged today to accompany Paolo Pejrone on a visit to his own, very private garden, designed not so much for its aesthetics as a laboratory in which the master is constantly experimenting with new plantings. Set on a steep escarpment near a ruined medieval rampart from which ‘Bramafam’ takes its name, the garden and its owner’s discussions with you will give precious, unique insights into his ideas and practice.

Paolo Pejrone will also accompany us to the exquisite gardens of Casa Agnelli, set on a private estate which has been home to the Agnelli family since the early 1800s. The grounds offer a range of styles: Italianate formal gardens; a water garden with interconnecting lakes; an English-style woodland walk, a romantic garden, sculpture gardens and more. We are particularly fortunate to have been granted a visit to this most extraordinary of gardens.

Today Paolo Pejrone will also introduce the private garden he designed for Silvana and Alberto Peyrani. Pejrone surrounded their villa with extensive new gardens, including decorative orchards and a fine potager. We are very grateful that the Peyranis have graciously consented to allow us to explore their private domain with its creator. (Overnight Turin)

Lucca - 2 nights

Day 9: Turin – Santa Margherita Ligure – La Cervara – Lucca

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

The Abbey of San Girolamo al Monte di Portofino (La Cervara)

Group Evening meal at Gli Orti di Via Elisa Restaurant

We drive southeast along the grand Ligurian coast to the magnificent Abbey of San Girolamo al Monte di Portofino. Located in a strategic position atop a rocky headland that overlooks the Tigullio Gulf, it was founded as a Benedictine Monastery (1361). The monks’ former vegetable garden was transformed into what is now the only monumental Italian formal garden in the Liguria region. It extends over two levels connected by arbors and steps. On the lower level, hedges of boxwood (buxus sempervirens) are trimmed into ornate stepped cones, an important example of topiary art. The hedges surround a 17th-century marble fountain in the form of a putto, whose underlying basin is tinged with pink water lilies in summer.

After visiting this grand garden, we continue to Lucca and check in to the Hotel Ilaria, which occupies the restored stables of the Villa Bottini inside the city walls. In the evening we dine together at Gli Orti di Via Elisa Restaurant located near the hotel. (Overnight Lucca)

Day 10: Lucca

Meals: Breakfast

Orientation tour of Lucca incl. Cathedral of San Martino, San Michele, San Frediano and the Piazza del Mercato

Palazzo Pfanner

Afternoon at leisure: Optional Walk along Lucca’s City Walls

Evening Puccini Concert, Church of San Giovanni

Lucca is one of the most beautiful of all Italian cities, with city walls graced by grand plantations of trees and one of the finest sets of Romanesque churches in Italy. We visit the Cathedral of St. Martin, with a lovely Jacopo della Quercia tomb. The Church of San Michele has a spectacular façade made up of complex blind galleries with capricious sculptures of beasts. It was built in the ancient forum of the city; Lucca’s medieval street plan follows the original Roman plan. The oval Piazza del Mercato’s medieval palaces were built into the structure of Lucca’s Roman amphitheatre. San Frediano, meanwhile, has a distinctive façade mosaic and a unique baptismal font that was once a medieval fountain.

After lunch we visit the privately owned 17th century Palazzo Pfanner where parts of Portrait of a Lady were filmed (1996). The palace’s owner, Dario Pfanner, will introduce his palace and its Baroque garden, a fine example of an urban garden that includes various statues of Olympian deities and a fountain pond. Its elegant lemon house (limonaia) inflects a space defined by boxwood and laurel hedges. Bushes of peonies and hortensias, roses and potted geraniums gain shade from yews, pines, magnolias and an old camellia. Inside, the palace’s piano nobile (main reception room) features Pietro Paolo Scorsini frescoes (c.1720).

The remainder of the afternoon is at leisure. You may wish to walk a section of Lucca’s 17th-century city walls, the best preserved in Italy. The Lucchesi planted trees atop these walls to form a promenade enlivened by small gardens and lawns. We attend an evening concert with a selection from operas (e.g. La Bohème, Tosca, Madame Butterfly and Turandot) by Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924) a native of Lucca, in the Church of San Giovanni. (Overnight Lucca) B

Florence - 4 nights

Day 11: Lucca – Camigliano S. Gemma – Capannori – San Piero a Sieve – Florence

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Villa Torrigiani, Camigliano S. Gemma

Lunch at Fattoria Villa Maionchi, Capannori

Medici Castello del Trebbio, San Piero a Sieve (exclusive private visit to be confirmed in 2017)

During the Renaissance, the wealthy merchant families of Tuscany built grand villas on the plains of Lucca. We visit 17th-century Villa Torrigiani, named after the camellia that was introduced to the gardens in the early 18th century. The garden’s Baroque layout, attributed to André Le Nôtre, features symmetrical reflecting pools in front of the villa. Most outstanding is the secret garden (Giardino di Flora), with regular beds, topiary and pools. The garden features 19th-century trees, magnificent magnolias, cypresses and umbrella pines. The 18th-century avenue of cypresses leading to the villa from the village of Borgonuova reflects the past grandeur of estates in this region.

We eat a traditional Tuscan lunch at the local agriturismo Fattoria Villa Maionchi, followed by a brief tour of the farm that produces a variety of products including wine, olives, olive oil and marmalade.

“Set on a hilltop in the Apennines north of Florence, a few kilometres west of San Piero a Sieve, Castello del Trebbio is one of the oldest villas built by the Medici, who came from the Mugello and chose their native region for their first villas. The head of the Medici clan, Giovanni di Bicci, owned the property from the late 14th century, and upon his death in 1428, the villa was inherited by Cosimo the Elder, who commissioned Michelozzzo di Bartolomeo to rebuild the original castle.

“Set in an excellent strategic position, dominating the Sieve Valley below and near a cross roads (Trebbio derives from the Latin trivium), the castle was surrounded by woods and a huge estate which bordered on the Cafaggiolo property. Although Vasari suggests otherwise, Trebbio was the first of the Mugello castles to be rebuilt by Michelozzo. Immediately after 1428, the building work began, incorporating the existing watchtower into a solid, compact defensive construction surrounded by a moat and drawbridge. The defensive role was necessary on account of the castle’s position, however novel features were also introduced to satisfy the requirements of the patron.

The walled garden set on two terraces to the right is noteworthy as it was among the first of its kind to be designed for a villa. The upper terrace of the well-preserved garden, a veritable hortus conclusus, is decorated with a long pergola made up of a double row of columns and sandstone capitals in various styles (ionic and decorated with foliage motifs), which support a thick covering of vines. As can be seen in the lunette painted by Giusto Utens between 1599 and 1602, there was a second pergola (now lost) on the lower terrace, which retains the original layout of a vegetable garden with a pond, as well as planting designed by Michelozzo to satisfy not only defensive requirements, but also Cosimo’s spiritual desire for a contemplative life.” (The Medici Villas: Complete Guide by Isabella Lapi Ballerini & Mario Scalini).

In the late afternoon we arrive at our hotel in central Florence. (Overnight Florence)

Day 12: Florence – Fiesole – Florence

Meals: Breakfast

Villa Medici in Fiesole

Villa Le Balze, Fiesole

Villa Capponi (exclusive private visit to be confirmed in 2017)

Unlike the grand villa gardens we have visited near Lucca, Florence and its vicinity have a number of small intimate urban gardens that we visit today. Many of these offer glimpses of the city, a counterpart to the spectacular views afforded by their grander Florentine counterparts. Such views offer a reminder that Florentine villas were seen as retreats from this metropolitan powerhouse. We make an early morning visit to elegant Fiesole in the hills overlooking Florence where Boccaccio set his Decameron, model for Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales; Boccaccio’s protagonists told stories to while away their days in a Fiesole villa in which they had escaped from the plague ravaging Florence.

We first visit the 16th-century Villa Medici in Fiesole. The garden, showing Cecil Pinsent’s influence, is divided into three terraces with a limonaia. We shall walk to Villa Le Balze. Now a University of Georgetown study centre, it has a small formal garden and olive grove designed by Englishman Cecil Pinsent, with breathtaking views over Florence. There will be time at leisure to explore Fiesole’s town centre.

In Florence in the afternoon we visit the 16th-century Villa Capponi and its secret gardens where the late Queen Mother spent holidays as a girl. Cecil Pinsent’s influence is evident; he added a library and created a hidden swimming pool area. (Overnight Florence)

Day 13: Florence – Greve in Chianti – Florence

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Giardino Corsini al Prato (exclusive private visit to be confirmed in 2017)

Villa Vignamaggio, Greve in Chianti – including wine-tasting and lunch

We begin with a visit to the Giardini Corsini al Prato, a Florentine urban garden that illustrates the deep connection between nature, science and beauty in the Renaissance sensibility. Alessandro Acciaioli, a passionate 16th-century botanist, conceived the garden. Unable to finish his residence, he was forced to sell the property to Filippo di Lorenzo Corsini who completed the Italian garden that remains unchanged to this day. Completely concealed from the street by the façade of the palazzo, this urban garden reveals pink and red rock roses, peonies, cherry trees and lavender along with elegant lemon urns and a central axis of solemn marble statues. After our tour of the gardens Princess Georgiana Corsini has kindly arranged for us a tour of her palace, followed by refreshments.

We next drive out of Florence for a delicious lunch at a beautiful Renaissance villa, Vignamaggio, Greve in Chianti. The 15th-16th-century house has important artistic associations, for Leonardo da Vinci is thought to have stayed here, and painted the owner’s young wife, Lisa del Giacondo, Mona Lisa. Vignamaggio is also famed for its wines, for it is the official supplier to the Italian parliament at the Quirinale Palace, Rome; its wines are first mentioned in the 15th century. It also was the setting of Kenneth Branagh’s film Much Ado About Nothing, starring Emma Thompson. The restored garden, aligned to a row of 100-year-old cypress, features simple topiary and box hedging amid lawns. Areas like the sunken fountain garden inflect this exquisite orchestration of trees, hedges, lawns and old statues that look out upon the estate’s famous vineyards.

In the afternoon we return to Florence, where the evening is at leisure. (Overnight Florence)

Day 14: Florence

Meals: Breakfast

San Lorenzo: Medici Chapel

Palazzo Medici Riccardi: The Chapel of the Magi

Afternoon at leisure

On a visit to San Lorenzo and the Medici Chapel we explore Michelangelo’s Medici tombs, masterpieces of 16th-century sculpture showing a transition from classical High Renaissance values to a Mannerist mode.

Near San Lorenzo we visit the Palazzo Medici Riccardi to view Benozzo Gozzoli’s frescoes of the Procession of the Magi in the small Magi Chapel. The sumptuous procession, which includes Medici family members, is set in an ideal Tuscan landscape, which forms a fascinating comparison to the gardens we visit and countryside through which we drive. The afternoon is at leisure to explore Florence’s many monuments and museums. (Overnight Florence)

Siena - 2 nights

Day 15: Florence – Settignano – Pianella – Siena

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Villa Gamberaia, Settignano – including interiors of the villa

Villa di Geggiano, Pianella – including buffet lunch (exclusive private visit)

Optional evening excursion to Siena’s town centre

We drive to Siena via two famous Tuscan villas. At Settignano we visit the Villa Gamberaia, with arguably the most famous of Florentine villa gardens. The Capponi family initiated the present garden in 1718. In 1896, Princess Ghika of Serbia created the main water parterres in front of the villa. The Marchi family has recently restored the garden. It features magnificent topiary, two fine grottoes, and wonderful old cypresses and pines. By special arrangement, we also tour the interiors of the villa which combines interesting architectural features of both an urban palazzo and suburban villa.

Midday we cross to the opposite side of the Sienese hills to the enchanting Villa Geggiano. Here, centuries-old cypress, potted lemons and clipped box hedges adorn a garden boasting a unique ‘greenery theatre’, late Baroque sculptures, a kitchen garden with topiary art and a semi-circular fishpond that forms an elegant terrace overlooking Siena. The villa itself contains original 13th-century furnishings. A small chapel faces the garden. Lunch features crostini with porcini mushrooms and truffles, pasta, various locally cured meats and Pecorino cheeses, followed by plum jam tart, all washed down with Villa di Geggiano Chianti Classico, mineral water and coffee.

In the afternoon we continue to our hotel on the outskirts of Siena, a villa surrounded by gardens. For those wishing to dine in Siena, there will be an optional evening excursion into the city centre. (Overnight Siena)

Day 16: Siena

Meals: Breakfast

Orientation tour of Siena including: Palazzo Pubblico, Cathedral & Museum

Afternoon at leisure

Siena is the quintessential medieval city. We explore Lorenzetti’s fascinating paintings of Good and Bad Government in the Palazzo Pubblico and Duccio’s masterpiece, the Maestà in the Cathedral Museum. We examine Nicola and Giovanni Pisano’s great pulpit in Siena Cathedral. We also visit medieval quarters (contrade) dominated by palaces still occupied by the families who built them. The contrade compete in the famous palio horse race twice a year. Protected by the Virgin Mary, Siena is a city of Trinitarian symbolism. Built on three ridges, it has three major sectors (terzi) that each elected three members of the city council, and interpreted its very architectural fabric in such symbolic terms. The afternoon is at leisure to explore Siena’s many monuments and museums. (Overnight Siena)

Perugia - 1 night

Day 17: Siena – Chianciano Terme – Castel del Piano Umbro – Perugia

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Villa La Foce, Chianciano Terme (by special appointment to be confirmed in 2017)

Private gardens of Villa Aureli, Castel del Piano Umbro – including lunch (exclusive private visit to be confirmed in 2017)

Perugia Orientation Walk: Cathedral & Fontana Maggiore

We drive south to the Renaissance Villa La Foce, home of Iris Origo, author of the famous Merchant of Prato. Origo’s two autobiographies, Images and Shadows and War in Val d’Orcia, vividly describe life on the estate in the mid-20th century. La Foce overlooks the Orcia valley and Amiata Mountains, maintaining a distinctive harmony between its spectacular landscape setting and the formal style of surrounding gardens. Terraces with cherries, pines, cypress and wild herbs gently climb its hillside setting. Now a centre for cultural and artistic activities it hosts the distinguished Incontri chamber annual summer music festival in the Castelluccio, a medieval castle on the property.

Count Sperello di Serego Alighieri, a descendent of Dante, will host us for a light lunch and show us his lovely Villa Aureli. Shaded by lime trees and oaks and decorated with many late antique vases containing citrus trees, the villa dates to the middle of the 18th century, when a Perugian nobleman and artist, Count Sperello Aureli, transformed a 16th-century tower into his country residence. Of particular note is the orangery, whose high roof reminds one of the hull of an upturned ship.

We continue to Perugia for a gentle orientation walk to include its Cathedral and Fontana Maggiore. We spend two nights in the luxury Hotel Brufani Palace, located on a hilltop within Perugia’s historic core. (Overnight Perugia)

Viterbo - 1 night

Day 18: Perugia – Bagnaia – Viterbo

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Galleria Nazionale dell’Umbria

Villa Lante, Bagnaia

We begin by viewing masterpieces, including works by Perugino, in the Galleria Nazionale dell’Umbria before departing Perugia to visit two great villas and their gardens.

Villa Lante is the consummate example of Italian Mannerist garden design. Giacomo Barozzi da Vignola’s exemplary essay in fine scale and proportion centres on a fountain and water parterre. Vignola was influenced by the Vatican gardens, the Villa d’Este, Hadrian’s marine theatre and the Boboli Gardens (Florence). Its theme, humanity’s descent from the Golden Age is based upon Ovid’s Metamorphosis. Water flows from the Grotto of the Deluge at the summit down a stepped cascade and through a channel at the centre of a vast stone table used for banquets, inspired by Pliny’s description of an imperial garden table using water to cool wine and fruit. In the late afternoon drive a short distance to our hotel located in the countryside outside Viterbo. (Overnight Viterbo)

Rome - 4 nights

Day 19: Viterbo – Vignanello – Calcata – Rome

Meals: Breakfast

Castello Ruspoli, Vignanello – including lunch

Gardens of Paolo Portoghesi at Calcata (exclusive private visit to be confirmed in 2017)

Castello Ruspoli occupies the site of a mid-9th century Benedictine convent later converted to a military stronghold. Ortensia Baglioni transformed it into a villa, designed by the great architects Sangallo and Vignola, and succeeding generations created one of Italy’s most beautiful parterres, composed of hedges of bay, laurel and box, which articulate a vast rectangular space. The Princess Ruspoli today maintains the gardens. Our visit will be complemented by lunch in the wine-cellars near the palazzo which specialise in the cuisine of Vignanello.

This afternoon we visit the gardens of distinguished architect and scholar Paolo Portoghesi. The gardens reinterpret Baroque elements and Borrominian forms, and fuse geometry with nature to produce a garden which is both spectacularly modern and at the same time, reverent toward the traditions upon which it draws. (Overnight Rome)

Day 20: Rome – Tivoli – Rome

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Villa d’Este, Tivoli

Lunch at Ristorante Sibilla, Tivoli

Time at leisure in Rome

Set among the hanging cliffs of the Valle Gaudente, the Villa d’Este and its surrounding gardens and waterworks has undergone a series of innovative extensions in layout and decoration, including those of Bernini in the late 17th century. This UNESCO world heritage site boasts an impressive concentration of nymphaea, grottoes and fountains, including the famous hydraulic Organ Fountain that still operates. The Villa d’Este’s use of water and music became the definitive model for Mannerist and Baroque gardens across Europe.

We remain in the town of Tivoli for lunch at Ristorante Sibilla, a famous restaurant specialising in regional dishes. Marble plaques on the walls list the members of royalty and other famous people who have come here to dine for more than 250 years. After lunch, we return to Rome to enjoy time at leisure. (Overnight Rome)

Day 21: Rome – Ninfa – Sermoneta – Sezze – Rome

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Giardini di Ninfa

Lunch at Ristorante Simposio al Corso, Sermoneta

Private Gardens of Torrecchia Vecchia (exclusive private visit to be confirmed in 2017)

We depart early this morning (approx. 7.30am) for the Giardini di Ninfa. The magnificent gardens of Ninfa south of Rome are some of the most remarkable in all of Italy. Entrance to the gardens is restricted and we are fortunate to be able to visit them. The town of Ninfa is but a memory of a once prosperous medieval commune owned by the Caetani family since the mid-13th century. In the early 20th century the family began to regenerate its ruins, taking advantage of a microclimate greened by rich spring water. Thousands of species were introduced from all over the world under the guidance of botanical experts. Lelia Caetani, the last of her ancient family, died in 1977 and bequeathed her property to the Foundation Caetani that maintains the wonderfully atmospheric gardens. Today plants weave themselves over ruined towers, ancient archways and churches, while ducks and swans glide on the castle’s moat. Highlights include a walled garden, small orchard and diverse plantings in which roses, banana trees and maples thrive together in this unique and beautiful landscape.

Midday we dine at Ristorante Simposio al Corso, located in the medieval town of Sermoneta. Nearby, we visit the dreamy gardens of Torrecchia, one of Italy’s most beautiful private gardens. ‘Nestled against the crumbling ruins of a medieval village and castle, perched on a volcanic hilltop just south of Rome, they command spectacular views of the unspoilt 1500 acre estate’. Owned by Carlo Caracciolo (the late owner of the Italian newspaper L’Espresso) and Violante Visconti, the gardens were originally designed by Lauro Marchetti, the current curator of the Giardini di Ninfa, and further developed by the English garden designer Dan Pearson and later by Stuart Barfoot. (Overnight Rome)

Day 22: Rome – Castel Giuliano – Bracciano – Rome

Meals: Breakfast

Palazzo Patrizi, Castel Giuliano (exclusive private visit to be confirmed in 2017)

Visit to the village of Bracciano, overlooking Lake Bracciano

San Liberato Giardini Botanici, Bracciano (exclusive private visit to be confirmed in 2017)

The estate of Castel Giuliano, surrounded by a beautiful century-old park, occupies the site of an Etruscan and Roman settlement at the foot of the Tolfa Mountains. The Patrizi family has owned it since 1546 and its present owners have restored its ancient buildings and park to their former splendour. On its wide, gently sloping turf terraces, pines, cluster oaks, and century-old Lebanon cedars tower above sweet-scented herbs and flower-laden bushes, contrasting unruly nature with human interventions. The park has numerous Etruscan tombs and ruins of Roman walls covered in ferns and lichen. Truly unique, is one of Italy’s most important private rose gardens; in May it hosts the famous ‘Feast of the Roses’. Climbing roses soften the austere lines of the ancient castle walls, which are surrounded by combinations of shrubbery and foxglove, myrtle and pale blue ceanothus.

Nearby we visit the gardens of San Liberato, overlooking Lake Bracciano, designed by the famous English landscape designer Russell Page. Page assisted the Count and Countess Sanminiatelli to create San Liberato between 1965 and 1975. With panoramic views of the lake and surrounding countryside, chestnut woods, a formal rose garden, informal flower beds like small islands dotting the green lawns, and borders of silver and grey plants, the garden also has a modern version of the ‘Orto dei Semplici’, a late medieval physic garden of monastery pharmacies – situated next to the extraordinary church of San Liberato (c.1000 AD). (Overnight Rome) B

Day 23: Depart Rome

Meals: Breakfast

Airport transfer for participants departing on the ASA ‘designated’ flight

The tour ends in Rome. Participants travelling on the ASA ‘designated’ flight will transfer to the airport to take their flight home to Australia. Alternatively, you may wish to extend your stay in Italy. Please contact ASA if you require further assistance.

DAY 1

Arrive in Rome and dine at a family-run restaurant

Your Italian adventure gets underway at 6pm with a welcome drink at your hotel and the chance to meet your group and our Local Insider who will accompany your group throughout the trip. Dinner will be served at Ristorante Al 34, opened by Walter and Maria Luisa Casalini in 1968 and now helmed by son Nicola, whose extensive menu revolves around Italian classics such as lobster linguini and Roman meatballs. After dinner, you’ll be free to explore before turning in for the night.

ACCOMMODATION

• Hotel Art

ACTIVITIES INCLUDED

• Welcome dinner

DAY 2

Explore the highlights of the Italian capital by bike

The action starts with a three-hour guided bike tour through Roman antiquity (bikes, helmets and insurance are all included). You’ll pedal past landmark attractions such as the ruins of Trajan’s Market, the Mausoleum (built in 28BCE and commissioned by Augustus, the first Roman emperor), and piazzas Spagna, Navona and Venezia, before finishing near the Colosseum. Refuel over lunch at Ristorante Isidoro – the building in which it sits was a convent in the 17th century – before walking to the Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill, all of which you can access with your pre-booked ticket. The rest of the day and the evening’s dinner venue are up to you.

ACCOMMODATION

• Hotel Art

ACTIVITIES INCLUDED

• Rome bicycle tour
• Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill entry

DAY 3

Uncover the sights and sounds of Siena

Day three kicks off with a private transfer and train to Siena, one of the most important medieval cities in Tuscany. On arrival, lunch will be served in the 13th-century dining room of Gallo Nero; expect typical Tuscan dishes with locally sourced ingredients, freshly pulled pasta and homemade bread. Next, you’ll be whisked off to your hotel in the Chianti wine region; you’re free to explore by yourself for the rest of the day. You could make your way into Siena and admire the beautiful gothic Duomo di Siena, or unwind with an Aperol spritz by the hotel pool.

ACCOMMODATION

• Villa Curina Resort

ACTIVITIES INCLUDED

• Train to Siena

DAY 4

Wine and olive oil tasting, vineyard tour and cooking class

Go light on breakfast, because today is all about eating and drinking. Departing at 9am, you’ll be driven 45 minutes north of Siena, to a winemaking estate in the walled medieval village of San Gimignano. Tour the vineyards and olive groves, visit the cellars, then taste fresh produce on a terrace with panoramic views. Then, the main event: a rustic Tuscan lunch outdoors and a cooking class in which you’ll learn how to make tiramisu and pici pasta. Don’t worry about over-indulging – all you have to do afterwards is sit back as you are driven to your Florence hotel.

ACCOMMODATION

• Hotel De La Ville

ACTIVITIES INCLUDED

• Vineyard tour and wine tasting
• Cookery class

DAY 5

Discover Florence on foot

Start the morning with a walking tour of Florence. Afterwards, you can spend the day as you wish. There’s so much to explore in Florence. Beyond art, the Accademia has an extraordinary collection of instruments for music lovers, while Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella will entice perfume fans. Alternatively, recharge at the hotel and take a cocktail in the American Bar. You’re ideally placed for shopping and sightseeing, as the hotel is just off Via Tornabuoni, where designer stores such as Gucci and Tod’s mingle with Renaissance palaces, such as Palazzo Strozzi.

ACCOMMODATION

• Hotel De La Ville

ACTIVITIES INCLUDED

• Guided Florence walking tour

DAY 6

Wander through Pisa and the coastal village of Levanto

Today you’ll be whisked away in a private vehicle to Pisa, giving you the chance to see the leaning tower. Next, it’s onto the coastal resort town of Levanto, a hidden gem in the heart of the Italian Riviera with views over the leafy hillsides on the edge of the Cinque Terre National Park. Stroll down to the medieval town where pastel-coloured houses cling to the cliffside, snap those all-important photos along the promenade and enjoy an Aperol spritz at sunset. If you’re in the mood, take the chance to cool off with a swim in the Mediterranean.

ACCOMMODATION

• Park Hotel Argento

ACTIVITIES INCLUDED

• Leaning Tower of Pisa entry

DAY 7

Trek the Cinque Terre coastal route

The main event today is a coastal hike through the five fishing villages of Cinque Terre, a Unesco National Park. It’s a six-minute train ride from Levanto to Monterosso, from where you’ll trek 13km (8mi) along basil-strewn clifftops to Manarola, via Vernazza, Corniglia and Volastra. Drink in panoramic Mediterranean views through the pine trees. Then take the train from Manarola back to Levanto. The excursion will take about four hours, which leaves you free to explore this stretch of unspoilt coastline at your leisure. Alternatively, enjoy the coastline by train and ferry ride.

ACCOMMODATION

• Park Hotel Argento

ACTIVITIES INCLUDED

• Guided Cinque Terre coastal hike
• Train back to Levanto

DAY 8

Admire Lake Como from the water

Today starts bright and early with a private four-hour transfer to the shores of Lake Como. Enjoy lunch by the lakeside and perhaps a visit to the 14th-century Como Cathedral and its 18th-century bell tower, which offers astonishing views. Next, hop on a boat where an English-speaking skipper will lead a tour of Lake Como. Sip an aperitif as you watch the sunset, and later, wander the romantic cobbled streets of Como to find a restaurant of your choice.

ACCOMMODATION

• Hotel Metropole Suisse

ACTIVITIES INCLUDED

• Lake Como boat tour

DAY 9

Indulge in Milan’s gastronomic side

After a slow breakfast, it’s time to say goodbye to Lake Como. You’ll be in Milan by midday, in time to start a three-hour culinary walking tour of the economic powerhouse of Italy. Among the gastronomic treats you’ll sample are 24-month-aged Parma ham, artisanal ice cream, melanzane alla parmigiana, lasagne and mondeghili (meatballs done the Milanese way). Finish the day with a farewell dinner at 10 Corso Como, where a conservatory-style interior blends seamlessly into a secluded patio overflowing with foliage and flowers. Choose a bottle or two of Italian wine and toast an unforgettable trip with new friends.

ACCOMMODATION

• iH Hotels Milano Ambasciatori

ACTIVITIES INCLUDED

• Milan Walking food tour
• Farewell Dinner

DAY 10

Depart from Milan

Your trip around northern Italy concludes with one final breakfast. Say goodbye to your group at 10am before catching your return flight home (or staying in Italy to explore some more). Remember: if you got a little carried away with the souvenir shopping during your trip, check an extra bag.