Venice Culinary Tours Weekend

Luxury Venice Culinary Tours Weekend:

Highlights:

Private Cooking Classes in Historic Palazzo
Gourmet Walking Tour of Venice
Aperitif in Ancient Venetian Bacaro
Sleep in a Luxuriously Converted Monastery on Private Island

Venice is one of the most special places on earth. It is a breathtaking open-air museum, full of exquisite beauty. With its misty lagoon and gothic palaces seemingly floating on water, Venice has a certain fairy tale quality that, even for well-travelled visitors, never ceases to impress. Venice's culinary history is fascinating, as well. In the middle ages, Venice was the most important port in Europe and the key to the spice routes from the east. Many of the spices endemic to Italian cooking (like saffron for the Risotto Milanese or Nutmeg for a Bologna Ragu), first entered Italy through Venice's waterways. Italian staples such as coffee also arrived to Venice first, along with sugarcane and rice, never before seen in Italy! For centuries, Venice was home to Arab traders, Spanish sailors, Indian spice merchants, and Jewish tradesmen. In the late 19th century, Venice was the last hub in Western Europe to Istanbul on the mythical Orient Express, the train ride that inspired authors such as Agatha Christie and Graham Greene. Venice truly is an unforgettable and unique destination, with many treasures to discover.

NEW! We are pleased to announce this new Cellar Tours Culinary Weekend Tours to Venice. The route has been designed specifically for the savvy traveller looking for a cultural food and wine weekend with a difference. This luxurious private tour of Venice will introduce you to the best gastronomy and wine the city has to offer. Alessandra and Francesca will teach you how to taste wine and how to prepare local Venetian specialties, in your own Private Cooking Class in a beautiful palazzo. You'll explore the markets of Venice, including the picturesque Rialto market on the Grand Canal. And after a full day's sightseeing in Venice, which can feel like sensory overload, there is nothing better than getting cozy in a typical Venetian wine bar (called a "bacaro") and tasting some of the local specialties. Come explore Venice with Cellar Tours!

Venice Culinary Tours Weekend Day By Day Itinerary

Day One - Private Cooking Class with Local Chef

Cooking Class in Venetian Palazzo with Francesca & Alessandra, your private chefs

- Upon arrival to Venice (airport/train station), you will receive a private transfer and check into your superb hotel for the weekend, a 5* historic hotel, located on its own private island! Once a monastery, this newly opened hotel has been restored with the utmost taste and is an oasis of luxury and tranquillity. (If you arrive before check in time, you can leave your baggage).

- Free day to explore Venice! There is a regular boat service between your island and Saint Mark's square (only 10 minutes), and this is a great place to start. Visit the stunning Doge's Palace and Basilica. Hop into a Vaporetto and enjoy a cruise on the Grand Canal, lined with exquisite palaces such as the Fondaco dei Turchi (now the Natural History museum), the Palazzo Sagredo and Ca' Pesaro (now the Gallery of Modern Art and Oriental Museum).

- If time permits and if you are an art lover, don't miss the Scuola Grande di San Rocco. This superb art museum is home to over 50 priceless paintings by Italian master, Tintoretto (who lived over 20 years in Venice).

- At 5PM, rendezvous with your private chefs. First, you'll enjoy an aperitif in a Venetian Bacaro. Venetians are Italy's biggest cocktail drinkers, and there are hundreds of charming "Bacari" traditional Venetian bars. The Bellini is probably the most famous Venetian cocktail, invented at Harry's Bar (Ernest Hemingway's home away from home), made of Venetian Prosecco and fresh peach juice.

- After your snack, your charming chef will lead you through the cobblestoned streets of Venice to a private palazzo, where you'll enjoy a hands-on cooking class of Venetian specialties. After the class, you'll sit down with your chefs and enjoy the meal you have helped prepare, along with excellent local wines.

Overnight:

5* Ultra Luxury Hotel on Private Island, Venice

Meals Included in Price:

Pre-dinner Aperitif in Venetian Bacaro, Gourmet dinner with top Italian wines (Cooking class)

Transfers:

Airport/ Train Station transfers

Day Two - Privately Guides Tour of Rialto & Cooking Class

Luxury Food and Wine Weekends in Venice, Italy

Rialto Market Tour, Venice

- Full breakfast in your exquisite hotel with views of the Venetian Lagoon

- Today, you have a few culinary treats in store! Your chefs will meet you in reception of your hotel or in Saint Mark's, and you will enjoy a guided walking tour to the Rialto market. You will learn how the Venetians select their fresh produce, seafood and meat, and you'll purchase the materials for your next cooking class.

- From the colorful canal side market, you'll carry on to a beautiful private palazzo for your last cooking lesson of the weekend. But first, Francesca will delight you with a Wine Tasting of goodies from Friuli and the Veneto. Friuli is Francesca's passion and you'll taste something special and unique from this beautiful, mountainous region. The Veneto wine region, is a vast area that includes the vineyards of Soave, Valpolicella, and Bardolino. Fresh, light whites are made in Soave, while reds such as Amarone (a rich, delicious "Passito" style red wine) are made in the Valpolicella sub-zones. Prosecco is made just near Venice, and you will enjoy an aperitif before lunch.

- You will prepare a magical three course lunch under the guidance of your friendly instructors, sipping wine as you cook, and you'll all sit down to enjoy it.

- After your cooking class and lunch, you have one last treat today: a 2 hour gourmet walking tour of Venice (with an excellent guide), with an interesting explanation given on Venetian cuisine, the many influences from the west and east, etc.

- After the tour, the rest of the evening is on your own. For dinner, we recommend the typical Venetian wine bars, or for something more formal a dinner at the seafood restaurant Da Fiore. Enjoy!

Overnight:

5* Ultra Luxury Hotel on Private Island, Venice

Meals Included in Price:

Full breakfast, Wine Tasting, Full Lunch with Wine

Transfers:

None

Day Three - Discover the delights of Venice on Foot

Your luxurious hotel has its own island!

- Full breakfast in your exquisite hotel with views of the Venetian Lagoon.

- Today is a complete free day for you to discover Venice on your own. Shopping is fabulous in Venice, and you can pick up hand made Venetian carnival masks, blown glass from the island of Murano, hand made marbled paper, velvet slippers, unique gold jewellery and of course gourmet goodies (wine, Olive Oils, Amaretto cookies, artisan pasta, etc) are all great buys in Venice. Not to mention high fashion- Ferragamo, Versace, Armani etc.

- Venice offers a lifetime of sightseeing, but if you only have the weekend, here is a quick orientation of the city. The main island is broken into different pedestrianized neighborhoods. These include San Marco, Dorsoduro, San Polo, Cannaregio (where Marco Polo was born), and Castello. Some particularly special places include the Basilica of San Marco, the Scuola Grande di San Rocco, Ca' Pesaro, la Scuola Grande dei Carmini, the Peggy Guggenheim museum, and of course the "Accademia" (which houses the largest collection of Venetian art in existence).

- Also very interesting is the "Ghetto", the ancient Jewish quarter in Cannaregio. Finally, the islands of the lagoon are very charming. You can visit Murano and see how glass is blown, or see an ancient 7th century church in Torcello. Venice will always delight and there are so many things to see and do. If you just feel like relaxing, then head to Harry's Bar for a refreshing "Bellini"!

Meals Included in Price:

Full breakfast

Transfers:

None

Day Four - End of Tour

Venice's Rialto Bridge

- Full breakfast in your exquisite hotel with views of the Venetian Lagoon

- Free time to enjoy the Spa, relax in the garden or pool or get in some last minute shopping in Venice.

- Airport transfer at your desired time.

- This concludes your gourmet weekend in Venice. Fino altra volta!

Meals Included in Price:

Full breakfast

Transfers:

Airport transfer

What's Included:

Accommodation for 3 nights in ultra luxurious 5* Historic Hotel (double occupancy with private bath)
3 Full breakfasts
Private Airport Transfers
Bottle of Italian Bubbly in your room upon arrival
Culinary and cultural visits as indicated in the itinerary
Aperitif in Venetian Bacaro
Guided Market Tour with Chefs
2 Private Cooking Classes in Historic Palazzo
Private Guided Walking tour of Venice
1 Gourmet Dinner (cooking class) with wine
1 Gourmet Lunch (cooking class) with wine
1 Wine Tasting with Certified Italian Sommelier
Gourmet Gift on arrival night
All Local taxes

What's Not Included:

Flights
Meals and Drinks not Specified
Personal Expenses such as Telephone, Minibar, etc
Tips and Gratuities (Guides, Restaurants, etc)
Travel Insurance (Strongly recommended)
Cancellation Insurance

Prices:

This is a SAMPLE TOUR ITINERARY. Please note that our chauffeured luxury tours have the following starting prices:

Pricing	2 People	4 People	6 People	8 People
	500-1000 euros per person per day	450-850 euros per person per day	400-800 euros per person per day	375-750 euros per person per day

Final price depends on chosen style of accommodation and dining. Please contact us with your group size (minimum 2 guests, no maximum group size), travel dates and preferences and we will send you custom pricing.
Discounts available for larger groups
Please note that our tours are available upon demand for PRIVATE GROUPS and are not scheduled tours for mixed groups.

More Information on this Luxury Venice Culinary Tours Weekend:

If you are interested in this package, contact us today for more information. This tour can also be adapted for bigger groups with a substantial discount. All of our tours are available year round upon request for your private group of minimum 2 people. If you would like us to customize a luxury gourmet tour for you, contact us with your requirements, and we can send you a free itinerary and quote with no obligations. We organize cooking packages and wine tours from 1 day, to weekends to longer food and wine discoveries throughout Italy, Ireland, Portugal and Spain.

Email us at: info@cellartours.com