If you are interested in extending your Italian vacation, either before or after your cooking tour, Gourmet Getaways will be happy to make reservations for you at fine hotels throughout Italy.

Based upon our extensive experience Gourmet Getaways will be happy to work with you to develop a fully customized itinerary to make your trip a unique and memorable experience.

Rail Travel:
Transportation between cities can be arranged for you.

Private Transfers:
Special or additional transfers not included in certain tours can be arranged.

What Others Say About Custom Itineraries:

We had a wonderful trip. We all loved Orvieto. The cooking classes were not classes. It was like we met an old friend we didn’t know we had. Chef Lorenzo has a special way of welcoming people. During the three days we spent with hinm we shopped for food, toured wineries, had an impromptu lunch at a family olive oil operation, cooked and ate! We made wild boar ravioli, pizza, tiramisu, fettucini and the olive oil flows like water…. His staff was fun and really added to the experience.Thanks Marlene for all your hard work and clearly we highly recommend this cooking experience.(OR)



Thanks for all of your help... we had a great time.  The tours were perfect and the hotels couldn't have been better!  Thanks again for your guidance.  (IL)



I want to say how much we loved our trip to Italy.  It was enchanting, beautiful, delicious and amazing.  Thanks for helping put all the details together.  It really was so well organized. (IL)



Because of our love for food and wine, my husband and I had Gourmet Getaways plan our amazing honeymoon in Italy this May. Gourmet getaways did a fabulous job of recommending elegant hotels in ideal areas, planning private tours to vineyards and planning cooking lessons in a private villa with a world renowned chef. We went from Tuscany, to the Amalfi Coast (AMAZING) and then to Rome. My husband and I truly feel that Italy might be a piece of heaven on earth!!!

Thank you Gourmet Getaways for making our honeymoon be everything we have dreamed of! (NJ)



Every detail was handled perfectly so all we had to do was show up and enjoy.  And enjoy we did.

The staff at Villa Luppis could not do enough for us.  The Villa itself is beautiful.  The interior was immaculate.  The rooms were charming.  The diningroom was gorgeous.  The food was amazing.  The grounds were gorgeous.  The staff was fantastic.  Our time in the kitchen with Luigi and Tullio was a blast.  They were chefs who just made it  low key  and very enjoyable and informative.  The recipes we prepared were all fabulous and all great recipes that Alison and I are anxious to try now that we are home.  Glenda, who joined us in the kitchen as translator, was just delightful and alot of fun as well.  We had wonderful outings to wineries and nearby towns with the Maitre and the Sommalier who enthusiastically shared their love of the area and their love of wines and good food.  Everyone made us feel incredibly special during our entire stay!  I would definitely recommend Villa Luppis to anyone!

Our time in Venice was equally memorable.  Ca' Sagredo is a fabulous boutique hotel in a charming part of Venice.  I was so glad we were away from San Marco Square (the crowds were amazing there over the weekend).  We were only a short walk to the Square but the atmosphere was so totally different where we were.  I would definitely recommend the hotel to anyone. Thank you for wanting this to be a perfect trip for us.  I appreciate your attention to all of the details to make it perfect.  It was in every way!  If I ever do another cooking school, I will definitely go through you. C.H.(ME)



We had a great week in Florence. Our day with Silvio was probably our best day. Silvio is passionate about Italy and its history, especially Machiavelli. In addition, the people and places he lined up were excellent- a small winery where we were greeted and shown around by the owner, the house where Machiavelli once lived and is now a private museum, a small 500 year old church where the caretaker and family prepared lunch for us. All in all, I would highly recommend Silvio to anyone seeking a special day in Tuscany. K.C. (CT)



BEV AND ANDY'S ITALIAN ADVENTURE

We contacted Marlene to help us plan an Anniversary Gourmet Getaway to Italy. We wanted friendly, family owned Hotels and Villas with comfort, relaxation and fabulous food and wine. We were not disappointed ! Our loop around Umbria was filled with one luxurious Hotel topping the previous. The Hotel San Luca, in the very interesting town of Spoleto was georgeous with too many special appointments to even mention them all including a beautiful courtyard in the its center. We drove to Gubbio where the town is built up the side of a mountain and stayed in the uppermost room of the Hotel Relais Ducale overlooking, from our private balcony covered in flowers, the red rooftops and countryside. We dined at the two restaurants owned by the hotel and was visited personally both nights by the owner's "Mama" who either cooked for us or greeted us as a hostess. Divine Cusine ! (Two of our best during our trip, with georgeous decore and dining inside or out.) Ristorante Bosone Garden and Taverna Del Lupo.

We drove out into the countryside to the Villa Monte Solare. Again, beyond expectation. This is a converted Villa located at the top of a vineyard and olive grove. It has Spa facilities and two spectacular pools overlooking the countryside. The dining was beyond gourmet and the service incredibly attentive, caring and highgrade. The comfort level was the highest and the beautiful surroundings incredible. (Real lemon trees, honeysuckle and an arbor of roses a few steps from our room.)

We drove to Orvieto, dropped off our car at the bottom of the hill and spent three wonderful days in this delightful town.

We took the train to Rome and spent our final night in the lovely Hotel Mecanante Palace which upgraded us into a suite because we were traveling JDB. It was georgeous. We dined within walking distance at the restaurant Agata E Romeo. Expensive but worth every second and every bite! Fabulous dinner.

Ours was a true "Gourmet" "Getaway". Thank you Marlene and JDB (NJ)



Thank you Gourmet Getaways for making our trip to Italy so easy and extraordinary! Your selection of hotels and recommendations for restaurants were outstanding. We celebrated our wedding anniversary in a charming restaurant, great food and wine, and to top it all off, the owner offered to help us find our way back to our hotel through the winding alleys of Venice! The arrangements for transfers took the worry and stress away from getting from one destination to another. The private tour guide that you provided made our visit in Rome even more special. This was a wonderful trip and when we return to Italy, Gourmet Getaways will be our first call. (NJ)

I wanted to write to you to express Diane’s and my sincere thanks for putting together our trip. Having never been to Italy and not knowing what to see or where to go you made it easy for us enjoy our time in Florence, Sorrento and Rome. Your recommendations for hotels and restaurants based on what I was looking for could not have been better. Our time spent at the Hotel Excesslor in Sorrento is one place I will never forget and the special care given to us while there just doesn’t get any better.

Special thanks for setting up all the Rail passes for us, as well as the private tours while we traveled through out Italy. Our guides were extremely knowledgeable and were very patient with all my questions.

As I write this I continue to drift off to Mario Buco’s in Florence and can just taste the salty cod over spaghetti which we had twice while there.

You truly put together a holiday Diane and I will never forget.