Join us for a very special small-group experience highlighting the local food, wine and stunning beauty of Northern Italy… with cooking demos and a little extra shopping time! Home base is a recently-renovated, beautiful 18th c Italian family villa located between Milan and Lake Como.

Lunches include Michelin-starred restaurants and good local food (and can be planned according to the group’s interests). Dinners, at the villa, feature ingredients sourced locally and are accompanied by some special, mostly small-production Northern Italian wines. Participation in hands-on cooking demos for this trip is optional!

Sept 28: Arrival Day
Lunch and Dinner at Villa

We’ll unpack and then enjoy lunch outside on the “Portico Coperto” if weather permits. After lunch we’ll settle in and get to know the villa and each other, maybe play a game of bocce, ping pong, foosball, or explore the grounds and relax until dinner.

Sept 29: Bergamo
Lunch at Frosio

We’ll visit the stunning Renaissance and Roman sites of the city, one of the most beautiful hill towns in Italy, with our excellent guide, Elena, then enjoy lunch together a few miles away at Frosio, a perennial favorite run by two brothers and their wives. After lunch we’ll drive to Val Curone for a walk among the vineyards, then make a stop at Enoteca Pirovano, a surprisingly good wine shop in the basement of a completely unassuming grocery store. Then it’s back to the villa to enjoy some down time before dinner.

Sept 30: Valtellina
Lunch at Ristorante Fracia

After breakfast we will head north along the east side of Lake Lecco and then turn east toward the beautiful and steep wine-growing area of Valtellina. We’ll have a wine tasting at Aldo Rainoldi, then continue to nearby Ristorante Fracia, perched among the Nino Negri vineyards, for a wonderful lunch (and sampling of the accompanying Nino Negri wines). If there’s interest, we’ll walk up a bit from the restaurant through the vineyards to a beautiful overlook. From there we’ll head back down the valley along the upper road, the Via Panoramica, past the ruins of Castel Grumello (with a possible stop if time allows) and take in the gorgeous view of the valley and mountains. From there we’ll continue to a modern agriturismo, La Fiorida, for some gelato and to pick up some local specialties (bresaola, speck, Bitto and Sciumidin cheese) to enjoy that evening and the rest of the week. We’ll return to the villa in time to relax a bit before dinner.

Oct 1: Montevecchia (plus optional visit to Varenna)

We’ll pop over to Montevecchia, a nearby hilltop village for a beautiful view south to Milan and north to the Val Curone then make a stop at a local dairy farm and cheese shop before returning to the villa for lunch. We’ll spend the afternoon relaxing and catching up on reading, playing bocce, etc. Optional afternoon visit to Varenna’s botanical gardens (+150 euros pp).

Oct 2: Como
Lunch at Materia
Our driver will take us to the beautiful lakeside town of Como. We’ll tour the town with Alessandra, stopping in at the Como cathedral with its stunning tapestries and the very, very old San Fedele church, then we’ll walk along the Como Greenway to see the beautiful lakeside grounds of Villa Olmo. Our driver will pick us up t]here and take us just up the road to the Michelin-starred Materia in Cernobbio. On the way back to the villa we’ll stop at Dassogno, a dairy farm, for a gelato and more dairy products if we’d like. We’ll return to the villa in time to relax a bit before dinner.

Oct 3: Villa Day
Katharine will take the group to nearby growers to collect ingredients for hands-on cooking demos throughout the day, then we’ll eat the evidence!

Weather permitting we’ll have aperitivi and play a few rounds of bocce on the 2nd terrace before dinner.

OR day in Milan (+250 euros)

Oct 4: Bellagio, Villa Balbianello
Lunch at Dispensa 63

Our driver will take us to the iconic little lakeside village of Bellagio and we’ll walk down a set of stairs to the entrance of the stunning Melzi Gardens, which is beautifully situated along Lake Como. We’ll walk through the gardens and into Bellagio for a bit of looking around and shopping and/or visiting Punta Spartivento for the amazing views before lunch at Dispensa 63. After lunch we have the option of a trip across the lake to visit the grounds of the stunning Villa Balbianello. On return to Bellagio we’ll head back to the villa, stopping back by Enoteca Pirovano for a bottle or two to take home, as desired.

Hands-on cooking and demos

Guests will have opportunities throughout the week to learn (or hone, or watch) the preparation of hand-made pasta, focaccia and other tasty things that make excellent use of the wonderful local produce available from the local grower down the street!

Oct 5: Departure Day
After breakfast, guests (and their bags and wonderful memories) can be delivered to the Malpensa (MXP) airport or the nearby train station.

The price (double occupancy twins) includes lodgings at Poggio Verde Country Villa, Italian continental breakfast, all lunches, dinners and wine, entrance fees, museums, and ground transportation on day trips. Everything but airfare and personal purchases is included. Transportation between airports and train stations to and from the villa can be arranged but are not included.

A non-refundable deposit of 750 euros per person will save your spot; the balance is due 30 days before departure. When you register we will email you an invoice to pay the deposit (converted to dollars). Email us and we’ll send you the link to register.

Adjustments to the itinerary will be made along the way as needed in response to weather conditions. Itineraries can also be designed according to a group’s preferences for activity level, dining interests, cooking lessons, etc.

Hosted by: Katharine Elder of Elderslie Farm, Gretchen Romig (villa owner) and Judith Wencel
Chef: Katharine Elder
Trip Design: Judith Wencel

For more photos, see our blog and Flickr photo albums, follow us on Facebook and Instagram @poggioverdevilla. Sign up for our newsletter here.

For more information, or to sign up, or to schedule a Wine and Food week (Taste of Northern Italy) for your group of 8-12 friends, e-mail Judith.

Want a little more info? Here are some helpful FAQs (internet, trip insurance, facilities, etc.).