Tour highlights:

• Three hands-on cooking classes in a historic palazzo with our experienced chef
• Gourmet wine & cheese full-day excursion
• Full-day cultural and gastronomic experience in Venice
• Market walks, street food tastings, and guided wine strolls
• Visits to city highlights including the Scrovegni Chapel, Palazzo Bo, Palazzo della Ragione, St. Anthony’s Basilica & more
• Beautiful 4-star hotel in central Padua
• Expert English-speaking hosts, chefs, and guides

Detailed Day-by-Day Program

• Day 1 – Arrival in Padua | Welcome Spritz & Dinner
  Organized transfer from Venice Marco Polo Airport brings you to the heart of the Veneto region and the beautiful university city of Padua, your home for the week. Check in, relax, and enjoy suggestions for a light lunch at nearby cafés. Your airport transfer may be shared with other program participants.
  5:00 PM – Program Orientation & Welcome Spritz
  Begin your journey with Italy’s iconic aperitivo. The Aperol Spritz was born in Padua in 1919, and tonight we enjoy it where it all began. Your local host shares the tradition, culture, and slow-living rhythm of this cherished Italian ritual.
  7:00 PM – Welcome Dinner
  Gather with your small group (4–7 guests) for a multi-course tasting menu paired with exceptional local wines at a charming restaurant specializing in Paduan cuisine.
• Day 2 – Market Walk, Pasta Making Class & Padua Highlights with Scrovegni Chapel
  Morning
  After breakfast, meet your food & wine expert for a vibrant market walk through Piazza delle Erbe. Learn about seasonal produce and the region’s culinary essentials.
  Walk through the cobblestone lanes of the medieval Jewish Ghetto to a historic 17th-century palazzo for your hands-on pasta workshop. Prepare two types of fresh pasta—tagliatelle, ravioli, or similar—with sauces based on seasonal ingredients.
  Lunch
  Enjoy the meal you prepared, including appetizer, pasta, dessert, local wine, and coffee.
  Afternoon – Padua Introduction Walk
  Explore the city’s elegant medieval squares, historic Caffè Pedrocchi, and visit the unforgettable Scrovegni Chapel, home to Giotto’s breathtaking 14th-century fresco cycle.
  Dinner tonight is on your own.
• Day 3 – Artisanal Cheese Maker & Winery Visit in the Euganean Hills
  Morning – Artisan Cheese Producer
  Discover a family-run dairy farm producing exceptional cheeses from their own cows, sheep, and goats. Learn the craft, tour the production area, and taste a variety of fresh and aged cheeses.
  Lunch
  A delicious farm-to-table tasting lunch at the dairy’s small restaurant: house-made pasta, seasonal sides, cheeses, gelato, wine, and coffee.
  Afternoon – Winery Visit
  Continue into the stunning Euganean Hills, the historic vineyard region of the Venetian Republic. Enjoy a guided winery tour and tasting of local D.O.C. reds (Cabernet Sauvignon, Carménère, Marzemino) and whites (Moscato, Pinot Bianco, Fior d’Arancio, Serprino).
  Dinner on your own this evening.
• Day 4 – Coffee Tasting, Seasonal Cooking Class, St. Anthony’s Basilica & Street Wine Walk
  Morning – Coffee Tasting
  Start your day with a guided tasting focused on Italian coffee culture and local roasting traditions.
  Second Cooking Lesson
  Return to the palazzo kitchen for a full seasonal tasting-menu cooking class featuring appetizers, first course, sides, and dessert.
  Lunch
  Enjoy your creations with local wine and coffee.
  Afternoon – Padua Walk
  Explore southern Padua, including Prato della Valle, one of Europe’s largest squares, and the magnificent Basilica of St. Anthony.
  Evening – Street Wine Walk
  Join your Italian sommelier for a relaxed wine walk through the medieval center. Visit four historic wine bars (osterie), enjoying a glass of wine at each stop with traditional spuncioni (light Venetian/Paduan bites).
• Day 5 – Venice Cultural & Gastronomic Excursion
  Morning – Transfer to Venice & Grand Canal Cruise
  Travel by private van to Venice and board a private water taxi for a spectacular cruise along the Grand Canal to St. Mark’s.
  Venice Walking Tour (2.5 hours)
  With your expert guide, explore St. Mark’s Square, the Basilica, and the Palazzo Ducale. The tour concludes at the Rialto Bridge.
  Aperitivo & Lunch at Rialto Market
  Enjoy a classic Venetian bacaro stop for cicchetti and a Spritz or wine, followed by a leisurely lunch of modern Venetian specialties.
  Afternoon Free Time
  Choose to shop, visit a museum, or enjoy a gondola ride—your host will assist with suggestions.
  Return to Padua by water taxi and van. Dinner on your own.
• Day 6 – Street Food, Palazzo della Ragione & Palazzo Bò
  Morning – Palazzo della Ragione
  Visit Padua’s medieval civic palace, featuring frescoes recognized by UNESCO as part of the Padua Urbs Picta cycle.
  Street Food Lunch in Sotto Salone
  Taste your way through one of Europe’s oldest covered food markets. Sample cheeses, prosciutto, fish, olives, focaccia, sweets, and enjoy a glass of wine or Spritz.
  Afternoon – Palazzo Bò (Private Guided Visit)
  Discover the historic seat of the University of Padua. Highlights include the Anatomical Theatre, ceremonial halls, Galileo’s lectern, and refined 20th-century design by Giò Ponti.
  Dinner on your own.
• Day 7 – Final Cooking Lesson & Farewell Apericena
  Morning & Afternoon Free
  Relax, shop, visit museums, or enjoy the city at your own pace. Your host is available for assistance.
  4:00 PM – Third Cooking Lesson
  Learn to prepare Italian apericena favorites: pizza, focaccia, cicchetti, and other small bites.
  6:00–8:00 PM – Farewell Apericena
  Celebrate your final evening together with Spritz cocktails, wines, and the dishes you prepared—an informal and delicious goodbye gathering.
• Day 8 – Departure Day
  Breakfast at your hotel and private transfer to Venice Marco Polo Airport.
  Arrivederci—and grazie for exploring Padua with us!