Bon Appetit, Provence CULINARY TOUR
Our friendsVéronique and Pascal live the dream in Provence.Now you can join them to walk in the thyme-scented countryside, amble home from the market with mesh bags full of amazing produce, and pour an extra splash of wine to prolong an evening on the terrace.We’ll live the provençal lifestyle for a week, settled luxuriously into our favorite 17th century château. Every day, there’s something new as we visit hilltop villages and walk to Roman ruins and a secluded abbey. Among four cooking instructions, you’ll get tips in a friend’s kitchen and from a local chef and cookbook author who offers her secrets…meet the farmers and artisans for whom the area is famous…visit local
markets...and be welcomed to a private wine-tasting at one of Châteauneuf-du- Pape’s fine vineyards. Most of all, you’ll get a very personal taste of life in the sunny, storied south of France.
ITINERARY
We meet in Avignon and explore the 14th century Papal Palace before settling into our château-home for the week (above, inset). The next morning, we visit the monks at Sénanque Abbey before lunch at a private home in Gordes. The afternoon offers a leisurely walk through the vivid ochre land- scapes of Rousillon with its parasol pines and 26 varieties of wild orchids.
In nearby Vaison la Romaine, we spend a morning at the weekly market to shop like the locals. Later, our friend and cookbook author, Frederique, welcomes us into her kitchen for a cooking instruction and a private dinner. Next day, we follow Van Gogh’s footsteps between the perched village of Les Baux and St. Rémy, stop- ping to visit an artisanal patissier and the former abbey where the artist spent his last year.
With Mt. Ventoux as backdrop, we take an aro- matic walk through a lavender farm for a tasting and instruction. A remarkable day includes a light walk to the Romans’ Pont du Gard aqueduct…a visit to the vineyards and cellars of Châteauneuf du Pape…and a cooking instruction at Michelin- starred La Mirande in a 17th century mansion. On our final morning, we visit Isle-sur-la-Sorge, with its more than 300 antique dealers.
Tour Dates May 22-28 July 24-30 October 9-15
Trip Length: 7 days/6 nights
Price: From $3995 (includes all breakfasts, 1 lunch, 5 dinners and 4 cooking instructions)
Single Supplement: $695 Begins & Ends: Avignon
Other Tours in Provence: Cultural Walking pg 20. Family Journey pg 41.
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Vaison la Romaine Pont du Gard
R Avignon Lourmarin Aix-en-Provence Avignon Paris
Amalfi,Al Buon Gusto! CULINARY TOUR
Our guide Sergio is passionate about food. (And anyone who’s traveled with him as a guide on our Amalfi Coast or Sicily tours will chuckle at that understatement.) So when we set out to plan a special itinerary that combines beautiful walks with an emphasis on the cooking and culinary traditions of the Amalfi peninsula, whom did we ask? Imagine it:There you are, settled into a lovely hotel in a fishing villageon thesteep and sunny coastline.You takewalks that reveal Positano,Ravello, the Isle of Capri and even Pompeii with an archaeologist friend of ours.And oh the seafood, the lemons that grow on trees lining the streets, the cheeses.With Sergio we’ve arranged informal cooking sessions in thehome of one of his favorite cooks as well as some hands-on tutoring with a professional chef. Like a great Italian meal, this week is a long,happy, satisfying event that you’ll wish would never end.
ITINERARY
In Naples (1 night), we’ll take a stroll in the his- toric district with its Gothic Duomo, excavations of San Lorenzo Maggiore and tiny workshops where terra cotta figures are painted. Our guide, a native Neapolitan, takes us to his favorite pizzeria for lunch then we’re off to Praiano, our pictur- esque seaside perch on the Amalfi Coast (5 nights).
Here, we’ll enjoy cooking instructions in our friend Antonella’s cliffside home and with one of Positano’s most famous chefs. We’ll explore the scenic path to Positano where the shopping is exceptional. After boating back, we whip up a local specialty like totani e patate, a stew of seafood and potatoes.
The morning ferry from Sorrento takes us to Capri for a day of very civilized walks…a visit to Villa San Michele…and lunch at an exclusive seaside club. We’ll also take the trail to a cliffside monastery and explore Ravello overlooking the Bay of Salerno. All week, we’ll visit artisans, taste the local wines, and walk through lemon groves then see how limoncello, the region’s distinctive lemon liquor, is made. On our final day, we explore Pompeii on a privately guided tour before returning to Naples.
Milan Florence
Positano CAPRI
Rome Naples
Naples Praiano
For a detailed itinerary, go to
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ClassicJourneys.com/itineraries
Tour Dates May 1-7 October 16-22
Trip Length: 7 days/6 nights
Price: From $3995 (includes all breakfasts, 1 lunch, 5 dinners and 4 cooking instructions)
Single Supplement: $695 Begins & Ends: Naples
Other Tours in Amalfi: Cultural Walking pg 17. Family Journey pg 40.
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