Emilia Romagna & Marche Small Group Tour

13 Day, escorted small group tour in Italy.

BOLOGNA – (EMILIA ROMAGNA) 3 nights
FERRARA – (EMILIA ROMAGNA) 3 nights
PESARO – (MARCHE) 3 nights
PARMA – (EMILIA ROMAGNA) 3 nights

Small group experience of 10-15 people

5 UNESCO Sites
Top Quality Food
Interesting unusual facts
The “heart” of Italian classical music
Some of the best vivable cities in Italy

Tour begins in Bologna hotel (three nights)

Day 1. Let’s gather at our hotel in Bologna at 4pm for our welcome meeting. We will go over our tour and get acquainted with one another, before our orientation walk and group dinner.

Day 2. We will enjoy a walking tour of Bologna, including a visit to the oldest university in the world, and the city’s charming historic center. Lunch and dinner are on your own in Bologna.

Day 3. Today we will enjoy a bolognese cooking class and learn how to make some of the finest Italian fresh pastas, originally from Bologna: lasagna & tortellini! After that, we will enjoy the results of our cooking. The rest of the afternoon and evening are on your own to explore more of Bologna. Dinner is on your own.

Bus transfer to Ferrara (three nights)

Day 4. After checking out, we will leave Bologna and drive east towards the XI century Abbey of Pomposa. After exploring the abbey, we will continue towards Comacchio, where we will enjoy a stroll and some free time in the so-called “Little Venice”. After lunch on our own in Comacchio, we will arrive in Ferrara, our next home for three nights. Here we will take an orientation walk and have a group dinner in town.

Day 5. Day 5. Today we will enjoy a walking tour of beautiful Ferrara, once an independent country,with its spectacular Castle Estense. After our tour, you will enjoy the rest of the day in Ferrara on your own, exploring more of its streets, squares and medieval city walls, and tasting its many delicacies.

Day 6. We will get on the bus and drive to Ravenna, with its several Unesco sites. Here we will visit the renowned Byzantine mosaics of San Vitale and have some time on our own in the town pedestrian center. We will then enjoy a group lunch in Ravenna, tasting the local Piadina. We will regroup in the afternoon and drive back to Ferrara, dinner is on your own.

Bus transfer to Pesaro (three nights)

Day 7. Today we will leave Ferrara and head south. We will stop in Faenza, one of the capital cities of Italian ceramics, where we will visit a ceramic workshop and learn about the “Faenza style”. Afterwards, we will continue south towards the oldest Republic in the world: San Marino. Here, we will take a walk and enjoy some free time to explore the stunning hill top and lunch on our own. In the afternoon, we will drive to our next home for three nights: Pesaro, on the Adriatic Sea. After check in, we will have our orientation walk followed by a group dinner in Pesaro.

Day 8. Today we will enjoy a walking tour of Pesaro, and explore the nearby castle town of Gradara, an intact medieval fortified town, where we will enjoy lunch on our own. The evening is all yours to enjoy Pesaro. Dinner is on your own.

Day 9. Today it’s your free day! You can enjoy the beach on the Adriatic Sea, the hotel spa, the center of Pesaro (and its many cute shops).

Bus transfer to Parma (three nights)

Day 10. After checking out, we will leave Pesaro, and visit charming Urbino, the home town of Renaissance master painter Rafael. After that, we will have lunch on our own in Urbino, and depart towards our new home for three nights: Parma. Once we arrive in Parma, we will check in, have our orientation walk and a group dinner.

Day 11. This morning we will meet our local guide and visit charming Parma. After lunch on your own in Parma, we will regroup and get on the bus to drive to a typical Parmigiano Reggiano cheese farm. Here we will learn all about this fantastic product, and enjoy a group lunch. In the afternoon, we will return to Parma to enjoy a free evening of relaxing or shopping, and dinner on your own.

Day 12. Today we will drive out of Parma and reach the nearby town of Modena, where we will explore the town center. After our walking tour, we will drive out of Modena and visit an authentic “acetaia” farm. Here we will learn how they produce the delicious world-renowned Balsamic Vinegar of Modena. After a lunch together at the acetaia, we will return to Parma for some down time, before enjoying our farewell dinner.

Day 13. Tour is over after breakfast. From Parma you can easily reach Bologna, Milan, Florence or Rome.