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Tours
The Villa owners go out of their way to assist guests in planning their
local touring agendas of wineries, places to visit and historic towns.
In response to many requests they have made arrangements with a wonderful,
personable, local driver who has his own mini-bus and lots of experience of
taking groups around the area. With the assistance of the Asti Tourism office
we have worked out a number of tours which we think will be of most interest to
our guests.
The mini-bus can hold 6 people comfortably (and 8 for shorter rides) and we
think is a great way for to visit wineries and restaurants, without worrying
about getting lost or "influence driving". Naturally the economics
favour a group, as the cost of the van stays the same, and of course you can
drive yourself if you prefer, we can make the bookings and show you the routes.
The driver does not speak much English, but most places we have selected
have a guide who speaks English and we think that its part of the experience of
being in a new country. The driver is very flexible and will stop anywhere you
like to take photos, drink in the view or unscheduled stops. We also can
provide an interpreter guide if you like.
Customized tour agendas such as hiking or biking can also be arranged.
For each of the tours we offer we suggest one or two specialy selected
restaurants for lunch (optional) ...many taken from the Slow Food's Osterie
D'Italia guide... and others based on our own knowledge or... high
recommendations from our guests. The prices are normally quite reasonable in
the 20-30 euro per head range, although we have included a few upmarket ones if
you like to splurge. We have also included options for dinner, or you may
prefer to have a quite dinner at Villa Sampaguita after a full days touring.
Medieval Asti
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A guided tour of medieval Asti, the palazzi,
historic towers, old churches, and shopping in fine boutiques or bargains at
the market. |
130 € inc guide. |
The Holy Grail , Wine & Chocolate
in Monferatto Hills
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Up to the Northern Monferrato hills and visit Cocconato, the Bava Winery
and chocolate centre, shop at nearby Conbipel factory outlet, stop at the
hauntingly beautiful Abbazia Di Vezzolano, then Castelnouvo Don Bosco and the
Freisa co-operative winery. |
250 € |
Turin, the Royal City
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Visit Italy's best-kept secret, Turin. Check out the Martini Wine Museum,
the Superga, browse the old baroque centre and a wide choice of many museums
and galleries, including the famous Shroud of Turin, the automobile or cinema
museums, or the Galleria Sabaudo. |
250 € |
A night at the Opera
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Opera or Ballet at Teatro Regio in Turin - Program and tickets
www.teatroregio.torino.it
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220 € or add 50€ to Turin tour |
La Scala in Milan (temporarily located at Teatro degli Arcimboldi) -
Program and tickets
www.lascala.milano.it
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250 € or add 50€ to Milan tour |
Barolo, King of Wines and Wine of Kings
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Visit Barolo town and vine museum followed by a visit to a small
traditional cantina in the heart of town. After lunch take tour of the Barolo
district, including another winery (or two) and then stop and browse in the
town of Alba. |
250 € |
Queen Barbera, Piedmont's favourite wine
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Tour the scenic hills of the Barbera heartland with stops at Rochetta
Tanaro, Vinchio-Vaglio, Nizza, Costigliole D'Asti. Tasting at 2 wineries. |
250 € |
The Prince and the Princess, Barberesco and Moscato D'Asti.
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Tour the incredible panaroma of the high Langhe hills, with stops at
Barberesco, then Mango for lunch followed by a spectacular drive to Santo
Stephano Belbo, and finally Calosso with its limestone cellars. |
250 € |
Roman Baths in Acqui Terme
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A day in Acqui Terme, take in a spa treatment, and boutique shopping, and
return either via scenic vine hills around Ovada OR visit Roccaverano, famous
for traditional goat cheese and Loazallo, home of Moscato Passito |
250 € |
Novara, Gorgonzola, and Magic Maggiore
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Visit Novara and a nearby Gorgonzola cheese casaficio, then to beautiful
Lago Maggiore. Stop in Stresa and take a boat-ride to Isola Bella followed by a
cable car trip to Monte Mattarone, overlooking the lake and the Alps. |
250 € |
Alpine Splendour, Val D'Aosta and the Canavese
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Drive into the mountains to the beautiful Aosta valley (two hours). Visit
Aosta city, the Fontina Cheese Centre, and an alpine valley. Return through the
old Roman terraced pergola vineyards of the Canavese. |
350 € |
Pesto al Genovese
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Visit the old maritime republic of Genoa, with its palazzi, old port,
aquarium, maritime museum, old villa gardens, and great seafood. |
250 € |
Wines and Olive Oil in Liguria.
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A Scenic drive to the Mediterranean Riveira (two hours) and then into the
hills to visit an olive oil frontaio and a local winery. Lunch at Albenga, then
drive back along ocean front road with beach time at Noli, and a stop in Savona
|
320 € |
Cliff-Hanging Vineyards of Cinque Terre
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Drive to Cinque Terre (2.5 hours) and then explore this world-heritage site
by walking, boat-ride or train between the 5 cliff-side villages and . Visit
Portofino on the return trip. |
370 € |
Milan, Power and Fashion
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Visit the Duomo, the Galleria, Da Vinci's Last Supper, Castle Sforza, Brera
Gallery and browse the designer shops |
250 € |
Piedmontese Cooking Class
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Your hostess gives you a hands-on introduction to Piedmontese cooking at
The Villa |
35€ each (4-6 people) |
Piedmont Wine Tasting
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A notable expert in Italian wines conducts an afternoon guided tasting
seminar at The Villa |
120 € for 4-6 persons |
Feste Time
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Enjoy one of our many local festivals around our area. |
250 € for full day |
Slow Food Ark
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A visit to some of our artisan food makers (cheese, salami, ancient
varieties of vegetables, unique animal breeds, etc) |
Ask |
This is a summary of the tours with the transport costs. If you want the
full detailed tour sheet please e-mail and ask us to
send it to you.
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