Join me in Torino, Barolo & Barbaresco In September

I have partnered with ENV Travel, a travel and tour company focused on culinary adventures, to produce a pretty-damn-amazing food and wine trip to Torino, Barolo and Barbaresco in Piedmont, Italy for great wine and food, centered by the Slow Food Cheese Festival.

Details of the trip are below. Key details and trip highlights:

Dates: September 14 to 22, 2025
 Too soon? Who cares! This trip is worth making quick arrangements.
 

Highest-highlights (because everything’s a highlight):

• Two days at the Slow Food Cheese Festival.
• A cooking class at a Michelin-rated restaurant.
• A deep dive into Vermouth – class and tasting by a local expert. 
• A TRUFFLE HUNT!
• Private wine tastings and wine dinners at some of Piedmont’s greatest wineries.
  I am finalizing these visits now – one that’s confirmed is (drumroll please)…
  GAJA
  Private, sit-down tasting at the legendary GAJA winery in Barbaresco. Followed by lunch at Gaja’s restaurant, Campamac Osteria. September 18.
  

Please read through the trip, drool as you like, and be in touch to book your spots and ask questions. Email me at, or call me, 

Saluti!
Dan Dawson, Eat Drink Cook

dan@eatdrinkcook.club

707-225-5153
 

P.S. Ask me about our next trip: BURGUNDY
Coming in September 2026. Early-bird pricing available.

Celebrate the Amazing Food and Wine in Stunning Northern Italy

September 14-22, 2025

Join us September 14-22, 2025, for the world’s biggest international event dedicated to cheese, wine, bread and charcuterie!  We will embark on a culinary adventure into the heart of the Northern Italy's famed food and wine. The semiannual Slow Food event takes place in Bra Italy in Piemonte.  The pristine streets of this medieval town stages this stunning event the best food and wine found anywhere.  

We will hunt for truffles and visit iconic wineries, cheese makers, farms, Michelin restaurants and have intimate encounters with the endlessly delicious Piemonte culinary world. This is a complete package with transportation deluxe hotels, most meals, wine, cheese events, private caves, cooking classes and more.

What Is Included: 

• 3 nights accommodations at 5-star Grand Hotel Sitea in central Turin, recognized as a "Historic Place of Italy." 

• 5 nights accommodations at Hotel Somaschi, "The sumptuous palace of the Monastery of Cherasco."

• Discover the culinary secrets of Northern Italy in Torino 

• Savor negronis, aperitivos, chocolates and pasta in the historically beautiful piazzas and cafes in Torino

• Visit the important palaces, piazzas and monuments in Torino

• Get intimate with the wines of Barolo and Barbaresco at the best wineries in the area

• Enjoy 2 days exploring the International Cheese festival to taste the hundreds of cheeses, charcuterie, wine, honey and breads

• Private cheese tastings and tour at the festival 

• Dinners at Michelin rated restaurants 

• Authentic farm-to-table cuisine at unique family-owned restaurants 

• Barolo & Barbaresco wine tastings at family owned wineries. Visits scrupulously planned by Dan Dawson. Winery visits include GAJA and LUIGI PIRA. Visits to-be-confirmed at Paolo Scavino, Sottimano, Paolo Conterno and Cavallotto.

• Truffle hunting in Barolo

• Cooking class in a Michelin restaurant

• Visit to Beppino Occelli private village, a butter and cheese producer and affineur steeped in the tradition of stewardship of the land and animals. 

• All local transportation in Mercedes sprinter

• Breakfast daily and most lunches and dinners

• Maximum of 12 guests 

$7990 per person plus air $1800 single supplement

Reserve Now

Not included:

• Airfare

• Gratuities

• Personal Travel Insurance

• Expenses of personal nature such as telephone calls, cigarettes, gifts 

• Anything not indicated in the itinerary

Street Market in Torino

We begin our culinary adventure with 3 days in Torino discovering the treasures of chocolate, pasta, cheese and gelato in the palazzos and avenues lined with palaces and elegant, Baroque architecture.  We'll stroll the intimate streets that open to 16th century plazas dotted with cafes and shops while immersing in the food, culture, art and wine.  We'll learn all about negronis, aperitivo and vermouth that originated in Torino with an expert local guide.  From our historic 5-star Grand Hotel Sitea in central Turin, you can explore all that the city has to offer in the 3 splendid days here.

September 17

Moving Day. After breakfast we travel via Mercedes Sprinter to the very center of the iconic Barolo wine region in the Langhe to stay in Hotel Somaschi, "The sumptuous palace of the Monastery of Cherasco."  

Before check-in we'll go to Serralunga d'Alba, one of Piedmont's gorgeous hilltop towns full of history, food, wine and fun. Winery visits today include LUIGI PIRA. And join Dan for a vermouth and some cured ham at Vinoteca Centro Storico. 

September 18

Following breakfast at our hotel, we head to Barbaresco for a private, sit-down tasting at the legendary GAJA winery. Tasting followed by lunch at Gaja’s restaurant, Campamac Osteria.  After lunch we'll visit the Torre di Barbaresco and then visit another artisan, family-owned winery (Sottimano in Neive in the works). Dinner at local restaurant.

September 19

After breakfast, we encounter our first full day at the semiannual Slow Food Cheese Festival in Bra, the home of the Slow Food Organization. The festival, simply known as Cheese, attracts cheese makers from all over the world dedicated to making the finest quality and best tasting cheeses. We will have a tour of the festival guided by a student of the university of Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo. Dinner at Ristorante Osteria La Rosa Rossa in Cherasco.

September 20

Our morning begins with breakfast at our hotel and then a truffle hunt!  It’s always a fun and surprising adventure and the dogs charm everyone. In the afternoon we

head to the heart of Barolo for a private tasting at a vineyard estate with the owner (Paolo Conterno in Monforte d'Alba is in the works). After the wine tasting, we’ll wander the picturesque town of Monforte d'Alba and perhaps stop at a local wine bar or winery. Dinner at Osteria del Boccondivino, birth of Slow Food Movement and a Michelin restaurant, where we will dine on the freshest local food and experience Cheese at night!

September 21

Following breakfast we imbibe at a winery in La Morra or Verduno (in the works) for a great wine tasting, then return to the Slow Food Cheese Festival for the afternoon. Our visit today includes time at butter and cheesemaker Beppino Occelli’s private hospitality village. Once we say our goodbyes to CHEESE, we travel to the hilltop town Castiglione Falletto for a fantastic wine tasting at Paolo Scavino (to be confirmed). We finish the day with our farewell dinner at a local winery (can't wait to finalize and tell you more about this!). 

September 22

Our final breakfast at the hotel and we head back to Torino to fly home or for some, to spend a few extra days discovering the region. 

What Is Included: 

•3 nights accommodations at 5-star Grand Hotel Sitea in central Turin, recognized as a "Historic Place of Italy" 

•5 nights accommodations at Hotel Somaschi, "The sumptuous palace of the Monastery of Cherasco."

● 2 days and one evening at the festival to explore the hundreds of cheeses, charcuterie, wine, honey and breads at the Slow Food International Cheese Festival

● Private cheese tasting at the festival (based upon availability from the vendor)

● Barolo & Barbaresco wine tastings at family owned wineries. Visits scrupulously planned by Dan Dawson. Winery visits include GAJA and LUIGI PIRA. Visits to-be-confirmed at Paolo Scavino, Sottimano, Paolo Conterno and Cavallotto.

● Dinner at Michelin rated restaurants 

● Authentic farm-to-table cuisine at unique family-owned restaurants

● Truffle hunting

● All local transportation in Mercedes sprinter

● 8 breakfasts, 4 lunches and 4 dinners

Please note that some events may change based upon availability and be substituted for other fabulous events.