THE WINE EXPERIENCE

Special Harvest Wine Tours in September
Additional tours offered throughout the year
(8 days / 7 nights)

Day 1 – ARRIVAL – CIVIDALE
Arrival at Venice airport and transfer to your accommodation in the area of
Cividale del Friuli by private minibus. Upon arrival you will be introduced to the
owners who will prepare an informal welcome lunch made with the freshest
products paired with excellent Friuli wines.
In the afternoon, meeting with Sonia Cos for an orientation tour of Cividale, the
Longobard town which has recently been included in the UNESCO world heritage
list.
Dinner and overnight stay at a 3*** hotel or country agriturismo.

Day 2 – GRAPE HARVEST DAY + GORIZIA & THE COLLIO
Breakfast at your hotel.
After breakfast, transfer to a vineyard in the Colli Orientali del Friuli to learn more about the grape
harvest and the wine making process. After meeting the owner of the vineyard who will
introduce you to the morning activities, get ready and roll up your sleeves. You will join the locals for
a morning of fun and learning. You will be taught how to recognize which grapes are ready to
harvest, how to properly cut the vines and store them in the baskets. Those who prefer not to be
involved in grape picking will enjoy observing this marvellous activity instead. You will also visit the
cellar to see how the grapes are processed to become wine.
After all the hard work, you will be rewarded with a savoury country lunch based on the finest
cheeses, meats, sausages, salami and prosciutto of the area as well as its wines. In the afternoon, you will move to Gorizia, to visit the only town in Italy divided by a border (its eastern half is actually in Slovenia!). Surrounded by hills which are sadly known as WWI battlefields, it has a quaint historical center dominated by a medieval castle.
On the way back to your hotel, you will stop for a visit and tasting at the Cantina Produttori Cormons winery, known for being surrounded by the “Vineyard of the World”, where over 400 varieties of grapes coming from the 5 continents are planted and harvested together to make the “Wine of Peace”, which is sent every year to the head of states all over the world as a sign of peace and universal fraternity: the soul of the world in a glass.
Return to your accommodation in the late afternoon.
Dinner at your hotel or at a local restaurant.

Day 3 – RAUSCEDO – AQUILEIA - GRADO
Breakfast at your hotel.
In the morning you will transfer to Rauscedo, a small town that hosts the largest and most respected grapevine nursery in the world. We will visit the property and the labs to learn more about clone selection, grafting, experimentation and micro wine making. Lunch in a local agriturismo that serves local delicacies as well as home-made wines.
In the afternoon, tour continuation towards Aquileia, one of the most important Roman archeological sites in northern Italy that still preserves remains of the forum, public baths,
private homes and an ancient basilica that has one of the largest and most spectacular early Christian mosaics in western Europe. We will then transfer to Grado, an ancient fishing village that has gradually been transformed in to a modern seaside resort.
At the end of the tour, return to your accommodation.
Dinner at your hotel or at a local restaurant.

Day 4 – GRAPE HARVEST DAY + UDINE
Breakfast at your hotel.
After breakfast, transfer to another local winery, to learn more about the grape harvest and the wine making process. After meeting the owner of the vineyard who will introduce you to the morning activities, get ready and roll up your sleeves. You will join the locals for a morning of fun and learning. You will be taught how to recognize which grapes are ready to harvest, how to properly cut the vines and store them in the baskets. Those who prefer not to be involved in grape picking will enjoy observing this marvellous activity instead. You will also visit the cellar to see how the grapes are processed to become wine. After all the hard work, you will be rewarded with a savoury country lunch based on the finest cheeses, meats, sausages, salami and prosciutto of the area as well as its wines. 
In the afternoon, tour of Udine, the charming medieval town with a distinctive Venetian flavor. Buildings and towers bearing the lion of St. Mark bring to mind the Doge’s Palace.
Dinner at your hotel or at a local restaurant.

Day 5 – FRIULIAN COOKING LESSON
Breakfast at your hotel.
In the morning meet your chef Tonino at the renowned Castello di Spessa to start a special “hands-on” cooking lesson. Always using the season's freshest ingredients, he will teach you how to prepare typical Italian and Friulian recipes, followed by lunch and tasting of local wines.
In the afternoon, free time for shopping !
Dinner at your hotel or at a local restaurant.

Day 6 – VENICE
Breakfast at your hotel.
In the morning you'll be transferred to Venice.
Free lunch at one of the many typical restaurants on the island.
In the afternoon, meet your tour guide for a 2-hour walking tour of Venice: you will see the famous basilica and the Doge's palace (exterior), you will wander through narrow alleys and cross little bridges before reaching the famous Rialto bridge from where you can admire a beautiful view over the Grand Canal. The rest of the afternoon is free to take a gondola ride or the vaporetto to Murano to see a local glass blowing factory.
Overnight stay in Venice. 

Day 7 – VENETIAN COOKING
Buffet breakfast at your hotel.
The day begins at 10.15 am with a visit to the colorful Rialto market where you can chose some ingredients for your cooking lesson, which will take place in the private home of your chef, Mrs. Patrizia, who is very passionate about cooking and sharing the many typical recipes of the area. You will prepare a simple but genuine Venetian meal, complete with good local wine, water and coffee. And of course, no meal in Venice is complete without a grappa to top it off! 
The rest of the afternoon is free for individual activities, extra sightseeing or shopping. 
Overnight stay.

Day 8 – DEPARTURE
Buffet breakfast.
Transfer by water taxi to Venice train station or Venice airport. 
Departure.


TOUR INFORMATION
Tour price: € 2100 per person based on 4 people
€ 1950 per person based on 6 people
€ 1785 per person based on 8 people
€ 1695 per person based on 10 people
€ 1655 per person based on 12 people
Tour price includes:
− private transfer from Venice airport to accommodation in Friuli
− 5 nights accommodation in an agriturismo or inn in Cividale del Friuli or surrounding
countryside - double occupancy with private bathroom
− 2 night accommodation in a 4**** hotel in Venice - double occupancy with private bathroom
− daily buffet breakfast
− 4 dinners including drinks (½ l. water and ¼ l. wine per person)
− 4 lunches including drinks (½ l. water and ¼ l. wine per person)
− 2 cooking classes followed by meal including drinks
− assistance by English speaking translator during cooking classes
− 1 F/D guide services (Rauscedo & Aquileia & Grado)
− 3 H/D guide service (Cividale + Gorizia & Collio + Udine)
− 1 guided tour of Venice (2 hours)
− 2 grape harvests and related activities
− 2 winery visits and tastings
− 1 prosciutto factory visit and tasting
− transfers by water taxi in Venice (from Piazzale Roma / Airport to Hotel and from Hotel to
Airport / Piazzale Roma)
− assistance by Discover Friuli representative
− taxes and service
Tour price excludes:
− entrance fees to museums, monuments and attractions in the various sightseeing locations
− anything not expressly mentioned under “Tour price includes”
TOUR DATES: tour available year round
Special dates for the grape harvest tour 1-8 September
Special dates for the grape harvest tour 15-22 September
If the tour is booked in other dates, the 2 half days dedicated to
the grape harvest will be replaced with a visit to a “gubana”
factory or a “cheese factory” or a “mosaic laboratory”