Chef's Tour with LUCA's Taylor Mason
Piemonte & Lake Como
SOLD OUT! October 30-November 6, 2024
Join James Beard-nominated Chef Taylor Mason of Lancaster’s LUCA (and the new Pizzeria LUCA!) for a culinary adventure to the Piemonte and Lombardia regions of Northern Italy!!
On your tour, you’ll travel alongside Chef Taylor to experience the amazing culinary specialities of these regions, visiting various food artisans, wineries, producers, and of course - enjoying some delicious meals!
The town of Alba in Piemonte is the home of the Slow Food movement (as well as the annual truffle festival!), and Lake Como is home not only to some stunning vistas but amazing delicacies as well!
Keep scrolling for more tour details, pricing, and specific Trip Notes for this particular tour.
Tour Highlights
Enjoy the unique opportunity to travel alongside Chef Taylor Mason and take advantage of his culinary knowledge and love of Italian cuisine.
This trip will be taking place during the famous Alba Truffle Festival and Truffle World Market - so there will be no shortage of this famous delicacy!
View some of the famous villas dotting the shores of Lake Como from our private boat tour before a stopping in Bellagio, the "Pearl of Lake Como" for the afternoon.
Besides the truffle, the Piemonte region is also famous for nocciole - hazelnuts! We'll visit a hazelnut farm and enjoy sampling them in all forms!
Enjoy some of the unique wines of these regions - Barolo, Barbaresco, Franciacorta, and Dolcetto (among others!). Which will be your favorite?
About Chef Taylor Mason
Chef Taylor is the chef and owner of Lancaster, PA restaurant, LUCA. LUCA focuses on the traditions of Italy while being rooted in the heritage of Lancaster, as a farm-driven kitchen with locally sourced vegetables and meats, as well as handmade pasta. They are committed to acquiring fresh local ingredients and establishing relationships with farmers and artisans.
Join us and see for yourself why Chef Taylor was named as a semifinalists for the James Beard Foundation’s Best Chefs in America Award in 2020!
Double occupancy: $5375/person
Single supplement: $500
Deposit of $2,000/person is due upon booking to reserve your spot, along with a signed & completed registration form. Booking is not considered confirmed until deposit has been received.
Payments can be made by check (made out to Curata Travel) and mailed to: Curata Travel, 245 N. Main Street, Spring Grove, PA 17362.
Credit cards are accepted with a 3.6% fee.
Final payment is due 60 days prior to departure.
Pricing includes:
- 7 nights hotel accommodations
- All planned excursions & classes
- Experienced tour directors and local guides
- Meals included: daily breakfasts at our accommodations, 8 lunches, 9 dinners
- Private motorcoach transportation throughout the tour
- Airport transfers on specified arrival/departure days/times. We include one group transfer for your arrival and departure at specified times. Any additional transfer will be at your own cost.
Not included:
- Airfare
- Gratuity for driver and guides, at your discretion
- Any spending during free time, personal purchases, extraneous hotel charges (minibar, laundry service, etc.) and any alcoholic beverages not included with meals.
Once you complete the Booking Request Form (click the button at the top of the page), a member of our team will contact you.
You'll receive our Terms & Conditions/Registration form to complete, along with instructions for making your deposit.
Each member of the tour will be responsible for booking their own flight in & out of Milan Malpensa (airport code: MXP). Flights are not included in the tour cost.
You will be picked up at the Milan Malpensa airport on Wednesday, October 30 at 12:00p.m., then dropped off at the same airport on Wednesday, November 6 by 9:00a.m. One group transfer for arrival & departure will be provided.
A few items of note for some of the destinations and the trip as a whole to help set expectations and better prepare you for the trip. Some of the expectations are outlined in the Terms & Conditions form that you will use to register (see specifically the Traveler Code and Traveler Expectations sections), but to reiterate some as they specifically relate to this Piemonte & Lake Como itinerary.
Cusine - As hopefully most of you know, our tours focus heavily on the culinary specialities of each region and town we visit. So when we arrange a lunch/dinner or culinary experience, we are working with those restaurants to plan menus in advance that highlight the seasonal produce, and dishes that reflect the region we’re in. We will be collecting some of this information at a later date from you, but if there are food allergies we need to be aware of, please let us know and we will do our best to accommodate them. If there are entire categories of food that you just don’t eat (and are not willing to try), this might not be the tour for you!
Terrain/Mobility: As you'll find throughout Italy, walkways are often made up of cobblestones and limestone paving. Good walking shoes, being sure on your feet, and staying alert are all key to getting around!
Excursions: With all of our excursions, you are not forced to participate if something like this is not your ’thing.’ You always have the option to stay behind and enjoy some free time on your own (please note, as mentioned in the Terms & Conditions, there is no compensation or refund for any portion of the tour or excursion you do not participate in).