6 Days Rome – Private Small Group Journey.
Highlights Include: Trastevere Foodie Tour, Roman Cooking Class, Food & Wine of Roman Countryside, Pizza & Gelato Making.
Specially customized for private small groups of 8 to 16 guests.
Roman Culinary Adventure
DAY 1 ARRIVE IN ITALY: Arrive in Rome. After you make your way through customs, meet with your private driver in the arrivals area. Shortly afterwards, transfer to your hotel in Rome and enjoy some time to relax and rest. Early in the evening, join a shared “Rome by night walking tour” before the lights of the city begin flickering. Your first stop is at the Pantheon, where you can snap pictures of the beautiful structure under the moonlight. Afterward, follow your guide to the nearby Trevi Fountain, a true icon of the city and one of its most valued treasures. If you’d like, you can drop a coin in the fountain for luck before moving on. Continue following your guide to Capitoline Hill and catch a glimpse of the Roman Forum and its famous ruins that are still standing from the days of the Roman Empire. Your last stop is at the impressively large Colosseum. Once a place that was packed with crowds and booming gladiator fights, it now serves as a reminder of ancient Roman history. Your guide shows you around its exterior walls as you learn little-known facts about the amphitheater. Afterwards, make your own way back to your hotel.
DAY 2 THE VATICAN, COLOSSEUM, & TRASTEVERE FOODIE STROLL: This morning experience a very special guided tour of Sistine Chapel and Vatican Museum. Then proceed to the Piazza Venezia and Roman Forum, with a stop at the Colosseum – a testament to the greatness of Rome’s past. Continue your full-day tour by viewing the Arch of Constantine, Circus Maximus, the Great Synagogue, Isola Tiberina and Castel Sant’Angelo.
Early this evening, join in a shared group foodie stroll in Rome, tasting some delicious Italian food. The Trastevere food tour will start in Rome’s historic food center, Piazza Navona. The culinary journey will take you to other important food areas in Rome: the Jewish Ghetto, Campo de’Fiori and Trastevere, with some of the best restaurants serving typical Roman cuisine. We will introduce you to typical Roman specialties such as supplì, steaming rice balls oozing mozzarella, or pizza ‘al taglio’ where the baker cuts you a piece of pizza from a long strip. After walking and tasting sit and relax in a typical romantic trattoria in Trastevere. Taste different pastas accompanied with fantastic local wines. After a savory feast, visit a gelateria for a classic Italian gelato. The perfect ending to a gastronomic feast. Afterwards, make your own way back to your hotel. (B/D)
DAY 3 COOKING WITH NONNA: After breakfast, enjoy your morning at leisure in Rome. At noon, join a shared culinary experience, cooking with nonna. Ask any Italian what their favorite food is, and they’ll always qualify their answer with “della nonna” (my grandmother’s). This unique experience lets you savor the chance to cook traditional Italian recipes with a real Italian nonna. The three recipes for this class are of gnocchi, meatballs, and creamy panna cotta. Under the friendly, experienced guidance of nonna, you will get to work crafting the gnocchi dough, rolling it out, assembling your meatballs, and creating your delicate panna cotta. Of course, cooking these delicious dishes is only half the fun! At the end of the class, you and your fellow veterans of the kitchen will get the chance to dine on what you’ve made in our stunning dining room. A selection of fine local wines, beers, and soft drinks will accompany your three-course meals while you exchange stories and conversation with the other guests. Buon appetito! Afterwards, make your own way back to your hotel. (B/D)
DAY 4 FOOD & WINE OF THE ROMAN COUNTRYSIDE: Be prepared for an unforgettable trip back to the times and flavors of the past. Today you discover historic farms in the countryside, outside Rome on your shared small group excursion. Spend a lovely day visiting quaint villages, rich with history, located to the south of Rome. During the tour, you will visit family vineyards and will be invited to taste the wines, which will also be accompanied by local specialties, such as porchetta, salami, and bread cooked in a wood-burning oven, together with a wonderful panoramic view of the city of Rome and its environment. Stop to visit Castel Gandolfo and its palace (the Pope’s summer residence); Grottaferrata, that is very famous for its important 15th century monastery and church decorated with 16th century frescos of saint Nilus’ life; Nemi village, which is very famous because in Spring you can sit in a bar tasting wild strawberries with fresh cream and looking at the panorama over the lake. Then return to Rome where your evening is free. (B/L)
DAY 5 PIZZA MAKING & GELATO! This morning, enjoy some free time in Rome. This afternoon, make your way to join a shared small group class where you will learn to make TWO of Italy’s most iconic creations: gelato and pizza! This fun class is great for families and friends. With an English-speaking Italian chef, learn the techniques of kneading the all-important pizza dough, as Italians have been doing for two centuries. What to adorn your pizza with? Have fun choosing between deliciously salty Italian prosciutto or wonderfully fruity black olives. Decide if you want to keep things simple ‘bianca’ without sauce or add a rich tomato sauce for a pizza ‘rosso’. Pizza and gelato make for a satisfying early evening treat, with local wines and antipasti Afterwards, make your own way back to your hotel. (B/L)
DAY 6 ROME/USA: After breakfast, group transfer to Rome airport for your return flight to the USA, arriving home the same day. (B)
Customize to Suit
The above suggested itinerary can be customized to suit; more or less meals, different cities and/or sightseeing based on your clients’ interests. You name it, our expert group specialist professionals will put it together for you. Please call 1-800-818-8455, or simply complete the group request form, and we’ll get back to you with your proposal.
Inclusions
- 5 nights in centrally located 4- or 5-Star hotel
- Private arrival and departure transfers
- Breakfast daily, except day of arrival
- Shared small group walking tour “Rome by night” (3 hours)
- Private tour of the Vatican and Colosseum with English-speaking guide
- Shared small group Trastevere Food walking tour (3 ½ hours)
- Shared small group cooking class, “Cooking with Nonna – Gnocchi, Meatballs and Panna Cotta”
- Full day shared small group Food and Wine Roman Countryside
- Shared small group Pizza Making Class and Gelato
- Portfolio of travel documents
- 24-hour local customer service while traveling in Italy
NOTE: Transfers to/from shared tours are not included.
Private Departures
Please Call 1-800-818-8455 for Group Rates on this Custom Group Journey
This suggested itinerary can be customized to suit; more or less meals, different cities and/or sightseeing based on your clients’ interests. You name it, our expert group specialist professionals will put it together for you. Please call 1-800-818-8455, or simply complete the group request form, and we’ll get back to you with your proposal.
Group Discounts
On custom journeys, discounts vary depending on group requirements. Typically, travel with a group of 20 and the 21st traveler receives a 100% discount* off the land portion of the vacation price. A second traveler receives a 100% discount* off the land on a group of 40 paying passengers.
*Per person prices are land only and based on two people sharing a room. Above dates represent “land start” date. Air: Please note that airfares are not included in the prices above. Journeys Connect can quote you the lowest possible GROUP airfare available on the day that you book. Minimum of 10 seats from same gateway. Less than 10 air seats will require full payment at time of booking. Single Room Supplement: On Request. Triple Room Reduction: On Request. Group discounts cannot be combined with our Triple Room discounts. Not valid on Specialty, Customized Vacations or River Cruises, optional extensions, extra nights, airfares, taxes and fees, flight supplements, or airport transfers. Other restrictions may apply. All passengers’ names must be advised before the discount is applied. *Group discount is on a twin-share basis only.
Contact Journeys Connect
Journeys Connect group and specialty services are available exclusively on a Business-to-Business basis, to travel industry professionals. If you are an individual interested in a Group Journey for 8 or more passengers, please do browse our collection and then contact your preferred Travel Agent and ask them to book through Journeys Connect.
Travel professionals, please call and speak with one of our Group Specialty Professionals:
1-800-818-8455