from € 1500
CREA IL TUO VIAGGIO TROVA AGENZIALombardy and Piedmont Regions – The Essence of North West
A short tour to introduce you to some of the many treasures Italy has to offer. A light menu that might entice you to crave for more.
MILAN, the most cosmopolitan Italian city and fashion capital of the world, with its own unique charm, beauty and glamour; the royal glories of PIEDMONT with its incredibly rich Jewish heritage ; the unique charm and beauty of Lake COMO which even Hollywood stars find irresistible.
Like any of our tours this trip can be shortened or extended. For the latter option, we invite you to have a look at all our tours which, either partially or totally can be added to this tour.
We invite you to also check our list of additional tour options and activities that are offered with each tour at an extra cost to be advised upon request.
After visiting Italy’s beauties, if you might be interested in continuing your trip to Israel please bear in mind that we have a strong partnership with GO ASIA tour operator (https://www.goasia.it/destinazioni/israele/).
LOCATIONS INCLUDED IN THE TOUR:
Milan; Turin; Biella; Vercelli; Casale Monferrato; Lake Como.
ELEMENTS OF INTEREST:
1)Jewish Heritage;
2)Art cities;
3)”Minor Italy”: places off the main tourist map, but that are worth visiting for their beauty and their typical Italian characteristics and atmosphere;
4)Nature and landscapes;
5)World War II;
6)Glamour/ shopping.
Arrival at Milano Malpensa. We will have a guided tour of Milan, the world capital city of fashion and design. This metropolis, is the capital city of Lombardy, seat of the Italian Stock Exchange and is famous for its exclusive restaurants and shops.
We will visit the central Synagogue of Milan, built in 1892 and the Binario 21 (Track 21) at the Central Station, in itself quite an architectural feat, from where during WWII the Jews of the city and the surrounding areas were deported to concentration camps. Accommodation at the hotel in the evening.
Breakfast at the hotel and departure for Turin, Italy's first capital city after the country reunification, where Italy’s royal family lived until the capital was moved to Rome and where you can still breath in the air of its royal past. At the arrival we will meet our guide and start visiting the city. Nowadays Turin is the capital of the Piedmont region and it is known for its tasteful architecture, cooking and the art of chocolate making which was born here. The Alps stand at Northwest of the city, luxurious buildings and ancient cafes skirt the magnificent boulevards and squares of the city, like Piazza Castello and Piazza San Carlo. The high spire of the Mole Antonelliana of the Nineteenth century stands nearby. This impressive building was originally commissioned by the wealthy local Jewish community to become the city’s main Synagogue, but its ambitious project was soon forsaken due to its enormous costs. It hosts now the interactive exhibitions of the Museo Nazionale del Cinema. We will be visiting also the 2 existing Synagogues, the large Temple and the small Temple, the latter built inside what used to be the area where the Pesach Matzot were baked. At the end of the visit we head to Biella, located at the foot of the Alps. We will visit this city which dates back to the Early Middle Ages, its Ghetto area and its XVIII century Synagogue which hosts the oldest known Sefer Torah in the world, recently restored to its original splendour dating back to the XII century. We will return to Milan in the evening. Overnight stay at the hotel.
Breakfast at the hotel. We will head to Casale Monferrato, where we will meet our guide and visit the tiny, but gorgeously adorned Synagogue with its fully frescoed walls and its small museum. The Jewish community of Casale Monferrato is very small counting only 10 members and is one of 21 communities that make up the Italian Jewish Community Union (UCEI). At the end of the visit we will head to Vercelli where will visit its beautiful Synagogue located at the center of what used to be the city’s Ghetto. Then we will head to Milan for overnight at the hotel.
Breakfast at the hotel and departure for Como. We will have a guided tour of the city and we will continue with a boat tour on the lake which will enable us to enjoy some of the most beautiful villas, charming villages and natural vistas that have made Lake Como so famous. On the way we will stop at Varenna for a short walk through the narrow alleys of this magical village, visit Villa Monastero, its beautiful interiors and its majestic gardens stretching for over a mile along the shores of the lake. Time permitting, with a 20 minutes hike we will reach the over than 1,000 years old Castle of Vezio overlooking Varenna from where you will be able to enjoy stunning views of the lake. Paths crossing the surrounding mountains dividing Italy from Switzerland, used in the past to smuggle goods in and out of Italy, were used during the last years of WW2 to smuggle Jews to safety out of Italy into Switzerland. These are now part of a hiking network called “The routes to safety” (see point E in our “Additional activities available” here below). We will come back to Milan in the evening for overnight.
Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to the Milan airport.
Tariff per person, starting from:
Departure | 2 participants | 4 participants | 6 participants |
---|---|---|---|
Double | Double | Double | |
From 1 January 2023 to 31 December 2023 | € 3,100 | € 1,900 | € 1,500 |
Notes
OPTIONAL EXPERIENCES (we are open to satisfy any additional request you might have):
1)Tour of the LANGHE area with its beautiful rolling hills, wineries, castles and villages that dot the landscape;
2) VERONA, the city of Romeo and Juliet;
3) Quaint SIRMIONE and a boat tour on LAKE GARDA: experience beautiful SIRMIONE and LAKE GARDA while gazing out at some of the most famous Italian landscapes and taking a dip into some history – Mussolini had his headquarters here after Italy’s armistice in 1943;
4) GARDALAND, MOVIELAND, (near Sirmione) – amusement parks on LAKE GARDA for children and adults– (night in Verona);
5) Tour of the quaint villages of VALEGGIO SUL MINCIO, BORGHETTO AND CASTELLARO LAGUSELLO where time seems to have stopped (night in Verona);
6) BERGAMO and VILLAGGIO CRESPI D’ADDA: discover these two charming towns only 45 minutes from Milan, the beautiful medieval city of upper Bergamo and the ideal workers’ village built by the Crespi family nearby their factory along the Adda river banks (night in Milan);
7) MANTUA and FERRARA (1 day each): two Renaissance pearls who had once flourishing Jewish communities. Ferrara also hosts the MEIS, one of the largest Jewish museums in Europe.
8) PORTOFINO, RAPALLO, SANTA MARGHERITA AND PORTO VENERE: a flavour of the famous and gorgeous Italian Riviera (night in Milano);
9) A concert or an opera at the famous “La Scala Theatre” of MILANO (in season only);
10) Bike tour of the LANGHE, Piedmont’s historical and noble wine making area;
11) Bike tour along LAKE GARDA;
12) Hike on a trail in the mountains surrounding LAKE COMO belonging to the network “Routes to safety” used during WW II by smugglers to smuggle Jews to safety from Italy to Switzerland OR take a hike in the ALPS (night in Milan);
13) Shopping spree in a designer outlet OR in MILAN’s fashion district;
14) Italian cooking class;
OPTIONAL SERVICES:
KOSHER MEALS: starting from 370€ per person. Full-board with kosher certified pre-packaged meals, throughout the whole trip.
The tariff includes
The tariff does not include
The first Jewish presence in the city dates back to 1145. However it’s not until the 16th century that the Jewish community will reach it’s peak. In fact, in this century a grand total of 12 synagogues were built. They were called “scholae”, and they served both as places of worship as well as “schools”, […]
Model of the Renaissance “ideal city”, called the “Small Athens” of the Po valley, it is actually a “Small Rome” since it was conceived by its creator, the Prince and patron Vespasiano Gonzaga Colonna, on the model of the ancient Roman cities. Vespasiano, as Viceroy of Navarra in Spain, had already planned the city of […]