WINE JAG JOURNEYS presents:

Turin Art and Wine Tour: October 13 - 20, 2024

This one-week tour has been carefully curated for specialist interest groups. The program will allow participants (patrons, museum’s curators, art lovers) to explore the cutting-edge of the Northern Italian city, Turin (Torino) and its surroundings in the company of like-mined fellow travelers, while enjoying all the comforts of luxury touring.

Turin, located in the Piedmont Region, is the original capital city of modern Italy, according to Alexandre Stille, the city is “Italy’s best kept secret” and currently an ideal incubator for contemporary art.

We will begin the tour with an overview of the rich history of the city and its House of Savoy’s heritage boasting beautiful 17th and 18th century squares, grand Baroque palaces and churches, and then move on to contemporary art. Completing the tour among the vineyards in Piedmont, a region known for the finest food and wine.

WINE JAG JOURNEYS works with Turin Education Consortium (TEC) to provide travelers with first-hand knowledge of the local art world, as well as behind the scenes access.  While exploring the art and history of the city, participants will also enjoy the highly epicurean food & wine culture the area offers. 

Arrival and Welcome Day 

Arrival at Turin airport approximately between 12:00pm to 4:00pm 

Transfer by deluxe coach to Turin.
Check in at one of Turin’s most stylish hotels. 

7:00pm: meet and greet, tour briefing and welcome aperitif.

Day 1 

Breakfast at the hotel

9:30am: easy walk to Palazzo Madama in the city center for a guided visit to this impressive historical building. Originally a castle dating from the 15th century, commissioned to the famous architect Juvarra. The building now houses the Museum of Ancient Art with Romanesque, Gothic and Renaissance masterpieces alongside with an extensive decorative arts collection and 18th century furniture. 

Break for an independent lunch in Turin’s historical center. 

2:30pm: We visit the Royal Palace and the Savoy Gallery, the renowned painting collection of the House of Savoy. The gallery now holds over 500 works of European art from the 14th through the 20th century. Between the 16th and 18th centuries, the Savoy Dynasty asked top architects of that period to design palaces and superb residences all around the city and the region. Turin is home to a number of Castles and Royal Palaces of remarkable historical and artistic value, known collectively as the Crown of Delights of the House of Savoy. The Savoy Gallery located in piazza Castello forms with Chiablese Palace, the Royal Armoury, the Royal Library and the Archaeological Museum, the Royal Museums of Torino. 

We continue through the Royal Palace to Guarino Guarini’s Chapel of the Holy Shroud. The 17th century chapel of the shroud damaged by re in 1997 has recently reopened. The Residences of the Royal House of Savoy are UNESCO Heritage site. 

4:45pm: Afternoon tea at the exclusive Società del Whist Accademia Filarmonica Torino. In 1841 Camillo Benso Count of Cavour founded the club in a beautiful 17th century Palace looking out on to piazza San Carlo. (TBC)

Approx.: 6:30pm Back to the hotel. 

7.30pm walk to first culinary epicurean experience, at a Michelin star restaurant that will look after us with a reimagined approach to traditional Piedmontese cuisine 

Day 2 

9:15am: We will transfer by coach to Lingotto Project, Turin’s former FIAT factory and later redesigned by architect Renzo Piano. We will then visit the Pinacoteca Agnelli that opened in 2002, private collectors and members of the board of the Louvre and Met, and houses masterpieces by Canaletto, Tiepolo, Modigliani, Balla, Matisse and Picasso. 

approx. 12:00pm We break for an independent lunch at Eataly Lingotto, the first food emporium established in 2007 with the aim of showcase the best of Piedmont’s produce and Slow Food movement using only locally grown and seasonal products.

An Eataly Card is provided for you to choose your own local specialties. 

2:30pm: After lunch, we visit the world-class Egyptian Museum, the second largest collection of Egyptian antiquities after Cairo. An Egyptologist guide will lead the visit. 

5:30pm: Back to the hotel 

8:00pm: Dinner at Circolo dei lettori located in the magnificent Palazzo Graneri della Roccia, a Baroque palace which now serves as a cultural space dedicated to literature. The restaurant’s chef, Stefano Fanti, prepares excellent traditional local Piedmontese cuisine. 

Day 3 

Breakfast at the hotel 

9:30am:
Option 1: Transfer by coach to GAM Modern Art Gallery Turin. 

Option 2 - Visit OGR. One hundred million euros invested by Fondazione CRT to bring back to life the OGR, the “cathedral” of Turin’s industrial history. Hi- tech solutions, environmental sustainability, historical preservation, versatility of spaces and accessibility for all: these were the specifications behind the radical refurbishment and conversion of the OGR: from former train repairs Workshops to new Workshops for contemporary culture, innovation and business acceleration, with a marked international stance. 

12:00pm: Transfer by coach to Rivoli where we break for lunch at Combal.Zero at the Rivoli’s castle.

Combal.Zero is listed among the 100 best restaurants in the world. It forms a wing of the town’s castle, which dates back to the 13th century. The chef is Davide Scabin, and the restaurant has earned 2 Michelin Guide stars. (with less than 10 guests - an alternative of a similar quality will be offered)

2:30pm: We visit the Castello di Rivoli Museum of Contemporary Art.
The first museum devoted to contemporary art in Italy, Castello di Rivoli is a beacon for the art world. Since it opened in 1984, it has continuously presented innovative exhibitions and radical art performances, while remaining sensitive to the unique Baroque castle that hosts it. Designed in 1718 by Filippo Juvarra, the castle is a constant source of inspiration for artists. 

Approx.5:45pm: Return to the hotel. 

The evening is free or independent arrangements. 

Day 4 

Breakfast at the hotel

9:30am: Depart the hotel by coach to visit the Stupinigi Hunting Lodge southwest of Turin, a former royal hunting lodge of the House of Savoy. Built on a medieval palace, the grand hunting lodge was conceived by Filippo Juvarra in 1729. Stupinigi was the chosen site for many royal weddings; Napoleon Bonaparte also was a guest for a while. 

Lunch approx 12pm Lunch at Spazio7, Michelin star restaurant at the Fondazione Sandretto.

2:30pm: Visit to Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, private collector. 

Patrizia Sandretto’s house and private collection. Patrizia is Italy’s Peggy Guggenheim. Patrizia Sandretto Re Rebaudengo’s collection of contemporary art includes more than 1,500 pieces and focuses on work of the last 25 years. She owns work by Maurizio Cattelan, Ian Cheng, Berlinde de Bruyckere, Cerith Wyn Evans, Damien Hirst, Josh Kline, Sarah Lucas, Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, Mark Manders, Charles Ray, Cindy Sherman, Rudolf Stingel, Rosemarie Trockel, and Adrian Villar Rojas, among many others. She is dedicated to working closely with artists and to sharing art with the public. With that mission in mind, she founded Turin’s Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo in 1995, just three years after she started collecting. The foundation is supporting artists, promoting the production of contemporary art, and putting on exhibitions. Her Turin museum is part of the Global Private Museum Association, formed in 2015.
We will share an Aperitif at the collector’s home. 

[We will then visit Franco Noero’s Gallery. - possible optional visit]

Approx.6:45pm: Return to the hotel. 

The evening is free for independent arrangements. 

Day 5 

Breakfast at the hotel
Morning: 

12:30pm: Check out and depart by coach to Alba and Langhe-Roero.  The Langhe-Roero and Monferrato has been declared UNESCO Heritage Site since 2013,

Lunch: Taste the best of the local dishes in the quaint, charming town of Alba, white truffles capital.

3:00pm: Visit Alba, stroll around the historical center. 

4:30pm: Check in to a Luxury Hotel & Spa in the heart of the vineyards (we work with several in Piedmont)

The evening is free for independent arrangements. 

Day 6 

Breakfast at the hotel 

9:30am: Visit the Gaia Private Art Collection in Busca.
The Gaia collection has developed over the last forty years out of the art work collected by Bruna Girodengo and Matteo Viglietta. Their collection consists of nearly 2000 works of art. At the nucleus of the collection is work that reflects the ideals of the Italian “Arta Povera” movement.  Following their instincts and the emotions felt seeing the art works for the first time, they have amassed a unique international collection. A large proportion of the collection is now housed in a purpose-built Gallery that is built out of iron, copper and glass.

Lunch: Wine and cheese tastings: visit to two wineries selected for you. 

3:30pm: Visit Castello di Guarene, a palace-museum built in the eighteenth century by nobleman Carlo Giacinto Roero, with a sumptuously decorated interior that’s surrounded by beautiful gardens. The palace is also an award winning hotel, restaurant and spa.

6:00pm: Back to the Hotel to relax and pamper yourself in the luxury Spa. 

The evening is free for independent arrangements.

Day 7 

Check out and transfer by coach to Turin International Airport.

Price is $5,200 per person (ask about early booking discounts)

2022 Art Tour is SOLD OUT

What is included in the tour? 

Included:

Accommodation for 7 nights  in 4/5 star hotels with continental buffet breakfast
4 lunches
2 dinners
1 Afternoon Tea
Wine tastings
Private coach transportation
Guided tours
Museum tickets 

We can arrange for the following activities/services: 

Chocolate tastings
Truffles Hunt, if in season
Tour of historical coffee shops in Turin Personal shopper
Wellness and Spa treatments can be arranged

About WINE JAG JOURNEYS

Creator and tour planner, JoAnn Actis-Grande (JAG), is Wine Editor for Taste of the Seacoast Magazine and Website for over 10 years, and writes wine and travel columns for Coastal Home Magazine. She also writes a weekly column “Let’s Talk Wine” for Seacoast Newspapers. Her work appears on The Fifty Best.com and Local Wine Events.com.  JoAnn is a judge at the annual American Fine Wine Competition (AFWC), conducts video interviews with legendary winemakers, and instructs wine tastings on a windjammer in Maine. She is a lover of wine and art, and has traveled from Napa Valley to Cyprus.  JoAnn currently guides intimate groups to wineries and destinations in Italy and beyond.  She lives in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, when not traveling.  She can be reached by phone: 603-674-8991, or email: joann@winejag.com

Please note, due to COVID 19 restrictions on travel, please contact joann@winejag.com or call 603-674-8991 for latest details.