Do you want to celebrate a special birthday, anniversary, or just splurge on your once in a life time Italian dream event? We have some ideas for you below!

Italy is a country which varies tremendously from region to region. Each area features its own unique charms and feeling. Many people want to come to Italy and experience their dream meal, which can be quite easy in a restaurant if chosen well. Another option is to have a cooking class followed by an amazing meal, or a catered lunch or dinner, either way in a stunning location. Costs do not have to be prohibitive either. For a very reasonable amount, you can actually experience a memory of a lifetime, one of those meals that you have only dreamed about! Here are a few ideas for you while you plan your Italian dream meal!

Above you can see a beautiful 16th century Venetian Palace on the Lido Island, just a twelve minute boat ride from St. Marks Square. Inside you will find a lovely modern villa, complete with contemporary Venetian blown glass and a large modern kitchen. You can have a catered meal in the garden or the dining room, or partake in a cooking lesson before your meal, and you will take home the wonderful recipes you have learned to cook. Your hostess is a world class chef who has catered for top designers, presidents, and stars, yet she is charming and down to earth and most importantly, an amazing chef who thinks of every detail to make your event and unforgettable experience.

The ancient Pompeiians were masters of parties and feasts. Here you see a reveler, a follower of Dionysus or Bacchus enjoying a glass of wine. In Sorrento we can arrange a wonderful cooking class and lunch or catered dinner or lunch for you in a replica of an ancient dining room, or in terraced gardens facing the beautiful crystal waters between Sorrento and Capri. The perfumes of orange and lemon tree flowers waft throughout the lush gardens, in this paradise-like setting. Fancy a cooking lesson first? Learn how to make hand made gnocchi, deep fried stuffed zucchini flowers with cheese and other specialties of the Sorrento region. Your hostess will give you the feeling that she is your Italian Mamma, teaching you her home-style cooking secrets.

In the center of Florence you can enjoy an exclusive cooking class with famous cookbook author and Tuscany-based chef in an ancient traditional palace kitchen, and then have a wonderful meal in the beautiful Corsini Palace Gardens. Learn about the historic kitchen and its secrets as they have developed over the centuries. Your hostess is a real, 20th century princess (seen below on the right), who could not be more warm and welcoming, as she invites you into her historic palace on the Arno River, in the center of Florence.

Meet with a princess for a wine tasting and then tour the estate before your meal. Eating in the formal gardens, surrounded by herbs, lemon trees, and the lovely exterior of the palace, away from the bustle of the city, will leave you with a memory of a lifetime. If you don’t want to cook, then let us develop with you the perfectly catered event, and you can sit under the lemon trees and be served an unforgettable meal.

How about participating in a grape harvest in Umbria, drinking refreshing prosecco, eating delicious appetizers, and working up a hunger. Your hostess won’t make you work too hard! Then freshen up a bit with a swim in the gorgeous infinity pool looking over the Umbrian valley, before your sit-down meal where you can enjoy a wonderful spread of Umbrian country cooking and laugh and share stories about your wonderful day! This is definitely an experience of a life time. Great for families or a group of friends alike.

Or maybe your idea of perfection is to have one delicious, hot steaming pizza after another coming out of a wood fired pizza oven as you drink Umbrian wine and gaze off into the beautiful sunset…

In Rome you can have a wonderful catered meal on a Roman Terrace. The terraces of Rome are famous for being a world unto their own! Secret worlds, hidden by plants, also feature amazing views, and make for a perfect dream meal, above the chaos of the city. Whether you have a catered event or a cooking class and then lunch or dinner, this will also remain an unforgettable experience.

This is the setting for a lunch after a cooking class featuring Roman specialties such as deep fried Zucchini Flowers stuffed with cheese, Suppli, Amatriciana, Saltimbocca, and Torta di Nonna.

Or maybe you would like to have a magnificent catered dinner in a beautiful Roman apartment, with a very big surprise to stun your guests…Your hostess, featured below will invite you into her lovely Roman garden for an apertivo, show you what micro mosaics are and give a fascinating talk on this rare art, and then take you to see something on their property that you cannot even believe exists! Sorry, but it is best kept a secret… Afterwards enjoy a lovely Roman style dinner in her home or on her large and cozy terrace.

Even in the chaotic city of Rome, there are country kitchens, full of charm where you can experience “Casareccia” Cooking, or that of the Italian Mamma, as in this one below. 

Located in the heart of the city center, this home looks as if it is from another time, with ancient brick walls and arches, and a lovely charming ambience, you can hardly believe something like this still exists. Entering through a church gate, climbing up travertine stairs, your hostess will greet you with a glass of prosecco and you can enjoy a traditional, home style meal either in the dining room or outside on the rustic terrace.

Take a cooking class, or just enjoy a catered dinner or lunch, under the garden terrace pergola, surrounded by lemon trees and the ancient Roman bricks that the medieval structure is built into. Flowers, grass, a little fountain and a few pieces of marble here and there, lend an ancient feeling to this secluded space, far above the street level, that no one can see from below.

Another option in Venice is to have your hostess cooking a delightful meal right in front of you, with the best fresh ingredients from the Rialto Market. How about a seafood extravaganza, with one dish competing for the prize for deliciousness, being served up to you hot from the stove! With her excellent collection of wines, she will treat you to the perfect accompaniment for each dish. If you like you can also have a wine tasting on the premises with the charming owner of the top Wine Seller in Venice.

Or, how about a wine tasting and catered dinner on the Grand Canal in a private palazzo. You can arrive by foot, boat or gondola, and you will be greeted at the front door and given entry into a charming 16th century small palace. Stand on the balcony looking over the grand canal, toasting with a Franciacorta sparkling wine and learn from your private sommelier about the famous wines of the region, as well as a history of the family and the palace. Next you will enter the grand salotto for a sit down dinner under a stunning Venetian chandelier…. Memorable? We think so!

Italy Hotline Custom and Gourmet Tours can arrange just about any experience you would like, from the most down to earth settings in a traditional home, to events in private palaces. Just let us know what your dream is and we will make a proposal!