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Join Chef Paolo Laboa and his partner and Solo’s wine guy, Jesse Bania, on a tour of Paolo’s home region, Liguria, and neighboring Toscana. (There will also be one staff member from Solo Italiano on the journey with us!) The gorgeous coast overlooking the Ligurian Sea is where age-old cooking traditions were met with passion and inspiration to create much of Paolo’s unique culinary style. Meanwhile, up and over the dramatic mountainous landscape in Toscana lie equally iconic and historic opportunities for cultural and gastronomic exploration.

By joining us for this Ligurian-oriented experience, you will share the best food and taste through a special variety of wines at local hidden gems and featured producers we work closely with while learning the stories that lie behind them all. If you have a love for Italian food and wine and an interest in learning as you travel, you are in for an amazing opportunity to do so!

YOUR CHEF & GUIDE:

Paolo Laboa’s love for the cucina started in his mother's kitchen, where he learned the secrets of real Genovese cooking. After many achievements and adventures, including winning the World Pesto Championship, Paolo has found his new home in Portland, ME. Here he and his wife Mercedes live with their two children and run Solo Italiano, a much-loved pillar of the farm to table tradition in Portland. Paolo is very excited to share his home country and region and its cultural culinary traditions with you on this special trip!

Jesse connected naturally with Paolo and the mission behind Solo Italiano on the day it opened its doors. He went on to become the wine director of one of Portland’s most exclusive and unique wine lists as well as Co-Owner and friendly face of the restaurant. He LOVES Italian wine and has built Solo’s program around the natural connection it has to food, origin and atmosphere. He has traveled extensively around the world. He will be your tasting buddy, translator and travel partner. Ask him any question you might have along the way; he will be your pocket guide.

Testimonial:

"My mother and I had the pleasure of traveling to Genoa with owners Paolo and Jesse in October 2022. This was truly the trip of a lifetime. We stayed at a lovely boutique hotel right in the city center and each night we dined for hours. I am fairly certain that I enjoyed some of the most magical and delicious meals of my life on this trip. 

But beyond the stunning beauty of the Ligurian province, the excellent wine, and the incredible eats was the camaraderie and deep well of knowledge provided by our guides. Jesse and Paolo filled our days with tours and stories translating from Italian as they introduced us to other celebrated chefs and restaurant owners. All of our needs were tended to and we laughed a lot. I will never forget seeing wild boars on country backroads or dancing to a vintage jukebox after a meal that lasted 3 hours.

Both my mother and I plan to return to Italy with Solo Italiano in the future. Cannot recommend this experience highly enough."

-Dietlind Vander Schaaf

ROUGH ITINERARY:

Tuesday, 11/18/25:
Arrive at your hotel in Genova, check-in and meet up with Paolo and Jesse for an aperitivo hour to meet your traveling companions and review plans for the delicious week to come! We will share our first dinner together that night with a seafood forward meal where we start each of our trips. This is always Jesse’s favorite meal.

Wednesday, 11/19/25:
We will head south along the coast to explore Recco and sample their special DOP Focaccia for lunch, as served in Solo Italiano as “Focaccia di Recco.” We will then spend afternoon in both Santa Margherita for an affogato and then Camogli for some sight seeing before dining at our favorite local restaurant.

Thursday, 11/20/25:
We will travel up the Ligurian Riviera coast to Imperia for a tour of Anfosso (our preferred Ligurian olive oil producer) with lunch to follow. Potential winery visit with our friends in the Riviera Ponente. Dinner at a Michelin-rated restaurant in Genova.

Friday, 11/21/25:
We will depart our hotel following breakfast, making way to our agriturismo in Toscana, but stopping (to break up the drive) in Lucca to lunch and visit a local winemaker. We will arrive at our residence near Siena around dinner time.

Saturday, 11/22/25:
We will tour the agriturismo, which features local agricultural products including Tuscan salami, olive oil, wine and other unique farm products. Potential winery visit near Siena in the afternoon, but this would be optional to allow for rest. The day will otherwise be free to rest before dinner together.

Sunday, 11/23/25:
We will depart our agriturismo in the morning following breakfast and make our way to Florence. Once we are checked in at our hotel, your day will be free to take in Florence as you prefer. Before dinner time, we will tour a local palace and dine together enjoying traditional Fiorentina cuisine.

Monday, 11/24/25:
Our brief stay in Florence will end after breakfast. We will then head to Modena for our final stay (yes, admittedly outside of Toscana). Here we will visit a local Prosciutto di Parma producer (Tuesday) as well as a Lambrusco producer (Monday) for some unique comparison to Tuscany’s similar styles of both. We will dine together enjoying true Modenese cuisine.

Tuesday, 11/25/25:
Following breakfast, we will check out of our hotel in Modena, if you prefer. This will be our last day together and your stay that night would be your responsibility. We will head to the Prosciutto producer near Parma about one hour away. We will lunch nearby in Langhirano. Following the tour, we will continue on to Milan. Folks would equally be free to head back to Modena or continue on to Milan’s airport to part ways.

PRICE:
$7,250 per person double occupancy room
$8,250 per person single occupancy room

YOUR TRIP INCLUDES:
7 nights accommodation including taxes
Lunches (min 4) and dinners (min 6) per itinerary (incl. gratuities)
Continental breakfasts as offered by accommodations
All scheduled wine tastings
All ground transportation per itinerary
All additional sightseeing/admissions per itinerary

DOES NOT INCLUDE:
Airfare or travel to and from Italy and our initial meeting/departure locations. There will be some free time built into the schedule for relaxation or personal exploration. All meals and activities therein are the responsibility of the guest(s).

CONDITIONS:
Trip guaranteed departure is based on 8 paid attendees. Our group size will be 16 persons max, including Jesse, Paolo and Solo staff—no more than 12 paid attendees.
*Travelers must be at least 21 years of age.

RESERVATIONS:
To secure your spot(s) on the trip please fill out the form below and submit your deposit of $2,000 per person.

Payments can be made by check or major credit card. Credit cards will be subject to a 2.5% processing fee.

CANCELLATIONS:
If you must cancel your trip reservation with us before 5/31/2025 you will receive a full refund of your deposit minus a $500 cancellation fee. After 5/31/2025, your deposit will be nonrefundable. Once the final balance is paid, it will also be nonrefundable. Final balance will be due 9/1/25.

Please consider taking travel insurance to help cover any unforeseen circumstances that may arise. For insurance information please visit InsureMyTrip. Your credit card company may also offer trip protection for such a purchase automatically, as another option to explore. In the event that our boarders close anew or other federal restrictions stop us from traveling, we will work with participants where insurance/trip protection doesn’t cover deposits and final balance payments.

TRAVEL NOTES:

In addition to purchasing travel insurance, we also recommend packing light to the extent that you are comfortable. You may be staying overnight in different towns throughout the week. Having that personal item be a day bag is also helpful for your daily adventures.

RESPONSIBILITY:
Solo Italiano and Paolo & Jesse Bania accept no responsibility for any delayed departures or arrivals, missed connections, loss, damage, or injury to person or property. We reserve the right to change the itinerary and substitute arrangements of any equal value, if circumstances warrant change.