***2 SEATS LEFT***

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 Piemonte. 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 Piemonte 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:

Sunday, 10/29/23:
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.

Monday, 10/30/23:
You will head south along the coast to explore Recco and sample their special DOP Focaccia for lunch at La Manuelina, as served in Solo Italiano as “Focaccia di Recco.” We will then spend afternoon in Camogli before dining at one of Paolo’s personal favorite restaurants, Cucu.

Tuesday, 10/31/23:
We will travel up the Ligurian Riviera coast to Albenga for lunch at Anfossa (an olive oil producer) and then inland for dinner at a fabled winery in the mountains of Pornassio or visit our friends at Claudio Vio or La Bruna. We may even head to the ocean for a dip if the weather was as wonderful as it was in 2022!

Wednesday, 11/1/23:
We will spend the morning exploring the city of Genova. We will visit Genova’s Oriental Market, sampling Genovese street food, as well as the Porto Antico and the Naval Museum. The afternoon will be yours to roam or rest, but we will reconvene for dinner. Optional full rest day with meeting for dinner, as desired.

Thursday, 11/2/23:
We will travel north into Piedmont, lunching in Acqua Termi before continuing to Alba for our truffle hunt. Dinner in Calamandrana will be at our guide’s favorite local venue atop the hills of Asti flush with the day’s discoveries! Final days’ accommodations commence in Calamandrana.

Friday, 11/3/23:
Begin the day with bubbles at winemaker Contratto (Asti) followed by lunch at the famed Gino Bardon. Afternoon rest before dinner and chestnuts in the streets of Alba. Second night spent in Calamandrana before returning to Genova on Saturday.

Saturday, 11/4/23:
We will return to Genova (where our base hotel will have been reserved for the whole week) with the possibility of stopping by Walter Massa’s vineyard along the way. This is one of Jesse’s favorite Piemont producers in the Derthona hills. Upon return to Genova, you will be free to shop, rest or catch a soccer match with Paolo’s team!

Sunday, 11/5/23:
Check out of your accommodation in Genova and savor one last goodbye breakfast with the group.

PRICE:
$5,925 per person double occupancy room
$6,925 per person single occupancy room

YOUR TRIP INCLUDES:
7 nights accommodation including taxes
4 lunches and 6 dinners per itinerary (incl. gratuities)
Continental breakfasts as offered by accommodations
All scheduled wine tastings
All ground transportation per itinerary
All 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 AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
Trip guaranteed departure is based on 6 attendees.
Travelers must be at least 21 years of age.

RESERVATIONS:
To reserve your spot on the trip please fill out the form below and call (207) 780-0227 to submit your deposit of $2,000 per person.

CANCELLATIONS:
If you must cancel your trip reservation with us before 8/31/2023 you will receive a full refund of your deposit minus a $500 cancellation fee. After 8/31/2023, your deposit will be nonrefundable. Once the final balance is paid, it will also be nonrefundable. Final balance is due 10/1/23.

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.