Verona's Romeo & Juliet™

Join us in Verona for an extraordinary culinary experience with applauded Executive Chef Gianluca, all while staying at our 5 Star boutique hotel in the heart of Peschiera. An elegant deluxe property built inside the walls of an ancient palace, hands-on cooking classes, a taste of local food and culture are the perfect recipe for learning to cook in our Romeo & Juliet program.

A Note On Chef Gianluca

Chef Gianluca leads your hands-on cooking classes in his professional kitchen using seasonal regional products to create classic traditions. Hailed, mani d’oro, golden hands, he started his career at the Naples Istituto Alberghiero Ippolito Cavalcanti, and then entered the Association of the Academia Cucina Italiana. He has a talented hand in the kitchen creating seasonal antipasto, fresh pasta and risotto, specialty fish and seafood, and endless pastries, cakes, breads and chocolate.

Accommodations

The property, dedicated to the sophisticated traveler, is in the historical centre of Peschiera and offers a touch of modernity with ancient characteristics of its past. The property has 17 elegantly appointed rooms overlooking the lake; each one is dedicated to a famous composer and is decorated with precious frescos dating back to the 1500s. Refined furnishing, linens, and drapes decorate each room. Modern amenities include TV, internet, voice mail, and a multi-media system. The hotel also houses the Verdelli Boutique, synonymous with quality and style and selling the best Italian and International fashion clothes. The Wellness Club, a Daniela Steiner creation, is an oasis of calm and relaxation. Additional options on site include, a restaurant, the property’s boat Mae West, shopping boutiques, a golf course, private helicopter, and jet & limousine service are available to guests.

The property also has an elegant and comfortable spa, perfect for an unforgettable pampering experience. Whether it’s a full day service or a facial, pedicure and manicure, you will feel refreshed.

Soft leather lounge sofas in large candle-lit rooms is the setting for the ultimate body treatment, facial, manicure or pedicure All the spa treatments are of high quality using organic plant origins. Each spa treatment is paired with relaxing music to help both body and mind unwind.

Location and History

Lake Garda is one of Italy’s most beautiful lakes which is surrounded by small beaches and winding roads with green landscapes, perfumed flowers and a palette of Northern Italian colors.

The climate is sweet and temperate with luxurious vegetation that is reminiscent of exuberant, verdant Mediterranean coasts. Numerous pretty tourist towns surround the lake with their little harbors, tiny colorful houses, gorgeous mansions and gardens.

Peschiera del Garda is one of the most strategic and panoramic positions of the lake. Peschiera was an important place during the Roman Empire. The Byzantines, the Longobards, Carlo Magno and Berengario, built castles here. In the 12th century it obtained complete autonomy and became a free commune, but it could not defend itself from the siege of Federico Barbarossa. In the following centuries it passed through the Visconti and Venetian supremacies and later, through the Napoleonic and Austrian dominions. With the unity of Italy, the tormented period of political and economical fights and disputes finally ended for Peschiera as well.

Its historical center preserves the city with fortification walls, dating back to 1553, and is set inside a huge star-shaped fortress completely surrounded by a moat. In the narrow streets of the town’s center there are an abundance of attractive shops and bars. Monday is market day~ wander through this traditional Italian market with its street traders and venders and all the alluring scents of fresh market produce. The wines produced in this area include the very famous Lugana, an excellent white wine. Legend has it that in Lugana, wine flowed from a fountain built in Peschiera in celebration of the first stay of king Charles V, coming back from his coronation in Bologna in 1530.

The Islands

The lake’s islands are: Garda near Portese and San Felice; Trimellone near Cassone; Olive opposite Malcesine hospital; Dream, and San Biagio near the Rocca di Manerba. The Benaco is crossed from Punta San Vigilio to the Sirmione caves.

Itinerary ~ 4 days, 3 nights

Sunday

• Arrival and check-in.
• Morning at your leisure to enjoy Lake Garda and its surroundings. Staff is at your disposal to suggest some brief excursions or a relaxing treatment at the spa.
• In the afternoon, you will have your first cooking lesson. After the lesson, enjoy the foods prepared in class.

Monday

• Full American breakfast
• Morning: visit at your leisure to Verona, the city of Romeo and Juliet.
• Transfer to and from Verona included.
• Alternatively: opt for an exceptional wine tasting tour in the wine cellars of the Valpolicella Valley, discovering the king of the red wines: Amarone.
• Take time out for lunch (not included).
• An afternoon class with Chef Gianluca. Following enjoy the food that was prepared in class.

Tuesday

• Full American breakfast.
• The morning starts out with your hands-on cooking class; following enjoy the food that was prepared in class.
• Boat Excursion. Spend the afternoon on the lake where our captain will take you on a trip of the most fascinating places on the lake.
• Dinner included.

Wednesday

• Full American breakfast.
• Check-out e partenza. Arrivederci!