Explore the best food and wine tours in Italy in 2025! Because honestly, if you’re not planning your trip around what you’re gonna stuff in your mouth and what you’re gonna sip while you do it, you’re missing the point of this country. Italy isn’t just a vacation spot—it’s a full-blown sensory overload, especially for your taste buds.
Let’s dive in. Whether you’re picturing yourself swirling Chianti in some Tuscan vineyard, chasing truffles with a cranky old dude and his dog in Piedmont, or chowing down on street food in Sicily with your hands all messy—this is your roadmap to the realest food and wine experiences Italy’s got for 2025. Buckle up, and maybe loosen your belt a notch.
Best Food and Wine Tours 2025 Guide
Tuscany: Because Duh
If you say “the best food and wine spots in Italy” and don’t mention Tuscany, are you even trying? Rolling green hills, those stone villages that look straight outta a Renaissance painting, and wines that’ll make you question every “red” you ever drank at home. Tuscany is basically the Beyoncé of Italy’s food and wine world.
Start with Chianti Classico, obviously. Those bottles with the black rooster on top? Grab one, or six. Drink it with some local pecorino and bread dunked in grassy olive oil. Heaven. Oh, and if you’re a wine nerd, don’t sleep on Brunello di Montalcino wine tour—Sangiovese at its peak, and not cheap, but worth every penny. Want something a little less mobbed by tourists? Montepulciano’s got you. Go for the Vino Nobile, enjoy fewer crowds, and still get all the magic.
Foodies—don’t just drink. Get your hands dirty in a cooking class. Learn to make ribollita (that’s bread soup, but way tastier than it sounds), roll out fresh pasta, or sear a bistecca alla Fiorentina the size of your face. Some tours even let you crash at a vineyard, so you can watch the sun set with a glass of Chianti in hand like you’re in a movie, except, you know, it’s your life now. Wanna book something legit? Check these out:
Piedmont: For Truffle Freaks and Wine Snobs
Piedmont sits up north, just chillin’ with the Alps in the background, and honestly, it’s a flex. Barolo and Barbaresco—the king and queen of Italian reds. Nebbiolo grape, moody and misunderstood, but damn does it deliver. Go to the Langhe, order tajarin (egg-yolk pasta thinner than your patience in traffic) with brasato al Barolo, and let your taste buds ascend.
Autumn? That’s truffle season, baby. Head to Alba, link up with a truffle hunter and his dog, and play hide-and-seek with the world’s fanciest fungi. It’s muddy, it’s weird, and you’ll love every second. And if you’re there in October, the Alba Truffle Festival is pure chaos—in the best way. Wanna hunt truffles or drink Barolo until you’re grinning ear-to-ear? Try these:
Emilia-Romagna: The Boss Level
I swear, Emilia-Romagna is the final boss of Italian food. If you’re not drooling just thinking about Parmigiano Reggiano and Prosciutto di Parma, I dunno what to tell you. Oh, and balsamic vinegar from Modena? Forget that watery junk at the grocery store—this stuff is thick, sweet, and basically edible gold.
Do a Parmigiano tour and watch them crack open wheels of cheese bigger than most toddlers. Then go inhale some Prosciutto in Parma itself—salty, silky, and worth the trip alone. Over in Modena, you can taste balsamic that’s been aging longer than you’ve been alive. And don’t forget Lambrusco—bubbly red wine that’s way cooler than it sounds. No joke, I live in Tuscany and I still go nuts for Lambrusco.
Bologna? Pasta heaven. Learn to roll tagliatelle by hand, smother it in ragù, and realize that “spaghetti bolognese” doesn’t exist here (sorry, Olive Garden). This is the place for full-on culinary immersion—no filter, all flavor. Start planning the perfect Emilia-Romagna culinary tours here:
That’s the lowdown. Skip the tourist traps, follow your nose (and your stomach), and get ready for a trip you’ll be bragging about for years. Italy’s waiting, fork and glass in hand. Go get it.
Sicily – Where Flavor Punches You in the Face
If you’re craving food with serious attitude, Sicily’s like, “Come at me.” This isn’t some bland, beige cuisine zone—nah, this island’s got colors, chaos, and flavors that smack your tongue awake. Kick things off with a wine tour around Mount Etna. The volcano’s not just for Instagram shots; it cranks out wild reds like Nerello Mascalese, and zippy whites like Carricante. Smoky wines, black lava landscapes, and, honestly, the vibe is unreal.
Hungry? Palermo’s street markets are the stuff of legend. We’re talking arancini (those fried rice balls, yes please), panelle, and cannoli so sweet they’ll ruin you for all others. Swing over to Catania and try granita con brioche—a breakfast that basically says, “Life is short, eat dessert first.”
Chase it all down with a glass of Marsala from the west side, and suddenly all those “Sicily is the best Italian food region” claims make perfect sense. The place is a heady mix of old-school recipes and wild new twists. If you’re plotting a 2025 food and wine holidays, Sicily’s gotta be on the list. Need to get your trip sorted? Go poke around these sites:
Puglia – The Underdog with Major Bite
Down at Italy’s heel, Puglia is the low-key MVP of the food world. Sun-soaked fields, ancient olive groves, and food that tastes like it was made by someone’s grandma (because, sometimes, it is). The wine? Way better than most folks realize—think big, bold Primitivo di Manduria and punchy Negroamaro reds. Those wines just beg for hearty local eats.
If you’re a pasta nerd, Bari will be your playground. Roll up your sleeves and learn how the nonnas handcraft orecchiette (yeah, the “little ears”). Olive oil here isn’t just an ingredient—it’s basically liquid gold. Go on a tasting tour and try to resist buying a suitcase full. Spoiler: you won’t.
Don’t skip Alberobello. It’s got those trippy, white cone-roofed Trulli houses and lunches featuring creamy burrata, just-picked veggies, and focaccia that’ll haunt your dreams. Puglia’s real, unfussy, and oozes charm. Want to dig deeper? These sites will hook you up:
Campania – Pizza, Volcanoes, and Coastal Magic
Southern Italy doesn’t mess around. Land in Naples and instantly realize you’ve never had real pizza before. Do a pizza crawl, try a Margherita straight out of a wood oven, and wash it down with a crisp Falanghina. Don’t blame me when you can’t eat chain pizza ever again.
Roll down the Amalfi Coast, where the seafood is so fresh it probably waved at you earlier. Eat spaghetti with clams while staring at the ocean, and sip chilled Fiano. Or, get a taste of wine grown in actual volcanic dirt—Mount Vesuvius’s Lacryma Christi is laced with minerality and a bit of drama.
Honestly, whether you’re eating, drinking, or just gawking at the view, Campania is pure magic. Wanna make it happen? Check these out:
Sample 2-Week Food & Wine Itinerary for 2025 (South Italy)
Day 1: Fly into Rome, then head to Naples
Days 2–4: Naples & Amalfi Coast (pizza, volcanic vino, maybe a sunburn)
Days 5–7: Puglia (drink Primitivo, eat all the burrata, taste olive oils you’ll dream about)
Days 8–10: Sicily (Etna wine tour, eat your way through street food heaven)
Day 11: Rome pit stop (Lazio wines + street snacks)
Days 12-14: Rome & Vatican, culture tours, then ciao ciao!
Sample 2-Week Food & Wine Itinerary for 2025 (North & Central Italy)
Day 1: Arrive Milan, then head to Piedmont
Days 2–4: Piedmont (Barolo tour, truffle festival, get fancy)
Days 5–7: Emilia-Romagna (Parma, Modena, Bologna for cheese, vino, balsamic, and food comas)
Days 8–10: Tuscany (Chianti farmhouse life, cooking school, medieval town vibes)
Days 11–12: Venice (gawk at canals, sip Veneto wines)
Days 13–14: Milan again—one last stroll, maybe some shopping, then adios
Italy 2025: Eat, Drink, Repeat
Italy’s a full-on sensory overload, honestly. One day you’re sipping Chianti with Tuscan hills all around, next you’re face-deep in truffles in Piedmont. If you love food and wine even a little, you need to put this trip on your bucket list. Don’t wait—start planning, and let your stomach pick the route. Andiamo!