This is a very special tour. Everything is masterfully curated by Mario to ensure deep enjoyment of the delights of Torino and Rivoli. Beautiful buildings - a feast of architecture, interiors, paintings and museum displays bring history to life in tangible and evolving form. The old and the new – it is all there in breathtaking settings. Wonderful restaurants amazed us at lunch and dinner. Cooking classes and wine tastings ensured that we had a lot of fun while expanding our skills. Walking everywhere on the charming cobbled, winding roads of Rivoli, helped limit waistline expansion. Cultural immersion on this tour, involved the pleasures of experiencing northern Italian culture through all our senses. 

And this experience was very personal. Our 17 days in Rivoli nurtured friendships within the group and with Mario’s friends and contacts. They became our friends too. What a special experience it is to feel part of another culture and place. Thank you, Mario, our guide extraordinaire, for sharing your love of northern Italy so generously. 

Ro Roberts 
September/October 2023

I wanted to let you know that your Cultural Immersion Tour of Northern Italia was an outstanding and memorable experience for Stella and me. It was our first overseas trip following the Melbourne Covid lockdowns. As independent travellers we were excited about the trip but unsure about how we would go with an organised tour which is not something we would normally do.

The tour is a true cultural immersion in the town life of Rivoli, it's inhabitants and its superb cultural institutions. Like throwing a stone in a pond, the tour ripples out to nearby Turin and the Piedmont region taking in historic, cultural, religious, and civic monuments and most importantly it's proud (and delicious) food and wine culture.

It is also a credit to you that you have forged such close relationships with so many locals who participate in and enrich the tour in so many ways. We feel that we have forged a bond with the others in our tour whom we shared so many experiences together.

Thank you again and we wish you well in your future tours. We are sure they will continue to develop and evolve and provide many new travellers with your truly memorable experience.

The term “cultural immersion” accurately captures the essence of this tour. Mario’s passion for art and the Piedmont region resulted in a comprehensive itinerary with an attention to detail. We were guided through private and public exhibitions of classical and modern art, walked through monasteries and palaces, dined in restaurants in alpine villages and hilltop forts. We quickly adopted “aperitivo time” into our daily itinerary, which was enjoyed in cafes and bars in narrow cobblestone streets. Our immersion included the wonderful Italian food and wine and culminated in a wine tasting and cookery class. Mario’s desire to share his love of this area of Italy, coupled with the company of some wonderful local residents, made this a truly exceptional tour.

Joanne McIntyre
September/October 2019

Mario’s cultural Immersion Tour Piedmont or ‘Piemonte’ is the best way to experience the art, cuisine, landscape, history and culture of this wonderful region of Northern Italy. This tour has something for all discerning travellers, whether it’s exploring Barolo and tasting some of its world-famous wines; doing a walking tour with Mario of Torino and exploring its opulent palazzos; visiting the extraordinary art collection of the late industrialist Francesco Cerruti which is now under the care of Castello di Rivoli Museo d’Arte Contemporanea and the Cerruti Fundation; or socialising with Mario’s magnificent team who are residents of Piemonte. Grazie mille Mario and bravo on conducting such a fabulous tour.

Simon Jay + Irene Gregory
September/October 2019