Discover Italy
Touring an ancient market in Sicily, picking up tips from a professional chef in a Venetian villa or indulging in a long lunch on the Amalfi Coast – it’s all on the menu when you’re cruising in luxury on the newly launched Seven Seas Grandeur.
You’ll embark on a culinary odyssey on Regent’s 11-night Discovering Italy tour from Venice to Rome departing 28 April 2025. In addition to 13 onboard restaurants and bars, there’s an extensive selection of signature Epicurean Explorer Tours on terra firma that will see you immersed in the traditions, rituals and flavours of Italy’s celebrated food and drink culture.
Beyond the kitchen, the stunning 744-guest ship – with Picasso artworks among its design flourishes and all suites featuring private balconies – offers the perfect base from which to explore this fascinating country.
Venice
Get a taste for magical Venice (below) before boarding Seven Seas Grandeur. Skim across the canals of the floating city by water taxi and walk past the vibrant spices, sun-ripened tomatoes and fresh seafood of the 1000-year-old Mercato di Rialto. Do as the locals do and stop for an aperitivo at a traditional bacaro (wine bar) nearby for a quintessential experience. The hole-in-the-wall All’Arco serves classic small plates and bar snacks including crusty bread topped with creamed cod or paper-thin salumi and mortadella.
Brindisi
Sun-washed and steeped in Ancient Roman history, Brindisi, in the southern region of Puglia, is a favourite destination for Italians holidaying close to home. A vision of broad stone thoroughfares flanked by tall palms, the city’s seafront promenade brims with tempting places to eat and drink. Exploring on foot requires stops to try local specialties such as focaccia barese, seasoned with rosemary and salt, best paired with an Aperol Spritz.
Catania
Sicily delivers a thrill to the senses with this chef-led Epicurean Explorer Tour of the port city of Catania. Begin in the old town at Pasticceria Savia, which has been serving arancini since 1897. A short walk away lies the Mercato del Pesce, the bustling fish market where you can sample briny oysters and just-caught anchovies. A dégustation lunch at the charming Ostier Vinoteca, only an eight-minute stroll from the market, is matched with wines celebrating local grape varieties, such as the floral white Carricante, grown on the volcanic slopes of nearby Mt Etna. Save room for a final stop at a pasticceria, where Sicilian cannoli filled with sweetened ricotta await.
Palermo
Rub shoulders with chefs from Michelin-starred restaurants as they shop for produce at the buzzing open-air market La Vucciria in Palermo, the capital of food-obsessed Sicily. Snack on local delicacies such as panelle (chickpea pancakes) before an indulgent lunch at a nearby restaurant featuring caponata, the silken eggplant and tomato stew that’s famous in these parts. Other Palermo tours include a guided tasting at the lauded Alessandro di Camporeale winery – try the signature Benedè white and intense Donnatá red – or a scenic drive to Mount Pellegrino, where views across Palermo are enjoyed with a refreshing lemon granita from a roadside vendor.
Amalfi Coast
Brightly coloured houses cling to impossibly steep hillsides on the World Heritage-listed Amalfi Coast (above). Discover the supremely chic destination through food: savour the air-dried pasta of Gragnano; tuck into a locavore lunch in the village of Scala; or learn the secrets of limoncello, the heavenly lemon liqueur, in Tramonti.
Rome
A local chef reveals a hidden side to the Eternal City on an Epicurean Explorer Tour. Take in the hectic energy of the millennia-old Mercato Trionfale market, near the Vatican, and the intimate Campo de’ Fiori market square. A map of the chef’s favourite gourmet secrets will guide you to artisan pastries, spicy salumi and strong espresso. Don’t fill up – there’s still a lunch of classic Roman pasta dishes, including cacio e pepe, waiting at an eatery near the Spanish Steps. To finish, toast your journey from a panoramic rooftop with a chilled glass of frascati superiore.