For Gourmands

Day 1: Arrive in Milan

Though the capital of northern Italy in many senses, and no slouch on the culinary scene, Milan is not hailed for its cuisine in the same way that many other cities around the region are. Instead, the city is best-known for its shopping, its culture, and its lively nightlife. Be sure to check out the Pinacoteca di Brera and, of course, the Duomo, before hitting the clothing stores downtown and the cocktail bars of Brera. If you haven't yet reserved tickets to see Da Vinci's Last Supper or a performance at La Scala, this would be a good time to do so in person and save those unforgettable experiences for your last day here. Chances are slim that you will get in to see Da Vinci's masterpiece unannounced. For dinner, stop by the La Milanese for the city's famous cutlet and risotto. (Note: It is a universal opinion in Italy that landlocked Milan actually has some of the country's best seafood, because the high prices fetch the best fresh fish. Just don't order it on Mon, the day after the fish market is closed.)

Day 2: Turin

If American's don't think of food-and-wine when they think of Turin, this may change after the 2006 Winter Olympics cast a spotlight on the city's excellent restaurants. This is the capital of a region (Piedmont) with perhaps more claims to both enological and gastronomic fame than any other in Italy. C'era Una Volta and Ristorante Tre Galline are two of the most popular eateries, but there are dozens of superb ones from which to choose. Even if you are not a tourist-office kind of traveler, by all means stop by the booth in the Porta Nuova train station at least to pick up a brochure on the latest culinary happenings. The city commonly hosts citywide tastings, where restaurants offer special deals and sampling menus. The tourist office also hands out discount passes to such food boutiques as chocolate stores. (Did you know that the Torinese invented chocolate, before passing the tradition on to the neighboring Swiss?)

Day 3: Barolo & Barbaresco

Anyone serious about Italian wines will already be familiar with these blockbuster names, famous for their precious and delicate reds. Bear in mind that the estates around here are not as welcoming to the general public as those in, say, Chianti, but a simple drive around the vineyards and a stop in the area's many wine bars are enough to quench any oenophile's thirst.

Days 4 & 5 Brà, Alba & Asti

In any other kind of tour, this triangle of medieval towns might be given a skip, but a gourmand's itinerary of northern Italy without the Langhe, as the area is known, would be like a religious pilgrimage without St. Peter's Basilica. Asti's Moscato grapes produce the country's best-known spumante, while Alba is ground zero for the legendary white truffle. Not coincidentally, the headquarters for the world's best-known culinary fraternity is based here, in Brà. Slow Food -- with a culinary school in the city and chapters in Europe, North America, and across the globe -- promotes a doctrine of careful attention to local, quality food. In odd-numbered years in Brà it hosts Salone del Gusto, a sort of culinary trade fair with seminars and tasting booths, while in even years, the organization holds an international cheese conference, with more varieties than you could sniff in an entire weekend. Check its website (www.slowfood.com) for dates.

Day 6: Cremona & Mantua

Hopefully, you've eaten only small, delicate dishes of mushrooms and truffles until this point (however unlikely) and have kept an appetite for a great dinner in Mantua. Skip breakfast in Asti, and save time in the morning for side trips to Tortona and/or Pavia to pick up a few inexpensive bottles of Oltrepo' Tortonese and Oltrepo' Pavese, respectively. Stop off in Cremona to see the hometown of Stradivarius violins and try some of the area's famous pumpkin-stuffed tortellini. Chances are, you'll like it so much you'll want to order the same thing in Mantua, about an hour away. It is also a specialty there, along with its excellent risotto. Tour the city's marvelous Palazzo Ducale and its works by Titian, and then move on to dinner at either the Leoncino Rosso or the Ochina Bianca. Mantua has some of the best dining around for such an unheralded city, and its lovely, quiet streets make for a great postprandial stroll. Either spend the night here, or make the brief trip north to Verona for a nightcap at the Bottega del Vino, boasting one of the most highly respected wine cellars in all of Italy.

Day 7: Verona & Its Neighboring Vineyards

The vineyards just north of the city are the home to the whites of Soave and the reds of Valpolicello, and the savored tradition the latter grapes gave rise to: Amarone. The area is so serious about its privacy and guarding its secrets that it doesn't have much tourist infrastructure to speak of. The best place to enjoy the wines are back in the trattorie of Verona, either the Osteria del Duca or the Taverna di Via Stella, or one of the bars on Piazza delle Erbe, perhaps a well-deserved return trip to the legendary Bottega del Vino. Even the little touristy restaurants next to the Arena are a memorable experience, especially if there is an opera there that night.

Days 8 & 9: Venice

It's easy to get a lousy dinner in Venice, but almost just as easy to get a fantastic one. This is your chance for some of the region's freshest seafood and the city's trademark seppioline (cuttlefish, whose black ink colors the spaghetti or risotto.) It would be uncouth not to start off in some tiny bar for a glass of the northern Veneto's prosecco (sparkling white wine) or better, a spritz of white wine and soda water, or the bitter Aperol. In between meals and aperitifs, there should be enough time to see some of the city's famed palaces and take a spin on a gondola at night. Don't forget the requisite bottle of prosecco!

Day 10: Bergamo & Milan

You can't leave northern Italy without having polenta from Bergamo, and there's no better place to do it than at the Antica Hosteria del Vino Buono. As the name suggests, they have some pretty good wine there, too, not least of which the locally grown Franciacorta. Milan is a short drive away, so you'll have time in the afternoon to get that pair of leather pants you had your eye on, or to see the aptly-named Last Supper before your flight home.