Molto Bello Italy Golf Tour

Day 1 – Saturday 18th June, 2016

Arrival into Rome and make your way to your Hotel. Extra pre-tour nights can be arranged.

Check In: NH Giustiniano Hotel

Just a 10-minute walk from the Vatican and Castel Sant’Angelo, the NH Collection Roma Giustiniano offers attentive service, free Wi-Fi and a generous buffet breakfast. Its modern, air-conditioned rooms have a satellite LCD TV. Each room at this NH hotel is decorated with contemporary furniture and features parquet floors.

8pm – Tonight there will be welcome cocktails and canapés and a chance to meet the rest of the group.

Day 2 – Sunday 19th June

Transfer to Roma Acquasanta Golf – 25 min

Golf – ROMA ACQUASANTA (RM) – RANKED #11 OF ITALIAN COURSES

In countryside as lazy and peaceful as this, it is hard to believe you are so close to the centre of Rome and few hundred meters from Cinecittà. The view of the aqueduct that carried spring water to the capital of the Roman Empire is constant reminder of the history that surrounds this part of Italy. The Acquasanta course is all part of it, being the oldest club in Italy and one that has entertained kings, princes and movie stars. Above all, it is great old-style course in a superb setting of plants and trees, although the latter are never too present. This is a pleasantly sloping course crossed by streams, often just in front of the greens.

And thanks to the variety of the layout, you never tire of playing here. Both spectacular and natural, the course blends delicately into the landscape of typical Roman countryside. Golf very much “dolce vita” style.

Transfer back to hotel – 25 min.

Non Golfers: Today is a free day for you to explore Rome or relax at hotel.

Day 3 – Monday 20th June

Private minivan transfer to Vatican (1.9 km) for a 3 hours Vatican Museum Tour – Sistine Chapel, St. Peter Entrance tickets included are so we can beat the crowds!

After the tour you are free to spend the rest of day sightseeing around Rome.

Day 4 – Tuesday 21st June

Transfer to Golf Nazionale – 45 min

GOLF NAZIONALE – RANKED #5 OF ITALIAN COURSES

Formally known as Golf Club Le Quercie, it is a course lined with oak-trees (quercie, in Italian), which was opened in 1990 as a national golf centre for the Italian Golf Federation but also as a private club. The hosting of the World Cup here in 1991 highlighted the course’s many qualities, but the not-so-good players can handle this okay as long they keep well away from the back tees! This is a very open course, though, and a sound strategy with respect to the danger and hazards is required. The sloping terrain calls for thoughtful club selection, because while the greens are large, they are well guarded and steeply contoured; putting here is never easy if you are too far from the hole.

Non golfers: After dropping off golfers will have a tour of Bracciano Lake: stop at picturesque Anguillara Sabazia town and follow on to Bracciano for a visit of massive fortress Orsini Odescalchi.

Back to golf Nazionale in the afternoon for the transfer to Florence

Transfer to Florence – 2h 50 min

Check in: Hotel Boscolo Astoria Via Del Giglio 

The Boscolo Astoria is in the medieval Palazzo Gaddi, a typical example of Florentine Baroque design. Its rooftop terrace offers spectacular city views and is a quarter mile from the cathedral. This elegantly renovated hotel features stylish rooms with fresco walls and antique furniture.

Breakfast is included and is an extensive buffet, and drinks and snacks are served on the terrace.

Day 5 – Wednesday 22nd June

Transfer to Golf Ugolino – 30 min

Golf: UGOLINO GOLF COURSE – – RANKED #13 OF ITALIAN COURSES

The club is the oldest in Italy but the present course opened here in 1933. For today’s professionals Ugolino is doubtless a little short but this is still an excellent course for amateur tournaments, where accuracy counts for much more than brute strength. The par 3s are rather long but there is also an impressive group of short par 4s where you might be tempted to think about your birdies. Whether or not you make them remains in some doubt, as the greens are generally small, well contoured and well protected. Ugolino is by no means an example of modernity but it certainly deserves a visit, even if a trip to Florence leaves little time for sport. Certainly worth a try, together, of course, with a glass of local Chianti wine.

Transfer back to hotel – 30 min

5pm – Guided 2 hours walking tour of Florence for golfers and non-golfers.

Day 6 – Thursday 23rd June

Transfer to Turin (5hrs) with a break along the way in the picturesque LANGHE region where Barolo and Barbaresco wines are produced. We will stop along the way for a wine tasting and lunch which is included in the tour package.

Check in: Relais Bella Rosina

The Relais Bella Rosina, is set in the beautiful Mandria Regional Park, just North of Turin. Each room is bright and spacious and equipped with free internet connection. Rooms and suites overlook the Bella Rosina’s large, heated swimming pool and the park. The Relais features a luxury spa with a wide variety of beauty treatments and massages.

The Royal Park Golf I Roveri is half a mile away. Riding lessons can also be organized at a local centre.

Day 7 – Friday 24th June

Minivan shuttle transfer to Royal Park I Roveri – 4 min

Golf: ROYAL PARK I ROVERI – RANKED #2 OF ITALIAN COURSES

This former hunting estate was the ideal setting for building an ambitious golfing resort close to Turin. The age-old trees both outline and isolate the holes and form a natural barrier to the ambitious of wayward hitters. Opened in 1975, it was designed by Robert Trent Jones, as you will see with his strategic deployment of water and the very carefully plotted position and design of bunkers. You have to know how to it every way here, especially those US-style target golf shots, as you don’t get much chance to roll the ball onto very defended greens. Once there, the putting surfaces are nicely contoured and can pose a number of problems. I Roveri is definitely one of the very best courses in Italy and is kept in superb condition.

Minivan shuttle transfer back to hotel – 4 min

Non golfers: A shuttle transfer will give you the opportunity to visit the majestic castle and royal gardens of La Venaria reale, an UNESCO heritage site on the southern border of La Mandria estate. Back to hotel after the visit. Lunch on site at one of the cafes or restaurants of La Venaria (not included)

Day 8 – Saturday 25th June

Today is a day to relax around the hotel, play an optional game of golf or head into the ancient city of Turin for a day’s sightseeing. The day will begin with a guided 2h walking tour of Turin city centre. We will walk and visit the elegant buildings of Palazzo Madama, the Royal Palace, the church of San Lorenzo and the Roman Quadrilateral walking under the famous Turin arcades full of shops and elegant cafes. You are then free to find somewhere for lunch before having the afternoon free to wander the streets of Turin. While the Shroud of Turin is not on display you can visit the museum which tells the story of the shroud and has many associated artefacts.

Day 9 – Sunday 26th June

Transfer to Golf Biella – 1h 20 min

GOLF CLUB BIELLA (BI) – RANKED #1 OF ITALIAN COURSES

Biella is one of Italy’s centres that have made such a name for Italian design and also the site of one of the greatest golf courses in Italy, where architectural design plays second fiddle to the beauty of the landscape and terrain that were just made for golf. There is a British feel to this course, which brings strategically located bunkers into play, along with diabolic ditches and no end of oak, chestnut and birch trees. Add to all this remarkable touch of variety and you will realize that sobriety does not necessarily mean monotony. A 73 par course at altitude along the Biellese Alps it is a stunning backdrop to one of the more testing rounds in Italy.

Non golfers: Take a walking tour of the charming Biella and visit the unique findings of Roman and medieval origins. The splendid baptistery the high Saint Stephan belt tower and the medieval village of Piazzo. In Biella we can take advantage to shop at one of the numerous factory stores of the big names in Cashmere textile: Zegna, Agnona, Piacenza, Cerruti, and Loro Piana.

After golf transfer to Castelconturbia – 1h 20 min

Check in: Hotel Golf Castelconturbia

Featuring a wide garden with golf facilities, Hotel Golf Club Castelconturbia is located in a peaceful area 4 km outside Agrate Conturbia. The property offers modern-style rooms with free Wi-Fi, a traditional restaurant and bar. A sweet and savoury buffet breakfast is served daily either indoors or on the terrace. Guests can also enjoy the restaurant serving both local and international dishes. Hotel Golf Club Castelconturbia is 10 km from Lake Maggiore.

Day 10 – Monday 27th June

Transfer to Bogogno Golf – 15 min

Golf: BOGOGNO DEL CONTE GC – RANKED #9 OF ITALIAN COURSES

Opened in 1996, Bogogno immediately became established as one of the most spectacular courses in Italy. This was only to be expected from Robert von Hagge, who is hardly known for dabbing with “minimalism”. It should be said, though, that the way he shaped the course is never gratuitous and that any shifting to earth is done to add variety, throw in a difficulty or two or isolated holes then the land is flat. The visual aspect is also very important and the topography this creates gives the course an almost Scottish flavour. But here we are in Italy, the land of theatre: the backdrop of the Alps and Monte Rosa is highlighted by the course’s graphic beauty. The actors here will find wide open spaces which are fun to play on but not always easy to perform well with. You will need a strong nerve and good experience to last the course and keep your score down.

Transfer back to Hotel – 15 min

Non golfers: Take the opportunity to visit the charming lake of Orta and do a walking tour of the village of Orta San Giulio: Built on the slopes of a steep hill plunging into the lake—the Sacro Monte—the village’s narrow streets are full of the faded elegance and ochre charm of yesteryear, with touches of the baroque found throughout in its architecture. At one end of the square stands the town hall; built in 1585, it is perched on graceful columns, as though on stilts. And a little further uphill is Chiesa dell’Assunta, a 15th century parish church bursting with original frescoes. Lunch in one of the numerous restaurants on the lake shores (not included) return after lunch.

7pm – Tonight there will be a wine and cheese degustation function to give you the chance to taste the local wine and cheeses. (Included)

Day 11 –Tuesday 28th June

Golf: CASTELCONTURBIA GC – RANKED #4 OF ITALIAN COURSES

The hallmark of this Robert Trent Jones course is omnipresent, and not only in the jagged sand traps. The greens are huge with diabolical slopes and breaks to increase the challenge. Golf here consists in cutting out mistakes and in stopping short of all-out attack. The course is on the flat side, although some of the raised greens require special care. A superb golf resort course, not to be missed.

After golf we will transfer to Lake Como – 1h 10 min

Check in: Palace Hotel 

On landscaped grounds by the shores of Lake Como, the Palace Hotel is a 5-minute walk from Como Cathedral. Both the bar and restaurant overlook the lake. All rooms are classically styled, and some offer views of the lake. Rooms come equipped with air conditioning, minibar and a TV with satellite channels. Located in the heart of the city it is the ideal starting point for visiting the antique and modern architectural splendours of Como: the Cathedral, the Social Theatre and the rationalist style buildings. The streets in the town centre are lively crossroads of encounters, shops, silk, cashmere, restaurants, antique dealers and jewellery stores. A refined lifestyle in a city rich of culture and workmanship.

Day 12 – Wednesday 29th June

Transfer to Golf Villa d’Este – 20 min

Golf: VILLA D’ESTE GC – RANKED #3 OF ITALIAN COURSES

Designed in 1926 by Peter Gannon, Villa d’Este has rapidly become one of the gems of Italian golf courses, much of which is due to a location close to the long Lake Como, where small harbours give way to exotic gardens around superb villas. Villa d’Este, alongside the small lake of Montorfano, is a rather hilly course set amidst pine, chestnut and birch trees but is easily walkable all the same. The setting is stunning, set amongst the Como hills with panoramic views of Lake Montorfano. Clean Alpine air and lush greenery provide respite from the intense summer heat. A prestigious club in the heart of one of Italy’s most historically prosperous regions.

5pm-7pm – Private boat tour of Lake Como with English speaking guide

Day 13 – Thursday 30th June

Transfer to Milano Golf – 53 min

Golf – MILANO GC – RANKED #8 OF ITALIAN COURSES

Located close to the capital of Lombardy in the Parco di Monza, this is obviously one of the most prestigious Italian clubs cultivating real golfing tradition. Gannon and Blandford laid the course out over flat terrain, where majestic trees create both a feeling of isolation and pleasant exclusivity, and a formidable line of defence for hitters who slug rather than think. The very many bunkers ably defend the average-size greens that are slightly contoured and very well maintained. Here you get the feeling of playing in a huge park, where the silence is disturbed only those days when the Monza race-track is in action. The Golf Club Milano is a solid and practical golfing facility.

Return transfer to hotel – 53 min

8pm – Farewell dinner and drinks at Hotel Palace

Day 14 – Fri 1 July 2016

10am Group transfer to Malpensa APT near Milan or extend your stay here at Lake Como or Milan with extra nights.

Arrivederci!