DAY 1
Thursday July 22

Our coach will collect those arriving into Milan Malpensa for transfer to our hotel on beautiful Lake Garda, Italy’s largest and central to Lombardy’s 36 golf courses. Your accommodation for this week is on the ‘lungolago’ and the luxurious facilities include a roof-top swimming pool with a full view of the lake and alps. In the evening, the group will meet Michael Trembath and Elizabeth Toumbos for a welcoming drink, followed by a dinner at one of their favourite restaurants.

DAY 2
Friday July 23

Golf begins today at the host course of the 1997 and 2003 Italian Opens. Here, in the beautiful Valtenesi hills is a course that is at the same time a delight to play as it is testing. 100 year old oaks mingle at fairways’ edge, along with cypresses and olive trees. Today also signals the start of our own tournament using the GOWI point system, a modified version of Stableford. A minimum of three rounds are required to qualify to win the prestigious Golf and Wine in Italy ‘trofeo’ and it is always hotly contested! Evening free.

DAY 3
Saturday July 24

A day free to explore the many delights of Lake Garda, or to relax by the pool. Those interested in history can enjoy a ferry ride to Sirmione to explore the ruins of the palace of the Roman Emperor, Catullo. Or perhaps, to Salo’, where Mussolini holidayed until his demise. There is also an afternoon excursion to one of the local cellars and producer of the local white wine, Lugana and the delightful Rose, Chiaretto.

DAY 4
Sunday July 25

Today’s golf is at the lengthy Jack Nicklaus Jr. designed Palazzo Arzaga. Any resting golfers might like to take advantage of the resort’s spa facilities, whilst those on the course will have to deal with long carries over water. The evening will be spent enjoying wood-fired pizzas with Groppello, the local red wine which could challenge Australian Shiraz in dimension!

DAY 5
Monday July 26

This morning, we depart for Franciacorta Golf Club, the wine golf course, which boasts 20 or so wine-producers as corporate partners. In fact, the three nines take their names from the types of Franciacorta (Italy’s Champagne-style wine) - Brut, Saten and Rose. One of the highlights of this week will be today’s visit to Bellavista, hosted by Italy’s 2008 ‘Enologist of the Year’, Mattia Vezzola.
Evening free.

DAY 6
Tuesday July 27

Today we play golf in something of a ‘natural oasis’, a huge amphitheatre framed by the hills formed by glacial activity centuries ago. No less impressive is the clubhouse, a Benedictine Abbey dating to 1104 and painstakingly restored with incredible attention to detail. For those who love seafood, tonight’s dinner - the day’s fresh catch, featuring lake fish - and matching wines, will be a revelation.

DAY 7
Wednesday July 28

In Italian ‘paradiso’ literally translates as ‘heaven’ and this would be an apt description for today’s course. It looks like golf heaven with amazingly green, seemingly wide-open spaces and at Par 71 and 5940 metres looks our easiest for the week. But heaven can wait, as they say, and American Jim Fazio’s ‘paradiso’ seems to catch every wayward shot, either behind a pencil-pine or in a creek or bunker (and who builds bunkers 160 metres long anyway?) A fitting finish to the week and only bettered by tonight’s farewell dinner and trophy presentation.

DAY 8
Thursday July 29

Departure. Our coach will transfer you to Milan Malpensa airport or Milan City for on-stays.