Day 1 – Geneva – Four Seasons Hotel de Bergues Geneva

After the first café au lait in the morning, a short outing will be planned, to the small cities surrounding the Lac Leman. The center of Lausanne will be the first stop, followed by a 20 minute transport to the town of Vevey for lunch at Denis Martin (1 Michelin Star). The specialties: Vacherin Fribourgeois, Citron Hydrosol, meat on its bone, raspberries and meringue at -196 degrees and 1250 degrees. Before returning to Geneva, a visit to Montreux can be made, 15 minutes away from Vevey. At nightfall, a two Michelin. star dinner will be served at Domaine de Châteauvieux under the leadership of Philppe Chevrier (also a known car collector) and Damien Coche, who offer delicious options such as steak of duck, roasted dombes, ball of scallop dough, coconut milk and basil emulsion, between other delights.

 

Day 2 – Geneva  / Basilea

The second day begins early as the route to Basel is 200 km, border city to France, house of the famous contemporary art fair ArtBasel. The day is free and relaxed to prep for a 3 Michelin star meal at the hotel restaurant Les Trois Rois in Geneva: the Cheval Blanc directed by chef Peter Knogl with exquisite options like the foie gras and grated crab, textured mushrooms and black foot, and a dessert that includes an exotic chocolate and yusu. The hotel has spectacular rooms among which the Napoleon Suite and the Rooftop Suite are most notable.

 

 

Day 3 – Basilea

Get ready to go to the most significant museum in Europe dedicated to the lovers of automobiles. You must bring a passport because the border from Switzerland to France is crossed to reach the city of Mulhouse, home of Cite de l’Automobile. After admiring the collection of Bugattis with most value in the world, and some other race cars, you begin the path to return to Basel with a pitstop at lunch time at Maison Kieny (one Michelin star), to choose between terroir alsatian, pike fillet roasted in skin, salty kougelhopf bark, duxelles snails and radish cream spicy, or alsatian whiskey single malt. The afternoon in Basilea will be free to get to know the town or to enjoy a cuban cigar from the hotel’s private selection. At night, a 2-star dinner created by chef Tanja Grandits, who achieves a tasting menu that is a true journey of flavors.

 

Day 4 – Basilea / Zurich

Not only do we now change hotels, but countries entirely. The first part of the ride (65 minutes approximately) is in the direction or the northeast to enter Germany, getting further into the Black Jungle and reaching an authentic meal at Alder Wirtshaus. After this feast at noon, there is one more hour worth of transport towards the south to cross through Switzerland and reach the Zurich Lake. Once at the city, at the top of Adelsberg mountain, one can find the prestigious Dolder Grand hotel. This building, built in the XIX century, offers activities like hiking, golf, tennis and swimming.One wing, recently built and designed by Norman Foster, has an art gallery; the hotel houses one of the most recognized spas in Europe.

There are two nights reserved at this hotel to enjoy the activities and its surroundings. The first night you will have dinner at The Restaurant by Heiko Nieder (2 Michelin Stars) located in the same hotel and whose dishes have been classified as very fine, and its cava of the highest quality.

 

 

Day 5 – Zurich

Room service in the morning. Early golf. One-Michelin-Star lunch at The Pavillion. Cocktails and perhaps a cigar on the terrace at the Bar au Lac. A walk on Bahnhofstrasse- the equivalent of New York’s %th Avenue.- Visit jewelers. Two-star dinner at Rico’s.

 

DAY 6 – Zurich / St. Moritz

Free morning for the last spa or golf session and, before departure, schedule a tour of the hotel with the art expert. We got into the cars to start the road to the mountains of Switzerland. We crossed two lakes to eat at IGNIV by the famous chef Andreas Caminada. We drive through 3 more mountains and arrived at Badrutts Palace in St. Moritz. For dinner, there are four restaurant options that feature a Michelin Star. If you ask me, I would choose Ca d’Oro for tonight.

 

 

DAY 7 – St. Moritz

The big day to do the Stelvio Pass has arrived! Immortalized in an

endless number of films and photographed by countless magazines, perhaps the most famous highway in the world. This mountain pass has also appeared on Top Gear, where the host Jeremy Clarckson called it the “greatest driving road in the world”. Concentration and distress will be needed for these 4 hours of driving, which, although it may seem like a long time, each curve is worth it and will be a checkmark in the bucket list.

To end this great day, in a private room for 16 people, the Cerea brothers will prepare a 2-Michelin-Star dinner inside of their restaurant Da Vittorio.

 

Day 8 – St Moritz / Villa D’Este

We say goodbye to Switzerland an drove south into beautiful Italy. We will drive down the coast of Lake Como and reach the southern limit of the lake, at Lecco, we make a turn north to the picturesque village of Bellagio. To split the day in half, before arriving at Villa d’Este, the Mistral restaurant with one Michelin star, will prepare a meal with view of Lago di Como.

After lunch there will be time to walk around Bellagio before arrive in Cernobbio to check-in at the hotel Villa D’Este, an antique residence or aristocrats in the 16th century. The view of the lake at night and a two-star-dinner will close the Italian prima notte.

 

 

Day 9 – Villa D’Este / Orta

Mattina dei Laghi Italiani! Italian lake morning! First we cross the Lago di Lugano over the bridge that is in the middle of the bay. We will continue driving north to the highest peak of the beautiful landscape of glacial lake Maggiore. In Ascona, the menu at Ecco will not be the only wonderful thing that will receive he, but algo the atmosphere and the perfect setting for the recipes of chef Rolf Fliegauf and his team worthy of two Michelin stars. Ecco is catalogued as the best gourmet restaurant in the area.

After a marvellous meal, the cars will continue down the rest of the coast passing by Lake Cannobio, Cannero and Intra. Between Maggiore and Lago di Orta is lake Mergozzo. WE will take a small detour to take an authentic italian coffee with a typical cookie: DOlci di San Elisabetta, at La Fugascina. After this, we will leave Mergozzo to drive to the last Lake: Lago di Orta, and arrive at Villa Crespi, one of my favorite hotels. Not only the residence is magnificent but also its restaurant run  by the owner of the hotel, chef Antonio Cannavacciuolo. The dinner will be accompanied by one or more bottles from the cellar woth more tha 1,800 labels.

 

Day 10 – Orta

 On the last day of this gastronomical, hospitality and landscape tour with belle machine; culture, delicious food and rest… For the final phase, in the morning we will visit the Isola San Giulio on Lake d’Orta. After returning from the island, we will have lunch with a splendid view at Locanda di Orta (1 Michelin star). An afternoon of rest to pack bags and at night, an optional repeat of the succulent menu of the hotel, or an outing to Mergozzo for a two-star dinner at Piccolo Lago.

Ten days go by so quickly that you feel as though the air is moving feelings of hope and wanting to live on a constant route compared to existence in subtlety with the passing of time, an hymn to taste and color of a stupendous landscape, driving the dream cars of generations of drivers, in the best setting possible. 

 

 

The road trip schedule

DÍA		COMIDA	ACTIVIDAD	CENA	NOCHE
0					Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues Geneva Quai des Bergues 33, 1201 Genève, Suiza
1	GINEBRA	Denis Martin* (Vevey)	Lac Leman	Domaine de Châteauvieux **	Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues Geneva
2	GIN/BAS			Cheval Blanc***	Les Trois Rois, Uferstrasse 90, 4057 Basel, Suiza
3	BASEL	Maison Kieny*	Musee de Auto	Stucki**	Les Trois Rois,
4	BAS/ZUR	Adler Wirtshus*		The Restaurant**	The Dolder Grand, Kurhausstrasse 65, 8032 Zürich, Suiza
5	ZUR	Pavillion **		Ricos **	Dodler Grand
6	ZUR/ST.MOR	IGNIV **		Ca d’Oro*	Badrutt’s Palace Hotel, Via Serlas 27, 7500 St. Moritz, Suiza
7	ST.MOR		Paso Stelvio	Da Vittorio**	Badrutt’s Palace Hotel,
8	ST.MOR/VdE	Mistral * (Bellagio)		Materia * (Cernobbio)	Villa d’Este, Via Regina, 40, 22012 Cernobbio CO, Italia
9	VdE/ORTA	Ecco (Ascona)**		Villa Crespi**	Villa Crespi Via Giuseppe Fava, 18, 28016 Orta San Giulio NO, Italia
10	ORTA	Locanda di Orta*		Piccolo Lago **  (Mergozzo)	Villa Crespi Via Giuseppe Fava, 18, 28016 Orta San Giulio NO, Italia
	* MICHELLIN	11		19	Total 30

 

 

Text: ± Photo: Amura