Discover the Italian wine regions.

A brief introduction

MacNay Travel & Wine is based in Italy, with an office in the UK.  Our customers are from all over the world.

Cinzia is Italian and lived in the UK for seventeen years, while James is dual national British-Italian. James is one of only 300 Italian Wine Ambassadors, while Cinzia is a cheese expert and legendary cook who first qualified in Forestry and Environmental Science.

Since 2010 we have co-owned Cuculo, the famous specialist cheese and Italian wine shop in Sussex. Before that, we were walking and cycling tour guides in Tuscany, Umbria and Liguria – which is how we first met. In fact, Cinzia continued her work managing walking groups in Italy alongside her shop duties.

We are both fluent Italian, English and French speakers… and, living in Piemonte, a little bit of local dialect sneaks in now and then, too…

Our itineraries

MTW guests visit superb wineries in beautiful locations.

There is no formula to an MTW trip. Each one is designed according to the region we’re visiting. The common feature is that they are all researched in minute detail. We stay in characteristic hotels. Sometimes that means five-star luxury, on other occasions a simple B&B. But always with a great host, spotless rooms and a special something.

The picture shows James and Cinzia with Marco Porello. Image credit: Nigel Morley.

Even where we do know a region very well – such as Piemonte, where we live; or Valle d’Aosta, where Cinzia grew up; or Tuscany and Umbria, where we worked for many years – we take time to explore further, because there is always something to discover over the crest of the next hill.

The result is a unique itinerary.

In the Valle d’Aosta, this is a self-guided walk (Heart of the Italian Alps). In Bra, Piemonte’s gastronomic capital, you can book a three-night city break with ‘standard’ or ‘luxury’ options. Elsewhere (Gran Fondo Piemonte & Liguria) an accompanied eBike safari takes you from the Barolo hills to the Italian Riviera.