Austinites who love Italian cuisine and want to experience the authentic thing can now follow a local restaurant through a tour in the motherland. Starting this fall, Baldinucci Pizza Romana and Aventine Hill Travel are collaborating on a new venture called Baldinucci Culinary Tours. The first tour will bring visitors to the Emilia-Romagna region from October 11-18.

It is important to note that although, as its name suggests, Baldinucci serves Roman-style pizza, Emilia-Romagna is farther north. Its largest city is Bologna and it covers nearly the entire width of Italy, including the east coast. Pizza in general comes from Naples in Southern Italy. However, this tour focuses on other dishes and ingredients.

“This may seem like an unexpected leap, but it really does feel like a natural next step for us” said pizzeria co-owner Gabriel Baldinucci, who co-founded Baldinucci Culinary Tours, in a press release. “Our mission has always been to give our community an authentic taste of Italy, and this is just an extension of how we can accomplish that. Our tours will always have a member of the Baldinucci family on board. We want this to feel personal and special, because it is to us.”

The release says these "high-touch travel experiences" will accommodate 10-18 guests. They'll go on behind-the-scenes tours and of course, enjoy lots of delicious food. (One notable stop is at Massimo Bottura project Ristorante Cavallino.) Yes, both the pizzeria and the tour company are based in Austin, but the guides at Aventine Hill Travel offer a more regional Italian touch.

“Aventine Hill Travel was the perfect partner for us,” said Baldinucci. “A father and son team, with the father growing up in Rome, and their focus on local relationships with Italian owned businesses, made them fit perfectly with our focus on family and authenticity.”

Guests will also shop at markets, go looking for truffles with experts and their dogs, and tour artisan producers so they can see how Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, balsamic vinegar, and wine are made. They'll even go on a Ferrari driving experience through Maranello — where the Museo Ferrari is — and stay at a five-star resort.

Altogether, the experience costs $9,995 per person without airfare. The hotel, dining, wine, tours, classes, and transportation are all included.

"Our partnership with Baldinucci Travel is grounded in what matters most to both of us: family and a genuine love for authentic Italy,” said Alex Gabbi, managing partner of Aventine Hill Travel. “Baldinucci brings that same respect for tradition that defines how we approach travel at Aventine Hill. It’s a collaboration built on shared values and a common purpose."

After the first journey, the new partnership is looking to other regions for future travel: Tuscany, Piemonte, Campania, Puglia, and Sicily.