On this weeklong exploration of pizza's birthplace, Scott will lead us on a quest to understand all the working parts of traditional Neapolitan pizza while chasing the subject's more ethereal elements. We'll tuck into perfect pizza of all shapes and sizes – fried, baked, crowned, folded up like a wallet – and learn pizza-making techniques directly from the cadre of pizzaioli who have dedicated their lives to this tradition.

Brazil and its cuisine are a wild and sometimes baffling stew of influences and cultures – and Rio’s old city and port zone are where many of the country’s disparate elements deliciously converge. These atmospheric neighborhoods are where the Portuguese began building the city, where the slaves who were brought over to Brazil first landed, where samba was born and – most importantly – where this bustling metropolis’s multicultural identity and food culture started taking shape. On this tour we trace that history through its food, meeting the people who are keeping Brazil’s culinary traditions alive and those who are creating exciting new ones.

The idyllic Pelion Peninsula, which sits halfway between Thessaloniki and Athens, is a magical place, one where old culinary traditions thrive, fresh produce and superlative seafood are king, and coastal villages dripping with unspoiled charm sit on centuries of history. On our nine-day trip through this region, we’ll get chance to explore – and taste – a side of Greece that most visitors to the country have yet to experience.

Fermented foods are at the heart of traditional Japanese culinary culture and there’s no better place to experience this than within Japan’s Kansai region, a living repository for some of Japan’s most important and ancient traditions. Join us on this nine-day trip through this historic heartland of Japan – home to the food-loving cities of Osaka, Nara, and Kyoto – as we meet craftspeople whose knowledge and expertise stretches back generations. From sake distillers to miso producers and tea farmers, Michelin-starred chefs and knife craftsmen, we’ll get a once-in-a-lifetime grounding in what makes this region’s cuisine world-class, while along the way eating meals both delicate and outrageous in their flavors.

Journey beyond Lisbon’s tiled buildings and narrow streets into Portugal’s pastoral Alentejo region to discover how the city’s global legacy connects with the country’s rural heritage through its food and culinary traditions. On this multi-day culinary trip, we’ll taste the very best of the gastronomic capital that is Lisbon and meet the people who make the city what it is – but also go deep into the Alentejo heartland, visiting farms and small villages and meeting the artisanal producers who keep Portugal’s rural culinary culture alive. On the road there will be exclusive events and musical performances, and of course, we’ll eat and drink our way through it all!

Be it urban or rural, there’s something wild, exuberant and utterly delicious about Basque Country, a small but mighty region that straddles the northwest border of Spain and France. Besides the area’s unique language and culture, the Basque Country’s cooking stands apart, with recipes and dishes – both old and new – that are famous the world over (Basque cheesecake, anyone?).

On this evening tour of Palermo’s old port area, we’ll explore the Sicilian city’s historic and enduring connection to the sea, as well as taste the food and meet the people that tell this district’s fascinating story.

On this full-day food tour in Osaka – Japan’s “umami town” – we’ll chase down the eats and flavors that make this city such a culinary capital.

Get ready to rethink what you know about Thai food on this full-day tour of Rattanakosin Island, the place where today’s Bangkok – and its vibrant cooking – was born.

On this 6-day Pasta Pilgrimage in Rome and Puglia, you’ll retrace Dan’s steps, eating at many of the same places where he ate, with many of the same people – including Dan himself, who will join the trip for several action-packed days!

On this afternoon-into-evening tour, we’ll explore the Oaxaca backstreets during a culinary changing of the guard, tasting our way through some of the city’s best nighttime food spots while also gaining an understanding of their important role in maintaining Oaxaca’s civic life.

Considering its small size, Catalonia has had a profound impact on the food world. From this bountiful territory nestled between Spain and France have come an almost hard-to-fathom number of culinary traditions and innovations, groundbreaking chefs, and iconic dishes – both new and old – that are celebrated the world over. On this exclusive-to-Milk Street journey, we’ll explore Catalonia from the Mediterranean up to the Pyrenees in search of an answer to the question: Just what is it about this land that produces such culinary greatness? Along the way, we’ll meet the chefs, artisans, producers and families who are all part of this edible success story.

Greece off-the-beaten-path is the theme of our trip to the Peloponnese. An experience available exclusively to Milk Street guests, this week will focus on the hyperlocal cuisine of the Mani Peninsula in the far south of the country. Your teachers and guides are Greek food expert and chef Carolina Doriti and Maniot chef Stavriani Zervakakou.  We’ll start with a short stop in Athens where we will position the cuisine of Mani within the diversity of Greek cooking. We’ll sample it all—traditional items like spanakopita and real-deal Greek coffee, Maniot cured meats and custard pies, honeys from all regions of Greece, a flight of Greek wines from small producers, and a shot or two of raki. Then, we head south.

On this full day tour, we’ll explore Matosinhos, a fascinating seaside town on the outskirts of Porto, and its fishing traditions, visiting bustling markets, neighborhood grill spots, and a spectacular sardine cannery which has been in business since 1920.

On this exclusive-to-Milk-Street eight-day culinary tour, we get a perspective on Naples and Campania that few visitors ever do. We begin with a crash course in Neapolitan food led by Culinary Backstreets tour leader and Naples native Chiara Garofalo. She’ll take us to local markets, restaurants and kitchens tucked away in the city’s winding streets. We then head to the countryside to see where the ingredients that feed the city come from. In the stunning pastoral landscapes of rural Campania, we’ll meet up with Friend of Milk Street, cookbook author and culinary instructor Viola Buitoni, who has arranged special access to some of the region’s best artisanal food producers. Over the course of five days, you’ll visit family farms, harvest seasonal produce and shop at small-town markets. Back at our home base – a villa where we are the only guests and that features a grand traditional kitchen – we’ll turn what we’ve found into great meals with Viola’s guidance.