As an element of the Masters of Luxury Goods and Services program the students participated in an educational trip to Torino, Italy. With a busy itinerary, we were fortunate to have several experiences to learn about they Italian way of luxury.
On Thursday the 24th of October, we were greeted by AZIMUT (BENETTI Group) who gave us a tour of the facility where we got to see the equipment and yachts being manufactured step by step from a hands-on point of view. We learnt about the company’s extraordinary history where they are known as the only brand that has been Italian from the beginning to the end. It only takes one appointment to refit and repair any problem, they also have a styling lounge where the client can choose the decors or a specific item to be replaced on board.
Then, the students visited the Golden Palace, a five star hotel where we were invited to see the presidential suite and chocolate suite, where the room is based off the art of tasting, dressed in unique chocolate fittings created by their architect. After the tour, the students met with the General Manager for a discussion about the hotel from a business standpoint and then experienced the fine Italian food and wine of the Golden Palace restaurant.
The following morning the Goods and Services students went to visit the National Automobile Museum. This gallery allowed students to learn about a very rare collection of cars, from 1899 Fiat cars until the more modern and customized Lamborghini of today, passing by a special section dedicated to the queen of sports cars: The Ferrari.
The exhibition displayed vehicles of different shapes and sizes that demonstrated how innovative the car industry has been throughout the years. Please see the website for a virtual tour
Later, we went to Eataly, the fine foods and wine grocery store, to explore the concept. Eataly, is an upscale Italian food market chain, that was first opened in Turin, Italy, in 2007 by Oscar Farinetti. Oscar’s aim is to make high quality Italian foods available to everyone, at fair prices and in an environment where people can shop, taste and learn. We stayed for Lunch at Eataly, where our menu was set by the Chef of 1 of the Michelin Star restaurant Guido per Eataly Casa Vicina! It was divine!
Friday afternoon we made our way to the Lavazza plant, where the coffee is created, packaged and shipped. Lavazza is the 7th largest international coffee company worldwide that develops new ways to drink coffee, new flavors, and special products by collaborating with important chefs. This company is known as Italian Coffee Excellence. We were welcome by the training center Manager who allowedus to taste new coffees and creations from Lavazza. The students were able to see the different steps of production and new coffee development tools from the grand tour of the factory.
The next morning before driving back to Monaco, we visited the beautiful Stupinigi, a historical site known for once being the hunting home of the royal family of Italy. This tourist attraction has stunning architectural buildings.
