Food and Wine Tour

Dear Enthusiastic Travelers, Autumn is such an incredible time of the year in Tuscany. Handmade ladders pushed into the olive trees, with diligent workers picking their years supply, of what will be their house oil. Grapes hanging big and plump on the vine. Church bells peeling at twilight. Wood-smoke hanging in the cool night air...an abundance of porcini mushrooms, truffles, fresh pressed oil, chestnuts, and new wine...always a feast, always a celebration, always authentic.

We start our adventure in Florence and we make our home at the Hotel Balestri, located on the Arno River . This comfortable Hotel is convenient to many of the treasures we will see. Starting with a brief city walking tour to acclimate you to its simplicity and major sites, such as the Ponte Vecchio, the church of Sante Croce , and Brunelleschi's Duomo. We walk a short distance across town to the home of Rima Amalo. This sweet and welcoming woman makes the best Pizza I have ever tasted. She will give us a lesson on true Italian pizza making from scratch. After, we will have a few hours to go on our own, before heading to the Accademia for a guided tour of the museum, where Michaelangelo's "David" is waiting. Then, the evening is yours. On day two, shop till you drop! While most of this day is free, there will be reserved time set aside to tour the Uffizi Gallery, the worlds greatest collection of Renaissance paintings. That evening we will have our farewell dinner at a favorite Osteria. *2 breakfasts included/1 lunch included/1 dinner included.

Today we get an early start and head south to Chianti, home of the Black Rooster. Our destination today is the tiny hilltop town of Volpaia , where we will have lunch at the Osteria at Giovanella Stantis' Estate, and taste the wines they produce. Giovanella's father, a Florentine Industrialist, bought the property for her, and her husband, Carlo, as a wedding present in 1967. The pair has since transformed this hamlet into a singular jewel of well-preserved history, and state-of-the-art winemaking. We will see how Castello di Volpaia presses the olives to make the oil, and sample the vinegars that the estate produces. After a guided tour of the cellars, we will taste several wines and snack on bruschetta and pecorino cheese that comes from these valleys. Then, a beautiful lunch prepared just for us in the Osteria on the estate. After Lunch we continue to our home for the next 6 nights, Parco Fiorito, in Cortona. We will join Roberto Russo, cookbook author, for a typical Tuscan cooking class. Roberto is well-known in the area and has lovingly converted a 16th century convent into an organic Luxury Holiday Farm. It is here, that he and his daughter Claudia, conduct classes, bottle their own oils and wines, and run a lovely Agriturismo de Charme. We will have the good fortune of spending 6 fabulous evenings here learning about the food and wine of the region and cooking with them. *1 breakfasts included/ 1 lunch included / 1 dinner included.

Sunday, we will enjoy the day like the Italians, relaxing. Linger in town for shopping, relax by the fire with a good book, or take a hike on Roberto's large estate. This evening, a visit to the winery at IL Falconiere, along with a tasting and a 5 course meal, completes the day. *1 breakfasts included/ 1 lunch excluded / 1 dinner included.

Agriturismo Parco Fiorito, is situated near the beautiful hillside town of Cortona . Starting our adventure is a leisurely and informative tour of this beautiful city. Our illustrious guide Giovanni will share the treasures of Cortonas' Etruscan sites, and its history. After our tour, we will visit an olive pressing farm, where Landi and Renato press the oil in the traditional way. One seldom used and it is a gift to experience this rare tradition. As we start back to our lovely digs at Parco Fiorito, we are invited to stop at the farm of Pucci Agostino. Here, he raises the famous Chianna, Toscanas white cow, from which the Toscana Bistecca alla Fiorentina has been made famous to the palate. You will learn how this family produces and maintains the lineage of the animal with pride, for excellent blood lines and ancestry, instead of mass production. After, Roberto, well-known to the area and abroad for his talents as a chef and cookbook author will prepare a dinner of simplicity with the bistecca, for your tasting pleasure. *1 breakfasts included/ 1 lunch included / 1 dinner included.

Our wine guide, Giuliano Di Ciocco, will whisk us away today to visit three of Toscanas most lovely hill towns, Montalcino, Montepulciano, and Pienza. Today we will taste 10 or more wines, such as Brunello, and snack decadently on cheeses and meats and breads from the areas where we taste. 3 small, beautiful cities, with splendid wines from the area, will be a day to remember. This evening, dinner is on your own, in town if you prefer, or back at your home away from home, Parco Fiorito. *1 breakfasts included/ 1 lunch included / 1 dinner excluded.

Today, after another leisurely breakfast in our Agriturismo, we will meander back into the city of Cortonas Etruscan walls, where we will meet Romano and his lovely wife Agostina, at their tipical Tuscan restaurant, La Bucaccia. Romano , being one of my favorite characters in the small city of Cortona will teach us the art of cheese making. Ricotta, Mozzarella, and Pecorino, which is famous from these verdant valleys. Along with a cooking class, we will have the pleasure of lunch in his lovely restaurant. A most delicious feast. This evening, if you can find room to eat, you can snack lightly on your own, or back at Parco Fiorito. *1 breakfasts included/ 1 lunch included / 1 dinner excluded.

Today we drive to Pienza, a perfect city from a picture postcard. Many filmmakers have taken their inspiration from this charming town to make movies, such as "The English Patient". We are invited to taste olive oil, balsamic vinegar and have a lesson on the aging of the famous pecorino cheese, famous from these verdant valleys. Giovanni will accompany us for a brief and interesting history of this sweet city. This evening, a cooking class of pasta and other delightful things from Roberto's cookbook, and a farewell dinner at Parco Fiorito concludes this fantastic journey of food and wine in the Tuscan and Umbrian countryside. *Breakfast and dinner included.

We say our good-byes. Early morning transfers to train stations for everyone to make airport connections or to continue on with post trip.