Tuscany Food & Wine Tour

Duration: 8 Days / 7 Nights

Sprawling vineyards, rolling hills, charming old cities, masterpieces of art and food. Enjoy traditional dishes. Sample excellent wines, rare cold cuts, Pecorino cheese and olive oil, thanks to Slow food Italy recommendations. 

° 7 nights in charming 4 star hotels

° Buffet breakfast daily

° 3 meals based on traditional regional dishes with wines

° 10 guided tastings of foods and wines from Tuscany region

° 1 cooking lesson dedicated to Tuscany cuisine

° Entrance fees:

  Museo della Vite, Carmignano church of Santa Croce, FlorenceContrade Museum, Siena, 1300 Museum, San Gimignano

° 1 Slow Food Gift

° Arrival and departure airport transfers in Italy

° Professional Tour Directors, enogastronomic experts and licensed local guides

° Taxes and Hotel Service Charges

Participants will sample several Slow Food Presidia products (high-quality, traditional foods and beverages at risk of extinction) and other local delicacies:

• Garfagnana Biroldo (blood sausage seasoned with wild fennel, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, star anise and sometimes garlic)
• Orbetello Bottarga (fish eggs, amber in colour served sliced with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and a squeeze of lemon).
• Sorana beans
• Carmignano dried figs
• Certaldo onion
• ice creams at the ancient ice cream parlour in Florence
• Pienza Pecorino cheese
• wines of the Montepulciano vineyards
• Brunello and other wines of the Montalcino vineyards
• wines of the Bolgheri vineyards
• aromatic herbs of the Chianti area

Day 1 - Arrival

Arrive at Pisa airport and afternoon’s group transfer to the hotel. Welcome dinner with some excellent produce from the region i

Day 2 - Lucca, Capannori, Sorana, Carmignano

Morning departure for Lucca, Giacomo Puccini’s town, including a visit to his birthplace. A guided tour of the beautiful ancient town centre, surrounded by medieval walls, with its wonderful churches, museums and noble palaces. Some free time to stroll around the little streets and alleyways and buy some of the local crafts and goods. Transfer to Capannori, situated in the characteristic plains of Lucca where lunch will be served in the Slow Food Osteria “I Diavoletti” where you will sample two Slow Food products: the Biroldo (type of blood sausage) della Garfagnana and the Bottarga (fish eggs) from Orbetello. All of this will be accompanied by local wines from the Lucca hills and from Montecarlo. Afternoon transfer towards the Pescia river, passing through the wonderful rolling hills with olives trees and century old vineyards of the Pistoia area. Stop to sample Sorana beans (Slow Food Presidium) and the pecorino cheese from the mountains of Pistoia, superbly produced by the Azienda di Enrico Gaggini farm. On the return journey stop at Carmignano to learn something more about wines and the local and Slow Food produce (such as the delicious dried figs) with tasting at the Azienda Rigoccioli (co-operative) that produces and sells fruit, vegetables, jams and preserves, wines and olive oil. Visit the Carmignano Grape & Wine Museum and discover, through history and flavours, the excellence of Montalbano wines over the centuries. Return to the hotel and overnight. 

Day 3 - Florence

Morning departure for Florence. Walk through the historical centre of this amazing city and visit the Santa Croce church, known as the "Pantheon of Italian Glories" where many illustrious Italians such as Michelangelo, Galileo, Rossini and Machiavelli are buried. The visit also takes in the other religious buildings (the Baptistry, the Duomo and Giotto’s bell tower) and the houses of power in the old city (the Piazza della Signoria). Break at one of Florence’s oldest ice cream parlours, “Perché no!”, that offers more than 33 different flavours and a precise selection of raw materials (including pistachios from Bronte, a Slow Food Presidium product, saffron and cardamom). There will be a short talk on how the ice cream is made with some small samples. Free afternoon to stroll along Florence elegant streets, visit the Uffizi Gallery or shop at the leather market, then traditional dinner at Osteria Tripperia Il Magazzino. Transfer to hotel in the Chianti hills and overnight. 

Day 4 - Siena, San Gimignano

Morning departure for Siena. Guided tour of the most important and most beautiful architecture in the city, including the Museum delle Contrade (each horse in the famous ”Palio”, runs for a different Contrada or district). Sampling of some delicious traditional desserts like the Panforte in one of the most famous pastry shops in town. Free time for shopping before departing for San Gimignano. On the way to San Gimignano along the ancient Via Francigena, lunch with some of the traditional local produce such as the Certaldo onion (Slow Food Presidium), the saffron from San Gimignano and the organic extra virgin olive oil at the little family-run farmhouse Il Castagnolino. Visit and have a talk on the techniques used in producing organic olive oil. In the afternoon visit the famous towers and the San Gimignano 1300 Museum: storyboards, multi-media exhibits, street scenes and a ceramic recreation of the city as it was back in 1300. Return to the hotel and overnight. 

Day 5 - Castellina in Chianti, Tregole di Castellina, Radda in Chianti, Greve in Chianti

Entire day given over to discovering the Chianti hills along the Via Chiantigena (an ancient road connecting Siena with Florence crossing over the hills of Chianti). Stop off at Castellina in Chianti and Tregole di Castellina in Chianti for a talk on aromatic herbs harvested and dried following the ancient techniques of Duccio Fontani. Head off for Radda and visit to the Salumeria Porciatti in the old town centre where local salami and other produce including Slow Food products can be purchased. Set off for the wonderful city of Greve, to visit the little historical town centre and then head for the Podere Le Fornaci where there will be some sampling of organic cheeses (including baby goats cheese and fresh ricotta) made from the milk of the goats that graze in the Chianti hills. Return to the hotel and overnight. 

Day 6 - Montepulciano, Pienza

Morning departure for Montepulciano, one of the most characteristic and intact medieval cities in Italy which from a height of 605 metres above sea level offers amazing views over the surrounding hillsides. Visit the Enoteca Contucci winery for a tasting, then explore the wonderful town centre of Montepulciano where lunch will be hosted in the old Osteria dell’Acquacheta, with its rustic and familial atmosphere. Here, sample some of Tuscany’s best recipes (such as the Pici all’Aglione). In the afternoon, head for Pienza, the perfect example of a renaissance city, famous for its Pecorino cheese. Visit a Pecorino cheese producer and learn something about the cheese-making process and sample the fare. Return to the hotel where there will be a tasting of a selection of local wines. Overnight. 

Day 7 - Montalcino

Morning departure for Montalcino, famous for its Brunello, one of the best red wines in the world. Montalcino, however, is also a beautiful art city which, from upon high dominates 3,000 hectares of vineyards (1,500 for Brunello alone). A visit to the Mastio della Rocca which is home to the Enoteca La Fortezza where it will be possible to buy some exceptional honey, a local speciality. Free time for shopping. A visit to the Fattoria dei Barbi for wine tasting and a guided tour of the cellars. Return to the hotel and overnight. 

Day 8 - Departure

Early morning collective transfer for the airport.