Tuscany Culinary Tours

This morning, arrive to Florence’s airport where your private chauffeur will be waiting for you. Head into downtown Florence and your driver will drop you off at your luxurious palace hotel to freshen up and get ready for your day. Your private art guide will meet you in the hotel and you’ll enjoy an entertaining walk to the Uffizi gallery. “Gallery” is something of a major understatement as this museum has one of the most incredible art collections in the world with nearly all the great European masters represented. A few of the many highlights include Sandro Botticelli´s Birth of Venus, Albrecht Dürer´s Adoration of the Magi, Caravaggio´s Bacchus, and Jacopo Tintoretto´s Portrait of a Venetian Admiral. Your guide will bring the paintings to life, while relaying local legends and anecdotes.

Your walking tour continues on through the gourmet shops of Florence and you’ll learn about art and Florence´s fascinating history while having a Campari Fizz aperitif at the literary café "Giubbe Rosse"; nibbling on some gourmet goodies at the gorgeous Procacci deli, dating back to the late 1800´s; and sipping on Tuscan wines at the Enoteca Pontevecchio run by the exuberant Tony Sasa. In the late afternoon your guide will walk you back to your hotel to freshen up and relax before dinner. Tonight you will have a superb welcome dinner at the mythical Cibrèo. A tasting menu with surprise wine pairings await, this is a great way to start your culinary tour of Tuscany!

Overnight:

4* Luxury Palace, Florence

Meals Included in Price:

Gourmet Welcome dinner with wine pairings

Transfers:

Florence airport- hotel- walking tour

Enjoy a fantastic breakfast in your palatial boutique hotel and after coffee, your driver will collect you and take you into the countryside to a beautiful home in Tavarnelle Val Di Pesa. This morning you have a private cooking class with chefs Leonardo and Monica in the countryside, with an emphasis on traditional Tuscan cooking, “Cucina Povera”. Simple ingredients, extraordinary tastes- this is the essence of Tuscan cuisine. Dishes you might cook today include Crostini di polenta fritta con salsa di fegatini (Fried polenta with chicken liver pâté), Pappardelle all’uovo con sugo di cinghiale (Pappardelle pasta with wild boar sauce), Pici all’anatra (Pici pasta with duck sauce), Bistecca alla fiorentina con fagioli all’olio (Florentine steak with white beans in olive oil), Agnello all’aceto balsamico e menta (Lamb with balsamic vinegar and mint), Polenta alla erbe con baccalà e porri (herbed polenta with cod and leeks) and Risotto radicchio, zucca e scamorza (risotto with chicory, pumpkin and scamorza cheese).

After the cooking class, sit down with your chef and taste the fruit of your labors. It will be a three course meal, squared off with delicious homemade Biscottini washed down with Vin Santo, delicious! After lunch, enjoy a digestive walk through Chianti´s lovely hamlets like Castellina and Gaiole. Before returning to Florence, stop into a beautiful wine producer like Capannelle to taste some top wines. The night is yours in Florence, we recommend the Borgo San Jacopo for dinner.

Overnight:

4* Luxury Palace, Florence

Meals Included in Price:

Full breakfast- Cooking Class lunch with wines

Transfers:

Florence- Chianti countryside- Florence

Today you have a fantastic day of wine tasting, chocolate tasting and sightseeing in store! Begin your day by driving west of Florence towards San Miniato, to the wonderful small wine producer Beconcini Leonardo. Beconcini is a passionate third generation winemaker making DOCG Chianti wines. You’ll have a private tour and tasting at this tiny little estate before carrying on to the beautiful hamlet of Vinci for a short visit. Vinci is where Leonardo da Vinci was born. You can visit the castle which houses the Museo Leonardiano, and more than 50 original models of the artists craziest inventions and futuristic ideas. Lunch is up next in pretty San Miniato, where a hug annual truffle festival takes place. Today’s lunch is in a stylish and contemporary setting at Pepe Nero, with very scenic views and creative cuisine.

After lunch, enjoy a digestive walk around the village before heading to Pisa for a chocolate tasting at the revered De Bondt artisan chocolate maker. This area of Tuscany is called “the Chocolate Valley” and apart from De Bondt, many other stellar chocolate makers like Roberto Catinari and Amedei can be found here. Taste unusual chocolates spiced with black pepper, and award winning chocolate likes the “de Bondt Ryé”- chocolates made with a delicious Passito dessert wine made in Pantelleria Island by the Sicilian Donnafugata estate. On your way back to Florence, you’ll stop in Pisa´s Piazza dei Miracoli (“Square of Miracles”) to admire the one-and-only Leaning Tower. The rest of the evening is at leisure in Florence. Try “the Lounge” for dinner, a trendy setting serving “Italo-Gastro-Tapas”.

Overnight:

4* Luxury Palace, Florence

Meals Included in Price:

Full breakfast- Gourmet lunch with wines

Transfers:

Florence- wine country- San Miniato- chocolate valley- Pisa- Florence

San Gimignano and Volterra, two of Tuscany’s loveliest cities, are on the program today. You’ll enjoy a mix of sightseeing, cooking and wine tasting today- all at a relaxed pace with your own private driver. From Florence this morning you will drive southwest to the craggy “Balze” cliffs of Volterra, an unusual but stunning town. Most of Volterra´s architecture is medieval, although there is an Ancient Roman Theatre. Before the Romans, the Etruscans lived here and mined Alabaster. There are still quarries and alabaster is made by master craftsmen whose techniques have been passed down generation to generation.

You’ll have some free time to explore Volterra on your own, before heading on to majestic San Gimignano. This medieval village is one of the most perfectly preserved medieval hamlets in the world. It’s nicknamed the “medieval Manhattan” as it had do many towers they appeared like a mini skyline in their day.Lunch awaits in a charming trattoria in San Gimignano´s medieval “centro”. Taste local dishes like Fettunta, Pappa al Pomodoro, Panzanella, Buristo salami and perhaps a Fiorentina steak if the weather is cooler.

After lunch, you´ll have free time to do some sightseeing and shopping on your own in San Gimignano. If you like art there are a few small galleries with beautiful and very original pieces. From San Gimignano, you will head back towards Florence, stopping at the absolutely beautiful Badia Passignano, a tiny hamlet with an ancient abbey surrounded by vineyards. This is one of Antinori´s estates and you have a great evening in store. With the master chef at their Osteria, you’ll have a private cooking class including a pasta making lesson. This is a lot of fun and easygoing. Before sitting down to the elegant dinner (your own dishes), you’ll visit their historic wine cellar and taste some of the top wines like Tignanello and Solaia. This is one of the highlights of this tour, have fun! Your driver will take you back to your hotel in Florence after dinner.

Overnight:

4* Luxury Palace, Florence

Meals Included in Price:

Full breakfast- Cooking Class Dinner with wines

Transfers:

Florence - Volterra - San Gimignano - Chianti - Florence

This morning you will check out of your hotel in Florence, as tonight you’ll be changing hotels to an alluring Tuscan countryside villa tucked away in a quiet corner near Sinalunga. Start your day with a scenic drive to the little village of Panzano in Chianti. You are going to meet one of Tuscany’s most interesting culinary personalities- Dario Cecchini. This superstar butcher, called the “world's most famous butcher” by the Los Angeles Times, is passionate about his meat! You are going to try his “Mac Dario” light lunch today, tasting his specialties like “Sushi del Chianti”, “Tonno del Chianti”, and “Arista in Porchetta”. Great food, great atmosphere, and great showman.

Have a walk around pretty Panzano before heading further south to one of our favorite cheese producers- Fratelli Sanna. They are most loved for their fabulous Pecorino cheeses. You´ll enjoy a visit to the ripening rooms, learn about the process of Tuscan cheesemaking and of course enjoy a tasting of their cheeses accompanied by spectacular onion based jams they make small quantities of. This is an informal and authentic experience, and always a favorite on our tours.

After a gourmet morning, you’ll enjoy some fresh air and a walk. Carry on to Siena, one of Italy’s most magnificent art cities. With your own private guide, specialized in art and history and extremely charming, you’ll discover Siena on foot. Learn all about the origins and legends of the medieval Palio festival, visit the mind boggling Duomo, and soak up the atmosphere of this refined, prosperous and happy town. In the early evening, after a fantastic day of great food and sightseeing, you’ll head to your romantic hotel in the countryside. Check in and enjoy a free evening to dine on your own at the estate’s fine restaurant.

Overnight:

4* Luxury Countryside Hotel, Sinalunga

Meals Included in Price:

Full breakfast, Lunch with wine and Cheese Tasting

Transfers:

Florence- Panzano- Siena- Sinalunga

Relax over breakfast this morning at a leisurely pace. Mid morning, your driver will take you near the town of Chiusi to meet Pamela Sheldon, a famous published chef who now lives in Tuscany offering lucky guests private cooking classes. You will be welcome like family at Pamela’s home. Then, you will take a visit to an antique frantoio, an olive pressing mill, for a demonstration and tasting of oils. Lunch is a hands-on cooking class using fresh and artisan ingredients. A gelato demonstration will be included, and depending on the day you will also get the chance to visit a local market.

After lunch, explore this corner of Tuscany with your driver. You’ll first head to the prestigious Avignonesi winery Montepulciano, known for their world class “Vino Nobile” and “Vin Santo”. One a private tour of the estate you’ll tour the cellars and villa, admire the vineyards and conclude with a tasting of their flagship wines. On your way back to the hotel, stop into Montepulciano town for some sightseeing. This quaint medieval village has great views, appealing churches and quaint medieval laneways. Tonight is yours at leisure at your pretty hotel.

Overnight:

4* Luxury Countryside Hotel, Sinalunga

Meals Included in Price:

Full breakfast- Cooking Class lunch with wines

Transfers:

Sinalunga- Chiusi- Montepulciano- Sinalunga

Perhaps Italy’s most famous gourmet product is the truffle and today you have an exceptional gastronomic experience to look forward to- a private truffle hunt followed by a cooking demo with truffles and a tantalizing lunch. From Tuscany this morning you dip into Umbria, the wonderful adjoining region (home to the art cities of Assisi, Orvieto and Perugia). Drive northeast to the town of Città di Castello and arrive to Tartufi Bianconi. This is one of the best truffle companies in Italy and apart form arranging truffle hunts they make a wider array of truffle based products, very tempting! Spend the morning learning all about the truffle, including a walk in the woods with the truffle hound. Finish the morning off with a fabulous truffle-studded lunch.

Before leaving this section of Tuscany, it would be a crime to miss Arezzo. While certainly not the prettiest town in Tuscany (it was heavily bombed in WWII), it has a lovely medieval core and is also home to Piero della Francesca´s “Leggenda della Vera Croce” (Legend of the True Cross) fresco cycle. This Renaissance masterpiece is one of the finest in Tuscany and well worth the visit here if you are an art lover. From Arezzo, you’ll head back into Florence for your last evening before your departing flight. Freshen up at the hotel and get ready for your farewell dinner. Tonight you will dine in Tuscany’s most famous restaurant- the 3 Michelin starred Enoteca Pinchiorri. This is a great way to end your gastronomic tour, and you’ll enjoy a tasting menu paired with top Tuscan wines. Enjoy!

Overnight:

4* Luxury Palace, Florence

Meals Included in Price:

Full breakfast- Cooking Class lunch with wines

Transfers:

Sinalunga- Città del Castello- Arezzo- Florence

This morning your driver will take you to Florence´s international airport for your outbound flight. We hope you have had an unforgettable time in Tuscany with us on this culinary tour, and we look forward to seeing you again!

Meals Included in Price:

Full breakfast

Transfers:

hotel- Florence airport

What's Included:

• Accommodation for 7 nights in luxurious 4* Hotels
• 7 Full breakfasts
• Private Airport Transfers and all transfers as per the itinerary by luxury Mercedes E and English speaking chauffeur
• Bottle of Italian wine in your room upon arrival
• Five high quality lunches with wines
• Four Private Cooking Classes
• Exceptional welcome dinner with wine pairings
• Farewell dinner at 3 Michelin starred restaurant, with wine pairings
• 4 private cooking classes
• 1 Truffle hunt
• 1 Chocolate tasting
• 1 Cheese tasting
• 5-6 Professional and VIP Wine Tasting Presentations with Winemakers/Owners/top staff
• Tastings of Cru Wines and Personalized Wine Sheets
• Private guided walking tour of Florence with art guide
• Private guided walking tour of Siena with art guide
• 1 keepsake itinerary with maps and ample information on Italy, food and wine, and all locations visited
• Gourmet Gift
• Welcome bottle of wine in room
• All Local taxes

What's Not Included:

• Flights
• Meals and Drinks not Specified
• Personal Expenses such as Telephone, Minibar, etc
• Tips and Gratuities (Guides, Restaurants, etc)
• Travel Insurance (Strongly recommended)
• Cancellation Insurance

Prices:

This is a SAMPLE TOUR ITINERARY. Please note that our chauffeured luxury tours have the following starting prices:

• Final price depends on chosen style of accommodation and dining. Please contact us with your group size (minimum 2 guests, no maximum group size), travel dates and preferences and we will send you custom pricing.
• Discounts available for larger groups
• Please note that our tours are available upon demand for PRIVATE GROUPS and are not scheduled tours for mixed groups.

More Information on Tuscany Culinary Tours:

If you are interested in this package, contact us today for more information. This tour can also be adapted for bigger groups with a substantial discount. All of our tours are available year round upon request for your private group of minimum 2 people. If you would like us to customize a luxury gourmet tour for you, contact us with your requirements, and we can send you a free itinerary and quote with no obligations. We organize cooking packages and wine tours from 1 day, to weekends to longer food and wine discoveries throughout Italy, Ireland, Portugal and Spain.

Email us at: info@cellartours.com

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