Culinary & Wine Tours> Italy> Cooking in Southern Tuscany
Italy: Cooking in Southern Tuscany
(Options: Day Cooking Classes, Spa, Custom Tours, Rome and Florence Tours, Hiking, Yoga)
Tuscany, Italy - 3, 4, 5 or 6 nights
Live as an Italian for a week in an enchanting Tuscan home - learn to cook, enjoy fabulous cuisine and world-famous wines, explore ancient towns, discover the land and traditions of this very special area and its peasant people. Your home for the week features 4 floors, 20 rooms, a wine cellar and garden and is located next to the village castle, which dates back to the 12th Century AD.
Day 1
 You will arrive in Rome or Florence airport and be received and escorted to an enchanting medieval village. After settling in, your host and chef will invite you into his beautiful medieval house, located next to the village castle. Either relax in the garden or take a walk through the enchanting streets. Your first Tuscan dinner will be prepared by your host with an optional cooking course.
Day 2
After breakfast at home or at a local cafe, you'll take off for a small nearby village where you'll visit the historic center and an ancient Parish Church which contains fine terracotta bas-reliefs by Andrea della Robbia (15th century), and La Peschiera, the private gardens and swimming pool of the Sforza family (16th century). You will then go to a striking hill town and have lunch in a local restaurant. On the way home, you will stop in
Abbadia San Salvatore where you will visit its famous abbey and the crypt built by the Longobards. Dinner will be at home and will be followed by a cooking course.
Day 3
You'll start off the day by going to Pitigliano, a medieval town built on tufa stones featuring a fascinating ghetto with its own Synagogue and Jewish cemetery. Then, you'll continue to Sorano, where you can visit the massive fortress (built by the Orsini family), the rest of the village and have lunch in a local restaurant. After lunch, you will go to
Sovana, Pope Gregory VII's birthplace, visit its country church and the old town square. Once home, you will learn how to prepare a healthy Tuscan dinner.
Day 4
After breakfast you'll set off for Siena. You will visit the famous Piazza del Campo, the main square where the people from Siena organize a medieval horse race known as Il Palio. Facing the square there is the beautiful tour Torre del Mangia, where you can climb up to the top to admire a marvelous view of the city. Lunch will be in a quaint restaurant in Piazza del Campo. After having rested upon your return home, you will have a cooking lesson to prepare your dinner.
Day 5
In the morning, you will visit the towns renowned for its Sangiovese grape vineyards that produce the famous Brunello wine. You will visit the magnificent 14th century fortress and wander around the village. You will then continue to
Pienza, where you will have a typical lunch in a local restaurant and then visit its main square, Piazza Pio II, which is so attractive it was used to shoot scenes for the film The English Patient. Evening dinner with cooking course at home.
Day 6
For your last day in southern Tuscany you will enjoy a coastal trip to a quaint old fishing village,
Castiglione della Pescaia. This seaside village stands up high on a hill with its castle looking over the turquoise bay. You will enjoy a tasty lunch at a local restaurant. In the evening, you will have your last cooking class for the farewell dinner.
Day 7 -
Departure. Breakfast either at home or at your favorite cafe before heading back to the airport. Arriverderci!
* On Tuesday or Wednesday you may visit the local market or that of a nearby village
* During the spring and fall, you may participate in the local "Sagre," food festivals which take place in medieval villages and towns of southern
Tuscany.
| BOOKING INFORMATION |
| 2006/2007 FEES PER PERSON |
DEPOSIT |
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Please Inquire
* Note: Our half-week
vacations run from Saturday to Tuesday or Sunday to Wednesday. |
After availability is confirmed, a non-refundable deposit of $500 per person and the completed and
submitted registration form will secure your reservation. Final payment is due in full 60 days before your arrival date. |
| 2006/2007 DATES |
INCLUDED |
September 17-23
September 24-30
October 8-14
October 15-21
October 22-28
November 5-11
November 12-18
2007
TBA
* Note: There is some flexibility in dates. Please
Inquire. |
Six Night Itinerary
Six (6) nights' accommodations
All meals and wine (at home and all restaurants as indicated on the itinerary)
Six (6) hands-on cooking courses
Five (5) guided excursions
Airport transfers to and from Rome or Florence as well as local transportation for scheduled excursions. Itineraries may be subject to change.
Airfare and personal expenses are not included.
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For further inquiries or to register, click here.
CLIENT REMARKS
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