Culinary & Wine Tours> Italy> Southern Tuscan Cuisine at Villa Gaia
Italy: Southern Tuscan Cuisine at Villa Gaia
(Options: Day Cooking Classes, Spa, Custom Tours, Rome and Florence Tours, Hiking)
Tuscany, Italy - 3 or 6 nights
This week in Tuscany brings you to an off the beaten path, charming town, close to Siena. This beautiful countryside is the setting for Villa Gaia, your luxurious home for the week. "At Villa Gaia, you will live with elegant Tuscan styled creature comforts, newly designed and renovated, amidst the rich fertile lands and countryside of perhaps the most beautiful, if we daresay such a thing, lesser known micro-regions in Tuscany." Cooking instruction, excursions to charming villages, wine tastings and relaxation - treat yourself to a week in magical Tuscany.
Your Week in Italy
Day 1
You will be met in Florence and be taken to your villa for the week. Time to settle in your room and relax. Your first cooking lesson in Tuscan cuisine will be followed by dinner.
 Day 2
Today you will visit the renowned Senese (Siena area) town of Montalcino. You will be visiting La Rocca, the 14th century fortress and Montalcino's main piazza where you can stop and have a cappuccino in the piazza's authentic liberty style café as well as shop for pottery in a local store. Then you will be taken to visit a winery where you can have a light lunch and a tasting of the best wines of the Val d'Orcia including Brunello. Evening cooking course at the villa followed by dinner.
 Day 3 -
Tuscany abounds with natural hot springs. During this tour you will visit the hot springs of Bagni di San Filippo. You will then continue to Pienza, where you will have lunch in a local restaurant and then visit its main square, Piazza Pio II, which is a model of Renaissance planning. Once home at the villa, you will have instruction on how to prepare a healthy Tuscan dinner.
Day 4
Visit the magnificent town of Montepulciano with architectural masterpieces by Rosselini, and then enjoy its wines including Nobile di Montepulciano at a wine estate nearby. Dinner at home with a cooking lesson.
Day 5
Today you will go to Abbadia San Salvatore, a village on the other side of Monte Amiata. There you'll visit its famous abbey and crypt. Then you will continue to Santa Fiora, visit the historic center and an ancient Parish Church which contains fine terracotta bas-reliefs by Andrea della Robbia (15th century), and when it is open, La Peschiera, the private gardens and swimming pool of the Sforza family (16th century). You will have lunch before going back to your villa. Evening cooking course and dinner at the villa.
Day 6
For the last day in southern Tuscany, you will enjoy a trip to the seacoast to the pretty seaside village of Castiglione della Pescaia. This old fishing 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'll enjoy dinner at one of the best-known restaurants in the area of Monte Amiata, which specializes in mushrooms and truffles.
Day 7 -
Departure. Transfer to Florence.
| BOOKING INFORMATION |
2007 FEES PER PERSON
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DEPOSIT |
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Prices to be announced
* Note: Our half-week
vacations run from Saturday to Tuesday or Sunday to Wednesday.
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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. |
| 2007 DATES |
INCLUDED |
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To be announced. * Note: There is some flexibility in dates. Please
Inquire.
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Six (6) nights' accommodations
All meals and wine (at home and all restaurants as stated in the itinerary)
Five (5) hands-on cooking courses
Wine tastings at wineries
Five (5) guided excursions
All transportation to and from Florence. 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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