Mini Tuscan Culinary Tour

Tuscany, Italy has so much to offer through its foods and wines! If you only can spend a short time in Tuscany, join us for one of our mini tours, where we’ll explore the rich culinary heritage and traditions of this beautiful land. We include much of the deeply rooted culture of Tuscany during our 4 day mini culinary tour through hands-on cooking classes, tours to area hill towns, visits to wineries, lunch/dinners at local trattorie and visits to local food producers who keep alive their culinary traditions.

To gain further understanding of the Italian culture through its food and wines, we will be taking day or evening excursions into the surrounding countryside. Dinners in the area hill towns offer spectacular views with delicious meals of traditional, seasonal ingredients paired with local wines. The wines of Tuscany boasts some of the best in Italy – Chianti Classico, Brunello wines and Montepulciano wines all of which we’ll be learning about and tasting. Day trips remain flexible to take advantage of seasonal activities and so best expose you to all the best Tuscany has to offer. They can include a visit to an artisan goat cheese and Cinta Senese pig farm and taste their products, a trip to taste Brunello’s in Montalcino and a saffron farm in San Gimignano, wine tasting in Chianti, with visits to cellars, castles and estates.

Accommodations are provided during our mini week on a beautiful estate just a short drive from Siena in a carefully restored 18th Century farmhouse on an olive estate. This house has retained many of the original Tuscan architectural features including chestnut beamed ceilings, terra cotta tiled floors and open fireplaces. Use of the original wood burning bread ovens, dining outdoors and swimming pools are all a part of our lovely surroundings. The estate is beautifully landscaped with gardens of lavender, herbs and flowers, as well as olive groves and cypress lined lanes for walks in the woods.

Overview and Highlights

• Four days/5 nights with breakfast each morning
• Two hands-on cooking sessions followed by lunch paired with regional wines
• Wine tour day in the Chianti Classico region to include tastings
• 5 nights accommodations in restored Tuscan farmhouse
• Dinners at local restaurants or wineries
• Regional seasonal specialties highlighted: visits to vineyards with wine tastings; visit to Cinta Senese and artisanal goat cheese farms with tasting; olive oil tasting and visit to press during harvest, visit to saffron farm.
• Visits to Siena, San Gimignano or Montalcino, and renowned wine estates in Chianti.
• Sample Itinerary
• 6 – 12 people maximum per Tour