Sublime Tuscany
A custom Made Tour Just For You

A Sublime blend of Gourmet Cuisine, Culture, and Nature

See the Tuscan countryside the way it should be seen and experienced; on foot while learning about the region’s history, food and culture through first hand experiences. We will indulge your senses while providing you with exceptional countryside accommodations, showing you the most stunning parts of Tuscan nature all the while enjoying delicious and decadent food.

See below for the day-by-day tour description:

This package includes:

·          Transfer from Florence to countryside villa where you will spend the next 6 nights

·          A light welcome lunch the first day

·          5 walking excursions, ranging between 7km and 13km

·          3 cooking courses at the Villa

·          Italian Buffet Breakfast for 6 days

·          Typical Tuscan dinner each night

·          Transfer from the Villa to Florence Airport or Station

Day 1:

We will meet you in the morning in Florence and provide private transportation to our Villa where you will check in. After relaxing in the morning, you will be able to enjoy a light welcome lunch, followed by an introduction and orientation meeting in order to learn more about the tour. Afterwards, you and the group will head up to Fiesole, near the Badia Fiesolana to begin your first walk; a circular tour around beautiful hills rich while learning more about this pre-historic Etruscan town and the role of Fiesole through the years. From this hill-top town, you will be able to enjoy spectacular views of Florence and the surrounding countryside. This excursion finishes just in time to enjoy your first Tuscan dinner at a charming Florentine restaurant!

Distance covered on walk: 7.5 km

Length: 2.5 hours

Exertion level: minimum

Terrain: secondary paved (sealed) roads and some dirt roads

Shadow: Sufficient shadowing

Height: maximum 330 m, minimum 150m

Day 2:

After enjoying a hearty buffet breakfast, you will travel to the center of Florence where a guided tour will allow you take in the beautiful sites, monuments, and hidden spots that make Florence so famous! A lunch-time visit to the San Lorenzo Market, the culinary heart of Florence, can help you decide if you want to enjoy simple, but hearty sit-down lunch within the market, or pick up a delicious hand-made sandwich to eat while walking around outside! In the afternoon, you will return to the Villa where you will hand-pick various herbs and fresh produce for your first cooking course! Starting at approximately 4:30pm this course will focus on two important courses, antipasti (appetizers) and primi piatti (pasta and rice dishes) ending with a well-deserved sit-down dinner prepared by you and others!

Distance covered on walk: 9 km

Length: 3 hours

Exertion level: none

Terrain: paved (sealed) city roads

Shadow: Sufficient shadowing

Height: maximum 52 m, minimum 50m

Day 3:

You will travel the Chianti area right after a delicious buffet breakfast ready for your first morning walk! Your excursion will take you in a ring road pattern through the charming and typical Tuscan towns and countryside that have made this region so famous. You will visit Montefioralle, Volpaia and depending on your energy levels, also the Castello di Meleto!. For lunch, you will visit one of the local osteria where you will be able to enjoy a full sit-down meal with typical Tuscan products and wine. After your meal, you will travel on to visit a local farm to taste their selection of wines and olive oils; remember you are in the center of the Chianti Classico region! All the products tasted are grown and produced on site – in addition to seeing the prestigious Chianti  vineyards and olive groves, you will also learn about wine and olive oil production – two extremely important and valuable industries in this part of the country!

Along the ride home, you will visit one of Chianti’s most famous butchers! Here in Tuscany you can find amazing steaks and in Panzano, one unique Dante-reciting butcher! You will be able to choose from speciality culinary products; including cheeses, cured meats, and of course, fresh goods directly from the butcher! You can choose to pick up some items to cook for dinner on your own, or if you wish, you can leave the toil to others as you enjoy a great dinner in one of the exceptional countryside osteria’s near the villa!

A visit to Chianti wouldn’t be complete without a visit to Greve in Chianti and here you will be able to soak up the atmosphere in this quaint village while enjoying a well-deserved aperitivo of red wine, cheese and olives!

Distance covered on walk: 11 km

Length: 3.5 hours

Exertion level: medium/high

Terrain: dirt roads, wooded trails through olive groves, vineyards and oak forests

Shadow: Sufficient shadowing

Height: maximum 550 m, minimum 305m

Day 4:

Our fourth day begins with travel to the small town of Colle Val D’Elsa from where you will depart for our daily excursion! From here, you will arrive in San Gimignano following the delicate, rolling hills of the Sienese countryside. Along the way, you will enjoy stunning views of private vineyards, green fields filled with wildflowers, and wooded thickets. Upon arrival in San Gimigano, you will sit down to a delicious lunch in the shadows of this villages many medieval towers, while enjoying a refreshing glass of San Gimignano’s most famous white wine, Vernaccia di San Gimignano. After lunch, you can enjoy a leisurely stroll through the medieval city center before returning to Colle Val D’Elsa, and then back to the Villa for your second cooking course. Tonight, you will learn how to prepare secondi (main courses), contorni (side dishes) and dolci (desserts) and enjoy the fruits of your labor together!

Distance covered on walk: 13 km

Length: 4 hours

Exertion level: medium/high

Terrain: dirt roads, wooded trails through forests and fields

Shadow: Sufficient shadowing

Height: maximum 332m, minimum 115m

Day 5:

Your day begins with a wonderful excursion into the magical scenery of the Val D’Orcia countryside. Here will marvel over soft, golden rolling hills covered with cypress trees, poppies and sunflowers. You will pass through the small village of Monticchiello arriving in Pienza just in time to enjoy lunch in this perfect renaissance village. Pienza is a architectural jewel – the historic centre being perfect example of Renaissance charm. After a leisurely lunch, you make your way towards the medieval village of Montalcino, made so famous by its wonderful Brunello wine. You will be able to discover the charms of Montalcino by wandering its enchanting streets and admiring the landscape from its hill-top heights. You will see the medieval abbey of Sant’Antimo on the way to the historical estate of Collosorbo, where the owner will accompany you through the vast wine cellars. Here at Collosorbo, you will be able to taste the exceptional wines including Vino da tavola, Rosso di Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino and Sant’Antimo DOC.

Tonight you will dine near Montalcino, in the small village of Sant’Angelo and enjoy the wonderful wines and epicurean products from this part of Tuscany. After dinner, you will drive back to the villa to enjoy a good nights rest!

Distance covered on walk: 8 km

Length: 3 hours

Exertion level: medium

Terrain: dirt roads, wooded trails through forests and fields

Shadow: Sufficient shadowing