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Tessa Kiros
Don't miss the chance to meet Tessa Kiros, hear about her recipes, travels, experiences and life in Tuscany. Buy her book and bring her recipes home with you! Exclusively through ArtViva Tours- click here to find out more and to book your spot now!
Where else can you enjoy a free glass of wine, and mingle with writers, painters, sculptors and even royalty? Don't miss your chance- sign up now!
Tessa Kiros started travelling at a very young age. Born in London, her family moved to South Africa when she was 4. By the time she was 18 she had one goal in mind: to travel and see the world by the time she was 30.
Her desire to travel and experience new cultures was also driven by her passion for food, specifically mediterranean cuisine. She worked for Angela Dwyer at the famous Groucho Club in Soho for a few years, fine tuning her culinary skills in creating flavorful yet simple dishes. She gained further experience through her travels- working in Mexico, Sydney and in Athens under chef Herve Pronzato.
She planned on travelling to Italy for further experience, and like so many other expats now living here, she decided she had to stay. Settling in Siena, in the heart of Tuscany, she married the son of her cooking teacher and now writes cook books.
Her first book, Twelve, is based on the recipes she collected for herself, and from her husband's family. What started as a food diary soon became a book of mouth-watering recipes that are simple yet delicious.
Twelve was a success, and soon afterwards she published her second cookbook. Based on her travels around the world and her love of diverse culinary dishes, Falling Cloudberries is a book of memories and recipes from her travel experiences as well as those collected from friends and family.
The most recent book, Apples for Jam, is perhaps the most sentimental. Kiros describes it as " food for families, young people, old people, for the child in all of us...dishes from childhood and food I cook now for my family...it is whispering advice to a sister, swapping recipes over fences, sharing crumbs on a train with a stranger."
Don't miss the chance to meet Tessa Kiros, hear about her recipes, travels, experiences and life in Tuscany. Buy her book and bring her recipes home with you! Exclusively through ArtViva Tours
What people say about us:
Michael Palin
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Lou Reed
Rockstar
Richard Kind
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Alex Rodriguez
Baseball Star (In December of 2000 Rodriguez became the best-paid ballplayer of all time when he signed a $252 million contract with the Texas Rangers)
Mike Munro
One of Australia's finest investigative journalists and well known media personalities.
Bill Kurtis
Acclaimed documentary host and producer, network news anchor and multimedia production company .
Nat Young
World Surfing Champion
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On
2011/12/09
John Brade said:
cooking class
I took the Cooking Class and Market tour (in San Lorenzo Market). It was awesome! The market had the most incredible fresh ingredients, and the most amazing seafood selection I have ever seen. The cooking class was extremely professional, and the lunch afterwards was great! I recommend this class for anyone.Mark
On
2011/12/07
Aurelija Dugnaite said:
A truly life changing experience
Absolutely amazing.Words can hardly express how much we enjoyed our experience with ArtViva! From the minute we stepped in their lovely office, we felt attended, looked after and taken care of. The friendly staff advised us in detail of what would suit our tastes and knowledge best, and as they have so many beautiful tours to choose from, that help was very appreciated. Florence's cultural richness can be overwhelming, but relying on ArtViva made everything easy and utterly enjoyable for us.The small group walking tour of Florence exceeded all expectations. Our guide Paul was tremedous: a true Florence insider, with amazing knowledge of arts and culture, engaging story telling and great local tips you won't find in a guide book. The memories of the tour will stay with me and my sister for many many years. Booking with ArtViva is the best single thing you could do to have the ultimate Florence experience.Thank you, ArtViva.
On
2011/11/29
Sepideh Emami said:
On
2011/11/24
Eddi Frantz said:
Friendly and Knowledgable.
An essential part of visiting such an historical city as Florence is a smart, knowledgeable tour guide. Artvivas guides are fun, friendly and really know their stuff. Plus they know all those great places not on most guidebooks that only a passionate local world know. Dont even contemplate a visit to the Uffizi or Michaelangelos David without one!
On
2011/11/24
Kathleen Marriott said:
Hightlight of Italian Trip
Thanks so much for the great walking tour we did in Florence in May. It was fun, informative and we were treated like VIPS! The guide made us feel welcome and got to know exactly what we were interested in seeing to make sure all was covered. If we had tried to do everything we did on the tour on our own, we would have spent days getting hopelessly lost! I highly recommend this tour if you are interested in the art, architecture, history and the culture of Florence.
On
2011/11/22
Caroline Beck said:
Feels like you have hired a first-class guide from a first-class outfit – at a fraction of the price.
If you are the type to shy away from “packaged” tours, preferring to go it alone in a brand new city, Art Viva might just be your new BFF (best friend forever) when on tour in Florence. Comfortably small groups - instead of large crowds moving en-masse. Personalized insights by well-educated guides – instead of canned presentations. ArtViva’s walking tours are the next best thing to hiring a private art historian to walk you around this fabulous city – at a fraction of the price. Their 3-hour walking introduction to Florence’s history and a follow-up tour of the Uffizi dispelled all my preconceptions that tour groups were not for me. Even if you’ve been to Florence before, start your vacation off right in 3 quick hours. It will set the stage for a perfect stay.
On
2011/11/22
Brigitte Reynolds said:
Incredible!
My husband and I had the good fortune of taking ArtViva tours of Florence while on our honeymoon. We started with the walking tour, followed by the David tour. We were so impressed we immediately signed up for the Uffizi tour the next day. The guides we had (Sasha/Sylvia & Brenda) were all amazing; they were incredibly knowledgable, friendly and spoke perfect English. What was best was their genuine enthusiam and love of the arts and history of Florence; their excitment was contagious and inspired us to want to know and learn more! I couldn't have asked for a better experience.Brigitte Reynolds
On
2011/11/22
Nadia LaMantia said:
a wonderful experience!
I loved my tour, and the artviva staff were so great and extremely helpful!!
On
2011/11/16
Jade Farley said:
GREAT Tours!
Best tours I have ever been on! The guide's knowledge was just incredible, and I can't wait to come back to do more tours.
On
2011/11/09
Alexandra Buscaino said:
Educational and entertaining!
Our tour was great - very informative, and the guide just fabulous! He not only knew so much about the history, but also had a knack for storytelling that kept us all fascinated.
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