Food & Wine in Tuscany

Arriving in Florence.

Upon arrival at Florence Airport, your local representative will be waiting in the arrival’s hall for your private transfer to your luxurious hotel in the city.

Hotel: Four Seasons Hotel or Belmond Villa San Michele

Guided tour of Florence, Uffizi Gallery, the Church of Santa Croce, The Convent of San Macro and the Scalzo Cloisters.

Meet your guide in the lobby of your hotel and enjoy a walking tour of Florence with your local English-speaking guide. This tour will include visits to the Uffizi Gallery, housing some of the world's most important art treasures, and the Church of Santa Croce, where many famous Florentines are buried such as Michelangelo and Galileo.

In the afternoon, explore some of Florence’s lesser visited gems. Walk by the impressive Duomo on to the lovely Piazza Santissima Annunziata, where the Spedale degli Innocenti, Europe’s first orphanage and a masterpiece of Classical design, is fronted by Brunelleschi’s colonnade. The Convent of San Marco is a delight with its frescoed monk cells, while the Scalzo Cloisters with frescoes by Andrea del Sarto depict scenes from the life of John the Baptist.

Hotel: Four Seasons Hotel or Belmond Villa San Michele

Private Cookery Lesson.

It is often argued that Italy has the finest cuisine in the world. Today you have the opportunity to learn the skills of the Tuscan kitchen with a private hands-on cookery lesson at an important culinary institute with English-speaking instruction.

Your morning begins at the Mercato Centrale market where your chef will explain how to select the best produce before returning to the kitchen for a hands-on lesson and enjoying the fruits of your labor for lunch.

The remainder of the day is at your leisure.

Hotel: Four Seasons Hotel or Belmond Villa San Michele

Visiting vineyards and wine tasting.

Depart Florence today with your driver-guide and head into the famous Chianti region of Tuscany.

Visit some of the lovely hilltop towns such as Greve and Castellina, and enjoy two wine tastings at local vineyards.

Renowned for its art, history and evocative landscapes, Tuscany is a region where the past and present merge in pleasant harmony. Hill-towns gaze across the countryside from high, many encircled by Etruscan walls and slender cypress trees.

In the countryside, among the vineyards and olive groves, there are hamlets and farmhouses, as well as fortified villas and castles that symbolize the violence and inter-communal strife that tore Tuscany apart in the Middle Ages. Stop for a ‘refuel’ of local Tuscan wine before heading to your beautiful hotel located in the Tuscan countryside.

Hotel: Borgo Santo Pietro or Belmond Castello Di Casole

Walking tour of Siena in the morning and visit to Collegiata.

Today you will be met at your hotel by your English-speaking local guide and driver for a three-hour walking tour of Siena. The scenic Tuscan town of Siena was built on three hills and is enclosed by a set of walls and gates. Visit the Piazza del Campo, one of the finest main squares in Italy and see the Palazzo Pubblico, which has served as Siena's Town Hall since the 1300s. Siena's Duomo is one of the finest Gothic cathedrals in Italy and well worth a visit; here you can see the brilliant frescoes by Pinturicchio that adorn the Piccolomini Library.

This afternoon enjoy an excursion with a private vehicle and English-speaking driver-guide to explore the countryside and visit San Gimignano, where you may wish to visit the Collegiata containing 15th-century frescoes, the Palazzo del Popolo, now the municipal museum containing Renaissance paintings, and the Church of Sant’Agostino, or simply wander the narrow cobbled streets with your driver-guide who will know where to go for the best local wild boar salami and Vernaccia white wine! Time permitting enjoy a stop in Monteriggioni, a delightful example of a fortified medieval village.

Hotel: Borgo Santo Pietro or Belmond Castello Di Casole

Day of leisure.

Day at leisure to enjoy the grounds of the hotel. You might want to consider a vespa tour or driving a Ferrari around the Tuscan countryside.

Hotel: Borgo Santo Pietro or Belmond Castello Di Casole

Montepulciano and Montalcino for wine tasting.

Your guide will meet you this morning for a full-day excursion to some of Tuscany’s most picturesque towns; Montepulciano and Montalcino and to enjoy wine tastings.

Montepulciano is an archetypal Tuscan hilltop town, set 2,000 feet above sea level, and offering superb views over the surrounding countryside. Inside the ancient city walls and fortifications, you will find winding streets and a wealth of Renaissance-style palazzi and churches.

Montalcino, famous for the Brunello wine, is everything you hope for in a Tuscan hilltop town: winding narrow streets and charming flower-covered houses.

Vineyard Visit & Tastings: You will visit a renowned wine estate, with its various vineyards, a medieval castle whose origins can be traced to the ancient Etruscans, the Glass Museum, and the famous enoteca where you will be able to taste some of the most celebrated wines of the area.

Hotel: Borgo Santo Pietro or Belmond Castello Di Casole

Transfer from your hotel to the airport.