Chianti Classico Tour

After breakfast at our hotel, we will meet our English speaking local guide and enjoy a walking tour of Florence. Our first stop will be the colorful markets where you can find anything: From a tripe sandwich to a silk scarf!

During the tour our guide will point out famous sites such as the Duomo, Ponte Vecchio, the Uffizi Gallery, Piazza della Signori, Piazza della Repubblica, and more.

We'll learn all about the dark secrets of Florence's famous noble families and artists with this behind the scenes & highlights tour.

We'll enjoy a wine-pairing lunch as a group and then the afternoon is free for you to shop, explore art galleries, museums, or just soak in the vibrant life of one of the many piazze while having a caffè or spritz.

Enjoy time Dinner on your own - we will provide the group with suggestions. (B, L)

This morning after breakfast we'll check out of our hotel and bid "Arrivederci" to "La culla del Rinascimentoe" (The cradle of the Renaissance) and make our way to the hills above Florence.

We'll visit a countryside farm just outside the city center. The estate is a completely organic farm.

We'll have a walk through stunning property and botanical gardens, stopping to visit the farm animals and enjoy an olive oil tasting before we have lunch on the estate.

Then it is on to the Chianti region. Settle in to unpack, relax or stroll around the property.

We'll conclude the day with a group welcome dinner including local wines, served in the comfort of our villa. (B, L, D)

After a leisurely breakfast at our accommodations, we will head off to visit some terracotta kilns. The world’s finest terracotta pots come from Impruneta, a small village nestled in the Tuscan hills a few kilometers from Florence and well known for its exceptional craftsmanship for centuries.

Impruneta terracotta is famous not only for the quality of workmanship, clay and firing, but also for being resistant to below zero temperatures.

Blessed with clay that is naturally rich in iron, copper, calcium, and aluminum, it gives the terracotta its characteristic burnt orange coloring.

There are several important "fornace" (kilns) which still follow the age old techniques which date back to 1098.

We will tour one of these fornace, where you can see how they make the clay, form the vases and statues and then tour the kilns, some of which are hundreds of years old and still in use today. (B, L, D) ​

Today after our breakfast, we'll start the day with a half-day cooking lesson learning all the secrets of typical tuscany dishes from a wonderful and vibrant chef: It might be Crostini, Ribollita, Wild Boar, Pasta with Ragu, or one of many other authentic dishes.

The lesson will finish with a lunch during which you will have the chance to taste all of the delicious dishes we have created. All foods are prepared with natural products.

After lunch, we will stop in the village of Castellina in Chianti. The town is of Etruscan and Roman origin, and was a feudal estate of the nobles of Trebbio in the 11th-century and then an important Florentine fortress.

Castellina became the seat of local government for the ancient Chianti League together with Radda and Gaiole in the 13th-century. Today, there still exists the massive Rocca (castle), with a huge 14th-century tower and houses a small Etruscan museum.

Grab a gelato in one of the best gelateria's in the area. As well, we'll visit a lovely winery for a tour and wine tasting.

Head back to the villa and relax by the pool before dinner. (B, L, D)

After breakfast at the villa, we head out to a full day excursion to Siena, a perfectly preserved medieval town set amid the olive groves and the vineyards of Chianti.

This charming town is a UNESCO world heritage site and is famous for its piazza, museums, cuisine and “The Palio”, a horse race which is run right through the middle of town twice a year.

Built on three hills, Siena's center is lined with narrow, winding cobblestone passages and steep steps. The superb 12th-century Cathedral, constructed of alternating stripes of green and white marble, is one of Italy's most impressive creations.

We'll first enjoy a guided walking tour and then have the remainder of the day at leisure to meander through the shops and narrow streets of Siena, or relax in an outdoor café on the Piazza del Campo, your window to traditional Sienese life.

Dinner tonight at our villa. (B, D)

Today we will visiting some important castles of the Chianti region.

Tuscany is undoubtedly the land of castles. The combination of a turbulent history of contending city states and marauding foreign armies with a ready supply of stone and stone masons has produced a huge number of picturesque Tuscan castles – fortresses, walled hamlets, fortified abbeys and towers in Tuscany.

The amazing variety of fortified stone structures with the majority of them dating from the end of mediaeval times, makes a drive through the countryside a fascinating journey through history and a photographers’ paradise.

The whole area of Chianti is packed with castles, even more so than other parts of Tuscany. Feel like royalty today as we head out and visit a few of these castles.

We'll enjoy tours of the property and grounds, along with some wonderful wine tasting and lunch.

Dinner tonight at our villa. (B, L, D)