Tuscan Foodie: Fully Guided All-Inclusive Small Group Tour

Description:

This small-group week long tour for men, women or couples is fully escorted and all inclusive. What exactly does that mean? That you will want for nothing and will sleep with a full and satisfied belly each night. Arianna and Alessio of KM Zero Tours will be guiding you each day as you follow your nose through Tuscany, encountering incredible food around every corner. Your temporary home is tranquilly nestled in the vineyards of Chianti, where you will find the perfect balance between authentic and traditional experiences, yet still have time for yourself. You will live the life of a Tuscan Foodie.

By Request Only, Minium of 4 guests

Price: Varies

Includes:
Fully escorted and all-inclusive tour
All meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner)
7-night accommodation in Tuscany country home
All transportation and tours
All cooking classes and tastings
A comprehensive travel binder with information on pre-travel, packing, Italian culture and regional details
Complete travel planning assistance, including help with airfare booking

Not included: Airfare to and from Florence International Airport (Peretola) is not included. Travel insurance is not included but required.

Highlights and Potential Experiences:
• Accommodation in a beautiful country home in the Chianti region
• Watch local artisans as they share their passion for their craft
• Visit to a frantoio (mill) during the olive harvest, then indulge in delicious olive oil tasting
• Hands-on culinary experience of the ancient tradition of pizza making
• Enjoy a professional cooking class learning how to create authentic Tuscan specialties
• Taste the unique Vernaccia di San Gimignano, the only DOCG white wine in Tuscany
• Unique truffle hunting experience in the Tuscan forests
• Take inspiring walks in the nature, smelling fresh air and enjoying unforgettable vistas with a good glass of wine in your hand
• Experience unique dinner events like group pizza, polenta and Florentine Steak parties under the Tuscan stars
• Organic cheese farm tour with sampling (of course)
• Artisanal pasta workshop visit
• Water painting class with local artist
• Explore vineyards and out of the way places in the beautiful Tuscan countryside
• Get lost in the beautiful San Gimignano
• Explore the stunning Chianti Medieval villages Montefioralle
• Slow down and enjoy Italy's “Dolce Vita” in the green Chianti hills

We will pick you up directly from the airport and will head together to the beautiful Chianti region. Here, you will meet your hosts and you will get familiar to your new home for the week, with time for relaxation and to enjoy the magic beauty of our land.

Welcome culinary feast at the villa, with delicious homemade pizza and bread specialties. You will be learning the secrets of bread making with Beppe, the local expert.

Our day will begin with a visit to a fascinating wood-turning workshop where you will meet a ‘modern day Geppetto’ named Giorgio, a local artisan who set up a beautiful shop in the Chianti to custom make his unique creations using local olive wood as his medium. He will show us his mastery of various machines and materials as he dreams up and brings to life his creations.

Afterwards, we will amble onto one of the most historic wineries in the Chianti Classico area. A private tour of this stunning estate and wine tasting will be followed by a delightful and delicious lunch on the property.

Early afternoon will be a visit to a unique olive oil farm with an unforgettable dinner together, learning Tuscan traditions, recipes and legends.

During your visit to an artisanal pasta factory near Florence, you will learn all about the differences in pasta before moving into the kitchen for an Italian pasta lesson (al dente is a art) and light lunch.

The afternoon will be spent ambling among the vineyards and olive groves with the wonderful Beppe. Your walk is completed with wine, snacks and a fantastic view.

Dinner together at the farmhouse.

Our day will begin in a very delicious way!

We will begin with a hands-on cooking class with Stefania, a Slow Food Movement Tuscan chef in Chianti. Between teaching and cooking, you will share in laughter and fun as she guides you through the preparation of your meal. After lunch, we will enjoy a relaxing walk through the charming village of Montefioralle.

The late afternoon you will enjoy a fun painting class back home as you relax and take in another perspective of this beautiful area. Postcards created make a beautiful gift for those back home.

Polenta party this evening, one of my favorite foodie experiences.

You will enjoy a relaxing walk in the medieval village of San Gimignano which is famous for its multiple medieval towers. After we arrive, you can drift off with plenty of free time to enjoy the traditional shops and taste the “best ice-cream in the world”. We will also visit an interesting silver workshop where a young and talented silversmith will show us how they transform shapeless silver in marvelous objects.

The afternoon brings a visit to a boutique wine producer of organic Vernaccia di San Gimignano. Here, we will enjoy a guided tour of the farm and homemade light lunch in a characteristic Tuscan peasant museum of art and traditions. Siena will be the last stop, with a chance to sip espresso in the shadow of the famous bell tower and sample traditional sweets.

A delicious dinner awaits you at the farmhouse.

The journey today will begin in a delicious way. We will meet the owner and his staff of adorable goats who will tour us through their organic farm. We will then enjoy a delicious homemade lunch at the farm, sampling simple and tasty recipes with several kind of cheeses.

We will then visit an a real oil mill (frantoio) during the harvest time, where we will have the opportunity to understand all phases and all secrets of producing high quality extra virgin olive oil and to taste the fresh, green and peppery new olive oil. You will love this magic time of the year, to be infected by the excitment of the old farmers who are waiting for the new olive oil coming out from the tank and to finally taste the olio nuovo, celebrating together this unique event.

Dinner at a local trattoria with the best homemade pasta you've had yet.

Our last day together will begin with a unique truffle hunting in the forest with trained dogs and an experienced local truffle hunter, who will tell you interesting legends and stories about this precious gift of the nature. The experience will starts in the fields and ends in their kitchen, understanding all the secrets and best culinary recipes with fresh white truffles, from antipasto to dolce. At the end of the truffle experience, you will even receive a certificate as real “Truffle Ambassador."

After lunch, we will get back to the farmhouse enjoying time for relaxation at home, with free time to enjoy the peaceful and charming beauty of the surrounding landscapes.

We will have our last celebratory culinary feast with a strictly Tuscan dinner experience, trying the famous Bistecca alla Fiorentina (a must-try of the Tuscan cuisine) and lots of other specialties. Music and (lots of!) dancing will complete our last night in Chianti.

Departure to Florence, transportation included.

For those continuing their Italian adventure we offer full travel planning assistance, inclusive in the tour price. I suggest a stop in Bologna after the tour.

Arianna and Alessio of KM Zero will show you an Italy that full of adventure, laughter and authentic connections with the people. They have a passion for guiding that is infectious and will leave you planning your immediate return. I could not be more in love them.

The week will be spent here, nestled quietly within of the vineyards of Chianti. The manor has room to spare both inside and out, with vista filled grounds for your soul to soak in and graciously hosted by Miranda.