Tuscany, Florence, Chianti & gastronomy | Italian Cooking tour

An early afternoon arrival in the town of Pisa with a light lunch and tour of the downtown area.

Side note:
Pisa is one of the most visited cities of Tuscany, famous for its Leaning Tower and its magnificent Square of Miracles (Piazza dei Miracoli), which made part of the world heritage of UNESCO, which is regarded as one of the most beautiful monumental complex in the world. You will find four masterpieces of medieval architecture from the 11th to the 14th century tower, the cathedral (il Duomo), the Baptistery and the Monumental Building Camposanto.

After your tour of Pisa, you will depart for the coastal town of Viareggio, your
accommodations will be in a comfortable country house with swimming pool and spa area,
along with a welcome drink and dinner on site.

We begin the day with a morning visit to Pietrasanta, which is a charming Roman town that is historically and artistically the capital of Versilia. You will find modern day sculptors from all around the world who work with marble and bronze, in many of the workshops that you can visit. The city has a enchanting old town and its main square is often decorated with works of the local modern sculpture. We will also make a visit to a local wine and products shop in a wine farm with the option of wine tasting.

We ill make a visit to a sumptuous 17th century farm house producing organic olive oil of high quality for an olive oil degustation course (light lunch). Here you can enjoy special aromatic oils, along with samples from the Chef and selected wines, while discovering the aromatic massage oils and the process of organic growing with a visit the olive grove. In the afternoon we will turn to Viareggio for some free time, with its promenade along the sea, lined with buildings in the Art Nouveau style, the harbour, shops, hotels, bathing establishments and bars.

Beginning at 6 pm, you will have your 1st cooking class with a Tuscan seasonal specialties menu, followed by a tasting dinner (2.5 hours) and wine degustation. The courses are in small groups with experienced chefs, who will educate you on how to prepare a typical Tuscan cuisine. We use fresh, seasonal products from Tuscany: extra virgin olive oil, fresh vegetables and herbs from the orchard, meat, poultry and fish directly from the farmers to the fisherman. Each course includes appetizers, pasta, main course and desserts. The menu is complemented by a tasting of selected wines from Tuscany.

Morning free time in Viareggio.
At noon, we will venture to Lucca for a tour of the wine factory in the hills of Lucca, that produces and excellent organic and biodynamic wines along with olive oils "DOP". You will also visit a winery and the historic villa of the counts Sardi from 17th century, in which the owners are currently living there where you will taste wines with a light lunch.
After visiting the wine factory you will have a guided tour of Lucca, a Tuscan jewel with 100 churches, and is known for its walls and amphitheatre. This is one of the few Italian cities that have preserved its ramparts of the 16th and 17th centuries, within which is a preserved historic centre with a rectangular network of streets. The site of the amphitheatre is one of the most unique in the world: after the fall of the Roman Empire, the people built houses on the walls of the amphitheatre, so the place is now elliptical.

A visit to other monuments will
include:
 Napoleon place
 Piazza San Martino cathedral
 S. Michele di Foro, theatre
 Puccini place

We will make a short stop in the wine town of Montecarlo, which was founded in 1333 by Emperor Charles IV. The city lies on a small hill in the centre of the wine area and offers fantastic views over the vineyards and the scenery in the valley. After the city tour we will taste the prestigious wines in a small wine factory benefiting
from a stunning 360-degree panorama. The Montecarlo wines are atypical because they contain a high proportion of French grape varieties, being imported up to the 18th century. The white wine of Montecarlo was long considered one of the best in Tuscany and it was called the "Chablis of Montecarlo." Towards the evening will return to the country house for a pizza party in which we will prepare together an assortment of local pizzas and foccaccia.

We will take a morning departure to the city of Liguria which is located in a beautiful coastal area with picturesque fishing villages. The bustling town of Lerici is a small resort located in a small harbour, with a castle named “Castello San Giorgio", located on a cliff overlooking the city. It allows for an incredible view over the entire peninsula with picturesque Portovenere, islands in the Gulf and the city of La Spezia. From Lerici we will leave for Cinque Terre arriving at a village named Riomaggiore, with its
colourful houses of a typical Ligurian style and small picturesque streets. We will discover the most famous path of Cinque Terre "via del'Amore" (path of love) with a march at the foot of the cliff, where you can admire the magnificent scenery with sea view while listening to waves crashing on the rocks and enjoying the fresh air.

We will take a 20 to 30 min. walk where we will reach the next village, named Manarola, which is located on a cliff with houses grouped in a mosaic of colours. The Village of
Manarola is considered one of the most beautiful in Italy. Afterwards, we will visit Monterosso, the largest village in the area which has many lemon trees and is the only extensive sand beach in the Cinque Terre.

There will be the light lunch at the local wine farm, where wines are grown on terraces in difficult conditions of access, and we will also sample excellent and precious Cinque Terre and Sciacchetrà wines.

Finally, we will drop in Vernazza, one the truest "fishing villages" on the Italian Riviera, without any car traffic and return to Viareggio for a fish dinner.

We will drive to Siena taking the scenic route where you will view a rare beauty, unifying nature, medieval life and spirituality of those painters and poets who crossed the Val d'Elsa in the past centuries, including Pontormo, Leonardo, Boccaccio and Dante. Siena, one of the best-preserved and Italy's loveliest medieval city is famous for its artistic heritage and the medieval character, where you can find on its central piazza in form of the shell "Il Campo" which houses the world-renown festival and horse race "The Palio". Moving from there we will taste excellent and famous Chianti wines accompanied by a light lunch in Castello Bossi, the 16th century castle surrounded by vineyards.

In the afternoon we will stop in Monterrigioni, a small fortified town that has a castle and craft shops. Here you will find craftsmen of ship leathers along with the famous ceramics and crystal industry, which have a long tradition in Val d'Elsa and on the hills of Chianti. We end the day in the historic town of San Gimignano, a medieval town with majestic towers, and considered to be one of the most beautiful places of Tuscany. San Gimignano is famous for producing one of the most important Italian white wines - Vernaccia. We will have a dinner and accommodation in the organic wine farm in San Gimignano area with a beautiful panorama and a swimming pool along with a special menu accompanied with wine that is produced at the farm.

We begin the day with a morning ride to Florence for where you will have a guided tour. Florence is one of the most beautiful cities of Italy, and is the second most visited city in the country bearing the title “the pearl of renaissance. We will arrive at the Piazzale Michelangelo, where you can enjoy the view of one of the most beautiful cities in the world.
In the historic centre you will visit the external complex of the Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral with the magnificent dome of the architect Brunelleschi, which dominates
Florence and is also part of the largest cathedrals in the world. The Campanile of Giotto and the Baptistery of San Giovanni with the famous Gates of Paradise are also part of this complex.

After a short walk through the streets of the historic heart of the city you will arrive at the Galleria dell'Accademia, where the Piazza della Signoria is located along with the Fountain of Neptune, not to mention a copy of the famous statue of David by Michelangelo and other works are in the area. The main symbol of the city is the “Ponte Vechio” bridge of the 16th century with goldsmiths' shops.

We will take lunch in a historic restaurant from 1824, where you will taste Florentine specialities, followed by a guided tour of the famous Uffizi museum.
Dinner on your own.

Voyage Includes:

• 6 nights with breakfast
• 4 light lunches | cold lunches and 2 warm lunches
  
• Half board (dinner)
  
• 6 tastings of wines, olive oils, chocolate and other specialties
  
• 2 Tuscan cooking courses and recipes
  
• Assistance, accompaniment.
  
• Uffizi Museum guided tour