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Bella Tuscany |
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Bella Tuscany |
Lise Apatoff, Tour guide
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Day 1 Depart the USA for Florence, Italy.Day 2 Arrive Florence- transfer to MugelloWe will be met by our coach, and head north out of the city to the Mugello—the green smiling pre-Appenine hills. Our home for the next two nights is the Villa Campestri. Sitting in a commanding position on a hill and surrounded by sloping lawns and a 300 acre park of chestnut woods, this gracious, elegant villa dates back to the 13th century. Dinner tonight is in our hotel. Overnight: Villa Campestri, Vicchio (Dinner including wine tonight at our Villa) Day 3 Mugello/ Cooking with the sistersThe origins of the important and influential Medici family are in the Mugello-and we witness this throughout the area. Our first stop this morning will be at the Romanesque church of St. Agata. Built in the year 1000 over a church from the year 600, this elegant simple structure is the oldest religious building in the area. We'll then wind our way to the medieval country village of Scarperia. This tiny walled town sprung up around the Roman Via Flaminia, and until 1750 it was the only road that went north to Bologna. Its reputation for metal working and knife making goes back more than 500 years. We'll visit a family run workshop and the gorgeous medieval frescoed and fortified town hall. We'll drive by the Medici villa of Caffagiolo, and then head up an unpaved Day 4 Greve/MontagliariThis morning we'll drive to Greve in Chianti, the most important town in the area for commerce in the medieval times. Our first stop will be to visit the laboratory of a local family that for generations has been making prize winning prosciutto, salami, sausage and steaks with their own production of boar, pig, and Chianina beef. We'll visit the oval piazza of Greve to taste their wares, then continue on our way to admire a sweet Romanesque parish church and have a light lunch at a local farm --the only one in this area that makes balsamic vinegar. Dessert will be ice cream drizzled with 25 year old mosto-after passing from oak to cherry to chestnut barrels the vinegar is reduced to a sweet tangy syrup. We drive back roads that pass through some tiny towns and gorgeous landscapes. The many stone houses adorned with brilliant geraniums flowering in the window pots make it easy to see how the towns grew organically from their tower origins-the natural sense of aesthetic and artisanship that the farmers use in their fields are evident in their buildings of a thousand years ago. We'll check into our lovely hotel in Radda and have a little time to rest in the gardens by the pool before dinner in the town of Radda, Relais Vignale, Radda in Chianti (Breakfast, lunch, dinner with wine.) Day 5: Chianti Countryside/VolpaiaWe'll pass by vineyards and stone houses with geraniums in the Chianti countryside today. Charming towns to visit while enroute to a picturesque picnic spot. This evening we drive up through oak woods and vineyards to the picturesque hilltop village of Volpaia. Before dinner this evening, we will walk thorugh this medieval borgo. We'll see t heir olive press and ancient cantina, learn what makes a Chianti a Chianti , and tast four different wines. Day 6 Cooking in ChiantiAhhh, a leisurely morning, with breakfgast outside under the arbor...You will have time to wander through hthe little fortified village of Radda in Chianti. this afternoon we roll up our sleeves and help to prepare our supper, a classical Tuscan menu. Overnight: Relais Vignale, Radda in Chianti (Breakfast, dinner with wine) Day 7 Pienza - S. Quirico - Bagu VignoniThis morning we will visit Pienza, a small Renaissance town completely designed by Bernardo Rossellino in 1450 for Pope Pius II, a local son, sho wanted to leave a monument to himself. The pecorino cheese made with sheep's milk is famous here: with truffles, rubbed with tomato, wrapped in grape skins, aged in caves and more. After lunch on your own, we visit the small medieval town of S. Quirico with a pretty Romanesque church. We stroll through Bagno Vignoni where a steaming hot water pool (thermal waters) has taken the palce of a central piazza. It was a favoritee getaway for the popes in the 14 and 1500's. Then on to our home for the next two nights, Montalcino, home to the famous Brunello wine. Ovenight: Vecchio Oliviera, Montalcino (Breakfast and dinner with wine) Day 8 Montalcino - St. Antimo - Brunello Wine TastingWe'll explore the town and walk the ramparts of the Medician fortress enlarged in the mid 1500's on our morning stroll. This classic Tuscan hilltown, built along a ridgetop has changed little since the 1600's. Settled in the year 1000, its greatest moment as as the last bastion of the Sienese Republic against Florentine domination. But we love it for its fresh pure air, its stupendous vistas,and its divine full bodied wne. The rest of the morning you are free to browse and shop in this charming town, or enjoy the pool at the hotel, and have lunch on your own. We'll meet again in the early afternoon, head to thevineyards of a historic winery and learn how the San Giovese grosso grape is used to make Brunello such an important wine-one of the most expensive in Italy. Inspired by the grape, we'll drive to visit the serene luminous church of St. Antimo, founded by Charlemagne in the 8th century in thanks for a miracle. One of our favorite spots in Italy, set in the golden hills lined with cypress trees..it is absolutely breathtaking. Our dinner tonight is in a wonderful family run restaurant outside the town walls. Overnight: Vecchio Oliviera, Montalcino (Breakfast and dinner with wine) Day 9 Siena/Mt. Oliveto MaggioreWe depart Montalcino this morning along country roads that lead up to the huge Benedictine monastery thought to be the inspiration fo Day 10 San Gimignano - Colle di val d' Elsa - Abbadia IsolaWe leave early this morning to be able to imagine how travelers must have felt as they entered the walls of San Gimignano, a many towered village which was built along the pilgrim route during the Crusades. Together we'll walk through the tiny town, admire the remaining 14 of what were once 72 towers and visit the marvelous frescoed church. Then you''ll need some free time to look at the wonderful ceramic, weaving and olive wood stores, climb the 300 stairs to the top of the town hall's tower, and have lunch on your own. We visit Colle Val d' Elsa, a medieval town famous for production of crystal and paper due to the river that flowed through it. We walk along a 17th century ridge passing through time. Abbadia Isola is a tiny town that once had a moat around it, and it has a beautiful church dating back to 1100, with a nice view of the hilltop town of Monteriggioni. Day 11 FlorenceA leisurely morning with lunch on your own before we depart for Florence. We arrive early afternoon with time for an orientation walk of the city before our farewell dinner. Overnight: Orto dei Medici (Breakfast and dinner with wine) Today we will have packed up our suitcases, aprons, recipes and memories and head for transfer points at either the train station or airport. We know you will carry in your minds and hearts the remarkable beauty and flavors of this very special part of the world...Arrivederci, and Buon Appetito until our next adventures together! Arrivederci, and Buon Appetito until our next adventures together!
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road to an old stone farmhouse where Anna and Alba will cook with us. We'll learn the secrets passed down by their mother and make bruschetta, hand made ravioli, and more, with whatever vegetables are in season-- and then all sit down together to eat our delicious creations! 
r Umberto Eco's book, then film: In the Name of the Rose. Founded in the 1300's as a reform order, Mt. Oliveto Maggiore is known for its antique book restoration and its production of herbal liquers. We'll wander down to see a lovely Renaissance cloister frescoed in the early 1500's by Luca Signorelli and Antonio Bazzi. After lunch, we continue to the cinnamon brick town of Siena where we meet our local Sienese guide for a walking tour of the town-walking through the winding streets we'l learn about the colorful contradas that compete in the famous horse race twice yearly. We'll have a private look at one of the contrada clubhouses, and a walk by the striped cathedral. Our home for the next wo nights is the Hotel Duomo in Siena. 