Guide

Owner Guided. Fully Guided: 2 experienced Caspin Journeys Tour Leaders/guides 24/7 Service of expert multilingual Caspin Journeys Leaders/ guides with extraordinary local knowledge, available for the duration of your trip. Enjoy excellent tuition by cooks and chefs

Transport

Minibus transport from start to finish as listed in the itinerary Not all tours include airport transfers (see Itinerary)

Accommodation

7 Nights at a luxuriously restored and elegant 17th century Farmhouse Villa ideally located for exploring Tuscany. A nice hotel and a good night’s sleep are an important part of your overall travel experience! When considering a hotel, we look at more than just the rooms. We look for hotels or bed and breakfasts which are committed to ensuring their guests are well looked after and pay attention to detail, for example offering locally sourced breakfast produce, or a special selection of toiletries, or tea and coffee making facilities in the room. Wherever possible your hotel will be perfectly positioned for exploring and will have a historical charm or maybe a new and innovative design. We choose the best possible places to stay ensuring that each night you are comfortably settled in a place that is welcoming and full of authentic local charm. We are on a mission to find the ingredients you need to wake feeling rested and looking forward to each day of your Caspin Journeys tour! Take a closer look at some properties we have chosen for you...

Others

1 Bottle of Mineral Water per person per day Water is carried in support vehicle for daily refills Entrance fees to museums, Events and parks as listed in the itinerary Tipping and Gratuities All gratuities for Hotel porters and Waiters service Walking sticks: One walking stick per person Local guiding fees for specialist sites Caspin Journeys cookbook

Meals

All Breakfasts, All Lunches (Except 1) All Dinners Drinks with Meals Wine, water & coffee. This tour offers Vegetarian food options on request. Simply let us know the food option that you prefer A nourishing breakfast, every morning; Gourmet picnics & packed lunches prepared with love using local ingredients and typical recipes; occasional trattoria-style lunches Selected local wines with every meal and water of course; Our favourite local and gourmet restaurants owned by real local people (mainly family run business) who serve delicious typical food of the area! We set the menu for you so that you can have a 360° taste of all the food of the regions

Not included:

Others

Transfer to the meeting point Travel insurance and other emergencies Visa fees and entry clearing fees Mini Bar & Bar Drinks. Please do not forget to settle your bill before leaving each Hotel. Tipping and Gratuities: Tipping and Gratuities for your Trip Leaders is at your discretion

Optional

Other activities and services not included. Additional Services. Travel Insurance. Visa or Vaccinations.

Insurance

N.B. It is a requirement of booking with Caspin Journeys Ltd that you have adequate personal travel insurance to cover the eventualities of your trip. Travel insurance and other emergencies not included

Flights

International flights not included

Start planning your experience

Day 1 Arrival Day
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Arrival Day

Meet at Terontola station, Cortona (14.00-16.00), easily reached from Rome or Florence.

Relax and settle into your accommodation in Cortona which will become your home for the week. Join us for a welcome cocktail party while the chef prepares a Tuscan feast as we introduce you to the week’s activities.

Meals: Dinner
Day 2 Exploring Cortona -Truffle Hunting - Cooking Lesson 1
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Exploring Cortona -Truffle Hunting - Cooking Lesson 1

Our first stop will be at a “torrefazione”, or coffee merchant, to learn how the wonderful Italian coffee is prepared from an award-winning coffee barman. We will enjoy a class covering everything from the toasting and grinding of the beans to the making of a real cup of espresso or cappuccino.

Afterwards we’ll be heading up Mount Sant’Egidio – Cortona’s hill – for a short hike in search of the precious truffles which will play a part in our picnic lunch in the forest.

After lunch we enter historic Cortona through one of the ancient city gates to get our first look at what was originally an Etruscan town. Back at base we will have our first cooking lesson.

Cooking Lesson 1.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.
Day 3 Montepulciano, Vino Nobile Wine Country. Cooking Lesson 2.
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Montepulciano, Vino Nobile Wine Country. Cooking Lesson 2.

Our day begins exploring of Montepulciano with its magnificent palazzos and charming streets. This is a town dedicated to wine making and a centre for traditional handicrafts. Our light lunch and wine tasting will be in one of the town’s most interesting historic cellars and in the afternoon, we will visit Pienza, once the subject of an ambitious building project by Renaissance pope, Pius the Second. Pienza is famous for its Pecorino cheese and some of the most breath-taking views in Tuscany. On our return to our farmhouse, we will have our cooking lesson.

Cookery Lesson 2.
Day 4 Montalcino, Brunello Wine Country. Cooking Lesson 3
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Montalcino, Brunello Wine Country. Cooking Lesson 3

Today’s visit is to Montalcino, famous for Brunello, one of Italy’s finest wines and the last stronghold of the Sienese in their historic wars with Florence. We will enjoy a wine-tasting and a tour of the cellars of a well-known Brunello winery and have a light lunch. Our afternoon will feature a scenic drive with magnificent views of the Val D’Orcia and Monte Amiata, a dormant volcano and Tuscany’s highest peak. Returning to our area, dinner tonight will be at a typical local restaurant.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 5 Siena & Chianti Wine Country
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Siena & Chianti Wine Country

This day is dedicated to the area of Siena. We will stroll around in the fascinating historic centre, home to the Palio horse race twice a year, and boasting one of the loveliest central piazzas in all of Italy. There are several unforgettable sights, so don’t forget to take pictures! Next stop is the tiny, walled Medieval outpost of Monteriggioni where we will have a look around and then lunch in a local restaurant. In the afternoon we will return home in time for our cooking lesson.

Cooking Lesson 3.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 6 Farmers Market & Cortona
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Farmers Market & Cortona

Our day will be dedicated to relaxing and enjoying free time in Cortona for shopping and exploring. Lunch will be at leisure, and you can pick from any of several bars or trattorias in the centre of town. We will have our farewell dinner in the evening in a delightful local restaurant.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 7 Departure
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Departure

We will say our goodbyes and have our drop off after breakfast for trains between 9.00-10.00 from Terontola-Cortona station.

7 days tour

Tuscany Gourmet Cooking Tour

This tour includes:

Not included:

Start planning your experience

Itinerary of your trip Tuscany Gourmet Cooking Tour

Arrival Day

Exploring Cortona -Truffle Hunting - Cooking Lesson 1

Montepulciano, Vino Nobile Wine Country. Cooking Lesson 2.

Montalcino, Brunello Wine Country. Cooking Lesson 3

Siena & Chianti Wine Country

Farmers Market & Cortona

Departure

Experience Style

Accomodation level

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