Tuscany: A Culinary Journey

Tuscany: A Culinary Journey

Trip Duration: 9 Days/8 Nights

 

Eyre powered by Starr has partnered with Premier World Discovery, a professional tour operator handling escorted tour arrangements. With 25 years experience, PWD's goal is to provide travelers with an unforgettable experience featuring sightseeing, history, culture, and fun!

 

Trip Inclusions:

• Meals: 7 Breakfasts, 3 Lunches, 7 Dinners

• Tour Director upon arrival in London

• Round Trip airfare from MD/DC/VA airport

• Transfers between airport & hotels

• Baggage handling and related gratuities

 

Tour Highlights:

 

Chianti

The Chianti area in Tuscany is one of the most beautiful in the whole region, as well as the most well-known and appreciated by visitors from across the world. You'll often find references to the "Florentine Chianti" and the "Sienese Chianti" to define the areas closest to one or the other city, but these often refer to a wine's origin within the Chianti region. Chianti offers a unique landscape, with green, gentle hills covered with wide fields of vineyards and olive groves, small stone villages, characteristic parishes and countryside homes in stone.

 

Truffle Demonstration

Truffle hunting and extraction in Italy is an intangible cultural heritage based on traditional knowledge and practices handed down orally for centuries and which characterise the rural life of truffle hunters in Italian truffle-growing areas. An ancient tradition that tells of a practice that unites Italy from north to south, interpreted according to local cultural identity, handed down through stories, anecdotes, practices and proverbs that tell of a knowledge that combines rural life and protection of the land.

 

Tasting at Tuscany Estate

Travel to a lovely Tuscan Estate, where you will be greeted with a welcome drink. Then enjoy a truffle demonstration with access to a protected area on the property followed by a delicious tastings of oil and truffle butter bruschetta, salami, pecorino and wines from the estate.

 

Florence Walking Tour

Located in the Tuscany region of Italy, Florence is a captivating Italy destination that Mark Twain once described as a "city of dreams." With its abundance of timeless art, rustic Tuscan cuisine, incredible boutique shopping, and mesmerizing views at every turn, the city of Florence is nothing short of spectacular. Known worldwide as the birthplace of the Renaissance, Florence embodies the spirit of Italy's past and has managed to preserve it for nearly 700 years. With over 350,000 who call the city home, and nearly one million who reside in its surrounding metropolitan area, Florence skillfully fuses the past with the present, creating a unique time capsule of ancient aesthetics housed within a hustling, bustling world of modern-day Italy.

 

Containing a wealth of preserved artistic and architectural masterpieces, the city is home to the world's most significant concentration of art, according to UNESCO, a UN organization that designates world heritage sites to preserve the most important cultural locations and artifacts. With a near countless number of art galleries and over 45 museums - including the Uffizi Gallery, the world's best collection of Italian Renaissance art, and the Academy Gallery, home to the legendary statue of David - it is no wonder why the city captures the hearts and imaginations of all who visit. From the ancient churches and stunning buildings that line the city streets to the priceless artistic masterpieces created by Michelangelo, Botticelli, and Giotto housed within Florence's galleries, the city is bursting with art and culture.

 

Academy Gallery

Accademia Gallery - in Florence, Italy, is without a doubt most famous for its sculptures by the great Renaissance artist, Michelangelo. His Prisoners (or Slaves), his St. Matthew and, above all, the magnificent statue of David within the Tribune are what first draw most of the hundreds of thousands of visitors the museum welcomes every year.

 

The main halls at the Accademia also offers visitors works by great Italian artists such as Sandro Botticelli, Domenico Ghirlandaio, Pontormo, Andrea del Sarto, Allessando Allori and Orcagna, to name just a few of the painters. Many of the works of art that were commissioned by and were part of the collection of the powerful Medici family were donated to the Grand Duchy of Tuscany by the last of the Medici so that these magnificent works could be enjoyed by everyone and are part of the cultural patrimony of humankind.

 

Cooking class with a pasta maker in San Gimignano

Enjoy an organic cooking and pasta making class and lunch in San Gimignano. You will be greeted with a welcome drink to enjoy while the chef discusses the class and food to be made and his recipe. The restaurant staff will assist you with putting on your aporns and chef hats and let the cooking fun begin! At the end of the cooking class you will get to eat and enjoy what you have prepared for lunch.

 

Winery Tour & Tasting

Chianti is not just a beautiful and famous region of Tuscany, but also a great wine. Wine tasting is a must during your trip in Chianti. Many are the wines produced in Chianti, each one with its own taste and flavor: Classico, Chianti Rufina, Chianti Colli Fiorentini and many others to taste and savor.

 

Pecorino cheese tasting in Val d'Orcia

Pecorino cheese, perhaps one of the more popular and common in the area, is produced from 100 percent whole sheep milk (no light-milk alternatives here), and it is a culinary delight which has been gracing tables since the Etruscans. They were the first to use a vegetable rennet in cheese making... you could say they were some of the first vegetarians in Italy. Sheepherding remained an important economic factor ever since, even incorporated in legends passed down through the generations like that of Giotto/Cimabue (Giotto was discovered drawing sheep in Mugello.) And in 1475, pecorino cheese was celebrated as the best cheese in Italy (truth is, it shared billing with parmesan cheese.)

 

Music & Wine experience at a Farmhouse in Montalcino

Enjoy a traditional farmhouse in Montalcino where you will enjoy a multi sensory experience of music and wine. Four wines will be matched with music tracks selected by a local Sommelier

 

Sienna Walking Tour

Siena is a city in Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the province of Siena. Siena is the 12th largest city in the region by number of inhabitants, with a population of 53,062 as of 2022.The city is historically linked to commercial and banking activities, having been a major banking center until the 13th and 14th centuries. Siena is also home to the oldest bank in the world, the Monte dei Paschi bank, which has been operating continuously since 1472. Several significant Renaissance painters were born and worked in Siena, among them Duccio, Ambrogio Lorenzetti, Simone Martini and Sassetta, and influenced the course of Italian and European art. The University of Siena, originally called Studium Senese, was founded in 1240, making it one of the oldest universities in continuous operation in the world.

Siena was one of the most important cities in medieval Europe, and its historic centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which contains several buildings from the 13th and 14th centuries. The city is famous for its cuisine, art, museums, medieval cityscape and the Palio, a horse race held twice a year in Piazza del Campo.

 

Tuscan Farmhouse & Winery visit with dinner and wine

Visit a local Tuscan farmhouse with an opportunity to meet the owner and enjoy dinner featuring typical Tuscany dishes paired with their local wines.

 

Statue of David

The story of the statue of David begins with a stone block brought to Florence by boat across the Mediterranean and Arno from the Fantiscritti quarry in Carrara, this block was stored for years waiting to be carved. In the middle of the 15th century, the managers of the Opera del Duomo and the leaders of the union of the Knitters of Florence promoted an ambitious project that consisted of sculpting twelve figures to decorate the exterior of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore today known as the Duomo of Florence.

This block of marble of 5.50 meters was called "the giant" after that in 1460 Agostino di Duccio and Antonio Rossellino tried to sculpt it without success leaving it impracticable to be part of the project and falling back into oblivion in some warehouse. At the beginning of the 16th century, the project resumed evaluating the names of the artists of the moment as Andrea Sansovino, Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo Buonarroti. In 1501, the Opera del Duomo of Florence officially commissioned this project to Michelangelo provoking an interest such that this genius isolated himself to make the sculpture. Michelangelo sculpted the David from September of 1501 until May of 1504, resulting in this icon of the Renaissance with a size and proportions of enormous dimensions. The David is just over 5 meters high and exceeds five tons.

The David is considered the apex of the sculptural work of Michelangelo.

 

San Gimignano - free time

San Gimignano is a small walled medieval hill town in the province of Siena, Tuscany, north-central Italy. Known as the Town of Fine Towers, San Gimignano is famous for its medieval architecture, unique in the preservation of about a dozen of its tower houses, which, with its hilltop setting and encircling walls, form "an unforgettable skyline". Within the walls, the well-preserved buildings include notable examples of both Romanesque and Gothic architecture, with outstanding examples of secular buildings as well as churches. The Palazzo Comunale, the Collegiate Church and Church of Sant' Agostino contain frescos, including cycles dating from the 14th and 15th centuries. The "Historic Centre of San Gimignano" is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The town also is known for saffron, the Golden Ham, pecorino cheese and its white wine, Vernaccia di San Gimignano, produced from the ancient variety of Vernaccia grape which is grown on the sandstone hillsides of the area.

 

Gelato tasting by a world famous Gelato Master

Located in the central Piazza della Cisterna in San Gimignano, Gelateria Dondoli is known all over the world and visited by a large number of celebrities. His ice cream parlour is mentioned in the most important world guides and is continuously visited by national and international televisions. Due to his experience and inclination to experiment he has created original and unusual flavours. By now his early creations have become famous: Crema di Santa Fina (cream with saffron and pine nuts), Champelmo (pink grapefruit and sparkling wine), Dolceamaro (cream with aromatic herbs) and Vernaccia Sorbet enhance his already highly extensive menu.

 

Lunch at a Farmhouse Specializing in Saffron Production

Enjoy lunch a family-run farmhouse that specializes in saffron production outside Siena.

 

Lake Trasimeno Boat Excursion

Departing from Tuoro, circumnavigate the islands of Minore and Maggiore. Afterwards, depart towards Polvese island, where we continue navigating towards Tuoro, sailing past the towns of San Feliciano and Passignano.

 

Lunch & Wine on the Island Maggiore

Stretching some 31 miles from top to bottom but only 3 miles across at its widest point, Lake Maggiore is a vast, narrow expanse of water, one of the most beautiful in Italy. It's situated in the north of the country, divided east and west between the two Italian regions of Lombardy and Piedmont while its northern section encroaches into Switzerland. It's the second largest lake in Italy (behind Lake Garda), and also the second deepest.

 

Need to Know:

 

Proof of Citizenship Requirement: Passport Your passport must be valid for at least six months beyond the period of your stay.

 

Deposit/Final Payment Policy:

• Deposit is $600 per person.

• Final payment is due by 8/7/2024.

 

Accessibility:

• This is a trip for those who are physically fit and can transport their own luggage and walk long distances. This trip is NOT recommended for those who require a walker, wheelchair or walking assistance of any kind.

• There are no skycaps in Europe and hotels do not always offer luggage handling. DO NOT BRING A large/heavy suitcase.

• Not all sightseeing stops/sites accommodate wheelchairs and some locations and sightseeing activities require extensive standing, sitting or walking, sometimes on unpaved or cobblestone streets.

• Premier World Discovey/Starr is not responsible for any missed activities due to a participant's inability to participate with the group.

• The Americans with Disabilities Act is only applicable within the United States and facilities for disabled individuals are limited outside its borders. Most transportation services, including the touring motorcoaches and cruise ships, are not equipped with wheelchair ramps. Motorized scooters are not suitable on international tours.

 

Cancellation Penalties:

If cancellation occurs from booking date to 8/6/24, a $25.00* per person penalty will be assessed.

If cancellation occurs between 8/7/24 and 8/22/24, a $600.00* per person penalty will be assessed.

If cancellation occurs between 8/23/24 and 11/5/24, the passenger is in full penalty and no refund will be granted.

 

*In addition to the cancellation polices listed above, if additional payments have been made to Starr for the purpose of securing your airline reservation, these monies are non-refundable once received. Any name changes after final payment is made will be assessed a per person change fee. The amount of the fee will be determined by the airline.

 

Flight Schedule:

TBD

*Flights are subject to change.

 

Only 1 piece of checked baggage is allowed on this trip and there will be a charge by the airline to check any luggage.

 

Travel Insurance:

Travel Protection is recommended through The National Tour Association's (NTA) Travel Protection Plan administered by AON Affinity.

For more information, call 800-388-1470. To get quote and purchase, log onto: nta.aontravelprotect.com

Eyre's Tour Operator location # for AON is 306209. 

 

Gratuities:

Gratuities to individuals noted below are not included in the price of your tour package. Customary recognized guidelines are as follows:

*Motorcoach Driver – $4-$6 per tour guest, per day

*Tour Director – $4-$6 per tour guest, per day

Accommodations:

 

Days 2-9: CDH Hotel Radda, Borgo Di Coretefreda or Tavarnelle Di Pesa, Chianti or similar.

 

Hotels are subject to change and are assigned approximately 30 days prior to departure.

Travel Insurance Travel Insurance FAQ's