Day 1 Highlights:
Day 2 Highlights:
Day 3 Highlights:
EVERYDAY at 9:00 AM ( EXCEPT on Friday)
Approx. 3 days
APRIL to OCTOBER
english
Treat yourself to a blissful bite of culinary heaven!
Covered with olive groves, rich-soiled fields and vines Tuscany is Italy’s richest larder, and its gastronomic inspiration. Have a glass, and a slice, of the best! Including hands-on activities, guided tours and wine tastings led by a professional sommelier our Taste Tuscany Tour leads you down vineyard-lined country paths and cobblestone streets to find authentic Tuscan flavor in fascinating wineries, charming farmhouse kitchens and lively open-air markets.
Taste your way through Tuscany, be inspired, indulge!
DAY 1 – An exquisite welcome to Tuscany: Farmers’ Market Tour and Organic Cooking Class
Meet your dedicated guide and fellow travelers in Florence (our staff will take care of your luggage, delivering it directly to your Hotel), and set off on your first tantalizing flavor experience: a visit to Florence’s colorful farmers’ market.
Browse through the colorful stalls piled high with fresh produce, get to know the typical products, meet the bakers, butchers and cheese vendors. Taste a selection of scrumptious specialties and select what you'll need to prepare your meal. After the market a pleasant drive aboard our comfortable minivan will take you to the peace and quiet of the rolling countryside, and the charming farmhouse kitchen where you will have your cooking class.
Meet your friendly dedicated chef, follow him to see our organic vegetable garden, and pick the best and most tempting of the fresh veggies and fragrant Tuscan herbs. Aprons on! Follow your chef's skilled know-how and learn the secrets of making exquisite traditional dishes. Your menu will vary depending on the season and fresh ingredients available but, among the rest, will invariably include two kinds of home-made hand-rolled pasta, such as pappardelle and ravioli, and a typical dessert. Master the art of kneading dough, roll out perfect pasta! Once ready relish the best meal ever, the one you made yourself in the heart of the gorgeous Tuscan countryside, accompanied by a selection of excellent wines including a dessert wine. At the end of the class receive a Certificate of Attendance and a full Recipe Booklet, a superb souvenir which will allow you to share the delicious recipes you learned with your friends and family at home.
After lunch enjoy a couple of hours at leisure at the Hotel, to unpack and relax by the pool before getting ready for yet another unforgettable meal: luscious Tuscan specialties prepared by the Hotel restaurant chef.
Sweet dreams at Relais Villa Olmo
NOTES on the cooking class: Vegetarians and/or those suffering from intolerance and/or allergies are more than welcome: vegetarian recipes, and/or other alternatives are available and included; thank you for kindly informing us in due advance. Meal includes the menu as prepared and 2 glasses of Chianti wine per person. Kindly note the Farmers' Market is closed Sundays and public holidays: on these days the class program will comprise a visit to an ancient olive oil mill located within a noble estate, including an olive oil tasting
DAY 2 Tuscany Wineland Safari: a thrilling off-road journey to discover the most beautiful spots of the rolling Chianti hillside
After enjoying breakfast and checking out meet your professional driver guide at Relais Villa Olmo and set off with a roar aboard a sturdy off-road Land Rover Discovery. Travel along winding roads lined by swaying cypress trees to an authentic period farmhouse, explore the grounds and wander through the mysterious cellars. Journey on through the beautiful Tuscan hilltop silent roads: you will see quaint villages, golden meadows, vineyards and a magnificent ancient abbey dating back to the 13th century! Catch hidden views, take splendid photos and stop alongside a lovely field for a picnic snack and some fabulous local wine. The fresh breeze and sweet scents of the countryside will lead you straight to the greenest heart of the Chianti Classico hills, where luxuriant vineyards sparkle and thrive, to relish the best of Tuscan local fare during a memorable 3-course typical lunch accompanied by the rich aroma of Chianti wine. Crown your day viewing a real Tuscan hillside jewel: a majestic Medieval castle, with its fascinating turrets and merlons, rising in an outstanding position.
After lunch relax and enjoy the grounds and swimming pool before getting ready for… some super flavors and great fun!
Try listing among the best traits of Italy. Well, these certainly include pizza, gelato and the gorgeous Tuscan countryside! Combine your love of fragrant pizza and creamy gelato with a unique cooking class held in an authentic farmhouse. Meet your friendly dedicated chef, follow him to see our organic vegetable garden, pick the best of the fresh veggies and fragrant Tuscan herbs. And onto the charming country kitchen, where shiny marble tabletops are ready with equipment and ingredients. Follow your chef's skilled know-how, learn the secrets which lie behind picture-perfect scrumptious Pizza. He'll show you how to make pliable paper-thin yeast dough, and give you tips on how to prepare a zesty yet light tomato sauce to top it with. Aprons on, it's your turn to get your hands floury measuring and mixing the ingredients, and to knead your dough to perfection! While it rests enjoy the chance to learn about Italian gelato, its history and heritage, and get an insider's view on how home-made gelato is made. And then time for delightful fun: roll out your pizza, season and flavor it to taste! Once ready raise it with the flat pizza-shovel and slide it into the oven, let it bake savoring the fragrant scents and finally relish the unique taste of the best Pizza you've ever had: the one you made yourself! Dinner will include excellent Chianti wine and delicious gelato too! At the end of the experience receive an Attendance Certificate and a Recipe Booklet, to share the recipes you learned with your friends and family once back home.
Sweet dreams at Relais Villa Olmo
NOTES on the activity: Entertaining, instructive and easygoing our Pizza and Gelato Class is perfect for families seeking an activity where their children can learn about local culture in a fun and relaxed way. Vegetarians and/or those suffering from intolerance and/or allergies are more than welcome: vegetarian recipes, and/or other alternatives are available and included; thank you for kindly informing us in due advance.
DAY 3 – Gastronomic Quest and Cooking Masterclass
After enjoying breakfast and checking out meet your dedicated driver and travel through the hillside to Florence for an exclusive hands-on culinary experience: our unique VIP Small-Group Cooking Masterclass & Food Tour in Florence.
Dive into the local gastronomic heritage, savor mouth-watering traditional delicacies and enjoy a real insider’s look! Meet your dedicated chef and follow him on a wondrous "Food Quest" through the charming streets of historic Florence and the Oltrarno neighborhood. Talented and entertaining, he will lead you to the most picturesque traditional grocery shops, the ancient Florentine botteghe. This is where the local gourmands and chefs do their shopping! Browse through the shops, losing yourself among delectable aromas and sensational flavors. Taste specialties, enjoying the exclusive guidance offered by your professional chef, and choose the ingredients to use for your cooking class. Groceries in hand take a short walk to our cooking class facility, a delightful location in the city center.
Aprons on! Follow your chef's skilled know-how and learn how to concoct the most exquisite traditional dishes: your menu will generally include home-made hand-rolled pasta, a tasty pasta sauce, a traditional main dish such as eggplant parmigiana and a typical dessert, too, like almond Tuscan cantuccini to dip into sweet Vinsanto wine. Master the art of kneading dough into fragrant home-made pasta, or roll out perfect potato gnocchi, and get the hang of using a pestle to crush fresh basil and pine-nuts into creamy flavorful pesto! Measure, mince, mix and stir (and taste, of course, to get the seasonings right!), and finally sit down with a glass of excellent Tuscan wine to relish the best Tuscan meal ever: the one you made yourself, in the heart of historic Florence.
Bite into Tuscan gastronomic heaven, in a welcoming relaxed atmosphere and with the privilege of the personalized attention of a professional chef. At the end of the experience receive a full Recipe Booklet, a superb souvenir which will allow you to share the delicious recipes you learned with your friends and family at home
After the activity enjoy a brief stroll through the city center to pick up your luggage at our headquarters.
Arrivederci!
2 night stay at Relais Villa Olmo
Daily buffet Breakfast
Free subscription to our Food & Wine Club (25-Euro value), to access special discounts online on wine and typical products
Day1
Transfer from Florence to a Tuscan Farmohouse in Chianti
Visit of the Farmers' market of Florence with our Chef
Food and local products tasting (except on Sundays and bank holidays, see notes)
Small-group Cooking lesson with a famous local Chef in a fascinating kitchen in a Tuscan farmhouse
Learn about growing organic vegetables in our garden
Use of apron and cooking utensils
All ingredients for your lunch
Lunch
Wine tasting of 3 wines (Chianti Classico, Reserve, Tuscan dessert wine)
Cellar visit in a Boutique Winery
Graduation Certificate
Booklet with recipes
Suitable for vegetarians! (please inform us in advance)
Day 2
Off-road Chianti hills tour aboard a state-of-the-art Range Rover Defender
English-speaking professional driver and tour escort
Wine tour of a Chianti farmhouse and its cellar
Picnic snack with wine
Viewing of an ancient abbey
Typical 3-course Tuscan light lunch
Visit to a Medieval Castle
Small-group Pizza and Gelato Cooking lesson with a famous local Chef in a Tuscan farmhouse
Learn about growing organic vegetables in our garden
Use of apron and cooking utensils
All ingredients for pizza and gelato making
Dinner with Wine Tastings (soft drinks for children)
Graduation Certificate
Booklet with recipes
Day 3
Private Transfer from Relais Villa Olmo to Florence
VIP Semi-private hands-on Cooking Class
Cooking MASTERCLASS by a famous local Chef in a fascinating kitchen in Florence
Guided FOOD TOUR of Florence historic food Bottegas with our Chef
Food and local products tasting
Use of apron and cooking utensils
All ingredients for your lunch
Lunch
Wine tasting of Tuscan wines
Graduation Certificate
Booklet with recipes
FLORENCETOWN TOURS & NEWS STAND - Piazza della Repubblica (next to the APPLE STORE under the loggias, corner with Via Pellicceria) - Florence - SEE ON MAP
Vegetarians and/or those suffering from intolerance and/or allergies are more than welcome: vegetarian recipes, and/or other alternatives are available and included; thank you for kindly informing us in due advance
Please let us know in advance any special need or impaired mobility of the clients and we will do our best to accomodate them
NOTES on the 1st day cooking class: Meal includes the menu as prepared and 2 glasses of Chianti wine per person. Kindly note the Farmers' Market is closed Sundays and public holidays: on these days the class program will comprise a visit to an ancient olive oil mill located within a noble estate, including an olive oil tasting
This tour runs rain or shine.
from € 749
EUR 749 p.p. (price based on a party of 2 pax)
EUR 899 p.p. (price based on a single partecipant)