Duration: 8 hours
Type of Service: Siena Foodie Tour with Charcuterie Lunch at Salumeria – private tour with one hour visit to the Siena Cathedral
You will be picked up from the Siena train station if coming from Florence or your accommodations in Siena. Private door to door service is also available from your Florence accommodations. The medieval town of Siena is located 1 hour, 20 minutes south of Florence.
This special foodie tour starts in the heart of the ancient hilltop town of Siena. We will visit a cafe for coffee, where the owners roast their own coffee beans as they have for 3 generations.
Then we will make the short walk to a family owned generation bakery to hear the history and sample many of the local Sienese desserts.
If this tour is booked on a Tuesday or Saturday, we can visit a local farmers market for a sampling of the Tuscan Pecorino cheeses, and honey, among other things.
Next, we make the short drive outside the walls of Siena, to a Salumeria for lunch. This is a historical delicatessen, which offers artesian quality products. The salamis are lovingly made by, the Norcino, using local recipes that are 300 years old. All made from local livestock without any use of colorants, preservatives, milk-based ingredients or gluten.
Following our lunch, we will make a short drive to visit a family winery for a wine and olive oil tasting. At the end of the tasting we will return to Siena or drop off at the Siena train station or transfer back to Florence.
Things to Know
Duration: 8 hours
Type of Service: VIP Small-group Siena and San Gimignano day tour from Florence with dinner - small group tour
A fabulous and exclusive all-round Tuscan extravaganza!
Spend an enlightening afternoon visiting Siena and San Gimignano, two of Tuscany's "jewel cities", and top the day off with a sunset and dinner in a boutique winery in the rolling Chianti countryside.
Depart Florence for Siena in full comfort aboard our state-of-the-art minivan, with your dedicated English-speaking driver and tour escort, and reach Siena.
Set in a beautiful landscape, surrounded by vineyards and olive groves, it is one of the most enchanting medieval cities in Italy.
Led by a specialized knowledgeable guide you will discover the town's most striking sights, admire the marvelous Piazza del Campo - where twice a year dashing horses compete in the heart-rendering Palio race. Explore quieter backstreets and learn everything about the Contrade (the 17 medieval city districts that compete against each other in the Palio) and enjoy a flavorful surprise, a tasting of a local specialty.
Then travel on to San Gimignano, UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most splendid examples of an ancient walled town. Renowned as “the city of beautiful towers” or "Tuscany's Manhattan" it boasts an exceptional skyline. It is certainly one of the most well-preserved towns in the whole of Italy and has, in fact, been used as a background in many movies. During your free time here, stroll the maze of quaint cobblestone streets at leisure, discovering the many tall towers, once homes, which characterize the town.
Breathe in the authentic atmosphere and then set off to admire the sun setting over the vineyard-clad Chianti hills and savor a genuine Tuscan dinner and wine tasting in the charming premises of a delightful boutique winery.
Enjoy the scrumptious flavors of an authentic typical meal splendidly paired with different excellent wines, as well as the privilege of a private visit to the estate's wine cellar.
Leaving you free to relax in the morning, and leading you into the heart of Tuscan beauty and heritage in the afternoon and evening, our VIP Small-Group Siena and San Gimignano with Dinner in a Chianti Winery provides a quintessential Dolce Vita Tuscan experience which you will never forget.
Things to Know:
Duration: 8 hours
Type of Service: Chianti and Its Wines - private tour
You will begin the day by visiting a beautiful and historical Chianti Classico winery, enjoying a guided tour of the estate and the marvelous cellar followed by a delightful and delicious lunch on the property, tasting the wines and a complete meal in front of an amazing view over the green rolling hills of Chianti.
After lunch, you will enjoy a visit to the beautiful village of Greve in Chianti, with time to enjoy the beautiful shops there.
In the late afternoon, we will visit one of the most historic wineries in the Chianti Classico area. A private tour of this stunning Estate going back to Renaissance; it is here indeed that the famous Antinori wines have been created. The tour will be followed by a tasting of excellent and awarded wines paired with local specialties.
On your way back to Florence you will stop at the Piazzale Michelangelo to admire the views and take photos. At the conclusion of the tour, you will be dropped off at your accommodations. This is one of our most popular tours with one of the most amazing guides/sommelier Arianna.
Timeline of Activities
10:00am pick-up from hotel
11:00am- 14:00pm (2pm) - Arrival at the first winery, guided visit and lunch
14:30pm-15:30pm (2:30pm - 3:30pm) - Free time in Greve with time for Shopping
15:30pm(3:30pm) - Depart Greve and Travel to 2nd winery
16:00pm – 17:30pm(4:00pm - 5:30pm) - Guided visit to an historical winery with tastings
17:30pm (5:30pm) - Depart 2nd winery and travel to Piazza Michelangelo (10 minutes for photos )
18:30pm (6:30pm) – Arrive at Hotel
Things to Know:
Duration: 8 hours
Type of Service: Visit a Goat Cheese Farm + Experience Organic Wine Tasting + Explore two Chianti Villages outside of Florence – small group tour
You will begin your day visiting an organic goat farm and cheese producer. You will meet the owner and his staff of adorable goats who will tour us through their organic farm. Our generous host will demonstrate and share the wisdom of organic production as you taste freshly made goat cheese and watch the baby goats play hide and seek with one another. You will then enjoy a delicious homemade lunch at the farm, sampling simple and tasty recipes with several types of cheeses. Delicious!
Afterward, you will visit a boutique organic wine producer and “vignaiolo”(wine maker), enjoy a guided tour through the vineyards and then escorted to their cellar for a final tasting of products. Your hosts will welcome you into their classroom of vineyards, where you will see an organic and passionate approach to wine and farming in the Chianti.
Things to Know:
Duration: 8 hours
Type of Service: Discover San Gimignano, Wine Tasting at a boutique organic producer of Vernaccia di San Gimignano Wine and Silversmith Workshop - small group tour
You will begin your day with a visit to a boutique organic producer of Vernaccia di San Gimignano, that is the only white wine in Tuscany with DOCG certification. You will enjoy a guided tour of this beautiful farm, followed by a delicious homemade light lunch with wine tasting in a characteristic Tuscan peasant museum of art and traditions.
Afterward, enjoy relaxing walk in the medieval village of San Gimignano. This magical location is famously known for its array of medieval towers that can be seen from miles away. You will enjoy a relaxing walk through the traditional shops and streets, and will also visit an interesting silver workshop there, where Matteo, a young and talented silversmith, will show you how he can transform shapeless silver into marvelous objects.
Things to Know:
Duration: Nine Hours - 8:30am - 5:30pm
Type of Service: Full day Valpolicella & Amarone Wine Tour
During the day, we'll visit two celebrated wine estates to taste the Famous Valpolicella wines, like the Amarone, Valpolicella Classico, the rare Recioto and other wines.
In between wineries, we'll travel through the enchanting Valpolicella hills, stop for lunch (optional) at a local trattoria, where you can taste some of its local cuisines, and time permitting visit a lovely small village perched on top of a hill from where you can enjoy beautiful vistas over the surrounding scenery: the view on a clear day arrives as far as the Lake Garda.
THE WINES
The region boasts numerous types of indigenous grapes that have been naturally selected over the last 2,000 years. Like the famous wines of Bordeaux, the wines of the Valpolicella are made from a blend of these indigenous vines. Each vineyard has its preference in regards to the types and quantity of grapes used in the production of their wines.
On this tour, you'll enjoy two full wine tastings and vineyard tours of two selected vineyards in the Valpolicella wine region. At each vineyard, a local expert sommelier will conduct a tour of the vineyards' facilities so that you fully appreciate the unique methods of production utilized to make the very special wines of the Valpolicella. With this new knowledge at hand, you'll be able to truly appreciate the unique and diverse wines that you'll taste at each vineyard. Noting the subtle differences between the different wines produced, and the varied tastes they produce on your palette.
THE COUNTRY
In between vineyards, we'll traverse the soft undulating hills that stretch like fingers from the high mountains above, to create the valleys where the Amarone and Valpolicella wines are produced. You'll be enchanted by the lovely country with hills covered in vines, olive and cherry trees punctuated by small rural and sleeping villages. Along the way, and time permitting, we'll pause at a lovely small village, from where, on clear days, you can enjoy views of Lake Garda and visit an Ancient pagan temple that dates back to Roman times.
THE CUISINE
You'll have an additional opportunity to taste the Valpolicella wines during the optional lunch at a selected local trattoria, that excels in both its regional cuisine and its choice of local wines.
After completing your wine tour of the Valpolicella, sit back and relax while we head back to Venice arriving at approximately 5:30pm (1730).
Things to Know: