Duration: 3 hours

Type of Service: Food Lover's Tour: Tasting at Florence’s Hidden Classics and Gems – small group tour

Florence is home to the some of the best foods and family run bottegas. On this food tour in Florence, we will have the bonus of strolling the historical center of town with a local expert while tasting the regions finest specialties on this fun, informative food lover's crawl. You’ll visit a mix of classic culinary institutions and hidden gems on the tiny streets off famous squares. You will visit artisan purveyors such as bakers, family-owned bottegas procuring goods from their own farms and local wines, a truffle cafe, institutional gelato parlors and more. You'll taste prized ingredients such as extra virgin olive oil, caliber vintage prosecco, aged balsamic vinegar, local cheeses (ewe's milk pecorino), artisan cured meats, and learn all about Florentine's food history while getting a sense of the city with this specialty gourmet walk. This tour is a must for true food lovers who want to get down to the grain of the local food culture while meeting the city's most cherished bottegas, with a touch of sightseeing and main square orientation.

Highlights:

• Small-group, culinary tour of Florence with a local, passionate expert
• 5 gourmet tasting pit-stops, with wine at 2 stops
• Crash course into Florentine food culture and traditional Tuscan goods
• Guided walking tour in the center of Florence, tasting at both cult classics and hidden nooks
• Traditional Tuscan sweet pastries like rice pudding budino or chocolate semolino tartlets with Italian roasted espresso
• Snack like a royal at king-approved truffle cafe’ for Florence’s famous panino tartufato with bubbles
• Visit classic bakeries for Tuscany’s schiacciata flatbreads along with seasonal delicacies (wine grape pie, sweet chestnut & pine nut cake castagnaccio, etc)
• Farmstead quality cheese and cured meat tasting with locally produced wine
• Savor in Italian excellence via tastings of Extra Virgin Olive Oil from around Italy & Aged Balsamic Vinegar
• 2 Wine tastings included (i.e. bubbly with truffles, local red wine with prosciutto, etc)
• Meeting local characters and purveyors
• Wholly artisanal gelato, gelato judge approved
• ...and more!

Our gourmet food tours in Florence are perfect for discerning food lovers, chefs, bakers, cooks, farm-to-table eaters and Italian culture enthusiasts. After your food tour, you will feel more confident to return to these shops and know what defines the traditional food landscape. Be prepared for genuine backdoor journey through these local-loved food shops.

 Things to Know

• Small group tour food walking tour - 8 people or less
• Wear comfortable walking or tennis shoes
• Tour begins at 3:00pm /Tour check in 2:45pm
• Tour is available for youth 12 years old to adults
• Inquire about discount rates for children ages 12 - 17 years old
• Meeting Point Location: Piazza Signoria – more details are given upon booking

Duration: 5 hours

Type of Service: Pizza and Gelato Cooking Class at a Farmhouse in Tuscany - small group class

Learn to make these Italian classics in an idyllic setting in the beautiful Tuscan countryside.

Under the guidance of a professional Italian chef you will be taken on a cultural journey learning the skills and inside tricks of making the best mouth-watering pizza and gelato right in the country where they were born.

The beautiful estate that offers stunning views over the surrounding hills just outside the center of Florence provides the perfect setting to roll up your sleeves and get hands on when learning the process from making and kneading the dough to choosing the perfect topping for your pizza. Some ingredients for your pizza are picked from our very own vegetable garden.

You will be able to relax and enjoy the delicious pizza cooked in our wood oven with a glass of Chianti wine or a cold beer before you get started on the gelato making. By the end of the class you will feel confident enough to re-produce the food at home impressing your lucky guests!

Being both a fun but instructive class this hands-on pizza and gelato making class will be one of the most memorable parts of your trip to Tuscany.

 Highlights

• Small-group pizza and gelato making class at a breathtaking farmhouse set in the rolling hills of Tuscany!
• Learn the insider tips and special techniques from our professional chef
• Hands on experience: learn to make Pizza and home-made Gelato
• Enjoy the food accompanied by wine and beer

 Things to Know

• After meeting the professional chef in our centrally located office you will be transported directly to our beautiful private estate in the hills just above Florence where you will start to live the full Italian experience.
• On arrival you will be able to appreciate the stunning views over gorgeous countryside as you taste the traditional 'fettunta' and enjoy a glass of Chianti wine whilst listening to the culture behind Italy's most famous food, pizza and gelato.
• By this time you will be eager to get hands on. The professional chef will teach you the art of dough making and kneading and will give you all the inside tips in order to easily produce the same result back home where you'll be able to impress your friends and family. You'll learn about the different ways to make pizza depending on the region.
• Next it will be time to get creative as you use the ingredients picked from our very own vegetable garden and choose from the many traditional toppings the Italians love. The pizza will be cooked in our wood oven to give it the traditional flavor that will make you feel proud as you sit down and enjoy your pizza with more wine or beer.
• The fun continues as you then learn the special techniques to make your very own gelato. You will make creamy gelato with unique toppings/sauces and though you may always want to reproduce these same toppings the chef will make sure you have an adequate understanding in order to be able to experiment at home!
• You will leave feeling satisfied, excited and with wonderful memories that you will be able to take home with you!
• Wear comfortable walking or tennis shoes and casual attire – you will be working in an outdoor kitchen
• Upon arrival from the parking lot – you will walk down a set of stairs to reach the outdoor kitchen and vegetable garden
• Meeting Point Location:  more details are given upon booking (center city of Florence)
• Tour is offered Monday – Saturday at 2:30pm

Duration: 7 Hours

Type of Service:  Cooking Class at a Farmhouse in Tuscany

A full day hands-on Cooking Class in a stunning setting in the Tuscan countryside including a food tour through the historic center of Florence. Led by a local food-lover guide, you will taste your way through the Florentine's favorite bakery and grocery stores to experience Tuscan food like a real local. You will buy ingredients on the way and in Florence's most vibrant food market.

On arrival in our beautiful farmhouse, you will start creating a complete menu, from appetizer to dessert, using only the freshest seasonal ingredients, the majority of which come from the vegetable garden of the farmhouse!

Be prepared to roll up your sleeves and learn to cook as Tuscan grandmas and moms do every day in their kitchens for their families. Master the secrets of traditional dishes that you will easily re-create at home for your friends and family. The cooking lesson is suitable for beginners and for those who can already cook.

Then finally we will all sit together outside (weather permitting) and just like a big Italian family, we will take time to enjoy the food we have prepared together. Buon Appetito!

What you can expect

First, discover Florence's historical food market where the locals do their daily shopping. Blend in with the locals. Meet the bakers, the butchers, and the farmers selling vegetables from their fields. Their stalls are full of items such as fresh fruit, vegetables, cheeses, cured meats, balsamic vinegar, sun dried tomatoes, olives and many other Italian food specialties. Shop for the ingredients to use for the cooking class and learn to choose the best seasonal products.

Then, it's time to start your cooking lesson at a farmhouse in Tuscany. This isn't just a demonstration, you will actually take part in creating a full traditional Tuscan meal with your chef's help. You will learn to make real Italian fresh pasta by hand with freshly laid eggs and learn to make a traditional meat sauce using ingredients from right outside the door!

Learn to prepare homemade pizza and classic bruschetta with fresh bread, homegrown tomatoes and the farmhouse's own extra virgin olive oil and then take a break to enjoy the pizza and bruschetta with a glass of Chianti wine.

After the break, it's back to the lesson where you will learn how to prepare traditional Tuscan roast pork, arista and Tuscan roast potatoes using fresh herbs collected from around the farmhouse. To finish the class, you will learn the secrets of the wonderful Italian coffee and cream dessert, Tiramisù.

At last, sit down to enjoy a wonderful meal. Each course will be paired with a carefully selected wine from the region to compliment the flavors of the food you have prepared. At the end of your meal, your driver will be waiting for you for a short drive back to Florence, so it's time to say arrivederci after an unforgettable experience in Tuscany.

Things to Know:

• Small-group Italian cooking class (25 people or less) at a breathtaking farmhouse set in the rolling hills of Tuscany!
• The tour/cooking class is offered Monday - Saturday based on availability and begins at 9:00 am and concludes at 5:00 pm
• Florence morning food tour with tastings at San Lorenzo's colorful Mercato Centrale
• Hands on experience: learn to make Bruschetta and Pizza, home-made Pasta, Tuscan roast pork with potatoes and Tiramisù
• Enjoy your freshly cooked meal accompanied by wine after the class
• Transportation roundtrip to and from Florence to the farmhouse
• Recipes and an Italian cooking diploma for your hard work
• Due to uneven and steep surfaces, we are unable to accept anyone with mobility issues. A minibus or van transports you to the Tuscany farmhouse.  There are about 24 steps leading down towards the outdoor kitchen.
• We regret that vegetarian or other alternative dietary requirements cannot be catered for in this class
• Youth rates are available to attend with a parent/guardian for 12 yrs to 18 years of age - please inquire about youth rates