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

Duration: 2 hours

Type of Service:  Florence Sunset Walking Tour - Private Tour

See Florence at sunset on a 2-hour evening walking tour led by an expert guide, learn about the rich history about some of Florence most beloved sites and some of the smaller hidden gems in the historical center; such as the bustling Piazza della Signoria,  the area around the Duomo, and  the exterior of the Uffizi Gallery, home to masterpieces from Botticelli, Michelangelo and more. As the sun goes down, stroll to the Arno River and admire a scenic view of the Ponte Vecchio.  The fun part of being in Italy is to eat gelato every day and after the tour, you will stop at a popular gelato shop for a scoop or two.

Things to know:

• Your private tour with an English-speaking guide will meet you at your hotel to begin the tour.
• Admire the city at sunset
• Stroll by famous landmarks and see their illumination
• Enjoy personalized attention from your private guide
• You will be guided through the center city and arrive at the Arno River
• Tour offered on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from March - December
• Tour begins at 6:00pm /  2 hour tour
• Meeting location -  center city of Florence; more details are given upon booking 
• Complimentary gelato at the end of the tour

Duration: 3 Hours

Type of Service: Discover Florence Walking Tour - private tour

Explore the most important sites in Florence with your very own privately guided walking tour. Your English-speaking guide will meet you inside your hotel lobby, and then you will embark on an adventure and learn what it’s like to live as a local in the Renaissance city. With your guide, they will bring you around to the most important sites including the following:

• Piazza Signoria, with the gorgeous outdoor sculpture gallery – the Logia dei Lanzi
• The Ponte Vecchio, the oldest and most gorgeous bridge in Florence, dotted with little artisanal gold jewelry shops
• Via del Corso, the famous shopping street
• The Duomo, the famous church of monumental proportions, featuring Brunelleschi’s famous dome
• The Accademia, where you can see the David by Michelangelo, we will provide skip-the-line tickets
• Church of Orsanmichele, with its gorgeous architecture and outdoor sculptures
• Admire the Palazzo Vecchio on one side of the square, once the Medici family home, and the many sculptures that surround the piazza, including a replica of Michelangelo's 'David' where the original once stood
• Piazza Santa Croce, an important piazza and church in Florence in which many famous Florentines are buried, including Michelangelo and Galileo

Things to know:

• 3 hour central Florence walking tour, led by an expert local guide
• Explore the San Lorenzo neighborhood and learn about the Medici family
• See the Medici Chapels and the Basilica of San Lorenzo
• Walk around the Duomo Complex
• Stroll through Piazza della Signoria
• Visit Florence Accademia Gallery (Galleria dell’ Accademia) 
• Skip the line tickets for Accademia Gallery - tickets must be bought 10 days in advance
• Choose morning or afternoon tour time frame (3 hours)
• Most Popular and Highly Rated tour
• The Accademia Gallery is closed on Mondays, therefore the tour will visit an alternate museum 
• Tour offered 7 days a week, based on availability / no tour dates available December 24 - January 2)
• Wear comfortable walking shoes
• Tour can be customized around your preferences to include shopping and fun food stops along the way
• Tour does not operate the last week in August and the first week of September

Duration: 3 hours (morning or afternoon time)

Type of Service: Your Own Personal Shopping Tour in Florence

Florence’s city center is the place to shop with stores retailing everything from stylish clothing to used books. Florence has a number of elegant shops and open-air markets. Take the opportunity to enjoy this tour with your tour guide/personal shopper. She will assist you with a level of individualized attention and help you find just the right gift based on your suggestions, whether it be leather jackets, handbags, shoes, gold jewelry, Florentine silk scarves, ceramics or wine.  Your personal shopper guide can also take you to a world-famous perfume store.  Visit an artistic perfumery, with a demonstration of the historical setting, the products, and the laboratory.  Opportunity to browse the store with the personal guidance of a staff member specially dedicated to your group.  Besides smelling exotic things at can at this location, you can take classes on perfumery or have them make you up a scent tailored to who you are and how you smell normally.  The personal shopping tour is designed specifically around your preferences and it's a great way to shop in Florence.

Things to Know:

• Discover the famous shopping streets in Florence
• Buy with the help of a local expert guide
• Save time and email us your shopping list. We will chart the course for your allotted time in order to maximize every shopping minute
• Designed for those in a search of extraordinary style to bring home authentic Florence Style gifts and clothing
• Private guide for a more personalized experience
• Exclusive visit to perfume laboratory/shop – one of a kind in Florence – a must visit
• Opportunity to make your own personal fragrance
• Soak up the atmosphere on this walking tour
• Shopping tour is for both men and women
• This shopping tour is flexible and based on the client’s preferences and can be altered during the tour if needed
• Wear comfortable walking or tennis shoes

Duration: 6 Hours

Type of Service:  Private Tuscan Castle and Ancient Cellars Visit with Cooking Class and Wine Tasting Experience near Florence - small group tour/cooking class

The day will begin with your private, English-speaking chauffeur picking you up in a Mercedes at your hotel. From there you will head up into the beautiful rolling Tuscan hills to a castle in the countryside. Once at the castle, a staff member will lead you on a private tour of the enchanting castle which includes its wine cellars and vineyards.

The castle has an incredibly rich history and was built by the Pazzi family in 1184 AD. At the height of Florence Renaissance in 1478, the Pazzi  family masterminded in these castle halls the now infamous plot to kill two outstanding representatives of  Florence ruling family, the Medici. With the “Pazzi Conspiracy,” the family - long rivals of the Medici - intended to eliminate Lorenzo de' Medici and so dethrone Florence ruler. Today, in the Castle nucleus,  the magnificent “Conspiracy Room” can be admired.

After the tour, you will have a cooking class with three courses which include learning to make handmade pasta, sauces, and dessert. Once you have finished cooking, it’s time to try your masterpieces along with three wines produced at the vineyards of the castle in the castle dining room. Then, you will meet your driver who will take you back to your hotel.  A beautiful and intriguing castle, great food, and delicious wines are awaiting your arrival.

Things to Know:

• In a 4 hour experience, you get to visit a still inhabited 900-year-old castle and wine cellars, you cook 2 different type of handmade pasta and 2 sauces, dessert and taste 3 wines during the light lunch with the self-cooked food
• Private castle tour and wine tasting at a historic estate located 45 minutes from Florence
• The castle tour and wine cellar visit last about 55 minutes and includes the historical part in the castle's courtyard, the family history in one of the private rooms
• The Pazzi family’s crest still adorns our courtyard today and was created by one of the true Renaissance masters, Donatello.
• Learn about wine and olive oil in the ancient cellars and enjoy a typical Tuscan snack of crostini, olive oil, salami, and cheese
• Cooking class with personal chef
• You will have the opportunity to purchase farm products like pure saffron, honey, cheese and natural cosmetics, wine and olive oil, available in the farm gift shop - at the end of the tour, you can walk in the vineyards, olive groves and take pictures in the countryside
• Florence hotel pickup and drop-off in luxury vehicle with English-speaking driver
• No more than 12 people in small group tour and cooking class
• Private Castle and Cellar Visit is available for groups 4 or more.

Duration: 4.5 - 5 hours

Type of Service: Truffle Hunt with Lunch and Wine Tasting - day tour from Florence to San Gimignano

Visit a unique Winery located outside the medieval town of San Gimignano, in the province of Siena. The Giachi Family has been producing wines since 1720. You will spend an amazing time as your host teaches you to taste all the wines produced at this estate and hunt for truffles with dogs who are trained to seek black and white truffles.

Located at the entrance of the Valley of Chianti, in Tuscany, about 45 minutes from Florence. This winery, is a place of relaxation and fun with food and wine. It’s the ideal place to enjoy wonderful wines and Italian specialties. A most precious delicacy of the region is the exquisite, world famous black and white Truffles. You will partake in a truffle hunt with dogs for 60 minutes and then enjoy a Tuscan lunch that includes appetizers: Tuscan salami and cheeses, Bruschetta (Bread with Olive Oil). First Course: Truffle lasagna with meat sauce. Second Course: Roasted meat with potatoes and vegetables. Dessert: Cantuccini with Dessert Wine and the tasting of over 12 wines.

Things to Know:

• You will enjoy a truly authentic "truffle hunting", accompanied by an expert truffle hunter with dogs, through the flat Tuscan woods
• In the private truffle land in Tenuta Torciano, you will find precious white and black truffles
• Learn to identify the different species of trees and the ideal habitat for the growth of truffles
• Enjoy a 4-course lunch with dessert and wine tasting
• Hotel pickup and drop-off from Florence Hotel
• Luxury Vehicle with English-speaking driver/guide
• Tour offered Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday (March - November)
• Tour begins with hotel pickup at 9:30am
• Wear comfortable clothing and walking or tennis shoes