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     Food,Wine & Cooking Classes 
Chianti Cooking Week ~ This itinerary involves a car rental, so that you will be driving yourself in Tuscany. This is unlike our other packages, most of which include private tours and transfers with a professional driver who brings a vehicle, so that you do not need to drive yourself. However, this plan does come with one day of a private driver-guide, who will get you oriented and take you around to places you might not find on your own. You start by flying into the airport at Florence, where you pick up your vehicle. Then you drive to your lodging for 5 nights in the town of Radda, in the Chianti area. On your first full day, you'll get your private Tuscany tour. Your driver-guide will come to meet you at the Radda hotel to take you for a full day through the Chianti area. This is an excellent opportunity to focus on Chianti Classico wineries, if you wish. Your cooking class is held in a rustic Tuscan kitchen in a private home, in a small village located a short drive from Radda. There will be 3 days of cooking classes, held each day from mid-morning until early afternoon, during which time you will learn to prepare complete meals and then have lunch, with wine, on the foods you have prepared. Then you drive back to the airport in Florence to drop your car. This package includes a final night in Florence, so that you can be well-located for getting to the airport for your departure flight. If you prefer, you can swap the night in Florence for an extra night in the Chianti location. However, for that to be practical, your flight departure time from Florence cannot be too early, since you will need plenty of time to drive to the airport and also to drop your rented car. It is always our recommendation to spend the final night at a hotel within the city of Florence, since rush-hour traffic around the city can make it very difficult to get to the airport for a morning departure. Note: plans with cooking classes require a minimum of two participants. This is independent travel. You will not be with a group, and you will not have a tour director leading you around. This plan is designed for people who want the freedom of having a rented car to drive in Tuscany and who are ready for the challenges of driving and navigating in a foreign country. Chianti Cooking Week
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888 868-1150 or click here... Chianti Cooking & Wine + Florence & Rome ~ This nifty little package is planned for expansion however you want it. Take it as it is for a short trip with nice balance between city and country and a lot of Italian flavor. Or expand it as you please, with more Tuscany time for cooking classes or countryside tours, additional days at Rome or Florence. Add Venice for a great first trip to Italy. We include some of our favorite hotels in the centers of Florence and Rome, our tips for what to see and key museum or gallery reservations. But the heart of this package is the Chianti visit. You'll get a full-day private tour that can include one or more winery visits as you please. Your driver will drop you at your hotel at Radda, one of the best-preserved of the Chianti towns. Next day, you'll be picked up for a private transfer to a little village where your cooking class will be held in the most charming kind of Tuscan country kitchen. You'll be driven back to Radda for the night. Next day, your driver will take you to the train station at Chiusi to get the train to Rome. Note: plans with cooking classes require a minimum of two participants. Chianti Cooking & Wine + Florence & Rome
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888 868-1150 or click here... Tuscany Wines ~ How is this package different from our other Tuscany plans? You spend as much of your touring time on wines as you wish, along with having opportunities to sample characteristic Tuscan foods that go naturally with a wine focus, such as olive oils and cheeses. You should know that this is an independent winery itinerary. That means it is NOT tied into the marketing program of any big winery. Wineries are selected on the basis of how appealing and welcoming they are to visit, and we make every effort to avoid wineries that put pressure on you to buy their wines. You'll start by flying into Florence where you're met at the airport by your private transfer driver for a one-hour trip to Siena, the very heart of Tuscany. Within three hours of landing in Italy, you can be sitting at a cafe in Siena's Campo, one of Italy's most beautiful public spaces. On your second day in Italy, your private driver-guide will come to your hotel to take you south from Siena to the Val d'Orcia, what we call the "calendar country" because of the characteristic Tuscan scenes you've seen on calendars and book covers. There are two Tuscan red wines you can sample this day, the Vino Nobile of Montepulciano and the impressive Brunello of Montalcino. It really is a private tour, so you control the pace and the emphasis. If you wish to spend your entire day around Montalcino and its Brunello wines, it's your call. Next day your time is free to spend in Siena. See the imposing cathedral, one of Italy's greatest, being sure not to miss its fascinating Piccolomini library. Observe Siena's distinctive art history in its museums. Of course, you'll want to visit Italy's Enoteca Nazionale, an amazing collection of the country's best wines you can sample at its cellars located within the city's imposing fortress. On your third day, you'll be transferred to your second Tuscany location. This will be a in a small town or village, for a contrasting experience to the city of Siena. There are several castle hotels we like to use for this itinerary. The following day, you get another private tour, this time focusing on Chianti Classico wines. You'll tour in the area of Radda and Castellina, and again, you control how your time is spcnt. To finish your week in Tuscany, you will have a final private transfer to the city of Florence where you're close to the airport. If you wish, your transfer can get you into Florence in time to visit a museum or two. Or you can just use the time to stroll the city, do some shopping, or pick the perfect restaurant to close out your Italy trip. You finish with a private transfer to the Florence airport. This is independent travel. You will not be with a group, and you will not have a tour director leading you around. This particular package is designed with lots of private transfer and touring services for just enough structure to make it easy to get around but not too much, so that you have plenty of time to relax. Tuscany Wines
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888 868-1150 or click here... Luxury Tuscany Wines ~ Here's an opportunity to focus your Italy time on wines as well as on characteristic foods of Tuscany. You'll start by flying into Florence, where you're met at the airport by your private transfer driver for a one-hour trip to Siena. Your 5-star hotel for 3 nights is in the heart of this magnificent Medieval city. Within 3 hours of landing in Italy, you can be sitting at a cafe in Siena's Campo, one of Italy's most beautiful public spaces, sipping wine and anticipating your winery visits. On your second day in Italy, your private driver-guide will come to your hotel to take you south from Siena to the Val d'Orcia. There are 2 Tuscan red wines you can sample this day, the Vino Nobile of Montepulciano and the impressive Brunello of Montalcino. It really is a private tour, so you control the pace and the emphasis. If you wish to spend your entire day around Montalcino and its Brunello wines, it's your call. Next day your time is free to spend in Siena. You'll want to visit Italy's Enoteca Nazionale, an amazing collection of the country's best wines you can sample at its cellars located within the city's imposing fortress. On your third day, you'll be transferred to your second Tuscany lodging, again for 3 nights. This will be in a countryside location, for a contrasting experience to the city of Siena. It's a very special luxury hotel, recently opened in the Chianti area northeast of Siena. The following day, you get another private tour, this time focusing on Chianti Classico wines. You'll tour in the area of Radda and Castellina, and again, you control how your time is spent. Your next day is free at your Chianti lodging. You can bask in glorious views, the very best of Tuscany scenery, while walking around or sitting by the pool. There's an indoor pool in addition to an outdoor pool. You don't need to go into town, because your hotel offers great dining. Then comes another private transfer, to the city of Florence to complete your week in Tuscany where you're close to an airport. You'll stay at a 5-star hotel in the very center of Florence. If you wish, you can transfer into Florence in time to visit a museum or two. Or you can just use your time to stroll the city, do some shopping, or pick the perfect restaurant to close out your Italy trip. You finish with a private transfer to the Florence airport. This is independent travel. You will not be with a group, and you will not have a tour director leading you around. However, this particular plan is designed for people who wish to have the benefit of private guides for designated times in each of the cities. We will also provide our sightseeing tips, our assistance with museum reservations, and access to us by telephone for help in planning for what to see when you are on your own. Luxury Tuscany Wines
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888 868-1150 or click here... Cooking Week in Florence ~ Indulge
yourself in the joys of a full week in Florence. You'll be met at the
Florence airport by your private transfer and taken to your hotel in
the very heart of Florence where you're just a short walk from all the
major attractions. For each of 4 cooking lessons (one lesson per day)
you'll help prepare a 4-course meal, including appetizer, starter, main
course and dessert, then sit down to enjoy the results served with an
appropriate wine. That's not all. Your instructor will also guide you
through a picturesque market and show you how to choose the best fresh
ingredients. And after the market you'll have a tasting of foods and
wines. Your memorable cooking course comes with recipe book and apron.
We can combine this itinerary with other destinations in Italy, and we
can add more activities such as private tours of small-town and countryside
Tuscany from your base in Florence. Try this itinerary in the low season
-- November through March -- when the price is significantly lower. This is independent travel. You will not be with a group, and you will not have a tour director leading you around. Cooking Week in Florence
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888 868-1150 or click here... 
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