8 Day Bespoke Tuscany

Chianti Classico

En route to your hotel, enjoy an exciting day of touring in one of the most historic wine growing regions in Italy, Chianti Classico. We will spend the day exploring the heart of the area with private visits and a focus on the great vineyards and wineries here. This small wine-region produces perhaps one of the best-known and appreciated wines in Italy, Chianti Classico DOCG, comprised of 80% of Sangiovese, and 20% other various varietals such as native grapes Canaiolo and Colorino. Chianti Classico stretches between Florence and Siena and includes 14 different municipalities.

Some of the producers we will consider for todays tastings include:
• Buondonno - This farm is in the Chianti hills, surrounded by woods, vineyards and olive groves. It covers approximately 20 hectares, of which 8 are vineyards and 4 are olive groves.
• Podere La Piaggia - Located in the heart of Chianti, La Piaggia is a small family business farm and has the oldest vines in the area of Chianti Classico, dating back to around 1920!
• Caparsa - Produces an organic Chianti Classico wine called Doccio a Matteo, the wine is considered an essential food for life. The cellar of Caparsa is more than 400 years old and, pending availability, you may be able to taste the famous wines of Caparsa with Paolo Ciamferoni, owner and winemaker.
• Castello della Paneretta - Situated on the western slopes of the dominating hills of the Elsa valley, looking towards San Gimignano. Ancient records date back to wine production since 1596 and with 22 hectares of vineyards, only Sangiovese and Canaiolo Nero grape varieties are grown.
• Castello di Ama - Sitting at the end of a long, narrow road, Castello di Ama is a medieval Italian village perched on a hilltop surrounded by vines and black cypress trees. The village, which dates back to the 18th century, looks as if it's been here for all of eternity. These days, it's owned almost entirely by Lorenza Sebasti and Marco Pallanti, the couple behind Castello di Ama, one of Tuscany's most famous wineries.

Throughout the day explore one of the many beautiful Tuscan villages such Radda in Chianti or Castellina in Chianti.

There are several great restaurants along the way and your guide will discuss your lunch options today. Some of our favourites include Osteria di Fonterutoli, Osteria Rosticceria il Re Gallo, Osteria alla Piazza and Ristorante Il Vescovino.

As your charming day comes to an end, your guide will deliver you to your accommodation.

Chianti at Leisure

Enjoy a day at leisure. We can provide suggestions to make the most of your day or set out and explore at your own pace.

Indulge in a peaceful day today at the property exploring the surrounding vineyards and olive groves or set out to discover the nearby charming villages. If you are feeling adventurous, discover the White Roads that branch in the area and make the ideal setting for strolls by foot, horse or bicycle.

Check out of your hotel this morning and meet your driver guide who will transfer you to Val D'Orcia. En route, enjoy a day of touring.

Vino Nobile di Montepulciano

On the ridge that divides the Val D'Orcia from the Val di Chiana, Montepulciano stands on a chalky hilltop. A summer retreat for Florentine aristocrats, the town has palazzi and piazze embellished by Florence’s leading 15th century architects. Montepulciano is full of elegant Renaissance palazzos, a slew of artisan workshops, beautifully façaded churches and boasts vast panoramas of the wonderful Val d'Orcia and Val di Chiana valleys that surround it. Wine took center stage in the 1700s, when its popularity among nobles and literati earned it the moniker Vino Nobile di Montepulciano.

After meeting your guide at your hotel, drive together on the scenic roads through vineyards and olive groves towards Montepulciano. Throughout the day enjoy a visit to the hilltop town, tastings at family run vineyards and lunch at one of our favourite traditional restaurants serving fresh dishes typical of the region (to be paid directly).

We will consider at least two of the following wineries to visit during your day.:
• Boscarelli - A small, historic family winery producing Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG, which represents 80% of all of their products. Vino Nobile is the most important and oldest label. Based on the age of the grapes and their selection, different typologies are produced.
• Bindella - Situated in one of the oldest areas of production, the Argiano wine region, the story of Bindella began over a hundred years ago. The Bindella property in Montepulciano, is divided into 40 hectares of vineyards, 13 ha olive groves, 30 ha grass-and farmland plus 20 ha oak forest. Today they produce 9 different wines, made with 10 different grape varieties, 2 sorts of grappas and olive oil.
• Contucci - As far back as the Renaissance the Contucci family were cultivating the grape and by 1700 this activity of theirs' was much appreciated. In fact they were one of the founding fathers of Vino Nobile, as is documented in texts from 1773 “having a major role in making it world famous a noble wine destined for the table of nobles."
• Azienda Agricola Polizian - Federico Carletti’s leading Vino Nobile estate, with 120ha of vines lies a few miles northeast of Montepulciano. The production focuses on modern, polished Nobile, planted to high-density with select Sangiovese and aged in barrique.

You will be delivered to your accommodations at the end of the day to check in

Val d'Orcia at Leisure

Enjoy a day at leisure. We can provide suggestions to make the most of your day.

Indulge in a peaceful day today at the property exploring the surrounding vineyards and olive groves or set out to discover the nearby charming villages.

Brunello di Montalcino

This morning meet your guide at your accommodation and travel through scenic countryside to the area renowned for its excellent wine, Montalcino. Brunello di Montalcino was awarded the first Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG) designation and today is one of Italy's best-known wines.

You will visit at least two of the best producers of Brunello Wine. Some of our favourite producers we will consider include:
• Capanna - Owned by the Cencioni family since 1957, is situated in the Montosoli area, to the north of Montalcino. It was founded by Giuseppe Cencioni who was one of the 25 founders of the Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Montalcino. Helped by his sons Benito and Franco, they started bottling their own wines in the 1960's.
• Podere Le Ripi - a biodynamic vineyard on a sloping 55-hectare site between forest, vineyards and olive trees. Formerly inhabited by a shepherd and his sheep until 1998, Francesco Illy, heir to the famous Trieste coffee dynasty, purchased the land and planted the first vines 3 years later. The estate is divided between two opposite Montalcino mountainsides, with soils belonging to different geological eras.
• Casanova di Neri - The outcome of a process of productive and philosophical evolution, a new vision of Brunello di Montalcino that interprets tradition in a different innovative way. A profound commitment and respect for the land, a conviction that it is the lynchpin for the production of unique wines and that the care given in treating the grapes.
• Poggio di Sotto - Founder Piero Palmucci, a former shipping executive, spent several years researching the soil types and microclimates best suited to Sangiovese Grosso before choosing a property to found his own Brunello estate. His search led him the current site in 1989, just outside the town of Castelnuovo dell’Abate in the southern part of Montalcino, with parcels at three different altitudes combining to make a particularly well-balanced Brunello.
• Altesino has become a reference point for the entire territory. The introduction of the "Cru" (Montosoli) concept in 1975, the first experiments with barriques in '79, the production in '77 of the first Grappa di Fattoria under the consultancy of the master distiller Gioacchino Nannoni and the first printed for Brunello 1985 are some of the positive contributions putting Montalcino on the world map.
• Cinelli Colombini - The roots of the Colombini family in Tuscany go back to 1592, and their tradition of excellence in winemaking began in 1790 with the founding of the Fattoria dei Barbi. It was in the 1960’s that Francesca Cinelli Colombini, also known as the “Lady of Brunello” made a name for herself as the stalwart leader of Barbi’s top wines.

Stop for lunch near Montalcino in a local trattoria such as Boccon di Vino, which offers panoramic views of the region (to be paid directly).

After lunch visit the charming hilltop town of Montalcino. The town takes its name from a variety of oak tree that once covered the terrain. The very high site of the town offers stunning views over the Asso, Ombrone and Arbia valleys of Tuscany, dotted with silvery olive orchards, vineyards, fields and villages. The lower slopes of the Montalcino hill itself are dominated by highly productive vines and olive orchards.

As your day concludes, you will be returned to your hotel.

Check out of your hotel this morning and meet your driver guide who will transfer you to Florence. En route, enjoy a half day of touring.

Siena Walking Tour

The Medieval town of Siena stands on three hills with an idyllic backdrop of arable fields, where the edges of this ancient city melt into a countryside. Siena was first settled in the time of the Etruscans (c. 900–400 BC) and the Roman origin accounts for the town's emblem: a she-wolf suckling infants Romulus and Remus. According to legend, Siena was founded by Senius, son of Remus.

Meet your local guide in town and together wander through the streets as you discover the highlights on offer. Begin in the beautiful Piazza del Campo with its unmistakeable seashell shape lined with travertine. The piazza is known worldwide for the famous Palio di Siena, a traditional medieval horse race run around the piazza two times every summer. Next visit the incredible Palazzo Comunale and its soaring Torre del Mangia, thought one of the oldest and tallest towers in Italy. Complete your tour with a visit to the Siena Cathedral, or Duomo, built in the 12th century and one of the great examples of Italian Romanesque-Gothic architecture.

Florence at Leisure

Check in at your accommodations in the mid afternoon and enjoy the remainder of the day exploring as you wish. We will be on hand to provide some guidance so that you can make the most of your time in the city. We strongly recommend you make some time for shopping – Florentines are well known for their leather handicrafts. Enjoy a picturesque afternoon browsing the open-air markets such as San Lorenzo and Piazza del Mercato Nuovo.

If you are looking for more history and architecture, the Medici Chapel and Santa Maria Novella are often overlooked highlights.

After working up an appetite, it time to seek out the best Bistecca alla Fiorentina in Florence, or perhaps indulge at Enoteca Pinchiorri (3-star Michelin). The choice is yours and we will be on hand to help make any necessary reservations.

Your driver will meet you at your accommodation and bring you to the Florence airport for your onward flight. Buon Viaggio!