VILLA POGGIARELLO COOKING COURSE VACATION – SIX DAYS

The 5 NIGHT/6 DAY includes:

• 6 nights at Villa Poggiarello, near Siena, in a picturesque 18th Century Villa. The villa is beautifully furnished with traditional Tuscan furniture.
  
• All meals as indicated in the itinerary.
  
• Small groups: 4 to 16 people.
  
• 3 hands-on cooking courses in “La Cucina Povera Toscana” – Tuscan country cooking.
  
• Visit to wineries with wine tasting in Montalcino and Montepulciano.
  
• 4 guided excursions to local food festivals (depending on season) and the towns of Siena, Massa Marittima, Montalcino (famous for its grape vineyards that produce the celebrated Brunello wine), Pienza, Montepulciano (famous for its Red wine “Vino Nobile di Montepulciano”), the small medieval villages of Mount Amiata (Arcidosso, Santa Fiora and Abbadia San Salvatore) and the seaside village of Castiglione della Pescaia.
• All transportation (Arrival transfer: Rome or Grosseto ~ Departure transfer: Grosseto).
  

SAMPLE ITINERARY:

• ARRIVAL: DAY 1 (SAT) – Transfer from Rome or Grosseto and arrival at Villa Poggiarello
  Fly to Italy. Upon arrival at the airport of Rome, you will be accompanied by car or van to Roccastrada and then welcomed at your vacation residence – Villa Poggiarello. After settling in, your tour hosts will show you around the estate! Then you can either relax in the garden or take a walk around the enchanting outdoor ambiance amidst warm vineyards and olive groves. For dinner you will enjoy a Tuscan meal at a local restaurant near the Villa.
   
• Massa Marittima and Castiglione della Pescaia
  You’ll start off the day by going to Massa Marittima. This fascinating town is situated in the area of the “Colline Metallifere” of La Maremma or Metalliferous hills of Southern Tuscany. Some its main architectural attractions are the beautiful Cathedral (the Duomo) built in the 13th century in Romanesque-Gothic style, as well a unique fountain, “La Fonte dell’Abbondanza” an attractive covered spring decorated with colorful frescos. Massa Marittima is home of an ancient Tuscan festival: the “Balestro del Girifalco” a crossbow competition between the quarters of the city where the participants and audience dress in medieval costumes and the prize for the winning arbalester is a golden arrow made by a local artisan. You will also enjoy a trip to the seacoast to the pretty seaside village of Castiglione della Pescaia. This old fishing village stands up high on a hill with its castle looking over the turquoise bay. You will enjoy a tasty lunch at a local restaurant. Once home, you can prepare a healthy Tuscan dinner (cooking lesson).
   
• Siena and local food festivals
  In the morning, after your breakfast, you’ll set off for Siena. You will visit the famous Piazza del Campo, the main square where the people from Siena (“i Senesi”) organize, twice a year, a medieval horse race known as Il Palio. Facing the square there is the beautiful tour Torre del Mangia where, if you wish, you can climb up to the top to admire a marvelous view of the city. You can also visit the Duomo which is a gothic style cathedral. You will have lunch in a quaint restaurant nearby Piazza del Campo. During different times of the year, there are many celebrated local food festivals which take place to honor different types of harvest (Porcini mushroom, Olive oil, wine etc). These will be experienced whenever they are taking place! Once home, you can prepare a healthy Tuscan dinner (cooking lesson).
   
• Super Tuscan Red Wine Tour: Montalcino, Pienza & Montepulciano
  Today, you will enjoy a trip to the various wineries of Southern Tuscany. Montalcino is known as a “luminous place” and its ancient name was Monte Ilcinus after the leccio "holm oak" (Quercus ilex.) The Oaks of Montalcino have covered its hills and valleys from prehistory to present day, sharing their territory with the Olive tree, the Chestnut tree and Montalcino's most famous plant the Brunello grapevine, also known as Sangiovese Grosso. Here, you will taste this famous Brunello wine in a unique ‘best-kept-secret’ winery. You will enjoy a tasty lunch at a local restaurant and also visit Montepulciano (and taste the Vino Nobile di Montepulciano) as well as experience the extraordinarily charming town of Pienza. Pienza owes its beauty and fame to Enea Silvio Piccolomini born in Corsignano on 18 October 1405 and elevated to Pope in 1458 taking the name Pius II. During the course of his Papacy, he changed the ancient Castello di Corsignano (first mentioned in 828) into a Papal residence in the Renaissance style, planned and constructed under the supervision of Bernardo Gambarelli called il Rossellino, a student of Leon Battista Alberti, and renamed it Pienza ("Pius"). In the evening, you will go out to dinner to a local restaurant.
   
• The small hill towns of Monte Amiata
  In the morning, after your breakfast, you will set off visiting the small towns of Monte Amiata: the village of Arcidosso with its striking medieval castle, Santa Fiora with its historic center and ancient Parish Church which contains fine terracotta bas-reliefs by Andrea della Robbia (15th century), and La Peschiera, the private gardens and swimming pool of the Sforza family (16th century). You will then go to Abbadia San Salvatore, where you will visit its famous abbey and the crypt built by the Longobards, and finally, on your way home, you’ll take a ride through the enchanting forest of Monte Amiata. You will have lunch in a local restaurant and in evening at the Villa, you will enjoy a cooking class followed by dinner. 

• DEPARTURE: DAY 6 (THR)
  Enjoy your final breakfast at Villa Poggiarello before heading back to Grosseto.

*During the spring and fall, you may participate to local “Sagre” – food festivals which take place in medieval villages and towns of southern Tuscany.