The journey will be focused on the experiences connected with the great local food and wines, with the unique flavors of olive oils, bread, cheese, prosciutto, steaks, pasta, typical soups and the great Tuscan wines. The planning could be based on the time you have available, we suggest at least 4 days 3 nights, flying directly to Pisa or Florence. Our basic tour can be customized according to your needs, so what follows is just an idea to start thinking and dreaming about it!
Tour Itinerary:
Day 1: Lucca. Arrival, transfer and accommodation in the selected hotel/farmhouse/villa. Welcome dinner with a selection of local products and wines. Other activities can be organized according to flights schedule (visit of Lucca).
Day 2: Morning available for the visit of Lucca city center. Lunch on your own (if the group is bigger than 10 people we suggest to include this meal in the package). Afternoon: visit to one of the ancient Lucca villas magnificent palaces in the countryside. Cooking: you will be shown the preparation of a typical course, while tasting a good glass of wine - people can interact with the chef (very familiar atmosphere) and talk to each other while learning a little bit of Italian Tuscany cooking. After the cooking, the eating!
Day 3: Morning available for meetings/relax - 11:30 transfer to Garfagnana mountains, stop at Ponte del Diavolo (an originally shaped bridge on Serchio river) then straight to Castelnuovo Garfagnana, where you will discover the little Estensi rock and then have a tasting lunch in a local hostaria, really unique place, owned by a Slow Food member, offering the best of Tuscany salami, ham, cheeses, honey, farro, chestnut flour and much more in an informal atmosphere.
After lunch, transfer to S. Romano Garfagnana and visit of Fortezza delle Verrucole, a very old fortress, reachable after a short walk on the mountain path (very easy), nice movement after all that eating! On the way back to Lucca, we stop in Barga for a tea or coffee in the cute fortified city center, rich of art galleries, nice shops, and great atmosphere! Relax until dinner which you can both decide to have in a very good quality restaurant or in a rustic little bar/shop selling fantastic traditional food.
Day 4: Activities according to flights schedule.
Day 1: Pistoia-Florence area. Arrival, transfer and accommodation in 4 stars hotel on Pistoia hills, 5 min from the city center. Other activities can be organized according to flights schedule (visit of Pistoia city).
Day 2: Morning available for meetings/relax - 12:00 transfer to a farmhouse where you will discover the traditional process for making sheep cheese, then lunch at the farmhouse. Afternoon: back in Pistoia, discover a fantastic "cioccolateria" which is a chocolate shop built in a very old historical building - a world of chocolate, tea, coffee will enchant you with unique flavors and scents. Dinner in the center, in a typical restaurant.
Day 3: Transfer to Grotta Giusti Terme - spa center - world famous for the Natural Grotta, with Paradise, Purgatory and Hell the best for your health! Besides the grotta, you can swim in the thermal swimming pool or enjoy other treatments. You can choose to relax all day at spa or to move from there at lunch time. Transfer to farmhouse on the hills close to Monsummano, guided visit of the wine cellars, tasting and dinner (or lunch). If you decide to do this tasting for lunch, then in the afternoon you will be transfered back to the hotel where you can relax or play tennis or soccer in the hotel playgrounds.
Day 4: Activities can be organized according to flights schedule.
Notes: According to season, we can manage special experiences as follows: olive harvesting and olive oil processing, wine processing,
chestnut harvesting.
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
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