Tuscan Heritage
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2024: October 12–21
Availability: waitlist only Sign up for our newsletter to receive updates Hop aboard our time machine for a journey into Tuscany’s past. During your slow odyssey through the millennia, you’ll hunt for truffles with an Etruscan dog, feast on Palaeolithic beef and 14th-century pork, ascend to Roman marble quarries, stand in front of the greatest frescoes of Piero della Francesca and dine in a 15th-century tax haven. As the decades glide by, you’ll spy out the countryside from a 16th-century fortress, taste Chianti Classico wine from 17th-century terraces and get lost in the music of Puccini, the great 19th-century composer born within the 16th-century walls of Lucca. On the landing pad of today, you visit a contemporary sculpture studio, taste 21st-century gelato made according to the recipes of early 20th-century grandfathers and, best of all, generous Italians welcome you to their homes and workshops as honoured guests and old friends. Pack your curiosity and get your boarding pass now. Really small group (maximum 10 people). Click on tabs below for more information To request a booking form email [email protected] |
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Itinerary at a glance Arezzo to Sansepolcro Day 1 — Arrival at Arezzo no later than 3 pm, transfer to accommodation Agriturismo Terra di Michelangelo and welcome dinner featuring Cinta Senese pork Day 2 — Tobacco has deservedly lost its glam, but for four centuries it was a big player in Tuscan rural life. Visit tobacco farm and history of tobacco museum; dinner at former smuggler’s den Day 3 — Visit Sansepolcro, birthplace of Piero della Francesca, to see frescoes, the Volto Santo and free time for sightseeing; cross the Anghiari battlefield (recorded in a now lost painting by Leonardo da Vinci) for lunch and a tour of the Busatti cloth mill and a sighting of a wool carder from Napoleonic days. Free time in Anghiari; cantucci lesson and dinner Day 4 – Piero’s ‘Madonna del Parto’ at Monterchi; ‘Legend of the True Cross’; lunch and sightseeing at Arezzo; dinner featuring Chianina white cow at agriturismo Sansepolcro to Lucca Day 5 – Tour of vineyards & wine tastings in Chianti Classico region; transfer to accommodation at wine estate Fattoria Borgo La Torre (Montecarlo, Lucca) and dinner at Fattoria Day 6 – Olive oil tasting and cooking lesson; cocktails & felicette for dinner Day 7 — Private tour of Tuscan cigar factory at Lucca; guided tour of Lucca including Volto Santo; lunch at gelateria Cremeria Opera; visit 19th-century aqueduct; dinner at historic restaurant at Montecarlo Day 8 – Truffle hunt and white truffle lunch at truffle hunter’s home; from the dungeons to the tower of Brunelleschi's Castle at Vicopisano; dinner at quirky restaurant at a vineyard Day 9 – Visit a marble quarry above Carrara; tour a lardo producer's establishment and lunch in his sister's restaurant; visit sculpture studio; private Puccini concert; dinner at La Torre with wine pairing Day 10 – Departure For more details, please click itinerary tab above Highlights of tour Food & wine
Art & culture
Social history
Sightseeing
For more details, please click itinerary tab above To request a booking form email [email protected] |
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Arezzo to Sansepolcro Day 1: Saturday Afternoon arrival at Arezzo station no later than 3 pm (direct trains from Rome and Florence) where we’ll collect you and whisk you off to the rural tranquility of Agriturismo Terra di Michelangelo, in the Valtiberina (Tiber Valley). We’ve chosen to begin our journey across Tuscany in its extreme southeastern corner because few travellers know of its beauty and importance to Tuscan history and culture. Within a few square kilometres we have the birthplace of Michelangelo and Piero della Francesca, one of his most important early Renaissance predecessors, the pivotal battle of Anghiari in 1440, the early cultivation of tobacco in Italy and a flourishing smuggling economy, all set against an exquisite mountainous backdrop. Introduction to the tour, welcome dinner featuring Cinta Senese pork from the agriturismo. Accommodation: Terra di Michelangelo | Meals: Dinner Day 2: Sunday We spend the morning on Roberta’s farm near Sansepolcro where she and her husband cultivate Kentucky tobacco for the Toscano cigar. Tobacco arrived in Rome in 1561 and in Sansepolcro in 1574. Until the 1960s tobacco was a major source of agricultural income and seasonal work for women, which gave them a degree of independence from their husbands. Tuscan Heritage wouldn’t be complete without it, even though we can’t ignore its health and environmental impacts. Since it’s harvest time, everyone is going back and forth from the fields, where they hand-pick the enormous leaves, to the rooms where the leaves are fire-cured. Roberta explains all. Picnic lunch and free afternoon around the pool at Terra. Late afternoon we visit the Science and History of Tobacco Museum at San Giustino (just over the border into Umbria) for a private tour with the Museum curator. Dinner at a former smugglers’ inn. Accommodation: Terra di Michelangelo | Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Day 3: Monday Sansepolcro’s claim to fame is as the birthplace of the early Renaissance artist Piero della Francesca. We visit some of his masterpieces in the Civic Museum of his home town. In the cathedral an 8th-century wooden sculpture, the Volto Santo of Sansepolcro, struggles to compete with the much better publicised Volto Santo of Lucca (which you’ll meet later in the tour). I’ll initiate you into the mysteries of these two icons where myth, history and science meet. You’ll have free time during which you can visit the Aboca Museum of Medicinal Herbs or relax at a cafe. We cross the plain to the town of Anghiari, spectacularly perched on the edge of a cliff. This is where in 1440 the battle of Anghiari took place which was commemorated in a now lost painting by Leonardo da Vinci. After lunch we have a guided tour of the Busatti cloth mill including a wool carder from Napoleonic times. It will be hard to resist a bit of shopping for their exquisite table and bed linens. Back at Terra di Michelangelo, we learn to make cantuccini, the classic Tuscan biscuit with almonds (you call them biscotti), followed by dinner. Accommodation: Terra di Michelangelo | Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Day 4: Tuesday On the trail of Piero della Francesca we stop at the tiny village of Monterchi to view his ‘Madonna del Parto’ before proceeding to Arezzo for one of the greatest masterworks of the Renaissance, Piero's cycle of frescos ’The Legend of the True Cross’. We lunch just outside the historic centre in a restaurant where I have yet to see another tourist. Mamma cooks and the son is a gifted sommelier of the sangiovese grape. Back at Terra di Michelangelo you have time to pack before we toast the ancient Chianina breed of cattle which has supplied the steak for our dinner. Accommodation: Terra di Michelangelo | Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Sansepolcro to Lucca Day 5: Wednesday This morning we say goodbye to the Valtiberina as we head northwest in search of the black rooster, emblem of Chianti Classico. We arrive in the little known district of Lamole just in time for lunch at vineyard Castellinuzza e Piuca. At the neighbouring vineyard we find out how one winemaker's obsession with dry-stone walling has a startling effect on his wine. We continue our pilgrimage to Lucca and the wine estate Fattoria Borgo La Torre at Montecarlo (Lucca, not France), our accommodation for the rest of the tour. Dinner at La Torre. Accommodation: Fattoria Borgo La Torre | Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Day 6: Thursday Today is all about olive oil at Larciano Castello where Elisabetta Sebastio welcomes us to her olive grove and home. Everyone has tasted olive oil, but have you ever considered that it's the juice of a fruit, not the oil of a seed or nut? Elisabetta is a professional olive oil taster. After tasting and cooking with her, you'll have the key that opens the door to the wonderland of extra virgin olive oil. Cocktails and felicette with Chiara Cantini and Tommaso Cecchi de' Rossi. Accommodation: Fattoria Borgo La Torre | Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Day 7: Friday The Manifattura Tabacchi is where the Toscano cigar takes its final shape. We follow it from the arrival of the cured tobacco leaves to the finished cigar. We watch the skilled women (no man has stayed the course) who can roll more than 500 cigars a day by hand (not on their thighs). We have a tour of Lucca with a descendent of one of the thirteen ruling families of Lucca during the Renaissance. Federico will introduce you to the Volto Santo of Lucca and will surely tell you about the spring water that arrives in Lucca through an 19th-century aqueduct. After lunch at Cremeria Opera where the gelato could possibly be the best in Italy, we'll check out the source of the spring water. Dinner at a historic restaurant at Montecarlo. Accommodation: Fattoria Borgo La Torre | Meals: Breakfast, Dinner Day 8: Saturday San Miniato’s present-day fame is based on the white truffle of Tuscany, and this morning we have an appointment with Riccardo and his truffle hound. He takes us to a private truffle wood where we hope to find the prized truffles. Even if we’re unlucky, there’s no need to fear a lack of truffles at lunch, which Riccardo and his wife Amanda prepare for us at their home. On the way back to Lucca we visit a castle designed by another of Tuscany’s famous sons, Brunelleschi, better known as the architect of the dome of the duomo at Florence. The exuberant Giovanni guides us from the dungeons to the tower from where the Florentines could keep an eye on their enemies from Lucca. Light supper at Da Baffo where Gino prides himself on not having changed the menu for decades. Accommodation: Fattoria Borgo La Torre | Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Day 9: Sunday Rome was built of Tuscan marble from Carrara. Today we ascend to Colonnata for a tour of an underground quarry. In the village almost every inhabitant produces lardo in huge marble boxes: the perfect container for curing pork fat which was the perfect meal for hungry quarrymen. Fausto Guadagni shows us the method that turns the cheapest part of the pig into a gourmet delicacy. We lunch in his sister's restaurant. Many artists have sculpted Carrara marble, not least Michelangelo. Internationally renowned sculptors Nicolas Bertoux and Cynthia Sah welcome us to their studio at Seravezza. We have one last great son of Tuscany to get to know. Giacomo Puccini was born in Lucca. The overture to the evening is a short concert of Puccini's operatic favourites by my friend and baritone Mattia Campetti, also born in Lucca, and his Australian soprano wife Michelle. Dinner and wine pairing at the Fattoria. Accommodation: Fattoria Borgo La Torre | Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Day 10: Monday Departure. Transport will be provided to Lucca or Pisa railway station or Pisa airport after 9.00 am. When booking your departure, allow 30 minutes to Lucca, 45 minutes to Pisa plus check-in time (we recommend an hour and a half) or time to get to your train platform. If you need to travel earlier, a taxi can be arranged at your own expense. To request a booking form email [email protected] |
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Erica JarmanFollowing Heather’s careers as archaeologist, orchestra and artist manager and chef, she Italianised her name to Erica and came to Lucca to pursue her passion for traditional artisan food. Her tours, inspired by her infectious curiosity, open captivating new worlds to her guests.
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Agriturismo Terra di Michelangelo, Caprese Michelangelo (Arezzo) A traditional stone farmhouse with panoramic views over the upper Tiber Valley and large comfortable rooms furnished with family antiques. Owner Gabriele Bigiarini rears and cures the native Cinta Senese pig, the cute black pig with a pink belt you can see in Ambrogio Lorenzetti's 14th-century painting in the town hall of Siena. He also cultivates heritage grain which is used for bread, pizza and biscuits in his restaurant and by his friend to make excellent beer. En suite bathrooms, wi-fi, hair dryers, on-site restaurant, swimming pool. |
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Price Per person: 3450 Euros Single supplement: none (single room included in fee) Deposit: €300 when you book Balance: due 8 weeks before tour starts Claim your 5% loyalty discount if you've booked a small group tour with us before. Includes Friendly knowledgeable English-speaking guide throughout your stay 9 nights welcoming, relaxing accommodation, en suite bathrooms Local ground transportation for 10 days (includes one group transfer between meeting point and accommodation and one return after the tour). Please check with us before you book your travel to make sure it fits the tour schedule. Transfers at times other than those provided for the group will be at your own expense. Daily continental breakfast, 8 lunches, 9 dinners Guided visits and workshops with artisans, entrance fees Does not include Airfares Travel and cancellation insurance (compulsory) Wine and drinks other than those served with meals, additional meals Personal expenses Meeting point Arezzo railway station no later than 3 pm (nearest international airports are Rome and Florence). Pick up from Italian airports can be arranged at your expense. If you are flying from outside Europe, we suggest you arrive a couple of days early to recover from jet lag so you can fully enjoy your time with us. We are happy to advise about where to stay and eat and what to do before and after your tour. Departure point Transport will be provided to Lucca or Pisa railway station or Pisa airport after 9.00 am. When booking your departure, allow 20 minutes to Lucca, 45 minutes to Pisa plus check-in time (we recommend an hour and a half) or time to get to your train platform. If you need to travel earlier, a taxi can be arranged at your own expense. More detailed information about planning your travel here Diet Most dietary requirements can be accommodated as long as you tell us in advance. There is a space on the Booking Form for this information. Please bear in mind that the tour focuses on the art of choosing, cooking and eating good food. If your diet is very restricted, you may not get full enjoyment from it. Physical fitness You must be fit enough to walk on steep cobbled streets and rough farm tracks. Dress Informal. Jeans or smart trousers are acceptable everywhere. Comfortable walking shoes for farm visits and cobbled streets. Weather in October Weather is no longer average, but here’s what the statistics say: Arezzo: 7˚–19˚C / 45˚–67˚F, rainfall 74 mm / 2.9 in Lucca: 11˚–21˚C / 52˚–70˚F, rainfall 119 mm / 4.7 in The itinerary is subject to change if necessary due to weather or agricultural conditions or other events outside our control. To request a booking form email [email protected] |
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