Wine & Food Tours
10-Day Wine & Culinary Tour
September 19 – 28, 2016
A trip for people with a desire to explore rural Italy, eating seasonal food, tasting olive oil and sipping wine. We will explore local art, food, wine and culture that is still alive in small villages and preserved in local museums. We will stay in a charming, renovated farmhouse on a working alpaca farm in Umbria, just a few miles from Tuscany. You may choose to participate in the planned activities and tours or opt to relax at home, hike or better yet enjoy a glass of wine, read and watch the colors of our valley change by the hour. Our group will be limited to no more than 10 people.
Wine Tour UMBRIA and TUSCANY -October 3 – October 12 – October 4, 2016
Day 1 Working our way to Maridiana
– 10:00 Meet at hotel in Florence
– 11:30 City tour of Arezzo, tour of the art of Piero della Francesca
– 13:00 Visit hill city of Monterchi, Lunch and visit museum of Madoonna del Patrto by Piero della Francesca
-16:00 Visit a local buffalo farm to buy cheese
– 17:00 Arrival at Maridiana, settle in
– 19:00 Welcome reception with Gianni & Marisa Berna
Day 2 Montefalco – tasting Sagrantino wines
-10:00 Visit Montefalco
Visit winery wine taste and lunch pairing
-19:00 Dinner at local typical Umbrian country restaurant
Day 3 Olive Oil & Wine Tasting in Upper Tiber Valley
– 9:30 Visit and tour Anghiari
-13:00 Olive Oil tasting and lunch at Frantoio Ravagni, Anghairi
-19:00 Visit Donini Family Winery and Taste wines
Day 4 Cortona
– 9:30 Move to our villa in Cortona
-11:30 Tour Cortona and local sites, market day, Etruscan Tombs, Le Cella
-16:00 Wine tasting of Cortona wines with Marco Molesini
-20:00 Dinner at local restaurant
Day 5 Montepulciano – Vino Noble Wines
-10:00 Visit Polozenie Winery
(Read: At Least You’re in Tuscany, by Jennifer Criswell)
-13:00 Lunch and wine at rural winery
-14:00 Tour Montepulciano, on your own, lots of tasting rooms and shops
-19:00 Dinner at home of local Cortonese restaurant
Day 6 Montalcino – Brunello Wine (Pienza – cheese tasting)
– 10:00 Visit wines
– 13:00 Lunch and wine tasting at the home of Candace & Ferenc Mate
(Read, A Vineyard in Tuscany: A wine Lover’s Dream, by Ferenc Mate)
– 16:00 Visit Brunello wine museum
– 17:00 Brunello Wine tasting at Enoteca La Fortezza di Montalcino
Day 7 Lago Trasimeno Day
– 10:00 Isola Maggiore on Trasimeno Lake – by water taxi
Visit 3 tiny island museums and explore the village
-13:00 Special lunch at l’Oso on the island
-16 :00 Visit Lago Traimeno winery and cellar
-19:00 Light dinner at home or local restaurant
Day 8 Perugia
-10:00 Tour the city, visit local site and taste chocolate!
-20:00 Dinner at home
Day 9 Truffle and Olive Oil Tasting
-10:00 Visit the local truffle hunter/distributor and taste truffles
-13:00 Lunch and olive oil tasting
-20:00 Dinner at home and packing to head out in the morning
Day 10 Chianti
– 9:30 Arrivederci Cortona
-10:00 Southern Chianti wine tastings
-12:00 Lunch at a local restaurant dining on Tuscan food in Radda
-14:00 Northern Chianti Wine tastings – Greve
-18:00 Arrival in Florence, Hotel B&B
Maridiana is the first farm in Italy to have bred a large number of alpaca and angora goats for fiber production. The Maridiana herds roam the green hills of our 100+ acres Umbrian farm, located in the Nicone Valley in the High Tiber Valley, near the border of Tuscany.
Maridiana has more than 10 years experience managing alpacas. The pilot program of fiber production, has been co-financed by the European Economic Community, which 1997 designated Maridiana as demonstration breeding farm with the goal of extending the concept of rural areas that can benefit from raising alpaca.
Gianni Berna, Partner and Administrator, is an economist, and has successfully organized and managed innovative agricultural projects in Umbria and in numerous third-world countries.
Costs – $3,000* Estimated cost at this time
Included: Lodging, meals, beverages, tour guides, ground transportation
Not Included: Air Fare, travel insurance (required)
*Estimate, may vary with number of participant and significant exchange rate fluctuation and discount for early registration available
For More details and to Reserve Space contact:
Linda Kirsch
650-520-4664
Note: Custom tours are also available for groups of 6 or more.