PRIVATE GUIDED TOURS
Our private guide service is based on a 16 years long experience of the most beautiful Italian regions, of the hills and valleys where the best terroirs are located, and of hundreds of and estate producing the best wines.
Our rates, as an indication, start from € 200 per day, and vary based on the number of participants, of days, and on the itinerary.

Therefore, in order to quickly quote an actual rate, and to allow us to submit you a plan, you should not forget to tell us:

1) How many people will likely join the tour,
2) How many days you wish to travel,
3) What kind of tour you prefer.* See below.

and, in case you know already,

4) Which region you want to visit, and
5) When, since there are better periods to visit one area, rather than another.

If you don’have a destination, and dont have a travel plan yet, we suggest to go through our Seasonal Tours page to get some ideas, and then let us know what your whishes and preferences are.
We will be happy to talk with you and figure out the best program to match your expectations, and to help you design the most efficient itinerary.

DAY TRIPS

We offer daytrips, limited to the Chianti Classico, Etruscan Coast and and Montalcino zones, with departures from Florence, Pisa and Siena respectively, since our base is in the center of such area.

WHAT KINDOF TOUR?

Far from being a drinking marathon, or a pre-set routine package, our tours are keys to get insights of the life, and history of a region too, to enjoy their character, and more unique seasonal events.

After choosing a destination in general, hence, we ask you you to imagine what emphasis the trip might have for your better enjoyment.
Should it be an active trip, or a lazy one?
More inclined to cultural visits, or to relax and shopping?
Umhh, you can see here below, and find your own travel style:

- “ Classic Wine Journeys ”, we visit the richer wine zones, spending approximately half of the time tasting, and half of the time sightseeing.


- “ ItalianWineTrails ”, walking across Vineyards and country towns.
We roughly plan to walk half of teh time, often having great picnic lunches, and to reach our wineries on foot.

- “ Feasts & Festivals ”,  designed to join typical Italian celebrations.
The more characteristic happenings are in the spring, and in late fall.

- “ Opera Festivals ”, wineries at day time,  great Opera in the evening.

- “ Good Wines, Better  Foods ”, wines of course, cooking classes, wine food combinations.

- “ Beach Side Vineyards ”, wines of Tuscany , Sicily , or Puglia , plus seaside holidays, between late June and September. Early booking is necessary.

- “ High in the Dolomites ”, visit - or hike if you want - the spectacular Dolomites, tasting the best wines made all around them: from Veneto , Sudtyrol and Friuli . Suggested in July and August
only.

- “ Grand Gourmet Adventures ”, a pilgrimage to the top restaurants, and more creative, famous chefs in Italy :  Northern and Central Italy , and Sicily .

- “ Women Winemakers ”. Try our unique itinerary, designed around wineries, restaurants and enoteche owned or managed by the “Women of Wine” members.

MORE in DETAIL
Classic Wine Journeys
Classic Italian experiences which blend artistic cities, famous wines, history, great food, culture and sightseeing.   Florence and the Chianti Classico, for example, Siena and the Brunello di Montalcino, Venezia, Verona and the Valpolicella, Torino the Barolo and Barbaresco, Palermo, Taormina, the Nero d'Avola and the best Marsala, Taranto and the Primitivo, Lecce and the Negroamaro, and so on.

Italian Wine Trails
The walks take us from towns to wineries, crossing the most picturesque landscapes, tidily, almost artistically cultivated hill slopes, where the vines find the best terroirs. We spend half of the time tasting wine and visiting, and half walking, covering 4- 6 miles on easy to moderate country roads, during 3-4 hours per day. The wine countries are  rarely flat, the walks, therefore, are often up and downhill, especially in Tuscany , our gourmet picnic will largely reward you of the work done.
Our itineraries touch hamlets, castles or enchanting monastery, which are often the more historical and nicer wineries themselves. The rest of the day is open for tastings, poolside rest, or sightseeing as usual.


“ Feasts & Festivals ”
*See Seasonal Tours page, for specific suggestions.
Popular feasts, tournaments, colorful pageants, scenic religious celebrations and processions, are the highlights of these tours. They combine the wine world experience, with the more genuine Italian folklore. For the summer, we propose amazing open air Opera festivals, which are the favorite of every  music lover.
Our tours ar meant to enrich your holiday with the show of lively feasts or deeply respected rituals, of real street life, and music. In other words, with the essence of the Italian lifestyle and traditions.
There are wine and truffle fairs in the fall, but the more unique events are Religious Feasts and Processions.
The most spectacular occurr in the Easter Week, in Sicily and in Apulia for example, and various Patron Saints Festivals, enlivening the summers, mainly in southern Italy, where the traditions are more lively and respected.  Then, historical pageants, in colorful medieval costumes, recalling battles and events in which people identify still today.
In Tuscany for example: the Arezzo Giostra del Saracino (Saracen Joust), the Siena Palio, with hundreds of actors, flags and armors.

Opera Festivals
*See Seasonal Tours page, for specific suggestions.
“The” Opera Lirica, the quintessential one, are Verdi, Bellini, Rossini, and Puccini. It mirrors the birth of Italy in 1800-1900, and portrays our characters, passions and defects. So well that it
fascinated the early, northern travelers, and that it has been defined the Italian ultimate alternative to the psychoanalyst. We can't miss these wonderful festivals, enjoying the classic  performances in the mild summer nights in the open air.  As to which operas you can listen, you can find the programs and book directly through the main festivals websites: Arena di Verona, Puccini Festival near Lucca, Siracusa, Martina Franca.

Good Wines, Better Cuisine
In these tours the winetastings are completed by cooking classes, based on regional, seasonal cuisines. You may learn simple recipes as pesto and ribollita, orecchiette, and less simple ones, as pasta with swordfish and eggplants, spicy beef or wild boar stues, great “zuppa di pesce” with the freshest ingredients.  We organize these programs on request, for 6 people minimum, and our base are farmhouse resorts, selected for the s{blocked}s and the hospitality of their owners, as well as for the nice settings.

Grand Gourmet Adventures
The Italian food is better known for the Mediterranean cuisine, essentially family style, regional dishes that the Italians had to export all over the world.   It is based on fresh, recognizable
ingredients, and boasts the ideal balance of carbohydrates, vegetables and meat. At the other side of the cooking world, there are the finest, sometimes complicate dishes, served in the top, exclusive restaurants. Their chefs are either legendary gurus, or emerging“jeunes restaurateurs”, which enjoy an international reputation. Our Grand Gourmet Adventures offer you, after tasting the finer wines, the best possible choice of both: classic Italian regional restaurants, and “temples” of the high cuisine, with their creative chefs. Our picks are based on Italian authorities - Gambero Rosso and Veronelli - on the Jeunes Restaurateurs d'Europe, Les Grand Tables du Monde, and occasionally the Michelin.  More important, they track the choices of Italian gourmet clubs, and last but not least, our own preferences, after several fresh experiences “in the dish”.