ItalyTourTravel

AUTHENTIC SOUTHERN TUSCANY

This is a magical land, home to the renowned wines of Montalcino and Montepulciano, the delectible pecorino cheeses of Pienza, the exquisite art towns of Siena and San Gimignano. Here in the Sienese Chianti, the landscape is one of rolling hills blanketed with silvery olive groves and brilliant vineyards, dotted with ancient stone farmhouses. But the spaces are a bit more wide open, often glistening with golden wheat and punctuated by a lone black cypress on the crest of the hill. Almost anywhere you are, the horizon is graced by one or more of the area's triangular landmarks: to the north is Montepulciano, to the west is Pienza, and to the south is the lively spa town of Chianciano. Just outside town, tucked in a quiet valley with 360 degrees of pure Tuscan vistas, is the Valeriani family's gracious estate, Palazzo Bandino.

Mass tourism is relatively unknown in this part of Tuscany, but seasoned travelers love it. You will hear mainly Italian on the cobblestoned streets, and you will not see as many of those big buses parked along the road. The restaurants actually cater to locals, so the food they offer has to be the most authentic, the freshest, the most
traditional.

During your week at Palazzo Bandino you will sample many of these specialties and learn to make them, using ingredients grown and processed right on the estate. Open the windows of your private room and directly below you'll see the farm's vineyard, its olive grove and its vegetable garden (whose fruits you are welcome to pick).
Breakfast is served in the spacious ground-floor dining room, where you'll also taste the dishes you've prepared yourself under the guidance of well-known local chef Luciano Benocci. Your days are a combination of hands-on cooking lessons and relaxing excursions to acquaint you with the delights of Authentic Southern Tuscany.

Highlights
Six nights accommodations
All breakfasts
All meals except one lunch
Unlimited local wine at meals
Four cooking lessons
All excursions
Transfers in Chianciano
Taxes & Services

Tour Itinerary
Day One, Sunday

• Arrive in Chiusi, a stop on all train routes between Rome and Florence, about one hour from each. Group transfer to Palazzo Bandino at 2 pm.
• Settle into your charming room with modern bathroom.
• In the later afternoon, you'll meet your host Gabriele and your fellow adventurers to visit Palazzo Bandino's own wine cellar, where you'll learn a bit about local wines and see how they are bottled.
• Your introduction to authentic southern Tuscany begins with dinner at Palazzo Bandino.
• Overnight at Palazzo Bandino.

Day Two, Monday

• Breakfast.
• Excursion to Pienza, the purest Renaissance town in the world. Entirely rebuilt between 1459 and 1462, it was the brainstorm of Pope Pius II and today is memorable not only for its architectural purity but also for its exquisite food shops. You'll want to stock up on truffle-flavored cheese, wild herbs and other delicacies as you stroll through these pristine 15th-century streets.
• For lunch we will travel to a secret hill town, where we can have a light meal overlooking the entire Val D'Orcia.
• Transfer back to Palazzo Bandino, where Gabriele will tell you about the history of his family and their ancestral estate, Palazzo Bandino.
• Our first hands-on cooking lesson with chef Benocci concentrates on antipasti, such as bruschetta, crostini, fettunta and other types of canapes, as well as morsette, the delicious almond cookies that Tuscans dip into their vin santo dessert wine.
• Dinner based on what you've cooked, accompanied by tastings of Chianti, Nobile di Montepulciano, Brunello di Montalcino and vin santo.
• Overnight at Palazzo Bandino.

Day Three, Tuesday

• Breakfast.
• The rest of the morning is free, perhaps to indulge in a state-of-the-art spa treatment at Chianciano Terme. Try a relaxing facial, a stimulating salt glow, or choose from an array of massages (aromatherapy, Shiatsu, holistic, reflexology or Reiki). You will have a chance to learn about all the treatments and to make your reservations at dinner on Day One. If you prefer to skip the spa, you can visit the local Etruscan Museum, where you'll learn about Europe's most mysterious culture, forerunners to the early Romans.
• Lunch at the locals' favorite restaurant in Montefollonico, a minuscule walled town that has barely changed since the fifteenth century.
• Transfer back to Palazzo Bandino for a hands-on cooking lesson featuring the classic southern Tuscan hand-rolled pasta called pici, followed by succulent whole fish baked in a paper crust.
• Dinner based on what you've prepared, accompanied by fine local wines.
• Overnight at Palazzo Bandino.

Day Four, Wednesday

• Breakfast.
• Morning outing to Montalcino, the stately town within a castle that produces one of Italy's most prestigious wines. You'll visit a local winery whose Brunello 1997 was rated the world's #22 wine in 2002 by Wine Spectator. Here you'll taste a fascinating selection of wines and light foods that best accompany them.
• On the way home, we'll stop at a haunting countryside abbey, allegedly built by Charlemagne. If we're lucky we'll hear the monks singing vespers as they have done for hundreds of years.
• Today our afternoon lesson focuses on secondi piatti, main dishes such as roasts, braised or grilled meats, alongside the thick handmade noodles called pappardelle, perhaps served with traditional sugo alla boscaiola.
• Dinner based on what you've prepared, accompanied by fine local wines.
• Overnight at Palazzo Bandino.

Day Five, Thursday

• Breakfast.
• Morning visit to the venerable hilltown of Montepulciano, home of the renowned nobile wine. We'll stroll through the charming streets of this town, which somehow manages to be quite monumental, despite its small size. We'll also pay a visit to the weekly market, and then stop to see a masterpiece Renaissance church that sits alone on a hilltop just outside town.
• Next we'll visit an olive mill (in late October through November you'll actually see the process of an olive becoming pure cold-press first-run extra-virgin oil).
• Like true Tuscans ourselves now, we'll linger over lunch in front of the fireplace.
• Transfer back to Palazzo Bandino for an afternoon hands-on cooking lesson featuring fresh vegetable dishes such as artichokes and tomatoes stuffed with herbs and cheese, followed by a luscious Tuscan dessert.
• Dinner based on what you've prepared, accompanied by fine local wines.
• Overnight at Palazzo Bandino.

Day Six, Friday

• Breakfast.
• Full-day excursion to Siena. On the way we'll drive past San Gimignano to see its world-famous skyline, dubbed "The Manhattan of Tuscany." You'll be on your own in Siena, to wander among the medieval streets, visit the exquisite cathedral or the wonderful Town Hall, do some shopping or just relax at a cafe.
• Late-afternoon transfer back to your lodgings.
• Farewell dinner and presentation of your cooking program certificate at Palazzo Bandino.
• Overnight at Palazzo Bandino.

Day Seven, Saturday

• Breakfast.
• Transfer to the Chiusi-Chianciano train station.