WELCOME TO FLORENCE, The Renaissance City of Europe! At the Airport you will meet your private driver who will accompany you to your centrally located hotel. Leisure time for shopping in this very fashion-conscious town. Walking around this historically rich centre makes the experience even more pleasant. There are so many historical buildings, churches and museums on every street corner, which bring together so much Art & Culture... we believe that you will probably prefer to choose yourself what is on the Top of your “Wish List” to visit. FLORENCE, home of the Renaissance and birthplace of our modern world, has the best Renaissance art in Europe... Get familiar with the city today discovering its famous attractions, walking its most important streets and exploring those quieter neighborhoods that hold the best authentic experiences.

Accommodation:

• High-end Accommodation: Grand Hotel Cavour Florence

Today, you will meet directly at your accommodation your private guide for a walking tour that will introduce you to the world of Florence's artisans: goldsmiths, fine leather craftsmen, wood carvers, marble paper makers are just some of the workshops that we will visit. On this fascinating tour you can watch the artisans at work and have new insight into the creative process. Florence tradition in terms of art craft is rich and dates back to centuries ago! You will see some of the most hidden areas of Florence and discover its traditions, its people, its most authentic products out of the usual touristy paths. The popular arts in Florence have always been related to textile industry and manual skills, so you will have the opportunity to visit a shoes workshop of an artisan which produces hand shoes since more than hundreds years, then we will focus on another of the oldest arts in Florence: the Florentine mosaic. Leather is a must in Florence so we will have the chance to visit the Leather school. Another important activity in Florence, with all these museums, is restoration and gilding: we will learn the secrets of this difficult and old art visiting one of the popular workshop of the city. At the end of the tour you will have free time at your disposal.

Guide: Included for the day

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation:

• High-end Accommodation: Grand Hotel Cavour Via del Proconsolo 3, Firenze

Today you will explore Florence with your taste buds on a walking food tour that showcases the flavours of three distinct neighborhoods. With your private guide you will learn how to steer clear of tourist traps as you sample authentic Tuscan cuisine in the medieval city centre, the elegant and artistic Oltrarno district, and the Sant’Ambrogio market area — a favourite among locals. From gourmet fare to street vendors and wine bars, savour the best of the city’s food and drink like a true Florentine. Enjoy this culinary experience!

Guide: Included for the day

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation:

• High-end Accommodation: Grand Hotel Cavour Florence

Today, after breakfast, you will meet your private driver who will take you to your next fabulous accommodation: one local country-house. During the journey you will admire magnificent landscapes of the Tuscan hills and many vineyards until you reach your accommodation. Villa Fontelunga has a spectacular view of the countryside towards the hill town of Cortona. The Villa is set within an estate of 200 olive trees. The terrace to the rear of the main building allows you to enjoy the Villa's spectacular view across the Val di Chiana, where breakfast (included) and lunch are served daily. Leisure time at your disposal.

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation:

• High-end Accommodation: Residenza Villa Domenica

Wine tour in the Tuscany area. Escape the hustle & bustle of the city and enjoy Tuscany at a more relaxed pace. Explore one of the world’s most beautiful landscapes: the Chianti region. Immerse yourself in a stunning scenery characterized by vineyards, cypress trees and golden hilltop villages which benefit from wonderful views. Visit different local winery for a visit to the winery and a wine tasting, with sommelier will explanation of all the features of these wines.

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation:

• High-end Accommodation: Residenza Villa Domenica

Enjoy the fantastic experience of learning our Chefs' secrets on Italian cooking in an intimate and friendly atmosphere with this small-group cooking class in the Tuscan countryside! You will reach our fascinating cooking location, immersed in the green of the Tuscan countryside, where you will have the opportunity to express your culinary art under the attentive guidance of the Chef. The menu may slightly vary depending on the season and the fresh ingredients available, but among various other things it will usually include also two different types of home-made pasta from scratch (i.e. pappardelle and ravioli) and a dessert. The class will end with a delicious lunch that will prove yours improved skills in the kitchen, accompanied by tastings of different wines and a final typical Tuscan dessert wine. Whether you are a beginner or an expert with the apron, this small-group cooking class will ensure a personalized experience from the Chef while letting you enjoy a friendly company, and will let you learn recipes and secrets that you can bring home with you to surprise your friends with a true Italian meal!And all of this in the enchanting Tuscany countryside, home of the world-famous Chianti wine. At the end your driver will take you back to your accommodation and then you will have leisure time at your disposa

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation:

• High-end Accommodation: Residenza Villa Domenica

Today you will have free time to relax or I suggest you to explore the villages of Montacino and Montepulciano. Montalcino It’s a beautiful village immersed in the breathtaking Val d'Orcia Natural Park, renowned for the production of its precious Brunello red wine one of the world's best and most appreciated Italian wines. The town has scarcely changed in appearance since the 16th century. Once you get up to the town, a magnificent spectacle unfolds for your eyes: rolling sunny hills dotted with yellow and red flowers, ancient oak trees, picturesque olive groves, scenic country roads winding through perfect vineyards. The streets of Montalcino with their stone pavements are truly enchanting and the village is a wonderful place to stroll around among the labyrinth of charming arts and crafts shops, cafes, restaurants and wine bars. Take some time to fully enjoy the special medieval atmosphere of this magnificent Tuscan hilltop town. Walk slowly through its narrow and characteristic alleys offering extraordinary views over the underlying valley, and then sit and relax while tasting a glass of the delicious red wine. Later I suggest you to visit Montepulciano. It is a medieval town of rare beauty highly recommended. The city, full of elegant Renaissance palaces, ancient churches, charming squares and hidden corners, boasts vast panoramas all over the wonderful Val d'Orcia and Val di Chiana valleys that surround it.

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation:

• High-end Accommodation: Residenza Villa Domenica

Today you will have free time to relax or I suggest you an enchanting experience! You will enjoy a true authentic "truffle hunting", accompanied by an expert truffle hunter with dogs, through a typical wood. This experience is recommended for all the family. The forest is a sacred place for the truffle hunter where every day we are “guests” and not “the owners”: for this reason, before starting the Truffle Experience” we need to have a little briefing! During this truffle walking in the forest with our canine expert truffle hunter, we will tell you about all of the different truffles that grow in Tuscany throughout the year, their natural habitat, how to preserve them, the organoleptic characteristics of truffle, its biological cycle, and very importantly, the know how to spot a very high quality truffle instead of the “fake” or “flavoured product”. We will entertain you with truffle stories, such as the one about the largest truffle in the world (found in San Miniato’s area in 1954), the legends that recall the truffle myth that look so much like superhero’s story... but, on that day, the only one superhero will be the truffle dog!

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation:

• High-end Accommodation: Residenza Villa Domenica

Today, after breakfast you will meet your private driver who will take you to Florence Airport where you will catch the flight to Catania. Upon your arrival another private driver will accompany you to your charming accommodation in Ortigia. The island of Ortigia is the historical heart of Syracuse. There are fewer archaeological sites exposed to view here (the island has been heavily built-up ever since the time of the Greeks), but this is the part of Syracuse you're likely to be wandering around after you've 'done' the mainland points of interest. The tight-knit lanes are pleasant for strolling, and much of the island's charm lies in wandering down narrow medieval lanes, past romantically-crumbling - or lovingly- restored - Baroque palaces and churches. A walk around the perimeter of the island is a good way to begin to get your bearings. Ortigia has many gems to discover - one of our favourites was the small Church of San Martino, a simple and ancient church with a lovely interior, decorated with a mosaic

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation:

• High-end Accommodation: La Maison

Today, after breakfast, it will possible to follow the local fishermen’s footsteps thanks to an exclusive tour restricted to a small number of participants to guarantee and enhance an authentic experience. You will get on a typically Sicilian wooden fishing boat and you will stop at a local fishing spot. Our local fisherman will show you the tools used every day to catch the local fish. You will learn to fish like the true Sicilian fishermen and locals who regularly enjoy this past time. With the fishing over there’s just enough time for a dip in the shimmery blue waters, then it’s time to enjoy a meal of the fresh catch. A chef will prepare and serve you lunch just a few meters from the water’s edge. Get ready to get your hands dirty preparing bait and feeling the lines tug as you hook some local delicacies. Fried food, dried fruit, sweet-and-sour sauces, fish and olive oil are the main ingredients of the Sicilian cuisine. But there is a component that is always there, and this is variety. There are in fact dozens of versions of the same dishes, according to the geographical area and to the occasion. The extraordinary richness, even if in the past Sicily has always been a poor region, of Sicilian cuisine is a tribute to the Mediterranean Sea. It is a clear reflection of the cultural layers that have occurred over thousands of years of history of the island. This amazing combination of flavours and colors gave birth to one the most balanced cuisines in the world: the Mediterranean diet, included by UNESCO in the list of intangible cultural heritage. As you may had understand in the last days, here cooking is a ritual, and so is consuming the meals. Families seat together at the table, often accompanied by neighbours, friends and relatives. But you have also seen that Sicilian culinary art expresses its best not only at the dinner table, but also in the streets.

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation:

• High-end Accommodation: La Maison

After breakfast, you will live the sweetest day of your live, a real dream for chocolate’s lovers: an excursion to Modica, the city of Chocolate!! The long love affair between Modica and cocoa While your newly created chocolate bars cool, you can visit both the shop and the lab and learn about the machines and production secrets. The cool processing temperatures, the gritty texture, and the organoleptic characteristics make chocolate of Modica a unique product. It is a true messenger of the flavours of the region, of its fruit products, its handcrafting excellence. And to really get to know this chocolate, nothing is better than to put your hands in cocoa and make some chocolate bars yourself! In the afternoon, you will visit a local winery to discover and taste one of the most important Sicilian Wine, the Sicilian Passito, a wine made from grapes that have been dried to concentrate their juice. The name Passito comes from the Latin word passum – an ancient Roman sweet wine that was named after the Latin verb pando – to spread out. This grape sort was originally cultivated in North Africa, probably around the Nile Delta, close to ancient Alexandria. Later it was transmitted to the European continent and cultivated by Romans who in turn made it popular all over their Empire.

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation:

• High-end Accommodation: La Maison

Today, after Breakfast you will depart for Etna, the highest active volcano in Europe and UNESCO world heritage. You will reach by Jeep the "Crateri Silvestri", small now inactive volcanic cones, surrounded by ancient lava flows. The view beyond the hundreds of secondary cones and craters of the mountain can extend throughout Sicily, the Aeolian Islands and Calabria. The show is unique! You will walk to the impressive “Monte Fontana” and our English-speaking guide will show you also the great variety of flora and fauna: plants and animals which populate our active volcano. While walking through ancient forests you will learn a lot about the vegetation and the wildlife of Mount Etna. Lunch time! You will stop in a local Organic Winery having a great lunch matched to a unique glass of wine and later you will visit a local Pistacchio cultivation. The Organic Winery is managed by people who focus their philosophy on the absolute respect for the Earth. They will be the guides of your tour if available and you will get the chance to personally talk to and meet them, having lunch in a wonderful location with a view on the vineyards.After lunch, you will reach a local Pistacchio cultivation where you will discover the green gold, so called because of its importancy in Sicily’s economy. A tasty delicacy enveloped in a light, bright green hue, the Pistachio is good on its own, or when used in recipes savoury and sweet. Whether fresh or dried, it is perhaps the most precious ingredient in Sicilian cuisine, and symbolizes its town of origins, Bronte, in the Province of Catania. The pistachio actually has several names in Sicilian dialect, including scornabecco, spaccasassi and fastuca. The pistachio plant can live between 200 and 300 years, and thrives above all in Bronte. While the nut’s most ancient origins lie in ancient Persia, that grown in Bronte is distinguished by very unique characteristics – even in comparison to other Sicilian pistachios

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation:

• High-end Accommodation: La Maison

Today, after breakfast, you will meet your English speaking driver who will take you to Catania. Here you will meet your private guide who will take you to discover a walking food tour of Catania. First you will reach the fish market to for a tasty bite. In the market, your guide will unveil the little secrets of shopping for fish and other seasonal products. You will visit also a local cheese maker. Your guide will share tips regarding recipes and restaurants, enriched by historical information to provide you with an easier understanding of local habits and culture. Your guide will then take you to the more elegant side of the city, will you might see the Via dei Crociferi or the Benedettini area. This tour will give you the most authentic overview of Catania and offer you intimate secrets of locals' daily life. You will stop at a syrup kiosk for refreshment and to take a break, before heading to the last sweet note of the tour: a dessert (dessert type depends on the season). Tour ends at Via Etnea (near Piazza Stesicoro) or at the easiest orientation point for you. In the afternoon, you will enjoy a cooking class dedicated to Sicilian pastry in general and two of its absolute musts: Cassata and Cannoli. It starts with the original recipe and an in-depth focus on the raw ingredients used, such as fresh ricotta cheese, sponge cake, marzipan and candied fruit, up to the contemporary version revisited by our Resident Chef. A sensory journey through scents, colors, flavours and legends of two symbols of the island’s gastronomic tradition. From their Arab origins to the present day, these Sicilian sweets par excellence have been influenced by the several foreign dominations that came to Sicily, each one bringing some changes and transformations. A true heritage of the historical and cultural identity of the region.

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation:

• High-end Accommodation: La Maison