LA LOCANDA COOKING & WINE - FOUR DAYS

THE 3 NIGHT / 4 DAY TRIP INCLUDES:

• 3 nights accommodations at Locanda del Prete Inn, located on the outskirts of Arcidosso, province of Grosseto.
• All breakfasts & dinners as indicated in the itinerary. 1 lunch as part of the cooking course.
• Small groups: 4 to 10 people.
• Wine tasting in Montalcino as indicated in the itinerary
• Two days of guided excursions to the enchanting towns of Monte Amiata (Santa Fiora), Montepulciano, Pienza & Montalcino and (home of the Vino Nobile & Brunello wines).
• One cooking course featuring "La Cucina Povera Toscana" (Tuscan Country Cooking).
• All transportation (including transfers to and from Grosseto).

SAMPLE ITINERARY:

• ARRIVAL: DAY 1 (SUN) – Transfer from Grosseto and arrival to Arcidosso
  We will meet you in Grosseto which is easily accessible from Rome or Florence. Upon arrival at the Grosseto train station, you will be accompanied by car or van to the village of Arcidosso and then welcomed at La Locanda del Prete. After settling in, your host and chef, Carlo will show you around and explain the week’s program! Then you can either relax at La Locanda, or take a walk through the enchanting streets of Arcidosso. For dinner you will enjoy a Tuscan meal prepared by Carlo at the Locanda’s restaurant.

• Montalcino (wine country), Pienza & Montepulciano
  Today, your guide will take you (using our comfortable Tuscan Way van) to the charming village of Pienza, located in the heart of the Val D’orcia valley: nominated a UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization) territory. While in Pienza, you will visit its main square, Piazza Poi II, which is a model of Renaissance planning. This main piazza is so attractive that it was used to shoot scenes for the film The English Patient. Then, you will continue on to the elegant town of Montepulciano where your guide will show you the main sites and where you will have a light lunch (not included in package price). After lunch, on your way back to Arcidosso, you will stop by a quaint family owned winery in the Montalcino area, where you can taste (included in the package price) the famous Brunello wine accompanied by a tasty pecorino cheese and/or local salami or prosciutto. Dinner at La Locanda.

• The small towns of Monte Amiata
  For your last day, after breakfast, you will have the opportunity to take a cooking course the Tuscan Way with the Master Chef of the Innocenti family. You will learn the art of La Cucina Povera Toscana (Tuscan Country Cooking), receive an apron and recipe book and enjoy the lunch you helped prepare during the course. Then, you will be off with your guide to visit the small towns of Monte Amiata: Santa Fiora with its historic center and ancient Parish Church which contains fine terracotta bas-reliefs by Andrea della Robbia (15th century), and La Peschiera, the private gardens and swimming pool of the Sforza family (16th century). You will then go to either Castel del Piano or Abbadia San Salvatore, where you can visit the famous abbey and the crypt built by the Longobards, and finally, on your way home, you’ll take a ride through the enchanting forest of Monte Amiata. In the evening, you will enjoy dinner at La Locanda del Prete.

• DEPARTURE: DAY 4 (WED)
  After breakfast, transfer back to Grosseto.