MEET YOUR HOSTS

La Locanda del Prete is a small Bed & Breakfast, owned and operated by the Innocenti family and located in Arcidosso, in the province of Grosseto, Tuscany, Italy. This is an authentic Italian country inn, a place where locals as well as visitors, gather to eat, share a glass of wine or grappa (a digestive aperitif) and chat. Often times, the mayor of Arcidosso joins us for a plate of Panzanella (bread salad) and Pollo con Pepperoni (chicken with peppers). Carlo Innocenti, the owner, master chef, and cooking instructor, has been teaching Tuscan cooking for decades as far away as Switzerland, as well as having operated several “ristoranti” throughout Tuscany.

Romeo Innocenti - your host and wine leader (fluent in English), a native son of Tuscany, sommelier in training of fine Italian wines and master chef specializing in “La Cucina Povera Toscana”, will accompany you on your journey along Tuscany’s famous “Road of Wines” where you will discover the finest wine estates & sommeliers and learn the art of wine-food pairings (three visits and tastings daily). You will also experience quaint family run cellars for tastings and be immersed in the countryside of Southern Tuscany and also help you learn the basics of wine pairings, the “must-have knowledge” for any good host or hostess! Meals will be planned according to the days wine selections, from antipasto right up to desserts.

Carlo Innocenti - and his partner Pascale are the epitome of Italian hospitality; warm, kind, generous and outgoing. They make the perfect hosts for this genuine country tour. They will truly make you feel a member of our extended “famiglia internazionale”!

WHERE YOU WILL STAY:

Arcidosso (Province of Grosseto) - On the outskirts of a small Medieval village on the slopes of Monte Amiata, the highest mountain in southern Tuscany that once was worshipped by the Etruscans. Located one hour away from the coast, 45 minutes from Siena, one and half hours from Florence, and two and a half hours north of Rome.

WHERE YOU WILL SLEEP:

“La Locanda del Prete” has a magnificent view of the village of Arcidosso and its striking medieval Castle. Traditional Tuscan furnishings make this bed and breakfast quaint, cozy and quintessentially Tuscan. There are five bedrooms available at La Locanda del Prete, each with it’s own private bathroom. There is also satellite TV in every room and a shared internet point in a private room on the first floor. The first floor of La Locanda del Prete is where the trattoria restaurant is located. The bedrooms are located on the second floor.

WINE TASTING IN TUSCANY, ITALY:

Italy is the motherland of fine wines. Italians produce more varieties of wine than any other nation, and Tuscany produces some of Italy’s finest wines. The soil and climate is rich and ideal for growing superb grapes that become, with age old Tuscan techniques, classic, delectable and award winning Italian wines. Tuscan wines are desired by sommeliers and connoisseurs not only in Italy, but through out the world. Tuscany is home to several distinct wine producing regions. Each wine producing region creates a variety of wines with different personalities and flavors.

We will take you on a wine sampling tour that will introduce you to many unique wines from distinct regions, including the Chianti and Chianti Classico, Montepulciano, Montalcino, Pienza, and Pitigliano. Romeo will educate you about pairing Italian wines with Italian foods through wine-tastings in exclusive wine cellars. This wine-lovers tour will open your eyes and palates to various Tuscan wines, and you will see why Tuscany is the leading producer of super-Tuscan-Red Italian wines!

Experience the deep, rich red Italian wines; smoky; enticing Pecorino cheese; gourmet, organic, cold pressed olive oils; unspoiled vineyards and centuries-old olive groves. The pure, delicious flavors of Tuscan peasant cooking; fish fresh from the unspoiled sea, vegetables hand-picked from the Tuscan soil every morning, pasta hand-made by your chef’s nonna (grandmother). Wine tastings in ancient Italian wine cellars; the aroma of Italian breads baking in traditional stone ovens; meals enjoyed like a true Italian in authentic Tuscan trattorias (popular restaurants), shopping for groceries in an outdoor market that is hundreds of years old. These are just some of the exclusive cultural and culinary experiences you will enjoy as a welcome guest at La Locanda del Prete.

EXCURSIONS & ITINERARY:

Romeo Innocenti will take you to discover the famous Southern Tuscan wine towns of Montalcino (Brunello wine & great shopping for ceramics), Montepulciano (Vino Nobile di Montepulciano), the seaside Maremma region with pure San Giovese wine tasting “in purezza” (in its purest form) specifically - Morellino di Scansano, the “colli Senesi” (the hills of Siena) with classic Chianti Antinori reds and a day dedicated to the lesser-known Tuscan seaside white wine known as “Ansonica di Monte Argentario.” You will be following the “Strada del Vino” (the celebrated ‘Road of Wine’ that is recognized by the Region of Tuscany Authority & Governing Body). You will be visiting and tasting wines in the smaller family owned wine cellars of these different towns daily with one tasting late morning and the other in the afternoon.

The wine map shows the different wine production geographic “zones” with the appellations of “DOC” and “DOCG”. These are areas defined by the Tuscan region as being authentic for the making of certain wine types. DOCG stands for “Di Origine Controllata Garantita” which means of controlled and guaranteed origin. In other words, the Italian government in Tuscany inspects and monitors all of the wine production awarding labels only to those who pass the test. You will experience the following wine zones: 1. Vino Nobile di Montepulciano (red - Sangiovese whose dominant form is “Prugnolo Gentile”) 2. Morellino di Scansano (red - Sangiovese...almost a “low-key” Brunello, the next Super Tuscan blend) 3. Chianti (red - Sangiovese blend with Malsavia white grape) 4. Brunello di Montalcino (red - pure biggest & boldest Sangiovese) 5. Ansonica di Monte Argentario (white - made from very tasty Sicilian white grape, better than Trebbiano).

VACATION OPTIONS:

We created two exciting packages for you:

• 1 Week (6 Nights / 7 Days) Vacation
• 5 Nights / 6 Days Vacation
• 4 Nights / 5 Days Vacation
• 1/2 Week (3 Nights / 4 Days) Vacation