LA LOCANDA DEL PRETE WINE TOUR - ONE WEEK

THE 6 NIGHT/7 DAY TRIP INCLUDES:

• 6 nights accommodations at La Locanda del Prete, outside the small village of Arcidosso, province of Grosseto.
• All breakfasts and dinners as indicated in the itinerary.
• Small groups: 4 to 10 people.
• 10 wine tastings (2 each day) as indicated in the itinerary
• Daily guided excursions to the enchanting towns of Montepulciano & Montalcino and (home of the Vino Nobile & Brunello wines); Scansano (known for Morellino wine) and the hills of Siena (where you will visit the Chianti wine region); during the Spring & Summer, excursion to the sea-side villages of Monte Argentario (Talamone, Porto S. Stefano and Porto Ercole with tasting of Ansonica of Monte Argentario); during the Fall, to Pitagliano (with tasting of Bianco di Pitigliano).
• All transportation (including transfers to and from Grosseto).

SAMPLE ITINERARY: The tours listed are not in chronological order to be followed on a day-to-day basis. However, all tours listed will be conducted throughout the week. *Note: all La Locanda del Prete programs begin on Sunday!

• ARRIVAL: DAY 1 (SUN) – Transfer from Grosseto 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 the La Locanda del Prete Inn. After settling in, your host and chef, Carlo will show you around and explain the week’s program! For dinner you will enjoy a Tuscan meal prepared by Carlo.
   

• Siena (Chianti)
  Heading North towards the heart of Tuscany, Chianti will be the days focus. In Siena, there will be a total of two distinct wine tastings at different locations. Starting with a warm-up tasting at a smaller unique wine cellar, you will then enjoy lunch at a local trattoria (Lunches not included in the package price). Afterwards, you will proceed for a tasting at the historic “Enoteca Nazionale” (an Italian public entity holding, in its remarkable wine cellar, over 1600 wines from all over Italy). Evening dinner at La Locanda del Prete.
   

• Montepulciano (Nobile)
  Visit the magnificent town of Montepulciano with architectural masterpieces by Rossellini, and then enjoy its wines including Nobile di Montepulciano at 2 private wine cellars (late morning and afternoon) for tastings. Lunch will be in a local trattoria (Lunches not included in the package price) and the discussion will center on "wine-pairing" (how to match these local wines with different foods). Dinner at La Locanda del Prete.
   

• Montalcino (Rosso and Brunello)
  Today you will visit this very special Brunello wine town where Carlo Innocenti’s son, Romeo, chose to get married! It is a stunning classic Tuscan fortress town with a striking castle. The tastings of the day (each one visiting two different wine estates) will center on the granddaddy of them all, Brunello, as well as, the "Rosso di Montalcino". Lunch will feature a multi-course Tuscan meal at a local trattoria (Lunches not included in the package price). Dinner at La Locanda del Prete.
   

• Scansano (Morellino)
  You will go a tour through the region known as "La Maremma" which is known for its Etruscan culture and proximity to the stunning seaside of Southern Tuscany. In the village of Scansano, there will be a late morning wine tasting in a wine shop in town (the Enoteca dei Mille) followed by lunch at a local trattoria. During lunch (Lunches not included in the package price), wine-food pairing will be explored further. Later in the afternoon, there will be a second wine tasting at a family run winery. Dinner at La Locanda del Prete.
   

• Mediterranean Seaside (Ansonica di Monte Argentario) or South of Tuscany (Bianco di Pitigliano)
  During the Spring or Summer, you will get to experience the finest seaside villages Tuscany has to offer (Porto S. Stefano, Porto Ercole & Talamone). The seafood cuisine here is delicious to the point that no words can describe. Naturally, after yesterday’s red wine tastings, today’s accompanying seafood wines shall be white. Perhaps try a Vernaccia, Greco del Tufo or let the local expert make his on-the-spot finest recommendation. The one wine you will certainly be tasting (two tastings total) is known as "Ansonica di Monte Argentario". Many wealthy Italians, especially the super wealthy, crave hideaways, and this is for them. Exactly 150 km north of Rome, Argentario is an Italian version of the American Martha's Vineyard, but with better food and older money. Just three small strips of land, one of them a 7-km-long nature preserve, connect the 6,000-hectare mountain to the mainland. Spain controlled Monte Argentario in the 16th century and built an imposing series of stone fortresses and lookout towers along the Mediterranean water. Some of them have been converted into classy homes and apartments: solid dwellings for a solid crowd. If instead you are visiting during the Fall and the temperatures are a little colder and the weather is not ideal for visiting the sea-side coast, you will take a trip to the Southern Tuscany areas of Pitigliano (a striking mediaeval town with Etruscan origins) where you will be introduced to its local wine, a white – Bianco di Pitigliano (two wine tastings at different locations). Farewell dinner at La Locanda del Prete.
   

• DEPARTURE: DAY 7 (SAT)
  Transfer to Grosseto.