VILLA GAIA WINE TOUR - ONE WEEK

THE ONE WEEK (6 NIGHT/7 DAY) TRIP INCLUDES:

• 6 nights accommodations at the country estate of Villa Gaia, near the small village of Seggiano, province of Grosseto.
• All meals as indicated in the itinerary.
• Small groups: 4 to 16 people.
• 15 wine tastings 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), the hills of Siena (where you will visit the Chianti wine region) and the delightful seaside villages of Monte Argentario (white wines and Prosecco tasting).
• All transportation (including transfers to and from Rome or Grosseto).

SAMPLE ITINERARY:

• ARRIVAL: DAY 1 (SAT) – Meet in Rome or Grosseto & transfer to Villa Gaia (Seggiano)
  Our meeting place will be in Rome or at the train station in the town of Grosseto. After having arrived at the Villa Gaia Estate (about 2.5 hours drive from Rome and about 1 hour from Grosseto) you will settle into your rooms. Then you can relax, feel at ease at the villa and receive a welcome tour of the estate. Dinner at a local restaurant.
   
• Siena and the Chianti Classico
  Heading North towards the heart of Tuscany, Chianti will be the days focus. In Siena, you will start your day with a warm-up tasting at the historic “Enoteca Nazionale” (an Italian public entity holding, in its remarkable wine cellar, over 1600 wines from all over Italy), then you will visit the “Enoteca I Terzi” where you will also enjoy lunch (wine-food pairing). Then, after lunch, in the afternoon, you will continue your tour of the Chianti visiting the beautiful VILLA ANTINORI at Badia a Passignano. Here you will have the opportunity to visit the grounds of the estate and the cellars, and have a masterpiece tasting featuring the best of Chianti Antinori - perhaps Tuscany's most celebrated wine & wine family. Dinner either at a restaurant or at Villa Gaia.
   
• Nobile di Montepulciano
  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 mid afternoon) for tastings. Lunch in Montepulciano. Dinner either at a restaurant or at Villa Gaia.
   
• Brunello di Montalcino
  Romeo will take you to this very special Brunello wine town where he was married. It is a stunning classic Tuscan fortress town with a striking castle. The tastings of the day (three total) will center on the granddaddy of them all, Brunello, as well as, the "Rosso di Montalcino". Lunch will take place at a family owned estate. Dinner either at a restaurant or at Villa Gaia.
   
• Morellino di Scansano
  You will go on tour through the region known as "La Maremma" which is known for its Etruscan culture and proximity to the stunning seaside of Southern Tuscany. There will be a late morning wine tasting in a wine shop in town (the Enoteca dei Mille) then you will continue to visit a private winery where you will enjoy your second tasting of Morellino followed by lunch at the wine estate. During lunch you will participate in a wine tasting led by the estate's Sommelier who will also teach about wine-food pairing. Later in the afternoon, there will be a third wine tasting at a family run winery. Dinner either at a restaurant or at Villa Gaia.
   
• Mediterranean Seaside - Ansonica di Monte Argentario
  For your last day, you will have once again three tastings total with one at lunch led by a specialist sommelier. Today, you will get to experience the finest seaside villages Tuscany has to offer (Talamone & Porto Ercole). 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 you will want to try a glass of Prosecco, offered to you as an aperitif in a cafe’ at the beautiful sea-side village of Talamone or one wine you will certainly be tasting is known as "Ansonica di Monte Argentario” at the winery of La Parrina. Your third tasting will be in Porto Ercole another sea-side town located in the area of 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. In the evening, after a realaxing stroll “passeggiata” by the sea, you will return home to Villa Gaia. Farewell dinner at the villa or at a local restaurant.
   
• DEPARTURE: DAY 7 (FRI)
  Transfer to Rome or Grosseto.