Villas and house for rent in Lucca. Come and enjoy the comfort of a luxury holiday

TRUFFLES,CHESTNUTS AND OLIVE OIL. A UNIQUE 10-DAY ITALIAN COUNTRYSIDE TOUR
From 17 to 27 OCTOBER 2011

A unique once-in-a-lifetime Tuscan countryside tour experience.

Start at Siena and cross the hills to Lucca covering the delightful famous Tuscan landscape.
During this 10 day tour you will witness cheese making, taste the noble wines of Montepulciano, visit free-range Cinta Senese pigs, visit a chestnut drying hut, go on a truffle hunt, pick and press olives, enjoy village festivals, visit the ‘5 Terre’ and learn how to cook all’Italiano!

And if that isn’t enough you can also go sightseeing and shop, spoil yourself with spa pampering or maybe even a Puccini concert.

Meet your expert hosts and settle in at the 18th century villa overlooking the rolling landscape of the Val d’Orcia. Enjoy a delicious welcome dinner with local fare and wines.

Visit a family dairy where the owners will show and explain how to make pecorino cheese and ricotta. Meet their family and of course the flock, then settle down to taste their cheeses, homemade bread, honey and wine. Time to explore the Renaissance town of Pienza, nominated a world heritage site. Dinner at villa.

Tour a wine estate that produces world famous Nobile di Montepulciano and learn about the micro climate responsible for giving each wine its unique flavor.
In the wine cellars learn about the wine making process then of course, enjoy a wine-tasting session.
Free time for lunch and to explore Montepulciano with its famous Renaissance Piazza Grande and coppersmith.
Panoramic route home and to dinner.

Destination Mount Amiata.
This extinct majestic volcano generates hot springs and is renowned for its wild mushrooms, truffles, chestnuts, olive oil, game and wild berries.
Also home of the famous Cinta Senese pig, a breed which dates back to the 14th century and until 20 years ago risked extinction.
Visit the farm and taste the delicious Cinta at a nature reserve then back for a cookery lesson and feast on what you cook with local wines and great company.

Truffle hunting with Gianni and his dog.
Hopefully taste the truffles you find and Gianni’s excellent olive oil.
Free time to visit the ancient town of San Casciano dei Bagni.
Benefit from the luxurious spa treatments at award winning Fonteverde spa or just relax at the villa.

We head toward the Tuscan mountains of Garfagnana stopping for lunch in Arezzo with one of the top sommeliers of Italy.
Drive on to ex convent ‘La Cappella’ overlooking Lucca and home for the next few days.
Host Vicky welcomes us with a scrumptious pizza party and great wine.

Explore the rugged mountains of Garfagnana and discover the chestnut culture in the chestnut season.
Chestnuts here were the staple diet and delicious dishes are still made from the flour.
Walk through the beautiful woods to the chestnut drying hut where you will learn the mysteries of how they are changed into flour.
Have lunch at a family restaurant where you will taste Giovanna’s silky pasta, Enrico’s game stews and Luisa’s incomparable desserts.
Have fun at the village chestnut festival where craftsmen make wooden shoes and cane chairs then visit the chestnut museum and sample roasted chestnuts, mulled wine and chestnut flour pancakes
cooked between hot stones.

Olive harvest day.
We will learn why olive oil is fast food as it gets from the tree to the oil drum on the same day.
Pick olives on an organic estate famous for its excellent oil.
Dine with slow food produce then visit the olive mills, one which uses the antique method and the other a modern mill and learn which is the best.
Cooking lesson to learn how to make traditional dishes of Lucca with the new oil.

A trip to the famous ‘Cinque Terre’ the 5 lands.
One of the most picturesque stretches of coastline in Italy.
Discover all 5 villages , hopping from one to the next either by boat or by train and enjoy the breathtaking views of the multicolored fishing villages, cultivated terraces and rocky cliffs plunging down to the crystalline sea.
Walk along the well marked trails to work up an appetite for your home-cooked dinner with an Italian family.

Free day to explore the walled art city of Lucca-
Discover its treasures including a stroll atop the magnificent perfectly intact Renaissance walls or the amphitheatre of Roman origins, the hundred churches rich in art and in the evening enjoy a Puccini concert (optional) and farewell dinner in a 16th century palace.

Breakfast and departure.
Transport provided to Lucca train station or Pisa.

Heather Jarman
Ex archeologist ,chef and orchestra and art manager now shares her knowledge of this captivating land with her guests as she leads them on these poetic artisan food tours over her adopted homeland.

Lucia Norrito
Shares her communities cultural traditions with people who travel to learn , compare cultures and
exchange ideas as a means of relaxing and regenerating their minds, bodies and souls.

PRICE PER PERSON - € 3.000

SINGLE SUPPLEMENT - € 375

Itinerary may change depending on weather or agricultural conditions if necessary or events outside our control.

Price Includes:
• 10 nights welcoming and relaxing accommodation with en suite bathrooms
• Local transportation for 11 days
• Daily continental breakfast, 5 lunches, 9 dinners
• Entrance to wine tasting, cheese tasting, truffle hunt, cooking lessons, guided visits with producers

Extra:
• Airfares
• Travel and cancellation insurance
• Spa treatments and Puccini concert
• Wine and drinks, except those served with meal and any additional meals.
• Personal expenses for example: telephone, mini-bar.

Dress
Informal Jeans or smart trousers are acceptable everywhere.
Good walking shoes and socks are required for pig farm, truffle hunt and olive picking.

The weather in October
Val d’Orcia: 9–15°C/48–60°F, Rain 69 mm/2.7
Lucca: 11–21°C/52–70°F,Rain 119 mm/4.7 in

Weather right now:
http://www.weather.com/weather/today/ITXX0037