Boston Flora

Tag: Montalcino

  • Saturday, October 7 – Monday, October 16 – Taste of Tuscany Tour

    Hidden Treasures Tours is very excited to announce our Taste of Tuscany Tour. This incredible experience will allow the traveler the opportunity to utilize all their senses; the sights of the Tuscan countryside, the smells of working vineyards and cheese farms, the sounds of the locals enjoying the fruits of their labors, the touch of historical botanical gardens and buildings, and most certainly, the tastes of wine, cheeses, olives and olive oils, and much more.

    We will lodge in authentic 18th century Tuscan villas that are located on working farms and experience true Tuscan cuisine with the opportunity to sample the best Tuscan wines; all produced on the working farms – this tour will be a paradise of flavors, fragrances and relaxed country living. Space is limited as each villa so get your reservations in early! Priced from $3,875 per person.  Contact Kari Harper at 573-303-2872 or email her at kari@hiddentreasurestours.com.

    Oct. 7 Arrive Florence

    Welcome dinner

    Oct. 8 Florence at leisure

    Oct. 9 City tour Florence & Private Tour of Torrigiani Gardens

    Recently open to the public, Torrigiani Gardens is the largest privately owned garden in Europe.

    Oct. 10 The Orcia Valley & Siena

    Gardens of Villa Vico Bello & olive oil tasting
    Walking tour of Siena
    Winery visit & tasting in Montalcino

    Oct. 11 Castello di Celsa and Villa La Foce

    Today we will have a full day excursion to the magnificent gardens of Siena.

    Oct 12 Pienza and Palazzo Piccolomini – Montepulciano (B,L, D )

    Visit to the historic center of Pienza and the Palazzo Piccolomini and gardens
    Visit with an organic cheese maker
    Transfer to Montepulciano for leisure time

    Oct. 13 to Florence Villa di Maiano & Villa Gamberaia

    Tour of Villa di Maiano Gardens (pictured below) and the ground floor of the Villa (Fiesole)
    Olive oil tasting and lunch at Fattoria di Maiano
    Tour of Villa Gamberaia in Settignano

    Oct 14 Florence Gardens

    Full day excursion for the visit of the Florence Gardens & Farewell Dinner

    Villa Corsi Salviati
    Villa Medici di Petraia
    Giardino di Boboli

    Oct. 15 Florence at Leisure

    Oct. 16 Depart

  • Thursday, May 7 – Saturday, May 16 – Italy: Gardens, Roses, Cooking, and Culture

    Have you ever dreamed of visiting Italy in the Spring? This will be a wonderful garden tour – including Ninfa, Bomarzo and the Villa d’Este. Tour organizers Marco Giusti and Claudio Bernardoni are reliable and engaging. They are both trained Italian chefs, and they will be cooking several dinners in your villa as well! This will be a small group of 8 to 10 gardeners and there are only a few places left. Barbara DeRiso, MD, and member of Schenley Farms Garden Club in Pittsburgh is happy to answer any questions you may have, and to help you arrange to join this tour. Feel free to contact her at barbaraderiso@gmail.com.

    Itinerary:

    Thurs. May 7th
    Morning transfer from Rome Fiumicino International Airport to our hotel in Tivoli. Visit the town of Tivoli and see the fabulous fountains of the Villa d’Este gardens. Dinner in a typical trattoria in Tivoli.

    Fri. May 8th
    Early morning departure for a guided tour of Ninfa, a supremely romantic garden where flowers scramble over the ruins of a medieval town set on the banks of a crystalline river. Monty Don, the famous garden expert has called Ninfa “the most beautiful garden in the world”. Return to Tivoli for lunch. Visit the town of Tivoli and see the fabulous fountains of the Villa d’Este gardens, just about the most sumptuous you’ll see anywhere. Dinner in a restaurant.

    Sat. May 9th
    Transfer to our villa in the Tuscan countryside. On the way, we’ll visit Bomarzo, a garden like no other, immersed within a forest and filled with fantastic sculptures, and Villa Lante, one of Italy’s most beautiful Renaissance gardens. Arrival at the villa – a centuries-old stone villa with a pool, newly restructured and surrounded by a breathtaking landscape – in time for dinner.

    Sun May 10th
    First hands-on cooking lesson making traditional local dishes
    and creating a full-course Italian meal for lunch. Free time in the afternoon to lounge by the pool or to go for a walk in the local countryside. Dinner at the villa.

    Mon May 11th
    Visit the wine cellars of the Villa Sant’Anna vineyards, makers of Nobile di Montepulciano, one of the world’s finest wines. Taste some of their best bottles as you snack on cold cuts and cheese.Walking tour of the medieval and Renaissance hill town of Montepulciano with a lovely main square and its elegant 16th century church, built in golden travertine, finely situated at the end of a long avenue of cypresses.

    Tues May 12th
    Visit the Roseto Botanico ‘Carla Fineschi’, one of the world’s largest private collection of roses (the biggest in Europe) with a stopover in Arezzo. Walking tour of Arezzo, a stunning city, boasting many fine buildings, grand squares and an ancient annual Palio of its own. Dinner at the villa.

    Wed May 13th
    Guided walk through Pienza, an idyllic Tuscan town that began life as a model Renaissance city. Lunch in the villa. In the afternoon: a guided visit of the beautiful gardens of La Foce, the masterpiece of the great British garden designer and architect, Cecil Pinsent. Dinner at the villa.

    Thurs May 14th
    Walking tour of Siena, Italy’s loveliest medieval city, full of spectacular art treasures, the splendid Romanesque-Gothic cathedral and the magnificent, shell-shaped main square, where every year the Palio horse race takes place – an event which dates back to the 6th century. Lunch in a trattoria and dinner at the villa.

    Fri May 15th
    Morning: visit the beautiful abbey of Sant’Antimo, immersed in an idyllic Tuscan countryside where you might chance upon monks chanting in the church. Have a stroll in the quaint medieval town of Montalcino. Lunch at the villa. In the afternoon visit Bagno Vignoni, a medieval village where the central square is a pool of steamy water; and visit San Quirico D’Orcia, yet another village of old-world charm with an elegant 16th century garden. Dinner at the villa.

    Sat May 16th
    After breakfast, departure for Rome Fiumicino International Airport.

    Cost: € 2500,00
    (€ 150 ($168) discount if you share a room)

    All rooms in villa are en-suite with double or twin beds. The villa also has wi-fi.
    All payments must be made by bank transfer. Please contact alfrescoitaly@gmail.