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As a teacher of Italian, I offer regular educational trips to Tuscany to give a chance to my students to put into practice the language skills acquired during my courses. These trips will take you to Tuscany. This region in the north of the country is one of the most sought after places in the world for its natural beauties, stunning medieval and Renaissance cities, the unique quality of its food and wines and the breath taking scenery of its hills, forests, vineyards and valleys. 

I will accompany you to these trips as Tuscany is where I come from and a place which I feel very proud to be my birthplace. I will encourage you to have conversation exchanges with shop keepers, chefs, museums’ staff, wine experts and as many locals as possible. As these ‘field trips’ are designed by myself and as I will be with you in all of our excursions, you will be encouraged to have a hands-on approach with the most important skill that language learning requires: speaking in the target language! I will take you around and show you the marvels of this region where painters, sculptors, poets and scientist have left their unmistakable traces all over the region.

This is the itinerary we have prepared for these exploration breaks in Tuscany:

Itinerary

Day 1
Departure from any British airports with flights to Pisa airport. You will be picked up at the airport by myself with a 9 seaters mini-bus. Arrival on the same day at ‘La Corte D’Elsa’ which is about 60 kilometres from the airport. After having made yourself comfortable with the accommodation and all the amenities that the Villa offers we will head into town for dinner. 

Day 2.
Trip to Vinci, Leonardo da Vinci’s birthplace, where we will visit the museum dedicated to his discoveries and the house where he was born. Vinci is a typical lovely Tuscan town all built in stone and the view itself of the hills from the town is a must! Lunch at a restaurant in Vinci town. Return to the Villa in the afternoon. 

Day 3
Departure from the villa early afternoon and brief visit to San Miniato, a medieval town whose tower erected during the reign of Federico II makes it a landmark of the surrounding landscape. San Miniato was a pivotal point for trade in the Middle Ages at it is built along the Via Francigena, the medieval ‘highway’ that connected Rome all the way up to Flanders in Northern Europe. Later on we will have a wine tasting session in a local family run vineyard. We will taste the local wines and have platters of cheese and cold meats. The owner of the estate himself will guide us through the cellars and the vineyards where he will show us how his wines are produced. Return to the Villa. 

Day 4
Visit to the Galleria degli Uffizzi in Florence. This tour of the museum will take about 3 hours. We will then head towards Oltrarno ( the other side of the Arno River) and have a lovely lunch in a trattoria in Piazza dell’Uccelletta, a very atmospheric little corner of the city with excellent eateries and just off Palazzo Pitti. The walk from The Uffizzi to Palazzo Pitti was one the favourite past times of the Medici family to ‘take’ the pulse of the people’s mood, especially of the ‘banchieri’….well the bankers! Return to the Villa with a stop to Piazzale Michelangelo from where you can have a full view of the city. I dare say one of the most astonishing views in the world. 

Day 5
This day will be dedicated to total relax by the pool of the Villa or walks around the countryside. Later on I’ll bring a chef who will cook for us, making pasta from scratch!
You will assist to the cooking lesson and witness how a real Italian chef creates superb ravioli or tortelloni or other types of ‘pasta fresca.’ We’ll then eat the chef’s creations all together with wines provided by me. If you are not interested in the lesson, simply bask under the sun by the pool with a glass of prosecco while the dinner is ready.

Day 6
Visit to the enchanting and frozen in time town of San Gimignano with its medieval towers that have stood upright for centuries while peering at the strife and turmoil of ‘interesting times’ in the bygone days of cavalry and internal wars of the 12th, 13th and 14th centuries. The owners of the towers, the well-heeled part of the society, competed each other to build the highest towers… the footprint of what would be done in New York some centuries later! Return to the Villa where you’ll have time to refresh and rest. Dinner at a family run agriturismo which offers in their menu the food made with the products they themselves grow. This is organic and sustainable food and wine at its best!

Day 7
Visit to Pisa. We’ll visit the famous Leaning Tower, the Duomo and the Museo. They are all situated in the same square which is called Piazza dei Miracoli. We’ll have lunch at a local trattoria and return to the Villa by late afternoon.

Day 8

Well…time to get back home. Return trip from Pisa airport to the British airport you departed from.

What this program includes:

• Accommodation in a beautiful Villa near Calstelfiorentino. The apartments have all the facilities and amenities you need: kitchen, bathrooms, double or single beds, heating, air conditioning, etc. There is no breakfast provided but as the apartments are fully furnished we can go to the local supermarket and buy all you need for your breakfasts. I will take you myself to the supermarket the first day so you can get well supplied with food, water, wine, coffee, milk and so on. All the expenses related with the accommodation such as central heating, air con, cleaning etc. are included!
• All the meals above mentioned on our program are included.
• Tickets to the Uffizzi, the Museo da Vinci and the tour in Piazza dei Miracoli in Pisa ( tower, duomo and museum).
• Wine tasting session.
• Cooking lesson and food and wines to go with it.
• Transport, petrol and parking.
• What this program does not include:
• Return flight and insurance
• All the food and drinks not listed above

What you must bring with you:

• Your British humour. 
• Your insurance. 

How much does it cost per person?
£1,099pp. Return flights and insurance are not included in the package.
Available dates:
October 12th to 19th
Sold Out!!
October 19th to 26th- 4 places left.
October 26th to November 2nd
Available
Notes:
The minimum number of participants for each trip is 6 the maximum is 8.
The minibus can only take up to 9 people and the 9th passenger is the driver, myself!