Tour Details/Dates/Prices Chianti Classico. Prices $2,660 CAD*

Your Accommodation.
Podere Le Rose has 3 bedrooms available with 2 double or 2 single beds. As it’s a family home there aren’t private bathrooms, but there are 2 bathrooms & 2 showers located right beside the bedrooms. Other accommodation with private bathroom can be arranged if preferred (price to be determined based upon accommodation selection).

Optional Extended Stay in Florence
Saturday
Breakfast
Check Out + Transfer to Florence Hotel
A day in beautiful historic Florence – sightseeing, market and museum visits & shopping for kitchenware to take home with you. Florence is widely known as the Italian centre for cuisine, hospitality, wine, design & art. The city itself gives unparalleled opportunities for amazing first-hand gastronomic experiences.
Spend the evening at your Florence Hotel and return on Sunday.

Custom Designed Gourmet Safari
If you’d like to spend more time in the kitchen we can easily arrange it for you. There is also a plethora of other activities in the area if you’d like to spend less time in the kitchen or if your partner doesn’t like to cook: Italian language classes, play golf at a nearby club, walking or hiking along the country back roads, visits to vineyards and wineries, take a seat in the garden and relax or horseback riding.

Additional Activities
Itinerary not busy enough? Please let us know if you’d like more activities & excursions scheduled throughout the week & we’ll reserve them prior to your arrival. Or if you would like to have dinner daily at Podere Le Rose let us know. You will have 3 afternoons & 1 morning free to spend at Podere Le Rose, relaxing in the garden or strolling around the property.

Little Extras
• Toscana Mia Cookbook
• Apron

Tour Length: 7 days/6 nights

Tour Begins: Florence, Italy TOUR CONCLUDES: Florence, Italy

Tour Dates:
Culinary vacations are available all year round upon request.

Tour Prices for 2011:

Please contact us for 2011 prices, thank you.

Tour Prices for 2010:
$2,660 CAD*
$3,075 CAD* including the 5 Dinner Meal Program

*Double Occupancy per Person. Prices in Canadian Dollars (excluding airfare).
Single Person Prices are the same as Double Occupancy.

Please note:
Ask us about the 5 Dinner Meal Program if you are not renting a car.
Italian language classes are available at your farmhouse B&B.
Individual single day cooking classes without participating in the itinerary above are also available, from 1-day to 5-days.
If you would like to purchase airfare please let us know and we’ll arrange it for you right away.
All dates and prices are subject to availability.
Prices may be affected by international exchange rate fluctuations.
Interested, or questions just contact us.

Payment:
Form of Payment.
We accept VISA, MasterCard, American Express, Diners, cheque or money orders in CAD $.
Place a Deposit on Your Dream.
A deposit of $700 CAD per person is required at time of booking to secure your culinary vacation dates.
Please note: Your deposit is non-refundable due to the fact that our travel partners will be in receipt of monies, however in most instances the deposit can be applied to future travel.

Balance due.
Balance is due no later than 60 days before departure.

Number of Participants:
Minimum: 1
Maximum: 6

Travel Accessories:
Local Weather
Currency Conversion
Local time

Questions? Just email or call
E-mail: jackie@gourmetsafari.com
Phone: 416.238.9987 (local Toronto) or 1.800.839.5795 (toll free in North America)


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My Safari Notes. (my personal experience)
If you want a true family farmhouse cooking experience, this is it! Papà Luigi, the master of the house is omnipresent and will join in conversation (with translation assistance), as well as the meals – he is very friendly and you feel as though you have been transformed to another time period. 2 sisters - Paola and Simonetta go out of their way to make you feel comfortable and at home in their 13th century farmhouse perched on the side of the hills of Chianti. When we arrived and sat in front of the roaring fire to share coffee and cookies – it was very special.

Paola’s 2 children burst into the kitchen when they arrived home from school – it was a sight to see, a charming scene of family life.

The décor is very traditional ‘authentic Tuscan’ – both rustic and comfortable at the same time and full of charm and character. The kitchen is a family kitchen – well-used and well-designed for cooking, cooking lessons and of course eating the fruits of your labour. We made lunch – a savoury Tuscan lunch of local flavours served with excellent Chianti Classico wine. Lunch started with bruschetta, next was a meat dish, then a large rigatoni pasta in herb-filled tomato sauce and finally topped off with vin santo (similar to ice wine) served with biscotti for dipping 2 or 3 at a time. Lunch was delicious and I learnt a valuable lesson – never cut your pasta, regardless of the size. It’s an insult to the cook because it means that the pasta is undercooked (less than al dente) and it’s too hard – this wasn’t the case at lunch, I was being polite (I thought).

We had a quick tour of the 3 bedrooms that are very tastefully decorated with Tuscan flavour. The rooms are rustic, quite nice and each has their own style. There are 2 very nicely decorated and sizeable bathrooms that are shared between the 3 rooms – it’s really not inconvenient as the bathrooms are located right beside the rooms.

We stayed in the nearby medieval town of Radda. It has several restaurants and cafes that serve typical Tuscan fare. With winding cobblestone roads, historic buildings and medieval underground tunnels – it has the feel of a town that has not been modernized at first glance.

This was a true Tuscan sensory experience in every way and highly recommended for those who want to experience the true culture & stay in a ‘real’ Italian home.

Jackie DeKnock – Gourmet Safari Owner (and Foodie)

Gourmet Safari Personal Memories.

Dan Duran, Toronto, Ontario, January 2005

I don’t think that you could find a more authentic Italian family.  The two sisters are absolute characters and know cooking from generations before them.

Janet R., Texas, US, July 2006   This summer I took my grandaughter Sarah, age 10 to the "Chianti Classico" cooking school in Tuscany Italy.  It was a fantastic experience for her.  The villa was beautiful - the view was unbelievable - and Simonetta and Paola were very accommodating.

Paola taught the cooking and she was terrific with the girls - let them do every step and realized when they were getting tired and needed a break.  Sarah wants to go back next year.

Ann T., Toronto, Ontario, May 2005 We thoroughly enjoyed our cooking class with Paula. She was very friendly and knowledgeable and made us feel right at home. Even the 6-year old in our group got in on the action. The traditional Tuscan food we prepared was delicious and I can't wait to try the recipes at home.

The pizzetta production line.