Day 1: San Gimignano’s Towers, Hills, and Vines After getting organized at our meeting point, we are off to San Gimignano, our home base for the next 3 nights. The ride from Florence to San Gimignano is roughly an hour, but is smooth and full of beautiful scenery. Upon arriving to San Gimignano, its Medieval skyline demands your attention. Today, 14 of the original 72 towers are still standing in this UNESCO World Heritage site. To show you the real side of town, we found one of the most charismatic and lovable locals possible, Filippo. This man is every bit of the word, authentic. Filippo is a walking dictionary of knowledge, especially when it comes to his hometown. You are in for an incredible day in San Gimignano, discovering its history, as well as the culture of Tuscany, the Renaissance and Italy as a whole. Walking through a town full of medieval history will have your stomach growling. We are off to a big lunch, wine tasting, and our home base for the next 3 nights. Fattoria di Fugnano is not only an incredible winery, but also an agriturismo with one of the most stunning views in the area. Before moving into our rooms, we will embark on a guided tour of the winery and farm accompanied by a a big lunch and tasting of 7 different wines. Known as the White Queen of Tuscany amongst a sea of Red Kings, Vernaccia is famous for its “sting and bite” of refreshing acidity. Vernaccia di San Gimignano is one of Italy’s most beloved white wines as it was the very first DOC wine of Italy, yet it is lesser-known in the international market. Wine from different vintages will probably be pulled out as well knowing the producer, Laura, and her son, Andrea. Get ready for an extremely fun tasting, you will absolutely need a siesta afterwards! Luckily for you, after the tasting, you will find more bottles in your room ;) After our lunch and overwhelming amount of wine, the next few hours are yours. You can go back into town for some shopping, follow one of the surrounding hiking trails linked up to the ancient Roman road and medieval pilgrimage route, Via Francigena, or you can walk through the vines and drink more wine with Laura. You will definitely need to knock off the food somehow, as Laura and her team are preparing an authentic Tuscan barbecue for our dinner. We will all meet back up with Laura and her team for an incredible evening of food, wine, family and friends. There aren’t many better things in life than taking in a colorful Tuscan sunset with good company and a full stomach.

Day 2: Quiet Chianti Classico A quick and light Italian styled breakfast will be served at Fattoria di Fugnano before we head out for one of Tuscany’s most famous areas, Chianti Classico. The zone of Chianti Classico makes up the area between Florence and Siena. The steep and rocky hill sides are dominated by forests, olive groves, historic castles, stunning and villas, and of course, vines. The ride along these hilly roads is stunning at every turn. There will be plenty of opportunities for photo stops Chianti Classico is an area full of history and legends. You will be lead through multiple stories of how Chianti Classico became a region, the symbolic black rooster labeling, its original recipe, its rise and fall to fame, and its current DOCG requirements. The area plays host to over 480 producers, many of which produce and export thousands upon thousands of bottles every year. Our excursion will not take us to one of the bigger producers, rather one of the smallest. Podere Bucine, is located just above the beautifully rustic and quaint hilltop town of Montefioralle. Loreto, the producer and winemaker, is originally from Sicily. Loreto continues to learn, grow, and adapt with his production, increasing change of climate factors, and the general market. His wines are fresh and simple, perfect for any occasion, especially with a charcuterie board or classic pasta dishes with fresh tomatoes. Loreto and Podere Bucine’s future is very bright and we cannot wait for you to meet him! After a small farm tasting, you are in for a treat, both metaphorically and literally. Get your aprons ready, Gian Luca of Alcanto del Forno is taking us through a Tuscan gastronomic experience. At the bottom of Loreto’s hill, Gian Luca will be waiting, welcoming us into his beautiful home. A cooking class at Alcanto del Forno is always full of laughs, smiles, messy hands, and very full stomachs. Listening to Gian Luca talk you through a dish is both charming and spellbinding, while his smile and laugh are extremely contagious. Everything being prepared will be local and seasonal, the Tuscan way! After yet another afternoon of wine and food, we will take our time back to Fattoria di Fugnano in San Gimignano, making a few more pit stops along the way for some photo stops. The rest of the evening is up to you!! After a little bit of free time to recharge your batteries, many of us will be heading into San Gimignano for a classic Tuscan aperitivo. Laura will be joining us in town as she will show us some nice spots for small bites and wines. If you prefer a date night, a solo dinner, or to stay and cook something in your bnb, please feel free! This night is up to you.

Day 3: The Lesser Known Side of Chianti  What many people don’t know, is that Chianti and Chianti Classico are entirely different regions, with Chianti being broken down into 7 sub regions. Today, we will journey through two other zones, Chianti Colli Fiorentini and Chianti Montalbano, in search of tasting the differences. After today, you will surely be a Chianti Pro, able to pick up on the differences of Chianti Classico, Chianti Colli Senesi, Chianti Colli Fiorentini, and Chianti Montalbano in a blind tasting. First, we will visit Podere la Botta, a family run winery in the town of Limite, part of the Chianti Montalbano zone. This little winery, also a farm, is truly one to experience first hand. The vines are managed by Andrea Bartolini and his 95 year old father, Beppe. You will definitely feel a generational influence here. Andrea’s husband, Mauro, works hard in management of the winery as well as labeling designs and marketing. The two own a couple of gorgeous greyhounds that run around the property, watching over their vines. They have such an affinity for the breed of dog that with every purchase of their Canaiolo, labeled with a greyhound, 20% of the value of each bottle is donated to the Animalist Project for Life Association After walking around the vines, olive grove, and cellar, we will be treated to what we love most about Italy, a lovely lunch with family. We will share a homemade feast, enjoying Podere la Botta’s wines, and the freshest ingredients from their very own land. It doesn’t get much better than a post tasting lunch with family. Next stop, the Chianti Colli Fiorentini region, where the Poggio al Chiuso brothers will be waiting for us. The Corti family has been making wine in the area for four generations, with Marco, Matteo, and Andrea running the business now. This fun bunch of brothers take their winemaking seriously, and for good reason. They are always looking for new wine-making and viticultural techniques to grow with the change in market and climate. Younger generations of Italian wine-making are adapting quickly to change, and you will have the opportunity to see it first hand with the Corti brothers. After our stomachs once again full of wine and laughs, we are back to Fattoria di Fugnano for our last evening in the area. You will have free time for a couple of hours to rest, explore, or drink more if you so desire. Our last dinner at Fugnano is up to Laura who always has something special up her sleeve.