 Florence Castello di Gabbiano Interno Sala Terra at Gabbiano  Piscina at Castello di Gabbiano Tuscany Superior Room at Gabbiano
| Sunday, July 27 - Arrivo al Castello |
You are met at the Florence airport and escorted to the Castello. Upon check in, there is a welcome reception in your honor in the castle gardens. Dinner follows at the elegant restaurant Il Cavaliere.
Il Cavaliere
Just a stone’s throw uphill from the historic Castello, with impressive views of the castle the rolling Tuscan landscape below lies a centuries-old farm house. Recently, this ancient stone building was lovingly restored to house our the winery restaurant, Il Cavaliere. The dishes served by Fabrizio are authentically Tuscan, but with a modern sensibility. Ingredients as varied as dried figs, estate-grown olives and olive oil, artisan cheeses, game birds, smoked meats, chocolate and more find delicious expression in the changing seasonal menus – and pair perfectly with the wines of Castello di Gabbiano.
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| Monday, July 28 - Vita in Toscana |
After a leisurely Tuscan country breakfast, our chef, Fabrizio, will provide you with a review of the typical Tuscan gastromic staples – ham, cheese, olives, game, fresh herbs. Then you will participate in a morning cooking class that will result in a rustic and fresh lunch that typifies al fresco Italian country cooking. Lunch will be served on the panoramic terrace.
After lunch, Giancarlo and Cornelia will show you around the Castello, a beautiful stone building that has watched a millennium surrounded by 42 acres of rolling vines in an especially lovely Tuscan landscape. Giancarlo will explain to you his way of making wine and take you through a tour of the vineyards. In his cellars, you will see the year's wine, peek at the vats and barrels and share in the life at the Castello. Cornelia will take you back to the Medieval Times and show you her work in restoring this 12th century castle.
Castello di Gabbiano is open to you all afternoon. You can walk in the vineyard; you can look in on the work of the season outdoors or in the cellars. You can take a dip in the swimming pool, discover the surrounding hillsides, or simply lie down with a good book!
The chef prepares a special dinner for you at Il Cavaliere.
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| Tuesday, July 29 - La Magia di Firenze |
After breakfast, you are chauffeured to Florence, a mere 15 km away in air conditioned comfort. Situated in the northwest of Italy, surrounded by the wine-growing hills of Chianti, the city attracts rapture and imagination in equal proportions. You will enjoy a personal walking tour of the city, including Brunelleschi’s cathedral dome bursting through the morning mist – a terracotta balloon hovering above the medieval rooftops. Then, as now, most of the action in Florence takes place between Piazza del Duomo and Piazza della Signoria, the city’s civic heart. Here, in the historic center, Dante (forefather of the Italian language) first glimpsed his muse, Beatrice. Here, the Florentine Republic rose and fell. And here, Savonarola’s Bonfire of the Vanities blazed. Here, it seems, every building holds a masterpiece.
You will enjoy a lunch at a typical Trattoria in the city, witnessing the bustle of the cobblestone streets and plates of fresh cheeses, breads and, of course, glasses of wine.
In the afternoon you receive a guided tour through the Uffizi and Academia. UNESCO estimates that 60% of the world’s most important artworks are in Italy, with over half of them located in Florence. It was the Medici family (who led the city for over 300 years, off and on) that nurtured the greatest flowering of Renaissance art. The paintings of Botticelli, the sculptures of Michelangelo and the rusticated palaces of Michelozzo all flourished under their rule.
In the early evening you depart from the excitement of the city for the quiet solitude of your Castello. Relax with an aperitif or enjoy the pool before you leave for a relaxed, casual dinner at a true, authentic Italian pizzeria in the neighboring village.
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| Wednesday, July 30 - I vini della Toscana |
After breakfast, you are driven in comfort through the Tuscan countryside, where your tour guide points out castles, history, and provides an overview of Tuscan wines. Your first stop is the winery Castello di Meleto. The massive Meleto Castle rises in the heart of the Chianti Classico, not very far from the boundary line between the ancient Republics of Siena and Florence, about 1 km far from Gaiole in Chianti. In the beginning the castle belonged to the Benedettini Monks of the Coltibuono Abbey and today the vineyard of Meleto produces Chianti Classico Castello di Meleto, Reserve und Fiore, 2 types of grappa and olive oil.
You will enjoy a typical Tuscan repast in the nearby restaurant Radda, known for rustic country cooking. Then you visit Castello di Verrazzano. The Castle of Verrazzano is located on a hilltop in the Chianti Classico area. Its high position, over the Greve valley, was once of strategic-military importance; today it is possible to easily overlook the vineyards which fan out across the slopes to the edges of the wood further down the valley. The castle was an etruscan then a roman settlement before becoming the property of the Verrazzano family in the VIIth century. Today they are known for exquisite red Tuscan varietals, and floral, fresh Vin Santo.
Time allowing, you might enjoy a third winery. Or, should you desire to retire to the quiet of your Castello, we will return for evening drinks and a dip in the pool. Dinner tonight is served to you by Fabrizio at Il Cavaliere.
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| Thursday, July 31 - Bellezza del Siena |
After breakfast, you get an early start on the thrilling autostrada toward Siena, 40 km across the Tuscan hillsides. Here you will step into the middle ages with a private walking tour including the Tuscan hill town's magnificent cathedral, built in the 1200s, a marvel of marble floors and astonishing artworks. Spend a day people-watching on the town's sloping red-brick Piazza del Campo, which is designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site and houses a dramatic Gothic city hall, the Gaia Fountain and the Chapel of the Virgin. You will enjoy lunch on the glorious plaza, watching the street performers and pigeons on the medieval fountains while enjoying your pasta. In the afternoon you will have a personal tour of the Siena Cathedral (Il Duomo), a spectacular gothic cathedral with an elaborately carved exterior considered by many to be one of the most beautiful churches in Italy. You will also visit the museum, the Torre de Mangia.
In the amber evening, you return to your Castello once again, for drinks, a dip in the pool and dinner at Il Cavaliere.
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| Friday, August 1 - Il cuisine della Toscana |
You enjoy a leisury breakfast today, as all the excitement comes to you this day. The morning is filled with a personal cooking class on recipes of the Renassance and Di Medici. You move naturally into lunch, enjoying the fruits of your labor and wines of the Castello. In the afternoon, we retire for a wine and cheese seminar, discussing the various wines of the area and local cheeses, as well as paring and preparation.
This evening is special as you sadly say goodby to the Tuscan hillsides. A cocktail party featuring all the wines and cheeses you’ve learned about is set in your honor as the sun sets in the Castello gardens. You are joined again by Giancarlo and say "good bye" to Fabrizio at a dinner lasting all evening under the Tuscan stars.
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| Saturday, August 2 - Farewell |
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We suggest that you don't include a very early departure time in your plans. It's going to be hard enough to say good-bye as it is! Why not leave you Castello at the end of the morning and take some time to visit the surrounding areas?
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Italy Trip - Itinerary
