Bistro Romano Italian Restaurant Philadelphia
Bistro Romano Presents:
October 5th-13th, 2012
Nine Days, Seven Nights Including Airfare, Hotel, Meals and Day Trips
Join us for a true taste of Florence, where we have brought together so many fine, quaint and rich elements from within the heart of Florence itself as well as the surrounding hills and countryside. To visit Italy like you have never done before, it is necessary to become immersed in the culture. This is integral to Italian tradition in general and Tuscany’s in particular. Ingredients borne from the land are a beacon for the Tuscan psyche. Tuscan cuisine, known as “La Cucina Povera Toscana” is a peasant culture tradition where all of the ingredients used in recipes are grown locally in family farms & pastures and then prepared fresh. There’s beauty everywhere you look in Florence-but did you notice that it’s on your plate and in your wine bottle, too? Just as it’s one thing to simply look at a Donatello sculpture or Brunelleschi building and another to experience it, though, it’s the same with food and wine. Food and wine production in Tuscany is at once art, religion, serious business and common talk. This culinary tradition has earned world acclaim. It is incredibly varied, pure, bursting with flavor and accompanied by stellar wines. Tuscan cooking makes full use of the region’s fantastic bounty. The genuine dishes created are as much a joy to prepare as they are to eat. As the capital of Tuscany, Florence has remarkable wines, most notably the deep red wine Chianti Classico. You’ll also find fine wines like the Brunello di Montalcino, Pomino Vin Santo and other trebiano white wines, and moscadello varieties for sweet wines. You’ll find wine festivals in Florence more often than in any European city, and during the summer they run almost every week. In addition, every restaurant, every cafe, sometimes every vendor on the street sells Florence’s best wines. Let’s discover what makes Florence such a special place for Food and Wine aficionados!
Included Features:
Price:
Tour price is $3,985 per person, double occupancy. For single occupancy, add $879. Fuel surcharges are included at $519 and air taxes are included at $126 per person. Fuel surcharges and air taxes are valid at the time of printing but are subject to change.
The Hotel:
The Hotel De LaVille combines luxury and classic-style décor, at a top location in Florence. It is on the pedestrian, high-fashion street of Via Tornabuoni, a 3 minute walk from Florence Cathedral and 5 minutes from Santa Maria Novella Train Station as well as a 5-minute walk to The Uffizi Gallery. Rooms at Hotel De La Ville come with Florentine décor. Facilities include an LCD TV, wireless internet, a safe, a minibar, hair dryer, centralized air conditioning and a private marble bathroom. Floors are wooden or carpeted. Breakfast is a rich American-style buffet with fresh fruit, cold meats, bacon and eggs. Freshly baked Italian cake and pastries are also provided. The hotel bar is open for coffee and drinks throughout the day.
Itinerary:
Day 1 – October 5th, 2012: Depart Philadelphia, PA. For Pisa, Italy
Day 2 – October 6th, 2012 – Pisa/Florence: Arrival at Pisa airport and meeting with your local tour escort. Transfer by private bus to your hotel The Hotel De La Ville. Introduction to the Slow Food philosophy, the activities of the Association and the products of the Tuscany region. To follow, a typical traditional Welcome dinner in local Slow Food restaurant. Return to the hotel for overnight. (Dinner)
Day 3 – October 7th, 2012 – Florence: Morning departure for Florence. Walk through the historical centre of this amazing city and visit the Santa Croce church, known as the “Pantheon of Italian Glories” where many illustrious Italians such as Michelangelo, Galileo, Rossini and Machiavelli are buried. The visit also takes in the other religious buildings (the Baptistry, the Duomo and Giotto’s bell tower) and the houses of power in the old city (the Piazza della Signoria). Break at one of Florence’s oldest ice cream parlours, “Perché no!” that offers more than 33 different flavors and a precise selection of raw materials (including pistachios from Bronte, a Slow Food Presidium product, saffron and cardamom). There will be a short talk on how the ice cream is made with some small samples. Free afternoon to stroll along Florence elegant streets, visit the Uffizi Gallery or shop at the leather market, then a traditional dinner at Osteria Tripperia IL Magazzino in Florence. Return to the hotel for overnight. (Breakfast, Ice Cream Tasting, Dinner)
Day 4 – October 8th, 2012 – Florence/Siena/San Gimignano/Florence: Morning departure for Siena. Guided tour of the most important and most beautiful architecture in the city, Sampling of some delicious traditional desserts like the Panforte in one of the most famous pastry shops in town. Free time for shopping before departing for San Gimignano. On the way to San Gimignano along the ancient Via Francigena, lunch with some of the traditional local produce such as the Certaldo onion (Slow Food Presidium), and the organic extra virgin olive oil from San Gimignano at the little family-run farmhouse Il Castagnolino. Visit and have a talk on the techniques used in producing organic olive oil. In after lunch free time in San Gimignano before returning to the hotel for overnight. (Breakfast, Lunch)
Day 5 – October 9th, 2012 – Florence/Castellina in Chianti/Gaiole in Chianti/Greve in Chianti/Florence: Entire day given over to discovering the Chianti hills along the Via Chiantigena (an ancient road connecting Siena with Florence crossing over the hills of Chianti). Stop off at Castellina in Chianti for a talk on aromatic herbs harvested and dried following the ancient techniques of Duccio Fontani. Lunch at the Osteria al Ponte in Gaiole in Chianti. Set off for the wonderful city of Greve, to visit the little historical town centre and then head for the Podere Le Fornaci where there will be some sampling of organic cheeses (including baby goat’s cheese and fresh ricotta) made from the milk of the goats that graze in the Chianti hills. Return to the hotel for overnight. (Breakfast, Lunch, Wine Tasting)
Day 6 – October 10th, 2012 – Florence/Montepulciano/Pienza/Florence: Morning departure for Montepulciano, one of the most characteristic and intact medieval cities in Italy which from a height of 605 metres above sea level offers amazing views over the surrounding hillsides. Visit the Enoteca Contucci winery for a tasting, and then explore the wonderful town centre of Montepulciano where lunch will be hosted in the old Osteria dell’Acquacheta, with its rustic and familial atmosphere. Here, sample some of Tuscany’s best recipes (such as the Pici all’Aglione). In the afternoon, head for Pienza, the perfect example of a renaissance city, famous for its Pecorino cheese. Visit a Pecorino cheese producer and learn something about the cheese-making process and sample the fare. Return to the hotel for overnight. (Breakfast, Lunch, Wine, & Cheese Tasting)
Day 7 – October 11th, 2012 – Florence/Montalcino/Florence: After breakfast this morning departure for Montalcino, famous for its Brunello, one of the best red wines in the world. Montalcino, however, is also a beautiful art city which, from upon high dominates 3,000 hectares of vineyards (1,500 for Brunello alone). A visit to the Mastio della Rocca which is home to the Enoteca La Fortezza winery where it will be possible to buy some local products like the exceptional honey, a local speciality, and sample some wine. Then proceed on to Castello Banfi to visit the cantina and have a wine tasting of 3 Sangiovese wines. Return to the hotel for overnight. (Breakfast, 2 wine tastings)
Day 8 – October 12th, 2012 – Florence: Today is at leisure and yours to enjoy spend free time in Florence for shopping or sightseeing. Dinner tonight is on your own; enjoy your last night in the fabulous city. Return to the hotel for overnight.(Breakfast)
Day 9 – October 13th, 2012: After this morning at the hotel enjoy some free time before meeting your driver and guide for your private transfer for the Pisa airport. (Breakfast)
Please note: Though rare, it may be necessary to substitute hotels and adjust itineraries due to local conditions.
