Some ideas for your next food and wine tours of Tuscany! Here you can find the complete guide for a food & wine tour in Tuscany for all tastes.
Tuscany is one of the most famous regions in Italy for food and wine tours.
There are two keywords about Tuscany food: simplicity and taste. Olive oil, truffle, wine and other culinary delights are the basis of food and wine tourism.
Therefore, those who visit Tuscany will be fascinated not only by the rich artistic and cultural heritage that this region has got, but also by the goodness of Tuscan cuisine.
In this article, we will focus our magnifying glass on some of the unmissable Tuscan specialities, which travellers can enjoy during the food and wine tours in Tuscany that best suit their taste.
🧳 Are you ready to enjoy Tuscany? Sett off on an 8-day journey through villages and taste
Here are the destinations not to be missed and all our tips for a fantastic food and wine trip in Tuscany!
1. White Truffle Hunting and Wine in San Miniato
In the province of Pisa, there is one of the most beautiful medieval villages in Italy.
In the heart of the Via Francigena route, a favourite destination for many travellers is San Miniato: the home of the precious white truffle. Its hills are the ideal habitat for the growth of the so-called “Tuber Magnatum Pico”.
In this charming village, tourists will have the opportunity to enjoy an authentic food and wine experience, that is, the truffle hunt with the dog. This activity will take place in a biodynamic wine estate, which is also a historic house. The truffle hunting experience requires comfortable clothing and ends with a lunch at the historic villa, as well as with a visit to the wine cellar for the tasting.
Travellers will be able to savour excellent wines and, above all, will have the opportunity to discover their secrets, by joining a lesson in the wine cellar on biodynamics and natural winemaking. The tour will begin with a walk through the vineyards and will end in the cellar, immersed in the aromas of wine.
Food and wine tours in San Miniato, with Italia Delight:
2. The Maremma
Cinta Senese cured meats are a renowned traditional Tuscan food. Already bred by the Etruscans, the peculiarity of this breed consists in the dark coat and the typical white band that surrounds the body of the pig. These animals are bred in the wild and fed on cereals, such as corn and barley, and on a lot of grass. The processing takes place in an artisanal way.
During food and wine tours in Tuscany, an experience not to be missed is certainly the visit to a farm in Maremma where Cinta Senese pigs are raised.
Travellers can spend a whole day at the farm, following the techniques that they use for the production of their cured meats. The experience includes a visit to the farm and the lunch, with tastings of these tasty cured meats.
Food and wine tours in the Maremma:
3. Tuscan extra virgin olive oil
Olive oil is another traditional Tuscany food. Just think that Tuscan extra virgin olive oil is famous throughout Italy and worldwide.
On the other hand, there is not only one type of olive oil, but there are several, including the Tuscan extra virgin olive oil PGI and the Seggiano PDO.
Immersed in the Tuscan hills, travellers will have the opportunity to stroll among olive groves and vineyards and take part in a tasting of Tuscan extra virgin olive oil PGI. During the food tour, an expert will illustrate the different production phases, with an eye to the final transformation that takes place at the olive oil mill.
Alternatively, travellers can also visit the village of Seggiano and taste the local olive variety from which the famous Seggiano extra virgin olive oil PDO is made. This olive variety was already cultivated by Benedictine monks in 1300 BC.
In addition to the farm visit, the food tour will continue with a visit to the Seggiano Olive Oil Museum and a lunch based on local food delicacies paired with this Tuscan gold. What better way to get in touch with nature and with the food and wine history of a place than to walk among the olive trees and visit farms?
Discover Tuscan olive oil with Italia Delight:
4. The great wines of Tuscany
Tuscany is also known for its fine wines.
In fact, during food and wine tours you cannot miss a winery tour to discover all the secrets to making high-quality wines such as Chianti or Bolgheri up close. On Tuscan rolling hills, there are magnificent villages with vineyards, olive groves and historic villas. There travellers, accompanied during the visit by a sommelier, will be guided on the Chianti wine tour or Bolgheri wine tour. You can walk along the eight hectares of vineyards and listen to the characteristics of fine grape vines, such as Sangiovese, Merlot and many others. The food and wine tour will then continue in the wine cellars and will end with the tasting of Tuscan specialities, paired with a good glass of Tuscany wine.
The Val d’Orcia is also perfect for a food and wine tour in Tuscany to discover the region’s most renowned wines. A walk through the rows of Sangiovese, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Sauvignon Blanc, Petit Manseng and Grechetto will relax the traveller and make him feel in harmony with nature. This unique place is ideal not only for visits to the wineries, but also for discovering the village of Montepulciano, trekking through the vineyards, hiking to Lake Montepulciano, cycling or taking a Vespa ride through the Tuscan landscape. Last but not least, it is possible to savour the best of Tuscan food and wine while enjoying a picnic in the vineyard or a romantic dinner among the rows of vines.
Another unmissable experience, along the food and wine tour, is the wine harvest in Tuscany. This activity offers travellers the opportunity to be in contact with nature and the vineyards. In fact, the clothing required is very comfortable because the experience involves participating in the grape harvest, and then ending up with a banquet to celebrate the fruit of the wine harvest.
Join Tuscan winery tours & wine tastings:
5. Cooking classes in Tuscany
Visiting a region is synonymous with curiosity. A curiosity that is expressed in wanting to learn about the local traditions. In this case, food and wine tourism may suggest to take part in cooking classes.
An interesting cooking class is the one on hand rolled pasta. It takes place at a farmhouse, where a Tuscan cook will give a cooking lesson. After a first moment in which she will explain the raw materials, the participant will learn how to make the pasta dough according to the Tuscan tradition, how to prepare potato gnocchi and pici. The Italian cooking class, which includes a two-night stay at the farm, will end with a lunch that will allow you to taste the fruits of your Italian cooking lessons.
For vegetarian food lovers, however, the cooking classes in Tuscany that will make you discover the flavours of the Maremma are highly recommended. During the cooking course, participants will make chickpea soups, croutons with vegetables, black cabbage and beans, as well as the must of Tuscan cuisine: panzanella and acquacotta. The cooking lessons will end with a lunch, where these dishes will be the protagonists. A food and wine weekend not to be missed…
Let’s all start working on Tuscan cuisine:
6. Cantucci and Vin Santo
A stroll through the heart of Florence, amidst historic shops, ancient palaces and works of art, can be the perfect opportunity for one of the most unusual food and wine tours in Tuscany that can be experienced in an historic centre.
A stone’s throw from Ponte Vecchio, travellers can step back in time to learn about the history of the real Cantucci di Prato. They will visit the Museo Bottega, which tells more than 160 years of the history of the famous biscuits, admiring the work tools and historical packaging.
Each tour will be guided and will end with a tasting of Cantucci with almonds and other Tuscan confectionery products, also in combination with the legendary Vin Santo.
Discover Cantucci with Italia Delight:
7. Tuscany food and wine tours in Chianti
Did you know that in the Chianti countryside, among vineyards, woods and centuries-old olive groves, a gin with a Tuscan heart is produced? In this place immersed in peace and silence, travellers can stay at the podere, which is a 100% organic farm and an eco-sustainable resort. With the Master Distiller, you can visit the in-house gin distillery, learn more about its ingredients and enjoy a gin and tonic by the pool. What more could you want for the perfect Tuscan food and wine holiday?
8. Tailor-made Tuscan food and wine holiday
All this is not enough? There are many food and wine itineraries in Tuscany that you can dream of: visit the marble quarries of Carrara and taste the legendary Lardo di Colonnata IGP or go trekking in the Parco delle Foreste Casentinesi.
Italia Delight allows you not only to enjoy short food and wine experiences in Tuscany, but also to create personalised food and wine trips!
We already have an idea of a trip to discover Portovenere and the beautiful Lunigiana, but you can also request a quote for tailor-made trips in three clicks.
Did you like our travel tips for your next Tuscan food and wine tours? Book your food and wine experience in Tuscany now! 😉
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