tuscany: sept 20-27, 2026

You land in Florence. We’ll meet you at the airport and drive just south of the city to our villa — home for the week.

Unpack. Wander the property. Get settled.

That evening, we sit down together for our first dinner. Chef Cliff cooks. The wine is open. No agenda, no lessons — just good food and the beginning of a week you'll never forget.

We’ll spend time in Florence, walking through the market and choosing whatever looks beautiful and in season. Fresh produce, pasta, olive oil — the kind of ingredients that make you want to go straight home and start cooking. It’s one thing to eat in Italy. It’s another to understand how people shop and live here.

Back at the villa, we gather for a wine class. Regional grapes, terroir, tradition, history — there is so much to geek out on.

The day comes together in the kitchen. We cook with what we chose, open some wine, and sit around the table together.

We head into the countryside and spend time at Tenuta di Lilliano and Badia a Coltibuono — two very different expressions of Chianti.

Badia a Coltibuono is ancient. An old abbey with real history behind it, and wines made in a classic Chianti style — structured, traditional, rooted in place. You can feel the age of it when you walk the property. Tenuta di Lilliano is newer by comparison. The wines lean a bit more modern — still Sangiovese, still Chianti, but with a slightly different approach and expression.

Tasting them side by side makes things click. You start to understand how style, philosophy, and history all shape what ends up in the glass.

We’ll make our way back for aperitivo — something simple, a glass in hand.

Dinner is open. Stay in Florence and explore a little. Let the day settle in.

After breakfast, we’ll visit Pisa — because we have to see the tower. Then it’s on to Massimo Bacci’s butcher shop.

This is real Tuscan tradition. Knowledge passed down. Deep respect for the animal. A way of cooking that doesn’t waste anything.

Cliff spent time training here, so being back in this space is special. We’ll learn from Massimo and then sit down for an informal lunch at La Sosta dei Bacci.

Dinner that night will be at TBD — a place to enjoy a proper Florentine evening.

We don’t overbook our days.

There’s something important about having space; space to explore, rest, follow your curiosity instead of a schedule.

Spend time in Florence if you’d like. Visit a museum. Find a wine bar. Sit in a piazza and do absolutely nothing.

Or stay at the villa and slow down.

The week has a rhythm. This day lets you move at your own pace.

Today we visit Tenuta di Capezzana.

They’ve been producing wine and olive oil here since 804 AD, which is hard to even wrap your head around. The estate includes a grand villa built for one of the Medici daughters. (You know, just the same Medici family that sponsored artists like Botticelli and Leonardo da Vinci!) It feels like walking into history.

We’ll taste their wines, explore their olive oil, and spend time understanding what it means to farm the same land for over a thousand years.

Back at the villa, we share a classic dinner prepared by Chef Cliff.

This is our deep dive into the kitchen. We take our time and spend the day cooking with intention, understanding technique, balance, and ingredients.

There’s a pause built in midday, then we come back and finish what we started.

By the end, the table fills with dishes we made ourselves. We open good bottles and sit down knowing we didn’t just eat well this week, we learned how to do it.

After our usual breakfast together, we’ll take you back to the airport, or send you off to explore more of Tuscany.