WINE WEEK
1-7 September 2024
We will be hosting another special small-group (maximum 12 people) Tuscan wine week based at i Castagni from 1-7 September 2024 (7 days, 6 nights). This offers a wonderful opportunity to learn all about Tuscan wines, with expert-led tastings and visits to wineries in the local wine denominations of Montepulciano (with its famous Nobile di Montepulciano), Montalcino (renowned for its Brunello di Montalcino), the beautiful Val d’Orcia, and the historical region of Chianti. There will also be great Tuscan food and lots of opportunities to enjoy the local towns, villages and scenery.
This very special week will combine all the best elements of Italian life: you will live in a real Italian village and see the community going about its daily life; eat in restaurants where Italians eat; and discover some of Tuscany’s most breathtaking scenery. All as a backdrop to sniffing, swirling, and tasting Tuscan wines. There will be plenty of time built into the programme for adequate rest and relaxation during the day so you can immerse yourself in the Tuscan lifestyle.
Guests will be accommodated at i Castagni. The cost per person for the week is €6300 (or $6300 if you wish to pay in US dollars). This includes everything on the programme (all visits, wines, meals, accommodation, transport and tolls). It does not include airfares or transfers from/to your arrival airport to iCastagni. If you need assistance with booking your airport transfer to/from the hotel, please ask.
You will be accompanied throughout by the bi-lingual owners of iCastagni, who have designed this programme especially for you to introduce you to the best the area has to offer. They will be on site, and on call, to assist you at all times and to guarantee that you enjoy an authentic Italian experience.
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This will be an opportunity to touch and taste the true Tuscany.
OUTLINE PROGRAMME
Arrival Day - Sunday
afternoon arrival at i Castagni and settle into your accommodation
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evening drinks/aperitivo on the i Castagni terrace with a relaxed and 'hands-on' introduction on 'how to taste wine'
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dinner at a village restaurant
Monday
medieval Montefollonico
Tuesday
majestic Montepulciano
a relaxed introduction, in the i Castagni cellar, to the wines produced in this breathtakingly beautiful pocket of Tuscany, followed by a visit to a tasting room which has been in continuous use since the 1300s.
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lunch at iCastagni
free/rest time in the afternoon
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a village aperitivo with a magical view
dinner at our local restaurant where all the traditional Tuscan offerings are hand-made in a tiny kitchen
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a short (10 minute) journey to our neighbouring town of Montepulciano
wander the town at your own pace, optional guided tour, shopping opportunities
lunch in the town followed by
a visit, tour and tasting at a Montepulciao organic winery
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dinner at Montepulciano's premier restaurant
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Wednesday
Perfect Pienza and the breathtaking beauty of the Val d'Orcia
visit to the Renaissance jewel of Pienza
wander this beautiful town with its world-famous piazza (town square) and church
pre-lunch drink in Pienza, with a stunning view
lunch in a neighbouring village
pizza dinner (and pizza making for those who would like to try making their own) at i Castagni
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Thursday
Authentic and Architecturally beautiful towns
we will visit an
authentic Tuscan town, which rarely features on visitors' itineraries, and enjoy immersing ourselves in the daily life of the locals - an opportunity to shop, wander, visit some architecturally beautiful buildings, sip coffee (or wine), relax and absorb the ambience of this genuinely Italian place
followed by
a journey to a beautiful town with a stunning architectural feature
dinner at a local trattoria
Friday
Stunning Siena and sipping Brunello
visit to the city of Siena, packed with all the very best that Tuscany has to offer: art, history, beautiful buildings, culture, elegant shopping, and people-watching opportunities
we will tour the city with a private guide before having lunch together with this wonderful Siena local who will charm you with her stories, and answer all your questions, about this very special city
dinner with another of Tuscany's world-famous treasures; Brunello wine
Saturday
leisurely morning followed by departure
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