The Tastes of Tuscany!
An Italian Food and Wine Adventure
October 10th – 16th, 2010
Saugatuck’s own Chef Jim Renberg has been in the culinary business for eight years. After working in the auto industry as a design engineer for 15 years, Jim moved to Palm Beach, Florida to study at the Culinary Institute before getting his first job at The Breakers, a Palm Beach institution. He then focused as a private chef for a noted family in Palm Beach, preparing three meals a day, seven days a week, offering a real opportunity to get creative in the kitchen. Today, Jim is a personal chef and cooking instructor in the resort town of Saugatuck, Michigan, enlightening his guests on the joys of the kitchen. Be one of the lucky twelve people to join Jim for this delicious week in Tuscany, exploring Italy’s gift to the culinary world! WHAT’S INCLUDED: 3 nights in Siena; 3 nights in Radda-in-Chianti; Transfers to and from the airport in Florence, and all transfers throughout the program; Bilingual tour guide throughout the program; Panoramic guided city tour of Siena (half-day); Two hands-on cooking lessons hosted by Jim Renberg; Winery visit and tasting in Montepulciano; Winery visit and tasting at Vignamaggio; Visits to San Gimignano, Pienza, and Panzano-in-Chianti; Six breakfasts; Five lunches; Three dinners - Welcome and Farewell dinners, and one dinner in Radda. All wines (and drinks) with meals included. Air is NOT included to/from Italy.
Sunday, October 10th
Florence - Siena
The Florence airport is where you will meet Chef Jim and our local guide, then we are off to the magical city of Siena. En-route from Florence to Siena, we will pause for lunch at a charming restaurant in the hills south of Florence for our first taste of Tuscan fare. In Siena, check in and get settled into our new home, the Palazzo Ravizza, a 17th century palazzo in the center of the city. Make sure to take a look at the picturesque garden. The Palazzo Ravizza is one of the very few hotels that boasts such conveniences and being located within the city walls, and within easy walking distance to all the major attractions, including the best shopping in Siena. A warm welcome dinner awaits us this evening at one of Siena’s fine restaurants. L,D
Monday, October 11th
Siena
Ochre in color, gothic in construction, Siena serpentines its majestic way around and on top of three hills in the heart of Tuscany. Palaces abound, cathedral bells ring, and tiny cobble-stoned streets all lead their way to the unforgettable Il Campo, praised as Italy’s most remarkable piazza. Siena is a medley of romance, gastronomy, and mystery painted on a backdrop of Medieval mastery. There will be plenty of free time to wander and explore this splendid city on your own. Today we are privileged to have our own local guide lead us through an adventurous walking tour of this captivating university city. Make sure to have plenty of film on hand! Lunch will be a welcome break from our explorations, where we enjoy delicious Tuscan specialties and Chianti wines in an easy-going, colorful ambiance. The remainder of the afternoon is free to explore all the narrow alleyways with shops, fountains, and tiny piazzas in this magical Tuscan city. Dinner tonight is on your own, with so many choices just steps from our hotel, including a vast array of charming local osterias, warm and friendly trattorias, and refined ristorantes. B,L
Tuesday, October 12th
Tuscan Cooking–Pienza - Montepulciano
This morning we are in for a regal treat at a fattoria, or working farm, whose pride in production is a fruity extra-virgin olive oil and wonderfully heady Brunello wines. Built in 1592, the Fattoria del Colle now offers bed and breakfast to visitors wise to farm vacations in Tuscany. Il Colle also has an excellent table reserved exclusively for its guests with a top chef from nearby Montalcino attending to the traditional cuisine. This morning the chef, teamed with our own Chef Renberg, will guide us through the kitchen and hands-on creations like bruschetta and hand-rolled local pasta called pici. Lunch will be a delight as we feast upon the fruits of our culinary labors created this morning. Pienza is the birthplace of Pope Pius II (1458) but the real star in town is the Florentine Bernardo Rossellino who gave the world the first example of planned Renaissance urbanization, as seen in its center square or piazza. Pienza might also be considered the capital of Tuscan cheese for its oldest traditional cheese, pecorino, a pungent low-fat ewe’s milk cheese that ages wonderfully, is produced locally. As we witness from the abundant shops selling pecorino, this savory cheese can be enhanced with any number of natural herbs, spices, or funghi, including truffles. This afternoon we enjoy a leisurely stroll through this wonderful Renaissance village ripe with sights and smells. What a better compliment for cheese is there than a glass of wine? And what about not just any wine in just any old setting? By private invitation we discover the Cantine del Redi winery in Montepulciano, over 600 years old, and still producing some of the best Nobile wines to be found anywhere in Tuscany. Back in Siena, explore its hidden charms or write a postcard, glass of wine in hand, from the scenic Piazza del Campo. Are you on a culinary mission? Why not check out a well-stocked kitchen shop that offers good presents to take home like individual espresso makers, olive-wood cutting boards, cheese graters, or any of the modern design objects the Italians are so brilliant at producing? Dinner tonight’s a Sienese dining adventure to discover on your own. B,L
Wednesday, October 13th
San Gimignano – Radda-in-Chianti
In the heart of the rolling Tuscan countryside, studded with vines and olive trees, is the crowning glory of San Gimignano with its numerous medieval towers that have earned the nickname, “San Gimignano dalle Bella Torri”. This remarkable city had been something of an independent state since the 12th century and for two centuries following, it prospered considerably. The numerous feudal towers have long been interpreted as a sign of the city’s two most powerful noble families divided in opposing factions, the Gibelins (for the emperor) and the Guelphs (for the Pope). Enjoy a guided stroll through this fascinating page in Tuscan history. For souvenirs, take home beautiful hand-woven baskets used for drying figs or picking olives which are the specialty of the local craftsmen. An excellent address in town for arte povera, or poor art, is on the main street at “Bottega D’Arte Povera” on 83 Via San Matteo. Here you will find wonderful hand-made baskets, olive wood bowls and boards, terra-cotta cooking pots, and local chestnut baskets. Lunch is a destination on your own amongst the many cafés and trattorias in San Gimignano. After lunch we transfer to the medieval hilltop village of Radda-in-Chianti, and the Relais Vignale, our home for the next three nights. The hotel is in the center of the village and offers fantastic views over the surrounding hills and vineyards, lovely pool, and beautiful terrace. Late this afternoon there is plenty of free time to explore our new home village. Tonight’s dinner will be a fun and casual affair in Radda. B,D
Thursday, October 14th
Volpaia - Radda-in-Chianti
Special moments of the week include our time in the kitchen with Jim. Cooking Tuscan style is our theme this morning. In the medieval hilltop village of Volpaia, Jim will introduce us to chef Carla Vespulli, owner of the Bottega Trattoria in the center of the village. It is an exciting moment as we learn to prepare delicious local specialties while enjoying the formidable company of our dynamic hostess. In no time we will see why Carla’s trattoria is actor Richard Gere’s professed favorite in Tuscany. Just before lunch we discover what makes Volpaia such a famous landmark on Italy’s culinary map. The answer is simple, and essential to the success of many typical recipes including great salad dressing: vinegar. Volpaia is the only community in Tuscany presently licensed to make vinegar. By law, winemaking facilities must be located some distance from those making vinegar. To make the best vinegar one must start with a great wine, and transform it slowly. That way its components, its perfumes, will remain in the vinegar. Volpaia’s red and white vinegars are aged in barrels, just like the best wines. The vinegar absorbs noble tannins from these oak barrels that infuse the bouquet with extraordinary elegance. Then the vinegars are given a final treatment, they are infused with natural flavors. The final vinegars are numbered from one to five: 1 Herbs; 2 Spices; 3 Kitchen Garden; 4 Flowers; 5 Fresh. These vinegars are rarely found in America but we will have the chance to purchase them in easy-to-bring-back-home sizes. Lunch is at the trattoria where we will enjoy the delectable fruits of our culinary labors among excellent company and wonderful local wines. Radda is home to several artists, ceramic producers, and specialty food shops, and this afternoon offers time on your own to discover them! Radda-in-Chianti also offers a variety of different dining options; tonight the choice is yours; just report back to the group in the morning! B,L
Friday, October 15th
Panzano-in-Chianti - Vignamaggio
Our destination this morning is the hilltop village of Panzano-in-Chianti, with its captivating views over the stunning Val d’Oro, or “Valley of Gold” offering a “patchwork” view of vineyards, olive groves, and cypresses. Panzano is home to the most famous butcher in all of Italy, Dario Cecchini. Dario is a large vital young man with a ready smile and large, nimble hands. Among other things, Dario will guide us through the art of hand-kneaded salsicce, along with all the additional meats, patés, and herbs that comprise the authentic cucina Toscana. Of course, there are tastings and many photo opportunities. There will be some time to explore Panzano on your own, with its interesting galleries, boutiques, and wine bars. Lunch will be an adventure at Dario’s restaurant in Panzano. Make sure to bring a very healthy appetite! After lunch we visit the nearby Villa Vignamaggio to discover a remarkable Renaissance villa that was the birthplace of Mona Lisa, or La Gioconda in Italian. This spectacular villa and its resplendent gardens were featured in Kenneth Branagh’s 1992 film Much Ado About Nothing. Though the villa is private, we shall tour its gardens, then taste the estate’s award-winning Riserva, Chianti Classico, Super-Tuscan wines, and olive oil. Time to relax a bit before dinner this evening. Our farewell dinner together will be at a special agriturismo just outside of Radda-in-Chianti. We are welcomed by the “locally famous” Gioia Milani, who will have prepared for us an authentic dinner comprised of ingredients produced directly on her farm! This will be a meal we’re sure to remember, as we raise our glasses and toast to a wonderful week together! B,L,D
Saturday, October 16th
Florence
After breakfast, we transfer back to Florence for the return trip back to America. B
B=Breakfast L=Lunch D=Dinner
