Food Science Spring Break Tour to Tuscany

Food Science Spring Break
Tour to Tuscany
March 14-23, 2008
• 13 students
• 3 sponsors
Travel to/from Florence
(Milan & Venice)
Travel in/out of Florence
(Modena, San Gimignano,
Siena & Montalcino)
Friday, March 14th
• Fly to Milan
(US Airways)
• Leave Manhattan
by van at 6:15 AM
• Depart Kansas City
at 10:45, fly to
Philadelphia
• Depart Philadelphia
at 6:05 PM
• Arrive in Milan at
7:15 AM on the 15th
Saturday, March
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15
Arrive in Milan 7:15 AM and go through customs
Charter bus picks up group from airport (8:00 AM) for
morning tour of Como and Bellagio Chartered through a company called
Eurotravelstar Italy Srl
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Grab a quick lunch in Bellagio – Drop off at hotel
around 1:30 PM
Check into Hotel
Spend afternoon on city tour of Milan (2:30 PM)
– Visit La Scala, The Last Supper, the Cathedral,
etc. booked tickets through www.viator.com
Dinner with group in Milan at Pastarito Pizzarito
City Tour of Milan
Saturday, March 15th
Jolly Hotel –
President
(Milan)
Our photos of
Como & Bellagio
Our photos of Milan
Travel by Train from Milan to
Florence
Sunday, March 16th
Sunday, March 16th
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Breakfast at the hotel
Depart Hotel by Charter Bus at 6:15 AM for the train
Station
Travel by Eurail to Florence – Train leaves Milan at 7:00
AM and arrives in Florence at 9:44 AM
Walk to hotel and check bags in
Tour the Accademia and see “David” – grab a quick
lunch on your own – reserved tickets through www.tickitaly.com and were able
to bypass the lines and get right in.
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Return to Hotel
Tour company picks us up near the hotel at 3:00 and
takes us to the Estate of Villa Pandolfini for a DOCG
Wine Tasting Course (information on following slide) –
tour done by Good Tastes of Tuscany
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Tour company returns us to Florence.
Dinner with the group – (just ate gelato because we ate and drank so much at the wine
tasting
Hotel Pendini – (Florence)
Wine Tasting Class
Our courses are given in the marvelous Estate of Villa Pandolfini, using the historical
archives and the cellars where the wine is actually made. The teacher is a Doctor
of Agronomy specialized in Enology, Dott. Stefano Tofanelli.
Course C (Wine Tasting Course emphasized on Italian Wines DOCG)
•Wine tasting kit will be provided.
•Visit to the vineyard with briefing on various type of wines grapes,
climates and soil.
•Back in the cellar: A bit of history on the wine and how the wine was made and
used.
•Visit the wine cellar (Briefing on wine making process)
•The mechanic of serving the wine (glasses, bottles, corks, corkscrews and various
paraphernalia).
•How to taste the wine? (Including the usage of the Aroma Wheel)
•Principle of food and wine matching.
•Buying wine for your cellar (Wine Selection Techniques)
•Italian Wines DOCG Sampled: Brunello di Montalcino, Barolo, Amarone,
Sfurzat, Nero D'Avola.
This wine tasting course on Italian wine DOCG lasts four hours
Our Photos from the DOCG Wine Tasting
Our Photos Continued
Monday, March 16th
• Early breakfast at the hotel
• Early departure by bus for Modena – 7:30
AM we set this tour up through Good Tastes of Tuscany
• Tour a Prosciutto Factory, a Parmesan
Cheese Maker, and a Balsamic Vinegar
Plant
• Lunch in Modena
• Dinner in Florence with the group
Our Photos of
the Parmesan
Cheese Factory
Our photos from the
Balsamic Vinegar Plant
Our photos of the Prosciutto
Ham Factory
Tuesday, March 17th
• Breakfast at the hotel
• Tour company will pick us up at 8:30 AM and do
the Brunello of Montalcino & Olive Mill Tours
(Montenero) – Lunch Included –
Good Tastes of Tuscany did this tour and the
lunch was in Montalcino (Montalcino was everyone’s favorite town)
• Return to Hotel
• Dinner with the group at Il Latini
– reservations are a must for Il Latini. This
place was recommended to us and it was great, be prepared to eat for 2-3 hours and there is one price for everyone.
Brunello of Montalcino and Olive Mill Tour
Montalcino owes its name to the Holm-oaks (ilex in Latin), which surround this hilly
area. The stronghold of Montalcino has always been of capital importance due to
the town’s strategic position on top of a hill. Wine characterized Montalcino’s
culture and history, which actually is the country of Brunello. The country
exclusively produces this wine from Sangiovese Grosso vines (100%). The average
production, depending on the season, reaches almost 8.000.000 bottles yearly. A
ruby color, a typical scent, a dry, lightly tannic taste stand as its major, successful
features. With an average strength of 12.5% minimum, Brielle is put on the market
after January 1st of the sixth year following the vintage as it spends at least two
years in wooden casks and it gets refined in bottles for 4/6 months.
The departure is at 9:30 a.m. from your hotel in Florence. We will take the south
direction driving between clay rolling hills and vineyards; we will pass the Monte
Amite, to stop then in Montenero. We will visit a very small extra virgin olive oil
producer, where we will enjoy seeing how to make and to learn how to taste extra
virgin olive oil, grasping every single perfume and aroma, sitting on a terrace
overlooking one of the widest views of the Val d’Orcia area.
We will drive on among vineyards of those wineries where produce the most famous
wines.... the next stop is the medieval hilltop fortified town of Montalcino, here you
can wander the streets and you will dine at a typical trattoria.
After lunch a short drive to one of the oldest and well known estates of the area, a
vineyard and noble family that have been producing the Rosso and Brunello di
Montalcino since a long time with passion. At the vineyard you will be given a tour
of the cellars and of course we will taste both the wines produced, picking the
difference and discovering why. During the harvest, end of September, you can see
the harvest and the farmers who pick the grapes by hand.
The return to your hotel around 6 p.m.
Our photos of the Olive Mill
in Montenero
Our photos from
Montalcino
Our photos from Fattoria dei Barbi
Our photos from the
Walled City of
Monteriggioni
Our photos from
Il Latini
Wednesday, March 19th
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Breakfast at the hotel
Group A will go on a full day tour of the cities of Siena and San
Gimignano with the tour company departing at 9:30 AM. (Lunch
included) – in addition to the city sites, visit a pecorino cheese
maker and have a light lunch and wine tasting with her. This tour was through
Good Tastes of Tuscany and the bus driver took them early to go through a more scenic route of old Tuscan towns. We paid for an extra
2 hours for this day, because we wanted quite a bit of time in Siena (climb the tower if you have the chance)
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Group B will do Cucina Fiorentina (The cooking school and the chocolate tasting were
through Select Italy www.selectitaly.com) starting at 9:00 AM – a market walk and
then Italian cooking course, a tour of the Uffizi (www.viator.com for tickets) and
later that day (5:00 PM) a wine and chocolate demonstration
followed by a quick walk up to Piazza Michelangelo to watch the
sunset over Florence . (Lunch this day is your finished project)
The cooking school group will enjoy a late meal at a local pizzzeria
followed by a stop at gelato store.
The Siena group will enjoy dinner in Siena.
Day tour of Siena & San
Gimignano
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This is a tour into the medieval history of Tuscany.
San Gimignano, the small village, known as the "medieval Manhattan" for
its skyline of ancient towers which rise over orange-tiled houses and narrow
streets.
Siena, Italy's loveliest medieval city. The "Campo" a shell shaped square
forms its heart, providing the stage for the "Palio" a famous annual medieval
horse-race. A lot more to visit: the Gothic Cathedral, the Town Hall, the
Museo dell'Opera sheltering the most majestic of all Siena's paintings,
Duccio's Maestà. In Siena the group will visit a Pecorino Cheesemaker and
have a light lunch and a wine tasting with her
Our photos of San
Gimignano & Siena
Our photos of the
pecorino cheese plant
outside of Siena
Cucina Fiorentina - Cooking Course with
Market Walk: Full Day (8 people)
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For the full-on Florentine food fantasy, why not combine a cooking class with a twohour morning jaunt to some of the city’s most delectable shops and lively outdoor
markets? Accompanied by the friendly Francesca Di Leonardo, a visit to typical
neighborhood alimentari, macellerie and enoteche is sure to be both an eyeopening and mouth-watering experience. The startling array of edibles often creates
visually arresting tableaus, such as the brilliantly colored display of fresh produce at
the Mercato Centrale and - exuding ambrosial aromas that tempt the palate and
tease the appetite - there is nothing quite like the scent of fresh pastries at the
pasticcerie to put you in the mood to eat! And that’s exactly what you’ll do after your
shopping expedition, a part of which will be spent picking out fresh ingredients for
your class. Led by Signora Di Leonardo, into whose home you will be welcomed for
the hands-on cooking session, the class will be held immediately following the
shopping excursion.
Born in the northern Marche region but a resident of Florence for over 25 years,
petite Francesca Di Leonardo doesn't fit the stereotype of the typical apron-clad
Italian mamma. But when she opens up her kitchen to you, you're sure to learn the
special tricks and techniques of genuine home-style Italian cooking. You can select
a main course of poultry, meat, vegetables or homemade pasta - or suggest a
particular recipe that you've always wanted to learn how to make. From this
Francesca will design a typical menu including first course, second course and
dessert. The fun starts when you don your apron and start slicing and dicing
vegetables or grating Parmesan cheese. After a 3-hour, hands-on lesson you will
gather around the kitchen table to enjoy the fruits of your labors - and non-cooking
friends or family members are welcome to join you for the meal.
Our photos of
Cucina Fiorentina
Market Walks
Our cooking
school photos
Photos from the
wine/chocolate
tasting and Piazza
Michelangelo
Decadent Indulgence - Wine & Chocolate
in Florence (8 people)
We booked this through Select Italy www.selectitaly.com and we loved
it, it was more about the wine than the chocolate, our students walked out of there ordering 42 bottles of wine to be shipped
home. We would definitely go here again, but now Select Italy also has a gelato making visit that we would have like to
have done.
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Italy is the land of sweet indulgence: nothing says decadence quite like mouthwatering chocolate accompanied by dessert wines hand-picked as perfect chococomplements. In this short wine and chocolate tasting, you will delight your palate
with a luxurious selection of chocolates as well as three wines specifically chosen
by our sommelier to go with them. Your chocolate tray will include a sampler of
three different chocolates and some cookies.
Tour Includes
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You will also taste several sweet wines:
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Guided tasting of various chocolates
Tasting serving of several dessert wines
Barolo Chinato from the Piedmont region of Italy
Recioto di Soave from Veneto
Recioto from Valpolicella (the big brother of Amarone!)
Moscato d'Asti from Piedmont
The Enoteca Ponte Vecchio is located in the heart of historic Florence. In
addition to a large variety of the finest and most famous Italian labels, special
interest is paid to small vintners rarely exported outside of Italy. They also work
hard to procure great Italian olive oils and grappa from all over the country for
you to enjoy.
Tour lasts 30-45 minutes
Thursday, March 19th
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Breakfast at the hotel
Group A will do Cucina Fiorentina (The cooking school and the chocolate tasting were
through Select Italy www.selectitaly.com) starting at 9:00 AM – a market walk and
then Italian cooking course, a tour of the Uffizi (www.tickitaly.com for tickets)
and later that day (5:00 PM) a wine and chocolate demonstration
followed by a quick walk up to Piazza Michelangelo to watch the
sunset over Florence . (Lunch this day is your finished project)
Group B will go on a full day tour of the cities of Siena and San
Gimignano with the tour company departing at 9:30 AM. (Lunch
included) – in addition to the city sites, visit a pecorino cheese
maker and have a light lunch and wine tasting with her. This tour was
through Good Tastes of Tuscany and the bus driver took them early to go through a more scenic route of old Tuscan towns. We paid
for an extra 2 hours for this day, because we wanted quite a bit of time in Siena (climb the tower if you have the chance)
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The cooking school group will enjoy a meal at a local pizzzeria
followed by a stop at a gelato store.
The Siena group will enjoy dinner in Siena.
Travel to Venice
• Breakfast at the hotel
• Travel by train to Venice (2 ½ - 3 hrs.)
Friday, March 22nd
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Breakfast at hotel
Leave hotel around 7:30 AM
Train leaves Florence at 8:38 AM and arrives in
Venice at 11:17 AM
Water taxi to the Rialto Bridge
Check luggage into hotel in Venice
Lunch on your own
Afternoon and evening of sightseeing
Formal seafood dinner with the group at the
Grand Canal restaurant in Hotel Monaco
Al Gazzettino – (Venice Hotel)
Our photos of dinner at the
Grand Canal Restaurant in
Hotel Monaco, Venice
Saturday, March 22nd
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Breakfast at the hotel
Morning of sightseeing
Lunch on your own
2:15 PM Check in for island tour of
Murano, Burano and Torcello. (3 ½ hrs)
booked through Italia Tours
• Remainder of the day/evening for
sightseeing and shopping
• Early dinner with the group
Our photos of
Venice
Our photos of Murano,
Burano and Torcello
Islands
Sunday, March 23rd
• Breakfast in the airport
• Fly from Venice to the U.S.
Flight Schedule (US Airways and
Lufthansa)
• Depart hotel at 3:30 AM – take water taxi to
airport
• Depart Venice at 6:55 AM arrive in Frankfurt
Germany at 8:25 AM.
• Depart Frankfurt at 12:30 PM arrive in
Philadelphia at 4:20 PM – Go through customs
• Depart Philadelphia at 7:30 PM
• Arrive in Kansas City at 9:46 PM
• Take vans back to Manhattan