Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
SPECIALIST HOLIDAYS
AND OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES
Nowhere is the Italian motto
gentle pace of an activity holiday here,
which in many cases means painting
the stunning countryside or sipping
vintage wines, is so appealing. For
those more interested in energetic
pursuits the region has plenty of
sporting activities on offer, from
horse riding to water sports. For
educational courses see p298.
for good living,
la dolce
vita
, more in evidence than
in Tuscany. Sitting outside a café in
a Tuscan village you can glimpse
original Renaissance art or take in
the sight of well-tended olive
groves and vineyards terraced into
the steep hillsides. No wonder the
Olives and
olive oil
ART
There are plenty of cookery
courses where you can learn
Italian food traditions - some
of which are listed on
Nonna
Lina's Kitchen
website.
Originally a medieval
Benedictine abbey,
Badia a
Coltibuono
(see p229)
is a
prestigious Chianti wine-
producing estate. Courses on
offer here range from brief
wine and olive oil tastings,
to five-day residential cookery
courses with tours of the
vineyards, olive mills and
wine-making cellars at Monti
in Chianti.
Apicius Culinary Institute
in
Florence is affiliated to Lorenzo
de' Medici Art Institute. The
duration of the cookery
courses range from one-week
to year-long diplomas.
La Cucina del Garga
cookery
school and restaurant, also in
Florence, teaches recipes with
a modern flourish. It holds
one-day classes in the city
and four to eight-day gastro-
nomic excursions in Tuscany.
Vineyards offer wine tastings
by appointment.
Chianti
Classico
promotes stays at
Those of an artistic persuasion
can enrol at art school and try
their hand at sculpture, art
restoration or painting the
beautiful countryside.
Centro
d'Arte Verrocchio
, a residential
art school in the hilltop
village of Casole d'Elsa offers
courses in drawing, painting
and sculpture. Students can
work on the terrace in stunning
surroundings. For city-based
courses try
Lorenzo de' Medici
Art Institute of Florence
. The
semester and summer school
programmes include
sketching, watercolour, fine
art, painting, print-making,
restoration and art history.
Students learning Italian recipies
vineyards in the Chianti
Classico region, while
Consorzio del Vino Brunello di
Montalcino
has information
on visits to the Brunello region.
Specialist
enoteca
(wine bars)
and shops, including
Millesimi
near Santa Spirito, also arrange
wine tastings by appointment.
COOKERY AND WINE
TASTING
Tuscany offers many gastro-
nomic delights from pecorino
cheese to porcini mushrooms.
The regional cuisine values
quality of ingredients rather
than complex technique, and
recipes are handed down from
one generation to the next.
WALKING, CYCLING AND
HORSE RIDING
Tuscany's scenery can be best
enjoyed at walking pace.
Several holiday companies
offer walking itineraries, some
through the landscape of
forested hills and olive groves,
while others wend their way
through the medieval hilltop
towns, taking in cultural land-
marks along the way.
Ramblers
Holidays
and
Sherpa Expeditions
are two such companies, and
Club Alpino Italiano
runs
guided mountain treks.
Another great way to see
the Tuscan countryside is
by bike. For cycling holidays
contact
Cicloposse
, which
deals in both guided and
self-guided bike tours.
Painting the beautiful Tuscan countryside
