Castles and Kitchens | Travel With Us

AUTHENTIC, GENUINE, REAL AND TRUE.

EXPERIENCE DAILY LIFE IN A SMALL ITALIAN VILLAGE. NOT AS A TOURIST, BUT A VISITOR SHARING MEANINGFUL MOMENTS WITH LOCAL PEOPLE.

We invite you to stay with us for 8 days/7 nights of food, wine and local excursions in September and October

in Tuscany's premier wine region.

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8 days/7 Nights in Chianti

FALL 2024
limited space remaining !

Sept 12- 19 sold out

Sept 21 -28 sold out

Sept 30 - Oct 7sold out

Oct 10 -17 only 4 spots remain

Oct 19 - 26

$4470 pp

2025 booking starts soon! Contact us to be on the list!

Dates 2025

September 20 - 27

September 29 - October 6

October 8 - 15

October 17 - 24

Unpack and settle in. Choose your adventure each day. Sleep late or take an early morning dip in the pool. We include 3 local excursions. All the food. All the wine. Rent an e- bike. Hands-on cooking or just hands-on eating. Explore vineyards, olive groves, forests, castles and abbeys. So many wine tastings to choose from.... a wine lover's paradise.

We can show you around.

Best of all worlds.... Add a day or 2 before and after your week with us and experience 2 great Italian cities so close!

Fly in to Florence. Fly home from Venice.

I'm interested!

THE UN-TOUR

Not 27 cities in 7 days. Not a passing glimpse at Italy from the bus window.

Our trip is for you if you want to live in a small town and meet the people.

Travel is sometimes a missed opportunity. Local people and tourists have a one-time business encounter with someone from another country. We, however, purposely settle in and spend time in one place. We see our barista, butcher and shopkeepers every day and everyone has a chance to get acquainted, ask questions and discover the wonderful little things about real life in Italy and

real people of America.

See how rich a vacation can be.

WELCOME TO OUR

CHIANTI HOME!

Camporata is a lovingly renovated mill from the 1000's. Our landlord made the three buildings of the original mill into a comfortable home for her family and she has left us her beautiful things - beds, dishes, crystal - and loving energy.

Our 8 guests enjoy privacy and comfort in their accommodations and the many secret spots to relax.

Together everyone can enjoy the pool, the gardens, gathering spaces and of course the kitchen and table.

8 days/7 Nights Chianti FALL 2024
limited space remaining !

Sept 12- 19 sold out

Sept 21 -28 sold out

Sept 30 - Oct 7sold out

Oct 10 -17 4 places

Oct 19 - 26

2025 booking starts soon!

Learn more

Inquiries & Bookings

The C&K Live-In-Chianti Experience

We include three activities during your week ---

• Introduction to Chianti, Etruscan tombs and lunch with author Dario Castagno

• Vineyard, Winery and Castle Tour

• Off site Cooking Class, like PIZZA making at the home of our friends Ciro & Cira!

The rest of the time is yours to choose your own adventure!

Perhaps the sweet Far' niente "do nothing" by the pool....

or walk, bike or drive to explore on your own. It is an easy 10 minute walk to town.

Cook, shop, taste wine or choose an adventure with Dino or Francesca....

YOU MIGHT CHOOSE ........

Get up when you want to.
Walk to your choice of village "bars" for your espresso and cornetto or have espresso, salami & bread, cheese, cake, cookies or an egg in the kitchen.

• Come along shopping -- market/butcher/baker/ wine... and wander the neighboring hill towns.

Visit local ceramic studios and meet our artisan friends.
Sit in the piazza and make friends.
Cooking Lesson: Make fresh pasta, pastry, cake or something interesting we found at the market.
Rent a bike, take a hike, or drive to a nearby walled town for shopping and great views.
Lunch at home, picnic, discover a local osteria. Or eat in a castle.
Visit Chianti Classico wineries or a thousand year old abbey for tour and tasting.
Visit our friends at the Rampini ceramics studio, an artisan family since the 1400's.
Visit Siena, a medieval city and community frozen the year of 1340.
Language Lesson in the garden
Dinner Prep: hands-on or simply observe cooking authentic local cuisine
Aperitivo : Prosecco, Campari and nibbles
Dinner: antipasti, wine, primi, wine, secondi, wine, contorni, dolci... you get the idea.
Walk to town for gelato, play games, enjoy the company, share your day, plan the next day.
Climb into your king size bed and fall asleep in the peaceful silence of vineyards & forest.

Cooking

Our week in Chianti is dedicated to getting to know this unique area and its people. What better window into a culture than its kitchen table? Tuscan cuisine is as honest and down to earth as its people. Roasted and grilled meats, fresh vegetables, soups, and pastas are elevated by the sublime addition of the local olive oil. Francesca has been cooking this food since she was a kid and still enjoys learning the favorite hyper-local adaptations of local cooks and she especially loves being able to use the local varieties of vegetables, grains and meats. Every day you are invited to join her in one of our large country kitchens as we prepare the to spend the evening at the table just like our neighbors are doing!

We’ll be making the famous pastries and crostate for breakfasts. Our daily handmade pasta will be dressed with a variety of authentic local flavors, such as wild boar ragu, porcini mushrooms and walnuts from our own tree, cherry tomatoes and garlic and more. Our butcher, Luciano, raises the esteemed Cinta Senese pigs, whose meat will grace our table grilled, roasted and in most remarkably flavored and textured sausages and salami, which we serve with figs from our trees. Taste the flavor of truly free range poultry and beef. On Thursdays, our friends Jacopo and Cristina set up their fresh fish market at the edge of the village. Wednesdays and Saturdays the vegetable market offers an opportunity for culinary adventures.

Come with us to the local grocery store and area markets, and enjoy learning to shop differently. We’ll discover new vegetables and fruits and we’ll bring them home and play with them. You can choose the cheeses, salami and meats. In a week’s time, you will have learned shopping and cooking techniques and recipes that will save you time and work in the kitchen even as you lay out truly outstanding meals. We will help you understand the wines and how they enhance food. We’ll be presenting Chianti Classico, Toscana, Riserva, and Gran Selezione, the great wines of Chianti, daily at the house and will help you appreciate their unique personalities.

ACCOMMODATIONS

Converted in the late 20th century from a water-powered grain mill built in the 1000’s, the charming mill house has 2 bedrooms with private bathrooms. The south house has two bedrooms with private bathrooms.

The attached 10th century barn structure has been converted into 2 suites, each with kitchen, bedroom, and 2 bathrooms, the upper suite with a veranda overhung with fig trees.

Our estate has many gathering places indoors and out for reading, relaxing, conversation and leisurely meals. The grounds are spacious, quiet and private with a swimming pool, covered outdoor areas, 2 tuscan grilles and beautiful gardens

It’s an easy 10 minute walk to the village where you will find shops, espresso, gelato and friendly local people.

EVEN OUR HOUSE HAS A STORY.

review

"Francesca, Dean and Tom took such good care of us. Even with all the traveling we've done, we never could have done anything like this on our own. Walking into town and driving around on our own, getting to know the local "characters"... you made it all possible! Thank you so much for this remarkable experience." --VK & MG

REVIEW

"I knew it was going to be fun but this was so much more than I ever expected! The food, the wine, the day trips... everything was just above and beyond perfect. Thank you, thank you!" -- MP

Review

"Thank you so much to Fran and Tom of Castles and Kitchens for delivering the best trip ever! You truly delivered a once in a lifetime experience, allowing us to join you in the charming villa in Gaiole in Chianti. It was more than a vacation, it was an immersive experience that allowed us a glimpse into the daily life and culture of Italy. Words cannot adequately describe what it was like for us to “live” as locals for a while. To experience the stunning countryside, to taste the delicious food and wine, to enjoy the hospitality of a gracious and welcoming community and to learn from the natives who were happy to share their knowledge and love of the region and its culture. But, most of all, we enjoyed the ability to share the experience with the group and return home having made good friends."

-J & C

REVIEW

"This was a truly unforgettable, even life-changing week. Everything so exceeded expectations. We learned so much about the wine (one thing that is going to change our life for sure!), the care and pride that goes into food, wine, and social interactions here.

Thank you for this opportunity to live another culture. " -- HB

ROOMS ARE LIMITED

I'm interested!

Details

HOW IT WORKS

Francesca, Dino and Gavin are your hosts in Chianti. We welcome 8 guests per vacation.

Vacations are 8 days/7 nights. Arrival and Departure at the villa are at your convenience on the scheduled days.

Florence is the closest airport. You may fly into or out of Venice, Milan or Rome, adding on a few days to enjoy Florence and one other great Italian city while you're here.

Take the train to Montevarchi where we will pick you up. You may also rent a car if you prefer to explore on your own or enjoy driving the roads. Or we can assist to hire private transport.

Arrive at the villa where food and wine will be waiting for you. Unpack your bags and hang up your clothes. Meet our friends at a nearby winery, take in the view and taste some olive oil and wine. Recharge from your flight and be ready for tomorrow.

For the next week, do as much or as little as you like, on your own schedule. All your food and wine at the house is included. We have also included 3 half-day excusions: an introduction to Chianti, winery tours, and an offsite cooking class. You are welcome to shop with us at the markets any or every day, explore with us or on your own, and cook with us, or sleep in every morning. Bike, hike, tour, taste, discover a mountain spring or an Etruscan tomb!

You will have many opportunities to get to know neighbors, butchers, bakers, artists, authors, historians, and the "farmers" who make world class wines.

• Extend your Italy experience with a few days in Florence and/or Venice before

you fly home. See Michelangelo's Prisoners and both his and Donatello's Davids,

indulge yourself in the magnificent paintings at the Uffizi Gallery including

Botticelli's Birth of Venus, Michelangelo's Madonna, Leonardo's

Annunciation and so much more. Wander the romantic labyrinth of Venice

streets after dark. Visit the Doge's Palace and St Mark's Square and Cathedral.

Take a water taxi to Murano or Burano for exquisite blown and handmade lace.

WHAT'S INCLUDED

Bedroom and private bathroom, double occupancy

Housekeeping.

All meals, unlimited food and wine at the house are included.

Breakfast in the kitchen or morning espresso + pastry in the village is included.

Daily cooking classes and demonstrations with Francesca at the house are included.

1 off-site cooking class and lunch is included.

A visit to a cypress grove, Etrruscan excavation site, introduction to Chianti, including a DOCG winery tour and lunch with author Dario Castagno is included.