Featured holiday Food and wine holiday in Tuscany’s Chianti Italy

Arrive by air at Pisa airport and collect your hire-car. From Pisa, drive south in your hire car to the small hamlet-hotel of Borgo San Felice. This exclusive retreat is set in the heart of the Tuscan Chianti villages, surrounded by the vineyards of the hotel’s estate, and has magnificent views across the Tuscan countryside. As part of your holiday at the Borgo San Felice, you will indulge in a three-course meal in the restaurant, comprised of dishes, ingredients, and wines that really epitomise the Tuscan lifestyle. You will tour the San Felice wine cellar and taste three wines, such as Poggio Rosso Chianti Classico, Vigorello Toscana, and Brunello di Montalcino. To ensure you leave with the ultimate Tuscan souvenir of being able to bring the Tuscan cuisine to your own kitchen, you take part in a three-hour cookery lesson, where you learn to prepare three traditional dishes. This lesson is accompanied by a light lunch. These items will be spread over the duration of your holiday at the Borgo San Felice and booked in advance so that you can fit in rest, relaxation and our suggested excursions for each day.

Travelling around the Chianti villages, however, will reveal the diversity of the wines that the area produces; each village and each vineyard has its own unique taste. For other wines, still of excellent quality and recognised worldwide, drive to the village of Montalcino. The full-bodied Brunello di Montalcino is made from grapes of Sangiovese origins, giving the wine a fruity cherry overtone to compliment the undertones of spice, raisins, cedar, and leather. Its younger, lighter counterpart is the Rosso di Montalcino. For a less complex alternative with a smaller price tag, go for the Montepulciano in the neighbouring village. Montalcino, abundant as it is in fruitful vineyards, has many wineries at which you can try these wines. The Podere il Cocco is a rustic family-run winery set against a serene verdant backdrop that also offers olive oil tasting opportunities. Another beautiful stone-built farmhouse set amongst two private hills, the Máté Winery offers a range of wines aged in its cellar and made from grapes crushed by hand, including Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Sangiovese. The larger 7 hectare estate of the Agricola Tenuta Poggio Rubino specialises in Brunello di Montalcino and Rosso di Montalcino. While in Montalcino, visit its many historic sites. The Fortezza di Montalcino has some of the most spectacular views in Montalcino, which can be enhanced by walking up the steps that take you onto the battlements. The fortress also houses a wine bar and shop selling the local wine. Sunday mornings bring with them a Gregorian Chant Mass at the Abbazia di Sant’Antonio monastery, which always proves to be a highly moving and atmospheric event. The abbey can be visited outside of prayer times if you wish to experience its beauty when cloaked by peaceful serenity. The Castello Romitorio, as well as offering Brunello wine-tasting and vineyard tours, is housed in a 12th century fortress and farmhouse, and has an art gallery. Or climb up to the looming white façade of the Chiesa della Madonna del Soccorso for astounding views across the village and neighbouring hills.

Another day excursion worth embarking on is a trip into nearby Siena. Inside the town walls, you will be immediately struck by the abundance of olive groves and gardens, which give the town a beautifully rustic, homely feel. One of Siena’s main attractions is the semi-circular Piazza del Campo. This square is lined with quaint cafes perfect for morning coffees and lunches, and is the site of the famous Siena Palio on the 2nd of July and 16th of August. This medieval horserace involves a single rider from each of Siena’s 17 districts competing against one another while the population of Siena watches from the square’s centre. The event is usually accompanied by a series of parades and other celebrations. Make sure you allow time to visit the Piazza del Duomo, a testament to Siena’s long-standing competition with Florence. This square was once intended to be the interior of a vast extension to the current Duomo, though all that remains is the colourful tiled floor, and the large free-standing archway that was meant to be the Duomo’s new main doorway. Inside the Duomo’s baptistery, the baptismal font is recognised to be one of Siena’s greatest spectacles. It is decorated with delicate relief panels by artists such as Donatello, Ghiberti, and Jacopo della Quercia.

Next, we highly recommend a visit to Florence, which lies slightly further away, to the north of San Felice. While here, make the most of the city’s artistic heritage, visiting the Uffizi and Bargello galleries, and Florence’s monastery, which houses a vast collection of Florentine paintings. Architecturally, one of the most interesting buildings is the cathedral, built in the Gothic style but with beautifully intricate and almost geometric carvings. The main attraction, however, has to be the original ‘David’, by Michelangelo, that is on display in the Accademia. While in Florence, take the opportunity to try some of the street food, such as Lampredotto. This dish’s main ingredient is the fourth stomach of a cow, cooked in a broth and served with either salsa verde or a hot, spicy sauce. If this unusual dish does not appeal, the Florentine steak is always available for a rich and tasty meal. The Enoteca Pinchiorri restaurant has 2 Michelin-stars, so is an excellent place to spend an evening, indulging in the very best cuisine and wine that you have spent the last few days becoming acquainted with.

After visiting Florence, you may wish to explore more of the famous Tuscan villages. We would highly recommend San Gimignano and Volterra. San Gimignano, like Siena, bears the scars of unfulfilled ambition. On approach, you will notice the many towers rising from the small village’s many squares. These squares signify the attempted expansion of the village, which was ultimately abandoned, but give the village lanes and alleyways a very grand character. Volterra contrasts San Gimignano beautifully. Its buildings are typically built from a dark volcanic stone, and the village retains most of its original fortified walls, surrounded by deep ravines. These two charming villages offer very different insights into the Tuscan way of life, but both are equally attractive. You may also wish to visit the small hamlet of Monteriggioni, outlined by well-maintained mediaeval walls, and somewhat surreal in its perfection, perched as it is on an isolated low-rising hill. After your exploration of the enchanting Tuscan landscape, return to the Borgo San Felice to soak up the sun beside the pool and dine in the restaurant.

Depending on the time of your flight back to London, spend more time exploring Tuscany or drive to the airport and return your hire-car ready for the flight back.