For one dream-like week you’ll share a villa overlooking the Chianti hills with a small group of food-and wine-loving travellers. Daily trips will take you to timeless villages like Siena, Cortona, Panzano and San Gimignano; shopping in local markets; winetasting on the Chianti Trail and dining in unforgettable restaurants. You already love the food and wine so next spring see how it was meant to be enjoyed! Come with Chef James to learn why the whole world loves Tuscany.
Home will be a winery, in a thoughtfully restored villa in the rolling green hills south of Florence. Double occupancy is in rooms oozing Tuscan charm with stone walls, beamed ceilings, and en suite bathrooms. There are postcard views of the Chianti hills and each morning we’ll walk out into the vineyards that surround the house to soak in the rustic ambiance. Breakfast will be at home and then our own chauffeured bus will take us to a village, a market, an olive mill, a winery and on to lunch to explore the range of Italian cooking.
We’ll tour historic sights and see magnificent scenery, sample the finest wines and local favourites, dine at Michelin-starred restaurants and local trattorias, and taste the best gelato in the world. A bit more sightseeing in the afternoon and then it’s home to cook with James or a local chef and relax over our meal in our own dining room or on our own terrace, the perfect way to end a full day.
Does it sound appealing? We hope so, and that you’ll be with us for this memorable trip to one of the world’s loveliest destinations.
For more information call Nancy at 226-973-6082 or email chefstabletours@gmail.com.
INCLUDED
7 nights accommodation and local transportation
All meals, wine and gratuities
All sightseeing and excursions
All cooking classes with Chef James
Includes all applicable taxes and service charges
24-hour Ellison Travel & Tours emergency contact number while on tour
NOT INCLUDED
Insurance has not been included as part of your tour package. Ellison Travel strongly recommends the purchase of Manulife Insurance coverage for Cancellation and Interruption Insurance, COVID-19 Travel Plan, Comprehensive Assistance, Health Coverage, Individual Accident Coverage and Baggage and Personal Effects Insurance. Contact us for rates and complete details.
International airfare – Inquire with us about group space
Passport, visas, government processing fees, vaccinations, COVID tests, if required at time of travel
Additional taxes, fuel surcharges or service charges levied by the governments or our suppliers
PAYMENTS
Deposit of $1000 required to confirm your space
Balance due January 19, 2024
All payments are 100% non-refundable
Day 1 | Saturday, April 20
FLORENCE – PANZANO IN CHIANTI (L/D)
Guests will be met by coach and hosts at the Hotel Roma, Florence at 9am for a drive to the town of Greve. There will time to stroll the Piazza Matteoti, visit the market and enjoy coffee and pastry before we leave for the Castello di Verrazzano for a tour and tasting lunch. A short drive will take us to our home for the week, a stone farmhouse on a family owned winery nestled in the rolling green hills of Panzano in Chianti.
Overnight – Private villa Il Palagio di Panzano – 7 nights
Note: The group transfer to the villa will depart from Hotel Roma in central Florence at 9:00am on Saturday morning. We strongly recommend you stay at the Hotel Roma the night prior to this transfer.
Day 2 | Sunday, April 21
PANZANO IN CHIANTI (B/L/D)
A quiet day to settle in, visit the Sunday market in Panzano and have a wine tasting there before a leisurely walk home through the vineyards to cook with James.
Day 3 | Monday, April 22
CORTONA (B/L/D)
We’ll travel to Fattoria Bistecca, today, where our hosts, Ilaria and Lapo, will help us to make pecorino cheese. Lunch will feature their own wine and more produce from the farm, a truly Tuscan experience, and then we’ll drive a short distance to an enchanting village. Cortona, setting of Under the Tuscan Sun, will be a memorable stop before we head home.
Day 4 | Tuesday, April 23
PANZANO IN CHIANTI (B/L/D)
Giulia Scarpallegia is a popular cook in Italy, author of seven cookbooks and award winning promoter of Tuscan cuisine. She’ll be coming to our kitchen to create a meal based on her grandmother’s recipes, we’ll eat together, and still have time to enjoy a relaxing afternoon at home.
Day 5 | Wednesday, April 24
SIENA (B/L/D)
Today we’ll visit the weekly market in Siena, one of the most important cities in Italy. After shopping with James there will be free time to explore the city, have lunch and sightsee before returning home to cook together.
Day 6 | Thursday, April 25
SAN GIMIGNANO (B/L/D)
Another important town is San Gimignano, so we’ll head there today for a visit, for lunch and another wine tasting. There will be iconic views, great shopping, the best gelato in the world………and then home, for a cooking class with Jam
Day 7 | Friday, April 26
TUSCAN HILLS (B/L/D)
It’s our last full day so a tour of the sights and tastes in our own neighbourhood will be a perfect ending to the week. A magnificent winery, a favourite olive mill, ancient churches, timeless village streets – we’ll visit the best the area has to offer before returning home for our final meal together.
Day 8 | Saturday, April 27
PANZANO – FLORENCE (B)
Our last morning and a light breakfast will be ready by 6am, the coach on its way to the Florence airport by 6:30am. You’ll arrive in time for flights leaving after 10am.
B – Breakfast / L – Lunch / D – Dinner
Activity Level 1 – Easy This trip is appropriate for travellers with basic good health, balance, and mobility. There are no physically demanding activities, but some days may be longer touring days than others. Walking on flat terrain, standing for long periods of time during guided tours, stairways sometimes without handles, absence of elevators, and getting on and off buses, boats or other modes of transportation unassisted can be expected.
Tour cost
$6,500CAD per person double occupancy1st payment
Deposit of $1000 required to confirm your space
Balance due January 19, 2024
All payments are 100% non-refundable
TOUR HOST
Chef James Eddington
Food is the focus of our trip, and cooking classes with our own chef will be the highlight of your days. You’ll learn the secrets of French cuisine and the culinary techniques and philosophies of Chef James Eddington. You’ll take home a wealth of knowledge and a week’s worth of new recipes, too! Chef James has hosted multiple culinary tours through Europe and South America. Guests always speak volumes of the experience provided by Chef James, Nancy and their team.
James graduated from Fanshawe College in 1997 and immediately came to Exeter and opened his own restaurant, “Eddington’s of Exeter”, now celebrating 25 years in business. The restaurant is located in the original Carling homestead, built in the 1870s. After two major renovations, an addition of a new dining room and a serene outdoor backyard summer patio, the restaurant has a clean and modern look while maintaining its warm, traditional feel. James is an advocate of serving local food and states “we are so blessed to be living in such an agriculturally rich area of the world”. Although the local food movement is really starting to take off, it has always been the driving force in Eddington’s kitchen. At Eddington’s the menu changes frequently, as each season inspires the delicacies our region has to offer. Chef James was award “top 30 under 30” by the Ontario Hostelry Institute recognized by the Globe and Mail.
In addition to overseeing all aspects of the restaurant, James is also involved in the community. He is a member of the Exeter BIA, sits on the Huron County Economic Development board, as well as an Exeter Director for RTO4 Regional Tourism Board 4 (representing Agra culinary for Huron, Perth, Wellington, and Waterloo counties). James has also supported many charities in Huron County and region throughout the years. He has donated many culinary prize packages as silent and live auction items for the Conservation Dinner and the Exeter Hospital Foundation. James has also supported the Huron Women’s Shelter, Taste for Life and helped promote International Women’s Day through the restaurant. On a personal note, James hosted hospitality and tourism students at the restaurant and mentors future chefs at Fanshawe College. Recently Chef Eddington has just purchased a small 25 acre farm along the shores of Lake Huron producing many of the restaurant fruits, vegetables and white beans and now tends his own honey bees on premise.
