Curata Travel and Italian-American food blogger Martina Bartolozzi (AKA @MementoMartina on Instagram) have partnered up again to create a food lover’s dream tour to Tuscany. But this isn’t your usual Tuscan tour, because you’ll be visiting areas of the region that are very well-loved by Italians, but that most foreigners have never heard about!
This trip is perfect for travelers who want plenty of time to rest, who enjoy good food, and who want to get their hands “dirty” and explore the behind-the-scenes of how food is made. This will be an exclusive, small group tour limited to 12 people.
The trip will revolve around two main themes:
1. Sustainability - and how to lower our impact on the environment so it can thrive.
2. Relaxation – it’s a vacation, after all!
Keep scrolling for more tour details, pricing, and specific Trip Notes for this particular tour.
Tour Highlights
Be among the first Americans to enjoy the wines made in the small town of San Giovanni delle Contee, a hilltop town with less than 200 residents!
Learn about sustainable fishing practices with a private, hands-on fishing experience with an activist fisherman.
Relax in the replenishing and rejuvenating hot waters of the natural thermal springs popular in the Maremma area.
A small group size will allow for access to experiences not usually available to larger groups (and virtually unknown by most Americans!)
About Martina Bartolozzi
Born and raised in Tuscany, with a passion for local, authentic, regional foods.
After learning how to carve meat with her stepfather, Tuscan butcher Dario Cecchini, she traveled all over Italy and around the globe, learning about different cultures and culinary traditions.
In 2021 she was selected as one of the top 20 Women in Food of the year by Corriere della Sera, one of Italy's most read newspapers. You can find her online at @mementomartina
Itinerary
MAREMMA – a land of good food, good drink, and good people.
THE COAST – where we’ll relax in some of Italy’s clearest waters;
BOLGHERI – known for its fabulous red wines;
Double occupancy: $6975/person
Single supplement*: $550
Deposit of $2,500/person is due upon booking to reserve your spot, along with a signed & completed registration form. Booking is not considered confirmed until deposit has been received.
Payments can be made by check (made out to Curata Travel) and mailed to: Curata Travel, 245 N. Main Street, Spring Grove, PA 17362.
Credit cards are accepted with a 3.6% fee.
Final payment is due 60 days prior to departure.
*single accommodations are limited.
Pricing includes:
- Nine nights of accommodations
- All planned excursions & classes
- Experienced tour directors and local guides
- Meals included: daily breakfasts at our accommodations, all lunches & dinners, served with local wines (with the exception of 3 lunches and 1 dinner on your own).
- Private motorcoach transportation throughout the tour
- Airport transfers on specified arrival/departure days/times. We include one group transfer for your arrival and departure at specified times. Any additional transfer will be at your own cost.
Not included:
- Airfare
- Gratuity for driver and guides, at your discretion
- Any spending during free time, personal purchases, extraneous hotel charges (minibar, laundry service, etc.) and any alcoholic beverages not included with meals.
Once you complete the Booking Request Form (click the button at the top of the page), a member of our team will contact you.
You'll receive our Terms & Conditions/Registration form to complete, along with instructions for making your deposit.
You will be picked up at the Rome (FCO) Airport on May 24, 2024 at 12:00p.m., then dropped off at the Pisa (PSA) Airport on June 2 by 9a.m. One group transfer will be provided.
Each member of the tour will be responsible for booking their own international flights. Flights are not included in the tour cost.
*Please note: Pisa is a small airport with somewhat limited flight arrivals & departures and likely no direct flights. You may find multiple connections or long layovers in the available flight itineraries. We strongly recommend looking into flight costs and trip insurance before booking your spot! These are important factors to consider as you budget for the trip.
A few items of note for some of the destinations and the trip as a whole to help set expectations and better prepare you for the trip. Some of the expectations are outlined in the Terms & Conditions form that you will use to register (see specifically the Traveler Code and Traveler Expectations sections), but to reiterate some as they specifically relate to this Unconventional Tuscany itinerary.
Cuisine - As hopefully most of you know, our food tours focus heavily on the culinary specialities of each region and town we visit. So when we arrange a lunch/dinner or culinary experience, we are working with those restaurants to plan menus in advance that highlight the seasonal produce, and dishes that reflect the region we’re in. Since this tour visits the Tuscan coast (and involves a fishing trip!), you can expect seafood to be highlighted, for example. We will be collecting some of this information at a later date from you, but if there are food allergies we need to be aware of, please let us know and we will do our best to accommodate them. If there are entire categories of food that you just don’t eat (and are not willing to try), this might not be the tour for you!
Terrain: As you'll find throughout Italy, walkways are often made up of cobblestones and limestone paving. Once we leave the coast and move inland, we will be spending time in some medieval towns with winding pathways and sometimes steep hills. Good walking shoes, being sure on your feet, and staying alert are all key to getting around! You should be able/comfortable walking at least 15 minutes at a time.
Excursions: This tour includes one boat excursion that will require being able to safely get on & off a boat. You should be comfortable being able to do so without much assistance. With all of our excursions, you are not forced to participate if something like this is not your ’thing.’ You always have the option to stay behind and enjoy some free time on your own (please note, as mentioned in the Terms & Conditions, there is no compensation or refund for any portion of the tour or excursion you do not participate in).