Before arriving in Italy, I contacted the concierge (whose name also happens to be Tamara) at Villa la Massa to see about setting up a wine tasting. She suggested the Frescobaldi property, Castello di Nipozzano in Chianti Rufina (still pinching myself that this all really happened). She also arranged for us to have a private driver. The driver was on the pricey side (400 euros), but we also weren’t sure if we’d be able to easily find a taxi or Uber for any less that that, and it definitely added an elegant start to our trip.

After a really good night’s sleep (albeit still somewhat jet lagged) we got up and ordered a “little” prosciutto and a small plate of rolls from room service. And can I just tell you, the cappuccino? Oh, my! I don’t think I’ll ever be able to order it anyplace else anymore. The food EVERYWHERE was MORE than enough.

I wish there was a way to turn driving through the hills of Tuscany into a VR experience for everyone, but it will have to suffice to say that EVERYONE should go if they can. It was somewhat overcast as we made our way on the twists and turns, but extraordinarily gorgeous. There was something about the fog that made it extra romantic as we climbed the hill to the castle. We had a brief wait outside. We thought it was going to be private tasting. Instead, it included a group of 13 stunning women, in what I believe was an eastern European bridal party, and a couple from St. Louis, who we later learned were a pediatrician and a botany professor.

The wine tour was quite similar to those we’ve been on in the past. It was interesting to walk up the hill to the castle and see the wines from the 1800s. The views around each corner were more picturesque and amazing than the last. Because they were in Chianti, the primary grape is sangiovese, but they also made a very nice super Tuscan. Richard and I both found that we enjoyed the white wines in every region more on this trip than the reds, but we loved getting to try all of them! It started to sprinkle on us ever so slightly (one of only three times we actually got raindrops on us – but I had our trusty travel umbrellas in my purse) as we made our way back to the villa. There, we got a peek inside the house, and even got to see the thank you notes from US Presidents. (Frescobaldi appears to be something on which the Clintons and the Trumps agree.)

The “snack” we had to go with the wines MORE THAN sufficed for lunch. Then, it was time to make our way back to the hotel. We made a somewhat awkward exit because we knew time was running out for our driver and didn’t want to pay for another hour. Our hosts were so polite and allowed us such a chance to try things on our own we couldn’t even find them to say goodbye!

Back at the hotel, it was time to get ready to meet our group and our amazing, gorgeous director Sofia Keck. She’s been all over the world, is a business owner, an attorney, an author, a mother – She is fluent in four languages and is just an incredible person! I’d love to do another tour with her! Within our group we had 19 other people. Two single women touring alone, two married woman friends traveling together without their husbands, one family of married doctors with their 24-year old daughter, one gay architect and his concert pianist husband, and the rest husband/wife married couples (including Richard and me), all from the US except for one of the single women from Australia. All but the other single woman, one couple, and Richard and I had been on Tauck tours before. The majority had also been in Italy before. As Sofia said, this was not meant to be “beginner” tour because most people want to see the big tourist sights in Italy. Richard and I are more about seeing the OTHER parts, so this was good for us.

Because no one else took pictures when the whole group was together and socializing (not sightseeing), I read the room, and for the most part, didn’t take pictures. We enjoyed the night getting to know the group at our table. Other than the first meeting and the farewell dinner (which were open seating) there was always the option of eating “romantico” (just the two of us), choosing specific dinner partners, or “elastico” with a group that Sofia assigned to people. We just went with “elastico” the whole time and had dinner with whomever. It’s always interesting to hear other people’s stories. At the Tauck provided dinners, diners always get to choose 3 courses. People could have two appetizers and a main, they could have three desserts — just whatever three things from the menu that look good. House wine was always included, was always local, and was always unlimited with lunch and dinner.

That night ended with yet another drink at the bar. (We were a little toasty!).

The next day was our first tour and the one that Richard was the most excited about. It was time for a cooking class!

The hotel offered a VERY full breakfast, including eggs made to order, jars of fresh mozzarella, outstanding cantaloupe and other fresh fruits, always charcuterie, and TONS of pies and pastries.

Those winding Tuscan roads were a little sketchy after all the drinking! It was good to have something in our stomach.

Excursions generally started after 9 in the morning on non-travel days because they were local. This first day we were to go to Fonte de Medici which is associated with Antinori winery. Richard and I were familiar with Antinori because of their world-class wine, Tignanello. We were hoping for a deal buying it from the winery, but its price there was about the same as the US (around $150). Each day, we got on our large and very comfortable Barocchi coach with our driver Alessandro who was with us for the whole time. In theory, we were supposed to sit in assigned seats which changed daily, but a few of us rebels (Richard and I) spread out in the back where it was cold and we had our own space.

On a Tauck tour, you never have to pay any tips until the end, at which time you tip your driver (recommended $7 per traveler per day) and your tour director (recommended $10 per traveler per day). There is a restroom on the bus if necessary, but we never went anywhere for longer than about an hour and fifteen minutes before we would make a stop at an American-friendly restroom (by that, I mean a restroom with a toilet seat. lol)

I keep going on and on about the beauty of each and every place, but when we stepped of the bus at the cooking school/Agritourism center, I literally lost my breath. Around every corner was the most beautiful place on earth!

After we walked into the little cooking school, it started pouring down rain. It finished as we finished class and were ready to walk over to lunch. Again, the weather cooperated with us!

There were stands set up around the room where we were about to cook the three course meal we were going to eat that day.

(Okay, so let’s get real. Yes, we cooked the meal; no, we did not eat the actual food that WE cooked, but we ate the same things that we HAD cooked, except they’d been prepared by the chefs there.)

Our instructor, Matia Barciulli, was the former head chef of a Michelin starred restaurant. He was funny, engaging, and helpful. Together, we cooked (okay, Richard cooked, I played paparazzo and drank rose) warm pecorino flan with zucchini puree (which I could really eat every day of my life!), fresh tagliatelle pasta with pancetta, sage tomato sauce and, finally, a Florentine zuccotto (that’s sponge cake) with cream and chocolate. Richard IS going to replicate this whole menu! I can’t wait!

The class was great for everyone! Richard learned something about making pasta that he hadn’t known before, and Matia even pulled me aside to tell me he could tell how passionate and talented Richard is and that he clearly had a skill for cooking. I know we BOTH loved hearing that!

The wine flowed with lunch as we enjoyed the finished product. (Again, I didn’t really take pictures during lunch because it seemed like most cameras were put away when the whole group was eating at the table, but it was all VERY tasty! )

Then, back for one last night at our hotel. We did have about two hours when we could have taken the shuttle into Florence to walk around, but it looked like it was about to rain again. So we relaxed and napped and decided to get a head start on the evening in the hotel bar. AND we still had more food to eat and drinking to do!

That night, it was dinner at a little local restaurant in town, Trattoria Donnini. Again, we could order three courses, so Richard did it. It was 105 euros on the menu… but no one told us a limit… he had the 2 kilo Florentine steak! (Others did help!) We also managed to finish five bottles of wine between four people, even after having before dinner drinks. Moderation did not seem to be our “go to” so far this trip. (Our first two nights were the only nights that we over did it with the drinking… but boy did we!!!)

Back at our lovely hotel, we knew we had many adventures the day ahead, so we needed to get our bags all packed up before we were ready to be on the move again (the bellmen would come pick them up by 7:30) and we would be leaving Tuscany and on to Umbria the next day.