Wine & Tours
Wine and olive oil tasting, truffle hunt, discover the Etruscan trail, and swim in ancient Roman open-air baths
Here are some ideas how best to enjoy your time in Tuscany.
All trips are very personal with only Rosolaccio guests, accompanied by a driver in our 8-person minivan.
WINE TASTING TOUR
You will visit wineries in the San Gimignano area. In each winery, there will be a 1,5 hour tour which includes 4-5 tastings of different wines with platters of cheese and cold meats as food, and visits to the cellars and vineyards of each farm in order to understand the different processes and blending of grapes needed to make red Chianti and white Vernaccia wines. You will learn how grapes are cultivated, the impact different geographic areas and soils have on growth and flavouring, the influence specific varieties of grape have on the flavour of wines and how different vinification processes affect the final taste of wines.
3 wineries, full-day tour departs at 10am and returns at 6pm.
2 wineries, half-day tour departs at 10am and returns at 1,30pm. Or from 2,30pm to 6pm.
TRUFFLE HUNT
You will search for truffles, unique mushrooms which grow beside the roots of trees, in a forest with a local truffle hunter and his dog. The outing lasts three hours, and includes all the stages of the hunter's search. Then, on a nearby open-air patio, the hunter's wife will cook you lunch which includes a pasta dish with the truffles you have found.
3 hours between 10,30am and 1,30pm
ANCIENT ROMAN OPEN-AIR BATHS TRIP
This is an opportunity to visit and bathe in at least 5 open-air, ancient sites which have been in use since Etruscan-Roman times. The natural spring waters range from being cold to hot, limpid clean to a milky, bright white. The wonderful, scenic settings of this tour and the full immersion you will have in natural hotspots make this a breathtaking trip. The price includes a personal towel, a light lunch, transport and driver.
Full-day tour, visit 5 different baths, departs at 8,30am and returns at 6pm (includes a lunch stopover).
Half-day tour, visit 3 different baths, departs at 8,30am and returns 1,30pm.
ETRUSCAN TRAIL
A cultural trip in which we visit a museum, an acropoli and trails to hidden necropolises in the area. As we visit locations you will learn about the Etruscans’ particular blend of middle-eastern and italic cultural, religious and political practices. You will discover the cultural and historical legacy which the Etruscan people have left behind, a civilisation we are still learning a lot about, caught between the Greek and Roman worlds.
Full day tour departs at 8,30am and returns at 6,30pm (includes a lunch stopover).
Half-day tour departs at 8,30am and returns at 2pm.
OLIVE OIL TASTING
You will visit 3 olive oil producers in the nearby Valdelsa area. Where you will taste the different varieties of olive oils they produce, which includes single blends of olives to extra-virgin olive oil produced from large blends of olives. You will be introduced to olive harvesting techniques, the types of trees available in Tuscany and the differing philosophies behind quality olive oil production. You will learn how different types of cultivation, geographic areas, soils and specific varieties of olives lend their flavour and characteristic identities to olive oils. You will also learn about the stages in production such as pressing in certified mills, as well as extraction processes which have an important effect on olive oil quality, characteristics and flavour.
Full day tour departs at 9,30am and returns at 5pm (includes a lunch stopover)
Half-day tour departs at 9,30am and returns at 1pm.
