Italy and Wine

I have traveled over 30 countries and this has been one of my favorite tours ever! Vittorio’s knowledge of wine, truffles and olive oil was outstanding! Definitely the highlight of my time in Italy.

We had a tour with Hillary and we had a fantastic day. If you have the chance to reserve her as your tour guide you MUST do it. She’s a sommelier and has a lot of knowledge of both the wine and the history of Florence. I won’t spoil everything for you but I’ll say that the tour included two private visits and tastings at very very prestigious wine cellars and we left feeling like royalty. This is a «must do» if you come to Florence and have a day to spare. It’s worth every penny and you will see a side of Florence that is very unique! Thank you again Hillary!

Great tour!
Vittorio was our guide and he was great. You meet in front of the national library and remember to bring your payment in cash! The credit card booking is just to hold your spot for the tour.
What to wear:
Wear or bring tennis shoes for the truffle hunt (you can keep things in the car safely if you want to change after the hunt)
Pants (I got mosquito bites in shorts)
Sunglasses (protect those eyes!)
Truffle hunt:
Did this first which was good since it gets so hot (Did this in June). Ciocco, the truffle hunting dog, found about 5 truffles… Black summer truffles… would have been amazing to come in the Winter and find white truffles which are way more expensive! But the five we found were pretty darn big, and smelled amazing. You trek through the woods, so wear pants because I got about 9 mosquito bites wearing shorts)= And some of the plants have thorns that snag on you as well.
Lunch:
Best food ever!!! Prepare to be wined and dined with an authentic Italian lunch made the truffle hunter (Francesca’s) family! I was stuffed! They even cater to your dietary needs, just let them know what they are. Had a huge appetizer plate with different truffle crostinis and her home made prosciutto, then a fresh truffle gnocchi (the best I’ve had, just melts in your mouth, and the truffles tastes so much more fresh than we get in Los Angeles), and for dessert a yummy cake. Francesca and her mom were so sweet. Their home is gorgeous and the set up for lunch was very elegant. We had so much wine here it was pretty much like an additional tasting. Francesca had us try her white, red, and dessert wine. You can also buy some of her truffle spreads, honey, and sauces before you leave.
Wine tasting:
The winery is gorgeous! And the lady here is the cutest thing! She went through how to taste wine the right way, how to tell how much alcohol is it, and what it means to be labeled Chianti wine. We learned a lot! We tasted olive oil too which was so good! Had to buy that :) She brought out bread with prosciutto and salami on it and bread for the olive oil. You can ship wine back home or buy it and take it with you.
The group size is maximum 8 which was perfect. Overall we took a little longer to finish the tour and they didn’t rush us at all. We got back around 5pm, perfect time for gelato in Florence (=
I’d definitely recommend this tour. Especially if you come in the Winter and can hunt for the white truffles! One of the highlights for us in Florence for sure.

If I could give 6 stars I could. I was a little skeptical the night before the tour as to if it would be worth the money or not, but I rolled the dice and went anyway. I came to realize the next day that this tour was the highlight of our 2 week excursion of Europe. We did the truffle hunt and wine tour with Fabian and it was absolutely amazing. If you don’t book this tour, shame on you. If you do book this tour, cross your fingers that Fabian is your tour guide. Fabian was the most friendly, fun, and knowledgable tour guide that you could ask for. The truffle hunt took place is San Miniato. Ricardo and his wife Monica were the hosts of the truffle hunt and afterwards they serve you an amazing 3 course meal; filled with truffles of course. Fabian was extremely knowledgable of the history of San Miniato and shared a lot of awesome facts of the town. Next we went to the Pietro Becoucinni vineyard where we toured the vineyard and tasted their wines afterwards. The wines there were so amazing that I couldn’t help but purchase a few cases and have them shipped home. Fabian again has such an extensive wine knowledge and walks you through the tasting process if you are unfamiliar with wine tasting. Such an extraordinary experience, if I am ever back in Florence I would absolutely do it again.

The tour that’s so great, you come home and immediately make a reservation for another one. It’s a bit of a daunting task, to capture pretty much the best experiences on your holiday to a shortish Unilocal review, but I think I’m up to it.
I’ll be honest. I was a tad skeptical at first because like many seasoned travelers, I like to think I don’t need a tour. Which is, of course, silly and pretentious because um, 1. we hadn’t rented a car so our «wine tour» would be limited to walking distance from our apartment, ie zero wineries would be visited; 2. I’m not an expert, barely vaguely familiar with the Tuscany region, having only been here once before 7 years ago (I was so busy leading up to my vacation, I hadn’t even done any research).
Putting all visions of 1990s Perillo-​style tours out of my head, I consulted Unilocal and knew that five stars don’t lie, especially when the majority of Unilocalers had written detailed reviews of their experiences and learnings. At first I was wooed by the idea of the Chianti Classico tour, but my friend spied a Chianti and Truffle tour, It didn’t take much convincing to change my mind (actually, that’s a lie. She Facebook-​shamed me due to my reluctance to wear sensible footwear). I also have had an undying love for truffles ever since I had the fortune of tasting them a zillion years or so ago. If they are a rarity in Italy, they are even more so in the US, where we are privy only to those chemically-​infused oils and specks in salt.
Promptly at 10 am on Thursday, we met our fearless leader, Fabian, at the designated (very central) meeting place. Then, our small group of 6 was off to the idyllic estate of Francesca’s family in San Miniato, where we met her charming yet malodorous (part of his charm, I promise) truffle-​hunting pup, Ciocco. Let the hunt begin! Ciocco did indeed casually find several of these magical bits of dirt candy. Throughout the beautiful hike that had us overlooking the stunning Tuscan countryside, Fabian kept us informed with all the fascinating details of truffle-​hunting (for ex., why dogs are preferable to pigs, along with a host of other tidbits that I won’t reveal here, cuz you have to take the tour, reader!) I really enjoyed this portion of the tour because it had us as active participants and I’m always down for a beautiful walk.
Afterwards, we had the most decadent lunch ever, prepared by the talented Francesca and her mama in their home. I’m vegan (if you have dietary restrictions, give them notice beforehand) and my lunch blew my expectations out of the water. They took such special care of me, every detail covered from soup to nuts (or, dessert, an incredible pasty that’s typically made with eggs). The antipasto plate even had a seitan prosciutto that I’m now obsessed with finding/​replicating on my own. A truffle pasta (made in olive oil for me instead of butter) also impressed. Blown. Away. Can’t say this enough. I also appreciated the wine lesson from Fabian. Wine tasting can be a bit intimidating, I think, and his approach is both fresh and casual. Lunch with strangers can be an awkward but thanks to his engaging personality, it was more like having lunch with old friends.
After lunch we went to a winery, toured the grounds, did a whole lot of tasting. Embrace the Chianti, my friends! The bottles you are able to purchase are so incredibly affordable and a fraction of what you’d pay in the US. I shipped a case home (that’s the only expensive part, but I know me and my tendency to break everything).
As we walked to the van, my friend and I agreed that this might have not only been the best day of our trips, but possibly our lives as well. I mean, how often do you get to hunt truffles, eat them and drink copious amounts of good wine, fascination at every turn?
Yes, we went home and immediately booked another tour, this was a given halfway through the day. I fear I’ve run out of room here, so I’ll likely do an update to this review with details on the Castle and Chianti tour we took on Saturday.
Again props to our fearless leader, Fabian, for being such an entertaining and information guide and to all of the fine people who make up Italy and Wine tours for giving travelers an entirely remarkable experience.
I may never be the same again.

I have been on a wine tasting your in Tuscany (Toscana) once before and it could not even come close to comparing to this. Our beautiful and wonderful guide, Hillary, picked us up at a convenient spot in Florence (Firenze) and drove us to two wonderful wine cellars and vineyards. She offered a few spots to stop along the way that were beautiful places I have never been just outside of Florence. She offered us so much information about Florence, Italian culture and wine throughout the day. Hillary taught me so much about good wines and how I can guarantee I’m buying and drinking quality wine on my own. We also went to an authentic local restaurant in the countryside for lunch, which was a great experience. One of the vineyards also produced organize olive oil. We were able to purchase and ship wine and olive oil back to the USA but felt no pressure to do so. Overall, the experience was wonderful and I would highly recommend it to anyone. Ask for Hillary if you can although she guaranteed that her entire team was good.

My wife and I took the Chianti and Castle tour with Vittorio January 31, 2015. The weather held out for us, and we had an incredible time. Vittorio is a lifelong native to the area and a professional Sommelier. His knowledge of the land, history, and most of all the regional wine is deep and filled with passion. His rapport with the staff at the two vineyards we visited was obvious and ensured that we were welcomed as VIP guests. It was an amazing experience to get a bit off the beaten path and enjoy this incredibly beautiful part of Italy. I only wish we had more time and could do another tour with Vittorio.

My husband and I went on the truffle and wine tour during our trip to Italy in late october /​early September. The tour was a last minute decision we made — Did not plan it at all. I read the other reviews on Unilocal and it was the enthusiasm of the other reviews that allowed me to take my hand away from my purse and splurge and Im so glad that I did! The experience was WELL WORTH THE MONEY. I have to say the tour was one of my favorite moments of my entire 2 week vacation.
Fabian was our tour guide, he was very charming, informative and pleasant. You also eat like a king after the truffle hunt which was a lovely bonus. We purchased wine to ship home and it arrived enact and quickly! If you are going to be in the florence area, and you like wine, and you like food… this is a tour not to be missed…

I’ve travelled to vineyards in California and France and thought I knew what to expect from a vineyard tour. Vittorio spent two days showing us around the Chianti region. Not only did we learn about the incredible Chianti wines, we learned about the history and culture. Typically when visiting vineyards, you get a tour of the facility and then a tasting. Vittorio’s tour was so much more than that, although we did get a tour and tasting. But these vineyards invited us in as if we were close friends. One host even took us up into the medieval tower so we could see the view. At one vineyard we went on a truffle hunt with Chocco the truffle hunting dog, then we were welcomed into their dining room and they made pasta with truffles (paired with their wines, of course) we found that morning. Vittorio brought us to 5 vineyards and each had its own unique vibe. You can tell that Vittorio wanted to make our tour special and he exceeded every expectation we had. It is because of his personal connections (the vineyards clearly respect him and consider him a friend) that we were able to have such a unique and personal experience. He has ruined me for all other vineyard experiences in the future. I will be forever let down by the simple tour and tasting song and dance. Thank you Vittorio!

The Chianti and Truffle Tour is a Gift to Your Mouth
The Chianti and Truffle Tour, run by the astute and charming Vittorio Del Bono Venezze, is one of the best tours we have ever been on. He picks you up in Florence and takes you to San Miniato to experience truffle hunting, followed by a great truffle lunch and capped off by a visit to a marvelous boutique winemaker for a wine course and tasting.
Truffles are a gift from the heavens. Just the thought of these magnificent mushrooms induces salivation in our truffle-​addicted mouths. They are impossible to farm so they must be found in the wild. According to our hunter, ever year there are less truffle growing areas because they are contaminated by man. Once an area is ruined, it will not grow truffles again. The areas where truffles are found were such a secret, that even fathers would not tell their children until they were on their deathbeds. We were driven to San Miniato, a tiny 1,000 hectares city renowned for its truffles, and introduced to a very experienced truffle hunter, his wife and their cute hunting dogs.
There are a variety of truffles that grow seasonally. The famous Winter White truffle grows only from October through December. It is the most expensive truffle and can sell for $ 3,000 a pound some years! The «cheaper» truffles are the summer black and spring white truffles that are much more affordable and still delectable.
Dogs are trained to hunt for a year and a half starting when they are puppies. These lucky puppies are given truffles in their milk. We wish our mothers had put truffles in our baby formula. While both male and female dogs can hunt, our guide claimed that females are superior. According to our guide, the males tend to get too distracted with a different type of hunt… as in for bitches.
Once you find a spot that produces truffles, it will produce truffles again but you are never sure when they will spring up. The hunter goes back to the same spots each time in the hopes of finding more.
Our hunt was fun, informative and picturesque, so make sure to bring a camera. The hunter’s adorable dog named Nebia, is a hyperactive mixed breed with a prize-​winning nose. She found a bunch of lil truffles during our hunt. The hunt only lasts for 3 – 4 hours because the dog’s nose gets desensitized after that period. Below you can see a video of Nebia as she finds a truffle.
After the hunt we were treated to a fantastic lunch at the truffle hunter’s house with truffles galore. We had some nice wine, bread, cheese and salumi with truffle oil, truffle balsamic vinegar, truffle honey, various truffle spreads and pasta with truffles. We also had some enrapturing chocolate truffles for dessert. After lunch we proceeded to buy loads of truffle goodies to take home with us. Our favorites were the truffle honey, truffle salt, truffle balsamic and a very special, winter truffle cream. We were like kids in a candy store, grabbing everything we could off of the shelves with exuberant glee.
The second part of the journey took us to a villa in the breathtaking Chianti countryside. The villa is a boutique winery that produces only 8,000 bottles a year. The Villa is not open to the public so if you want in, you must go on the tour. The Chianti Classico bottles are from the Classico region that contains great soil and limestone. The Black Rooster seal indicates that it is authentic Chianti Classico from this blessed region.
A famous Italian artist who now produces two Chiantis and two Super Tuscans, as well as Vin Santo runs the Villa. The tour offers a great overview of the wine making process and how Chianti differs from the other wines of the world. The artist hand paints different frescoes on some of his bottles for a really special and uniquely gorgeous personal touch. We had to buy some of this amazing wine both for its taste and as a fine art piece.
After the tour Vittorio who is an expert and seasoned sommelier gave us a course on wine tasting. We sat at a beautiful table in the Villa and were poured generous amounts of the Villa’s wines. Scrumptious bread, cheese and salumi were served as well. Our host explained that Italians wine is meant to be enjoyed with food, not on its own. The proper way to pair wine with food is to eat the food and swallow it to coat your mouth with the flavor and then drink the wine. The fat from the food lingering in your mouth will complement some of the wines. The artist served some of the best salumi we’ve had in Italy. The Pecorino he served was soft instead of the usual dry versions and was superb.
The course was fun, enlightening and tasty. The wine was absolutely spectacular. The historic villa was enchanting and had such a beautiful vibe flowing through it. We learned so much and had such a sensational time on this intimate tour. The combination of the exquisite truffles and magnificent wine make this tour a «Must-​Do» while in Florence.

Cannot say enough good things about Vittorio and our Chianti and Truffle tour. The morning was spent hunting for truffles which, as an avid truffle lover, was absolutely fascinating and truly a once in a lifetime experience. The meal after truffle hunting was fit for a truffle lover — truffle spreads, oils, and get this: truffle pasta, with truffle butter with shaved truffles on top. Unbelievable. In the afternoon we went to a Chianti winery with Vittorio who not only set us up with a great tour, but also taught us how to properly taste — which (as someone who does a lot of wine tours) is a true bonus experience. This was absolutely the highlight of my trip to Italy!!! Can’t recommend it enough!!!

I would highly recommend this company when booking your wine tour in Italy, our guides were both personable and very knowledgable of the region. We also had a lovely lunch at a restaurant they recommended and were not disappointed. Good driving by Vittorio and Fabian was very helpful pointing out places of interest. Very good tour and I would do it again with this company.

We just enjoyed 3 fantastic days with Italy and Wine, experiencing three different wine regions of Tuscany. Our Sommelier guides were very experienced and truly enhanced our knowledge and understanding of wine tasting. Vittorio worked with us as we planned our vacation to really get to know the regions. Visiting the unique individual wineries was amazing and getting to meet the wine makers personally was rewarding. We made some wonderful new friends and found some «Yummy» wines. It was a trip of a lifetime that will not be forgotten. We highly recommend Italy and Wine. Thanks Vittorio.

Hands down the best part of my trip to Italy in April! My two girlfriends and myself signed up for the Truffle Hunting/​Chianti Tasting tour with Fabian and can’t say enough good things about our experience — I have been raving about it non stop since and have suggested that my friends traveling to Italy this summer check it out as well!
Not only was our guide helpful and the tour gorgeous/​super fun — the lunch we had at the truffle farm (farm? is that the right word?) was maybe the most incredible meal I’ve ever had in my whole life. Truffles on truffles on truffles on truffles on truffles. I can’t wait to go back to Italy next year, and I will 100% be signing up for another of these tours!

Molto molto bene!
As someone who lives a little over an hour away from Napa Valley, I’m all about wine tasting. But the tour we did with Italy and Wine was the absolute best because in addition to seeing Tuscany (so pretty!) and touring the winery (loved learning about Chianti!) we went TRUFFLE HUNTING. I mean seriously, how cool is that?! I didn’t even know that I wanted to go truffle hunting until I found out about this tour. It immediately became a bucket list item that was added and subsequently checked off my list within 24 hours.
Fabian picked us up in a piazza that was convenient and close to where we were staying (I was with 2 girlfriends and we were joined by a family of 4), and the first thing we did on the tour was drive through the beautiful Tuscan scenery to the place we would go truffle hunting. That was where we met Ricardo and his dog Nebbia and embarked on a morning of hunting for truffles (Dove, Nebbia — dove?!)
Then, when we returned from the hunt, we were served a truffle spread (think truffle honey, truffle artichoke spread, truffle cheese, truffle balsalmic… seriously you name it) as well as a full lunch of pasta infused with truffles, cooked in truffle butter, served with truffle oil plus shavings from the truffles we had found that morning.
Once we were done with the most heavenly lunch I could imagine (and done buying souvenirs for all my girlfriends back home), we continued on and Fabian drove us to the winery where we took a tour and had a tasting (I still have dreams of the sliced meats served with our wine).
This was absolutely one of my favorite parts of my trip to Italy. Thank you, Unilocal!So glad Unilocal is really picking up in Europe, especially Italy because we found so many great gems thanks to reviews.
I loved my first trip so much, I’m now taking beginner Italian language lessons so I have an excuse to go back. That totally makes sense, right?
Ciao ciao!

My wife and I were fortunate to have Matteo as our guide. He was very friendly, very knowledgeable, and great company for spending a day in the exquisite Chianti Classico region. This was our first day in Florence and Tuscany and he also offered some perspective on the history of Florence and Italy in general that was a great start to an amazing place with so much history and culture. The tour included two wineries, one where we tasted with the owner and another in a castle where we tasted with a very knowledgeable employee. In between we ate at an Osteria called il Gallo Giallo and had the best meal of our trip in which we had the opportunity to dine at many outstanding eateries in France and Italy, including several Michelin rated places. Charcuterie to die for, home made pastas that would make you weep! Matteo also recommended another restaurant we thoroughly enjoyed in Florence called 4 Leoni. They know their wine, they know their food, they know their history and they are fun! We highly recommend this company!

My husband and I booked a private wine tour with Vittorio back in 2007 and had a great time. So, when it was time to book another trip to Tuscany, we knew who to call. Vittorio picked two new wineries for us to try. The first one was a quaint little winery on top of a hill overlooking the vineyards. Vittorio walked us through the whole process from picking the grapes to pouring the wine. Furthermore, he gave a lesson how to properly taste olive oil. We thoroughly enjoyed our time at that winery. However, what made this day the BEST day of our trip was the visit to the second winery. It was a small winery, owned by two brothers, that only made 10,000 bottles/​year. When we arrived, we were ushered to an outside table in the gardens where we would have a traditional Tuscan lunch. It turned out that one of the brothers enjoys cooking and he wanted to make us homemade Italian. It was, hands down, the best meal I had on our trip. From the homemade tomato soup to the fresh goat cheese and tomatoes to the homemade cannolini with ragu and oso bucco, I seriously thought I was in heaven. The lunch lasted at least two hours where our tasting was incorporated into each course. It was the most unique Italian experience I have ever had. The brothers were so hospitable and truly opened their home to us. After the wonderful lunch, they took us on a tour through their winery and house. We finished the stay with coffee in the back garden near the vineyard. I am still dreaming about that amazing food. Needless to say, I recommend Vittorio and Italy and Wine Tour to everyone! In fact, my best friend is visiting Italy in September and she booked the Chianti Classico tour with them. Thank-​you Vittorio!

What an outstanding experience we had. My wife and I were on our honeymoon in florence, and the night before we were about to leave, we decided we wanted to do a wine tour. A quick google search led us to Italy and Wine. And, they were available next day. I did call a couple other places which said they needed 3 – 4 days to schedule, but Italy and Wine — next day. It couldn’t have been any better. Vittorio speaks english well, is likable, funny, and full of great information. We asked lots of questions about the wine, the food, the country, and the people, and he was happy to help answer all of them. The wineries we went to were wonderful, family owned, and very good tasting Chianti Classico. The restaurant we went for lunch was one of the best restaurants we ate at in our whole 2 weeks in Italy. They make their pasta fresh daily, and their pork is locally bred, and completely free range. Truly fantastico!
Vittorio, thanks for such a great experience. If we’re ever back in Florence, we’d love to do it again!

My partner and I took the train up from Rome on a Saturday morning to take the Castle of Chianti Wine tour. We took a short taxi ride to Piazza Cavalleggeri, where we were greeted by our guide, Matteo. Matteo was an excellent guide and a very good driver (if you’ve ever been to Italy, you know that’s important!)
We drove through beautiful countryside throughout the day, visiting two outstanding wineries and enjoying a wonderful lunch at a small restaurant in the Tuscan countryside. Throughout the drive, Matteo, who was born in Tuscany, told us the history of the region, stopping periodically to let us take pictures of some of the most amazing views.
The first winery we visited was a very small, family owned winery. Here we toured the wine making facilities and tasted classic Tuscan wines. Matteo had a great knowledge of wines and an excellent relationship with the owners.
Next, we stopped for lunch at a small restaurant in the Tuscan countryside, where we enjoyed a wonderful lunch with Matteo.
After lunch we visited the second vineyard, which was much larger, and sold wines in the United States. We again met with the owner and tasted more excellent wines, olive oils, and even some grappa.
Matteo drove us through the countryside back to Florence and dropped us at the train station. The train returned us to Rome in time for dinner.
Even if you aren’t fond of wine, this is an excellent tour to see the amazing countryside and how wine is made. If you are a wine lover, it’s a no-​brainer, this tour is for you!

The most memorable and special part of our trip to Italy was our Chianti Classico wine tour with Italy and Wine. Our tour guide, Vittorio, was incredibly friendly, knowledgeable, and very easy to understand despite his beautiful Italian accent.
My husband and I met Vittorio outside the National Library in Florence. Our first stop, before heading into the Chianti region was a stop at The Michelangelo Piazza. Since my husband and I did not have a car we were ecstatic that Vittorio stopped at this piazza so that we could take some of the most beautiful photographs of Florence.
During our tour we visited two wineries, one large wine producer and one small producer. I mentioned to Vittorio when booking our tour that we were unsure if we would be purchasing wine at the wineries. He took us to two different wineries that offered reasonably priced Chiantis from 6 Euros to 50 Euros per bottle. We loved the wine so much that we ended up buying six bottles at each winery! Our only regret was that we did not buy more wine, especially from the smaller winery that does not ship wines to the US. We also purchased some wonderful extra virgin olive oil.
Between winery stops we had lunch at a local Tuscan restaurant. The food was absolutely incredible and authentic! We feasted on Italian prosciutto, salami and cheese, hearty soup and delicious Chianti and espresso! This was our best meal in Italy!
Vittorio taught us many wonderful things about wine and olive oil and showed us a wonderful time in the Chianti region. We were so sad that the tour eventually had to end! If you are visiting Florence I highly recommend booking a wine tour with Italy and Wine.