New Tour: Florence in October

And special discount for Tuscan olive oil

Feb 22, 2025

I’m heading back to Florence with my friend Rolando Beramendi to host another tour! This will be our third time leading a trip together, and each one is slightly different. The problem? There are just WAY too many things we want you to see, too many foods we want you to try, and too many people we want you to meet. This is part of an entirely hidden side of Florence that even the most intrepid visitors never experience—the Florence that belongs to Florentines. The one behind palazzo doors and garden gates, usually locked to the public. Together, we’ll explore everything that has to do with the culture of food: markets, restaurants, villas, cooking, wine, and country estates.

You might know of Rolando already. He is the author of the fantastic cookbook Autentico and is such a regular in my TikToks, Instagram Reels, and YouTube videos that people have even asked if we’re married!

Rolando has made introducing people to Italian food a career. Since he was 22, he has been foraging for one of the best-loved Italian food importers in the USA. If you have been buying things like high-end olive oil, pasta, and other pantry items, chances are that many of them have been lovingly imported by Rolando’s company, Manicaretti. For much of the past 3 decades, Rolando has called Florence home, and he has agreed to open his doors - and those of his Florentine friends - to a few lucky guests to discover the culture of food in this delicious corner of the world.

One of the highlights of this fall tour? The olive harvest. We’ll visit Rolando’s dear friends at Capezzana, where we’ll watch the bright green oil pour fresh from the press onto our toasted bruschetta. You can see what it was like last year in this video—and yes, that color is real!

If you can’t join us, no worries, you can still taste the incredible olive oil we saw being pressed last October. The Capezzana olive oil is available through Market Hall Foods, and Rolando has arranged a special discount for readers of this newsletter. Use the code ZZANA24 to receive a 10% discount on the oil:

CAPEZZANA OLIVE OIL

But of course, I hope you can join us in person! Here are the details for the tour:

Autentico Florence
with Rolando Beramendi & Elizabeth Minchilli

October 12-18, 2025

Our tour is based in Florence, where we’ll stay for six nights. October is the perfect time to visit—tourist crowds have thinned, and the weather is ideal for walking and (more importantly!) eating. We’ll be staying right across from Palazzo Strozzi at the luxurious 5-star Helvetia & Bristol.

A few things we’ll be doing:

Bistecca Fiorentina dinner
Shopping and cooking lesson with Rolando in his neighborhood
Private visit to the Giardini Torrigiani with Count Torrigiani
Olive oil estate visit, pressing, tasting, and lunch in the private villa of Countess Bonacossi
Exclusive guided tour of the newly opened Royal Apartments of the Palazzo Pitti and Boboli Gardens
Private cooking class at one of the best restaurants in Florence with the owner
Day in the countryside learning about cooking on an open hearth
Private tour of the Etruscan Archeological Museum
Private tour of a Medici Villa and its 16th-century still-life collection
Shopping with Elizabeth in her favorite stores in the Santa Croce neighborhood
Visit to Rolando’s go-to farmer’s market
Dinner at a private palazzo and garden with a princess
And more…