New tour to Florence with Elizabeth & Rolando
October 20-26, 2024
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I’ve just added the following Week in Florence to our schedule for 2024. I’ll be posting it to the website next week, so if you think you may want to join us, let us know right away so we can save you a spot. (But don’t worry if you can’t make it for these specific dates: you can see our full schedule of tours all over Italy here).
Did you know I used to live in Florence? I spent two years there, in a very cute little apartment right near the Bargello Museum. I was working on my PhD at the time, researching the 16th-century Boboli Gardens in the Medici Archives in the Uffizi. Florence is also where I fell in love with my husband Domenico. And I have continued to visit as often as possible over the years, for work (articles for magazines, chapters in my books and a guide to Florentine restaurants) and also just for fun.
Up until now, I have never brought a group of guests on a tour, mostly because I thought people could easily ‘do’ Florence on their own. But my good friend Rolando Beramendi convinced me that there was a completely hidden side of Florence that even the most intrepid visitor never sees—the Florence that belongs to Florentines, the Florence behind palazzo doors and garden gates that are locked for most tourists.
You might know of Rolando already. He is the author of the fantastic cookbook Autentico. He also shows up so often in my TikToks, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Videos that some people have asked if we are married! Rolando Beramendi has made introducing people to the food of Italy 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.
Keep scrolling for more details about the itinerary, and click the link button below to download the complete itinerary of the tour, including pricing details.
Autentico Florence
With Elizabeth Minchilli & Rolando Beramendi
October 20-26, 2024
Our tour is based in Florence, where we will be staying for six nights. October is a perfect time to visit since much of the high season of tourism is past, and the weather is perfect for walking and (more importantly!) eating. We are based in the historic center, right across from Palazzo Strozzi, in the luxurious 5-star Helvetia & Bristol.
A few of the things we’ll be doing:
Dinner at a trattoria where locals go
Shopping and cooking lesson with Rolando in his neighborhood
Pastry lesson from one of the best bakers in Florence
Private visit to the Giardini Torrigiani with Count Torrigiani
Rooftop drinks on the Arno in the private home of a countess
Visit an olive oil estate, olive pressing, olive oil tasting, and lunch in the private villa of Countess Bonacossi
Visits to artisan workshops in the Oltrarno neighborhood
Private cooking class in one of the best restaurants in Florence with the owner
Day in the countryside learning all about ribollita
Private reception in Etruscan archeological museum
Private gelato lesson in the best gelateria in Florence with the owner
Shopping with Elizabeth in her favorite stores in the Santa Croce neighborhood
Final feast at a private palazzo and garden with a princess
And more…
Details
When: October 20-26, 2024
Where: Florence
Who: This tour is limited to 12 guests.
What: The tour is six nights and five very full days. But don’t worry; you will also have some downtime in Florence to explore on your own.
How: If you’d like more information, including pricing and the full itinerary, just download the brochure below.
(If the above button doesn’t automatically download the brochure, you can request the brochure by emailing us at minchillitours@gmail.com)
PLEASE NOTE:
Since this tour takes place in Florence, we are staying at a 5-star hotel, and we have arranged many private visits to places that are usually closed. As a result, you’ll notice it is more expensive than some of my past tours.
We expect this tour to be very popular, so please be patient if you don’t hear back from us immediately. We will answer emails and respond to requests in the order in which they came in.
This announcement will first be sent to Premium Newsletter subscribers. If there are any spots left, it will be sent to the rest of our readers next week.
Please visit our website for a full list of our other tours still available in 2024
We're not really looking for Florence tours, as we're moving to Lucca (!) this summer, but just wanted to say that this looks like an amazing experience. Truly special. Cammillo is perhaps my all-time favorite trattoria in the city. Nice also to see the mention of Capezzana oil and wine. When my kids were small, we rented a cottage from Benedetta, located just beyond Tenuta di Capezzana, several times. Discovered only later, by reading an article in Wine Spectator, that she was part of the Bonacossi family. Lovely family.
This sounds fabulous but it is the week that we are at La Segreta! I will share with friends.