Sample the most authentic Tuscan cuisine as we pedal our way from cucina to trattoria to picnic al fresco. Tuscany sets the standard for all Italian cooking: its balance between traditional recipes and a creative use of classic ingredients results in Italy's most renowned cuisine. Matthew Abdoo, chef of Marco in Boston, headlines our cooking season in Tuscany. As we pedal through the very fields and vineyards that inspire our menus, our meals include grilled artichokes, pancetta, pappa al pomodoro, and green fava beans paired with sharp pecorino. Touring with our Guest Chef gives us a special perspective on Tuscany. Not only do we enjoy hands-on cooking lessons, but we also have the chance to share informal; discussions over a glass of wine, or perhaps the unexpected pleasure of cracking open a fresh chestnut that our chef discovers as he bikes along the routes with us each day.
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• Rolling out fresh pici pasta
• Visiting Paolo and his pecorino cheese farm
• Biking along the cypress lined paths of the Sienese Crete
• Private tour and wine tasting at Avignonesi, an aristocratic Valdi Chiana estate
• Olive oil tasting and antipasti lesson in a Tuscan farmhouse
• The perfectly preserved Renaissance town of Pienza
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Highlights of our week include:
A private tour and tasting at Avignonesi, an aristocratic estate in the Val di Chiana with a centuries old cava and cantina. Selections include Desiderio, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and Rosso di Montepulciano.
A route through a private truffle reserve to visit Paolo and tour his azienda agricola. His family's homemade pecorino cheese is spiced with truffles, arucola and walnuts.
A special visit in the heart of Cortona with Signor Silvio, lawyer by profession and olive oil producer by passion. We taste-test cold pressed olive oils and prepare classic Tuscan antipasti such as panzanella and ribollita with our chef.
An afternoon in a perfect medieval town where a private kitchen is ours to create our own Tuscan feast. Menus include crostini, fresh pici pasta, homemade gnocchi with peas, basil & mint, and roasted wild hare and pheasant. Dinner follows, set under an arched stone cantina, or under the stars in the piazza.
Our routes include the spectacular towns of Cortona, Pienza, Monticchiello and Montalcino and the evocative landscape of the Sienese Crete.
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• Hotels include Il Falconiere, a Bike Riders exclusive and an intimate villa that is reserved solely for us in the Sienese Crete. Meals include lunch at Avignonesi, dinner at Poggio Antico and other favorite trattorie along the way.
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2008 Dates and Guest Chefs:
• May 18-25: Enzo Fargione, Teatro Goldoni, Washington, DC
• Sept 14-21: Bradford Thompson, New York, NY
• Oct 12-19: Tom Gutow, The Castine Inn, Castine, Maine
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As featured on The Food Network, our week in Tuscany highlights the best of cycling and cucina.
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Dates: May 18-25, Sep 14-21, Oct 12-19
Length: 8 days/7 nights
Level: 1 B
Daily Mileage: 15-38 miles on gently rolling to rolling terrain. Some climbs.
Cost: $5180
Single Supplement: $1000
Meals: All breakfasts, all dinners but 2; picnic lunch
Hotels: Elegant Tuscan manors
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