Leave the kids behind and register for a once in a lifetime Wine and Food Tour of the Tuscany region of Italy from October 5-12/2024.   We have built an all-inclusive tour to simplify all your planning needs.   This tour is ideally built for singles, couples or friend groups who love Wine, Food and History. There will be no large chain hotels used but rather a focus on atmosphere,  UNESCO World Heritage sites and soaking in the Tuscan region.   This will be a 7-day fun-filled, jam packed group program but everyone will also have the option to arrive early or extend their stay with pick up/drop off points in Rome on the 5th and 12th of October/2024.  The tour includes everything you need so you don't have to worry about anything:  hotels, all ground transportation, winery tours and tastings, 3 dinners, 5 lunches,  breakfast every day, English guides and we even include the cost of entrance fees to certain sights and headphones for city tours (see itinerary and all tour inclusions below).  Space is very limited so book early to avoid disappointment.

Offered by Victory Travel & Events Inc: TICO Registration # 50027548 and IATA Accreditation #67599884. 

Steve Bisson, along with a local Italian & English speaking coordinator, will be your hosts:

My career has guided me to many endeavors, from a professional hockey player, to a letter carrier at Canada Post to my current role as a Global Wine Tour Host & Sommelier for Victory Travel & Events.   Food and wine are daily staples for many people across the world. Understanding the marriage between the two is truly special. The pleasure and excitement of combining food and wine while sharing my knowledge and passion with people allows me to travel to different countries and experience diverse food and wine cultures while creating new memories and experiences and sharing my passion with others.  I can't wait to explore the many wineries, restaurants and sights and sounds of Tuscany with you !

This tour only requires a $1500.00 CAD non-refundable deposit per person   Name changes (substitute traveler) will be permitted FREE of charge until 30 days prior to departure.   The final balance is due Monday, August 5th, 2024.  Log onto your account to set-up weekly or monthly payments if desired. Our full Terms and Conditions are available for your review during the booking process.  

We recommend all clients consider adding travel insurance. Customers will need to make their own travel insurance arrangements or contact james@victorytravel.ca to purchase Manulife Travel Insurance from Victory Travel & Events Inc. (Manulife Travel Insurance is available to Canadian residents only.  American Residents can make their own arrangements through www.travelexinsurance.com that is associated with this website or through any other American provider)

Cantina Vallepicciola:  A legacy born from the love of Chianti Classico.   In the late 1990s, the Bolfo family decided to breathe new life into the ruins of an old monastery located in the picturesque countryside of Pievasciata, a picturesque village in the municipality of Castelnuovo Berardenga (Siena). And it is from the vineyards of this monastery, transformed with love and care into the prestigious 5-star Hotel Le Fontanelle, that the story of Vallepicciola begins. 

In the heart of the cellar, the art of winemaking comes to life. This 6,000 square metre space is divided into three levels, two of which are underground, where all stages of wine production take place, and an external floor dedicated to hospitality.  The project was designed with dedication by architect Margherita Gozzi and completed in 2020, with the aim of blending in harmony with the natural beauty of the surrounding area. And it is thanks to its organic design that the winery is no longer just a building, but becomes a hymn to the land from which our wines are born, in total balance with nature.  (a more modern option of the 4 wineries visited to showcase a cross section of styles and the transition from old world to new world).

Castello Di Meleto:  The first testimonies about Meleto date back to the 11th century, when the castle belonged to the Benedictine monks of the Badia a Coltibuono. The name "Meleto in Chianti" is mentioned for the first time in 1256 in the Book of Esteems of the Florentine Guelphs, as the property of a local feudal family. Thanks to its position, near the border between the territories of the Republics of Florence and Siena. For over a thousand years, Castello di Meleto has dominated its lands and vineyards. Keeper of a unique landscape in the world, our Castle and its charm unchanged over time give peace and tranquility to visitors. A place where you can experience Chianti Classico at first hand in an ancient and dynamic reality at the same time. Today as then, Castello di Meleto is an uncontaminated oasis where you can spend unforgettable moments surrounded by the Tuscan hills. You cannot miss a visit to the rooms of the Castle and to our historical wine cellar, where we will take you on a journey to discover their secrets, to end with a glass of Chianti Classico.

Abbazia di Monte Oliveo Maggiore (monastery, vinyard and olive grove):   From 1319 to Present Day.   We Benedictines of S. Maria di Monte Olive to follow the Rule of St. Benedict, summed up succinctly in the famous traditional motto "Ora et Labora". The Abbey was founded in 1319 and, as historical sources attest, the monks immediately they devoted themselves to agricultural activity, in particular to the cultivation of vines, olive, saffron and cereals. This astonishing place captures visitors with its unique atmosphere. The abbey was founded at the beginning of the XIVth century by Giovanni Tolomei, a nobleman of Siena. The great monastic complex of Monte Oliveo Maggiore extends along the ridge of a hill in the heart of the “crete senesi”; it has been described as a “city in the form of a monastery” because of the spaciousness of the buildings which compose it. Over the last few centuries the labor of the monks and lay workers has profoundly changed the surrounding landscape which was originally uninhabited and wild.  Historic research has shown that from the second half of the XIII° century and the start of the XIV° century viticulture was widely spread on the lands.  In 2002 the abbey began a program of renewing and enlarging the vineyard, by planting Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Vermentino. All the new vines, nurtured according to modern viticulture techniques, are situated under the hamlet of Chiusure di Asciano, on a south-east hill slope at an altitude of about 400m. The plantation is 2,5m between rows and 0,8 on the row (0,75 for Vermentino) with a density of 5000 to 5200 stems to the hectare and trained in horizontal lines with cord.

Castello Banfi:  Banfi was founded in 1978 thanks to the will of the Italian-American brothers, John and Harry Mariani. From the beginning, the goal of the two brothers was to create a state-of-the-art winery combined with the most advanced science in the vineyards for the production of premium wines. Together with the Mariani family, Ezio Rivella, one of Italy's foremost enologists, who understood that due to the richness of the soils and the privileged microclimatic position, the property would have great capacity of development. The Banfi estate extends to the south of Montalcino, to the borders of the Val D’Orcia. Of the 7,100 acres of land, about one third is under vine in a constellation of single vineyards, the remainder occupied by olive groves, fruit trees (mainly plums), woods and scrub.  Designed to protect the integrity and richness of the grape, the winery employs state of the art technology, the result of revolutionary technical research and innovation. And in this same philosophy, based on continual research, that a number of projects came to be on our estate, including the clonal study of Sangiovese, research on the composition and aging of wood for barrels–the great protagonist of aging wine –and the completion of our “Horizon” micro vinification area, creating a winery within a winery. This project, entirely conceived and developed by and at Banfi, is made up of a series of expedient high level solutions undertaken to improve upon each phase of winemaking.  The tremendous undertaking for vinification is followed by a long silent rest in wood, where the great wines of Banfi, principally reds, evolve over the passage of time and refine their most distinctive characteristics of strength, elegance and longevity. More than 7000 customized barrels, laid out in orderly rows, and large casks make up the heart of Banfi. (probably the most famous of our 4 vineyard visits)

Group is met at Rome Airport by bus and coordinators.   Transfer to Orvieto, Italy for some touring and lunch.   Then transfer to Siena, Italy hotel, check in and free night on your own.  

After breakfast, a guided tour of the town of Siena, Italy followed a by winery tour and tasting at Cantina Vallepicciola.

After breakfast a tour to Castello Di Meleto for a winery tour.  Lunch and wine tasting will be served at the Enoteca of the Castle.    We will then transfer by bus to our surprise dinner location with a wonderful host and then a late night return to the hotel.

Post-Breakfast, a full day ahead that starts with a tour of ABBAZIA MONTE OLIVETO MAGGIORE that will include lunch, wine tasting and a visit to FRANTOIO OLIVE MILL.  And then a guided tour of San Gimignano and dinner on your own.

We start the day with a guided tour of the town of Pienza, Italy that will include lunch.   We then head to the famous Castello Banfi for a wine tour and tasting some fine Brunello followed by dinner at Taverna Banfi with a late night return to the hotel.

Check out and transfer to Florence, Italy.    Upon arrival, a half day guided tour of Florence including the Cathedral, Baptistry and Bell Tower.  The second half of the day, including dinner, is on your own with no scheduled events.

Take part in an optional cooking class at Mama Florence in downtown Florence or enjoy a free day on your own.  At night, we will have the final group dinner together.

Check out of hotel and transfer to Rome Airport or extend your stay elsewhere.