Leave the kids behind and register for a once in a lifetime Wine and Food Tour of the Tuscany region of Italy from October 1-10/2026.   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-night/8-day fun-filled, jam packed group program but everyone will also have the option to arrive early or extend their stay.  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 (Max 30 people)

EARLY BOOKING BONUS: IF YOU BOOK BETWEEN DECEMBER 1ST/2025 AND DECEMBER 31ST/2025, YOU WILL RECEIVE A 100.00 PER PERSON DISCOUNT. PLEASE USE THE DISCOUNT CODE "EARLYBOOKINGBONUS" DURING THE REGISTRATION PROCESS.

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

We highly recommend NOT booking a flight that is only arriving in Rome on Saturday, October 3rd/2026 (first official day of the tour). At the latest, you will need to leave North America on Thursday, October 1st and arrive in Rome on Friday, October 2nd/2026. You can then choose to book our Meeting Point hotel in Rome for one night or manage your own hotel.

TOUR START:   Our tour will commence at 900 am on Saturday, October 3rd/2026 at the Rome Marriott Park Hotel and the tour bus will not wait for delayed or cancelled flights.  During the registration process you can add a night at the hotel on Friday, October 2nd/2026. The hotel is located halfway between the airport and downtown Rome and it has a free shuttle to downtown as well. Late Friday afternoon, we will have some casual Rome sightseeing for those who will be at the meeting point hotel and dinner downtown. There is an option to add a private airport transfer on arrival during the registration process.

TOUR END:  Our tour will end on the morning of Saturday, October 10th/2026 in Florence.   We will provide airport transfer to Florence Airport only (you should fly into Rome and return from Florence if you are only doing our tour). If you are travelling back to Rome, to another city or country to extend your stay, you can make your arrangements. We can also help but with additional cost.

PLEASE NOTE:  Canadian Thanksgiving is Monday, October 12th/2026 directly AFTER the tour.

Top Winery in the World and Top Producer in Italy:   This winery was awarded first place in the World's Best Vineyards. This international ranking honors the most remarkable wine tourism destinations, voted by over 500 leading wine and tourism experts.  It is a sacred place of silence, a temple dedicated to the ancient rituals of winemaking, but at the same time it is a production facility that must meet specific quality standards.  It is so sacred that we are not allowed to include the name on our booking website or in any advertisements and as such, we will respect their request.    However, Victory has secured a wine tour and tasting reservation for our special 2026 Tuscany Wine and Food Tour guests which may not be available every year.   Please book early to ensure you are included. 

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).

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. 

Dario Cecchini, a larger than life character, as seen on Netflix "Chef's Table" Vol. 6, Episode 2.

Dario Cecchini descends from a long line of butchers and has recreated an antique-style macelleria on the site of the family shop which was destroyed during the war. As well as being an extremely creative butcher and an excellent cook, he's a showman who has done a lot to promote Panzano and traditional food. Dario Cecchini is famous as a propagandist for bistecca alla fiorentina. His shop is a tourist attraction as well as a place to buy unusual cuts of fresh meat and prepared meats. 

"One of the most famous butchers in Italy has now turned his hand to cooking. At two locations, So/ociccia or Officina de/la Bistecca, the menu is unique and served at a specific time with a meat proposal or a vegetarian option. So/ociccia is only open for lunch." - Michelin Guide 

This tour only requires a $1500.00 CAD non-refundable deposit per person   Name changes (substitute traveler) on your land package (not applicable to flights) will be permitted FREE of charge until 30 days prior to departure.   Interim payments will be due on February 15th/2026, April 15th/2026 and June 15th /2026.   The final balance is due August 15th, 2026 (4 total payments). You can log onto your account to set-up additional 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 info@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)

The cooking school, Fonte Giusta Academy, was born from the idea of the founder Giuseppe Chiarelli. The school is based on the values of cooking together: cooking, meeting, sharing.  Cooking for us is a passion, not simply the execution of the steps of a recipe.

Our team of teachers is made up of professional chefs, who teach each recipe with passion and attention. The dish is told, after which the practical demonstration begins, and all together the participants put their hands in the dough, followed by the teachers. The group experience solidifies knowledge, because learning by comparing between participants transforms technical notions into automatic gestures. Cooking is often a solitary activity, but here among our workbenches, cooking together is an opportunity for different people and cultures to meet.

Every day our participants come to us from all over the world, and while kneading, browning the sauté, or baking a dessert, stories are exchanged and new acquaintances are made.

And for those who don't like to cook alone, our courses are a push to cook together in their own lives, as an opportunity to socialize and have fun. Finally, cooking together is sharing. While cooking we spend quality time together, with our friends, family or people we have just met.

We like to share our knowledge, and see participants become passionate about cooking.

Once cooked, the greatest satisfaction is to see the sharing of the meal prepared among the participants. Between smiles, interesting conversations, and friendships that are born.

Depart North America for Rome, Italy.

Arrival in Rome and check into a hotel of your choice or the group meeting hotel, Rome Marriott Park Hotel. Casual pre-tour sightseeing with some tour members to the Colloseum and Trevi Fountain with dinner downtown on your own. An extra day on your own before the Official Tour starts.

Group is met at Rome Marriott Park Hotel by bus and coordinators.   Transfer to Orvieto, Italy for some touring and lunch.   Then transfer to Siena, Italy hotel, check in and then Welcome Reception at the hotel.

Final Itinerary may vary slightly.

After breakfast, the Siena Cooking Class will take place and after lunch, a guided tour of the town of Siena, Italy.   You can then enjoy free time on your own and dinner on your own in the town.

Final Itinerary may vary slightly.

After breakfast a tour to Vallipicciola Winery including lunch and wine tasting.     We will then transfer by bus to Panzano and have dinner at Antica Macelleria Ceccini and then a late night return to the hotel.

Final Itinerary may vary slightly.

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 visit to San Gimignano and dinner on your own.

Final Itinerary may vary slightly.

We start the day with a visit to 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.

Final Itinerary may vary slightly.

Check out and free morning on your own in Siena.    Transfer to Top Producer Winery for wine tasting and tour.   Late afternoon, we will transfer to Florence, check in to new hotel and then dinner on your own downtown.

Final Itinerary may vary slightly.

Post-Breakfast,   there will be a full city tour of Florence with official Tour Guide followed by free time and lunch on your own.    At night, we will have the final group dinner together downtown.

Final Itinerary may vary slightly.

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

Final Itinerary may vary slightly.