A Gluten-Free Tour of Tuscany

I’m thrilled to announce that Perillo Tours has partnered with Jennifer Iannolo, founder of Zenfully Delicious, to offer two gluten-free tours of Tuscany in 2013! This is the perfect opportunity gluten-free folks to travel worry-free and savor the tastes of Italy. The tours will run May 11-17 and October 12-18, 2013.

Here’s the awesome itinerary:

Day 1

Depart US for Tuscany!

Day 2

Tuscany: Arrival of the participants in Florence. Pick up and transfer to your Tuscan Villa. Welcome Dinner at Villa. Overnight stay.

Day 3

Tuscany – Chianti area: After breakfast at the hotel, departure to the Chianti region. Arrive and visit the small village with your guide. Lunch in a typical trattoria. Stop for cheese and gluten-free salumi tasting. Dinner in Chianti area. Overnight at Villa.

Day 4

Tuscany: Breakfast. Morning visit to the Tuscan markets to purchase ingredients for your Tuscan cooking class. Enjoy the foods you have prepared!

Day 5

Tuscany: After breakfast at the Villa, the day is free to explore the wonderful town of Figline Valdarno, free time at the Villa to relax at the Spa. This afternoon we will enjoy a wine tasting featuring wine produced at the typical “Cantina” with accompanying appetizers. Dinner at local restaurant and overnight at the Villa.

Day 6

Florence: After breakfast at the Villa, we journey to Florence. Meet your personal guide through the Central Market in Florence with tastings and lunch. After lunch enjoy a guided tour of Florence. Stroll down cobblestone lanes, through majestic squares and across ancient bridges, pausing along the way to visit and learn about Palazzo Vecchio, Piazza della Signoria, the cathedral and Giotto’s bell tower and the Accademia (ENTRANCE FEES AND RESERVATION INCLUDED). Florence offers the largest number of historical buildings and works of art in Italy, as well as several world-class museums. You might like to do a little leather, gold or clothing shopping near Ponte Vecchio. Dinner in Florence and arrive back at Villa later in the evening. Overnight at the Villa.

Day 7

Siena and San Gimignano: After breakfast at the hotel – Depart to Siena, where after meeting our local guide, we will visit this wonderful city. Siena is the city of the blessed Virgins and the “Balzana”, black and white; decisive, just as its heraldic symbol; passionate and contemplative; always climbing and descending; clear and at the same time obscure; steep and narrow streets; the red of the Piazza del Campo appearing blinding and suddenly. In the alleys, in the museums and oratories of the Contrada, the spiritual songs of the Palio evoke very ancient rituals and modern allegories, while during the evening the shuffling of soles on the deserted pavement is in contrast with the peacefulness of the green valleys providentially enclosed within the wall, which ancient administrators had erected hundreds of years before it became common practice. Stop for a visit and wine tasting at a local farm.

After lunch on your own, depart to San Gimignano (with a guided tour). After lunch depart to San Gimignano (with a guided tour). The towered silhouette of San Gimignano rising from the hills of the Upper Elsa Valley, facing the land of Volterra and positioned right on one of the most important stretches of the medieval Via Francigena, is famous all over the world. A similar renown can also be claimed by its Vernaccia wine, recently awarded the D.O.C.G., the highest acknowledgement and guarantee for quality in Italian oenology.

Day 8

End of the tour and transfer to Florence

Cost is $2,199 per person, land only. Contact Perillo Tours to book your spot!