Olive Harvest, Olive Oil & Cooking with a Family In The Chianti Hills

Have you always wanted to experience Tuscany’s olive harvest just like local people do- picking the olives in olive groves in the hills and take a bottle of your “Olio Nuovo” (new olive oil) home?

Toscana Mia will make these daydreams a reality for you this November in a tiny hamlet in the Chianti hills.

Monday November 2

Arrive in the afternoon in the Chianti country town, Greve by bus from Florence. Transfer by private car to the family’s farmhouse. After you get settled, your cooking teacher guides you through an olive oil tasting of oils from several regions in Italy as you compare olive oils and chat about which ones you like and why. She gives you expert tips on how to choose a good olive oil when you shop in a store.

Enjoy your welcome dinner prepared by your friendly, hospitable family at home with good local wines and share stories and laughter around the table.

Tuesday November 3

After breakfast with the family, it’s time to experience the olive harvest with new Tuscan friends.

9 am to 12 noon: Pick olives with local people with time for taking pictures, talking with your companions and relaxing in a coffee break.

Join the olive pickers for lunch.

Free time to relax or explore.

4:00 p.m. Enjoy a full menu, hands-on cooking lesson at home focusing on dishes made with olives and olive oil.

Dine on your creations with good Tuscan wine as you celebrate your day’s accomplishments and adventures together.

Wednesday November 4

After breakfast with the family, visit to the olive oil mill where the olives you picked will turn into Tuscan olive oil.

Italians eagerly await the “Olio Nuovo”—the new oil which has a distinctive, fruity taste. At the end of your visit, you get a little bottle of new extra virgin olive oil!

With your family host, explore a picturesque Chianti town and enjoy shopping, especially for artisan household items made of olive tree wood.

Light lunch at an enoteca

4:00 p.m. learn more about cooking with olive oil and dishes with olives in your full menu, hands-on cooking lesson at home.

Thursday November 5

After your last breakfast here, reluctantly depart by private car to Greve and take the bus to Florence

Dates: November 2-5, 2009

Contact us for more information and prices