Virtual Weekend in Tuscany (Pass to all events)

Immerse yourself in Tuscany. Join us for two days of virtual cultural experiences that offer new insights into Tuscany's deep history and rich culture. Sample regional cuisine that you create with the guidance of a local cook. Learn about popular and undiscovered Tuscan wines. Taste some of the best olive oils in the world with our olive oil expert (oils included). Peek inside Florence landmarks like the Uffizi museum and the Duomo (cathedral). Ask questions about daily life and travel in the region and much more! Click the Buy Tickets button for pricing.

• Take a guided virtual tour of the world famous Uffizi to see some of the treasures of the Renaissance. 
• Make pasta from scratch with Tracy Hyde, our popular Tuscan cooking teacher. Then make two sauces, a Sicilian red pesto and a classic tomato and basil sauce.**

• Learn about the wines of Tuscany from a local expert while tasting some recommended bottles. We'll focus on the red Riserva wines of the Chianti region, but we'll also take a look at some Tuscan white wines. (BYO)
• Watch, on your own time, A Room With a View, an Oscar-winning film set in Florence. Then discuss it with Helen Glave, a long-time resident of Florence who can give you additional context and insight into the movie.
• Take a virtual tour of Florence's Duomo, an architectural masterpiece of the Renaissance. We'll also take a close look at Michelangelo's famous David statue which was originally supposed to be placed outside the Duomo.
• Make two popular Tuscan desserts with Tracy: Cantuccini (Tuscan biscotti) and Panna Cotta.**
• Taste some of Tuscany's best olive oil with Tracy Hyde, our Tuscan food expert. (Gourmet olive oils are included.)*

*You will NOT receive the olive oil in time for Sunday's class. We will order your olive oil as soon as possible after receiving your order. You will receive it sometime next week. You are welcome to bring other olive oils to the tasting to learn the tasting techniques.
**We will supply ingredient lists and recipes for all cooking classes. You are invited to cook along with Tracy!

This is a live experience, so times will vary by time zone. Below is the schedule.

Note: Tickets to individual events will be made available later if space is available. Program is subject to change.

Presenters

Alessandro Grisolini will present on the Uffizi and the Duomo. He will also lead our wine class. Alessandro has worked as a tour leader in Florence for 16 years. In 2013 he worked with Michael Palin (formerly of Monty Python) on a BBC documentary series in Rome. Prior to his career in tourism Alessandro worked in theater and as a high school English teacher. He now lives in a village in the Chianti region outside Florence.

Helen Glave will lead our Google Earth tour of Florence and our film discussion. Helen Glave teaches at the University of Siena and is our site representative in Florence. She is Scottish, and prior to retraining as a teacher worked in publishing and advertising in Glasgow and Sydney. After travelling extensively she settled in Florence 36 years ago. She lives with her family in San Frediano, one of Florence’s oldest neighborhoods, and enjoys showing the treasures of the city to visitors.

Tracy Hyde will lead our cooking and olive oil classes. Tracy was born in England and has lived in Italy for the past thirty years. She lives in a small hamlet, in the middle of a forest about half an hour away from Siena. She has embraced the Italian way of life and Italy was the country in which she chose to bring up her children. She considers the family values, food, culture and beauty of the country second to none. She has always enjoyed working with people, on cruise ships, in the family wine business, teaching English as a foreign language and now with Untours. She has worked with Untours for the past three years as the Tuscany representative. 

Client raves from our recent Virtual Weekend in Portugal

• When we are able to travel again, I would love to do something like this to prepare for the country I am going to see. I normally do a little studying before I go, but this would be so much better. I wish more people would have tried this. It was impressive and I would do it again.
• We’ve tasted different olive oil but never did an official tasting this was so informative, useful, and just fun. The little bottles were just perfect and being a group of five in different locations and everyone having their own made it so special.
• I liked the interactive nature of everything, the way it was built in from the start. No long lecture absent questions or discussion.
• It was a good break and also seemed like a mini-vacation.
• Cooking together on Zoom with Filipe was very fun and lively. Filipe conveyed as casual friendliness from the beginning which helped set the intimate tone--as if we were present with him in a small cooking class. The choice dishes was spot on and his instruction and demonstrations helpful.
• We (5 ages 33-70) could all participate. We found this was a great way to virtually travel with our adult children.

Terms and Conditions. No cash refunds, but if you cancel more than two days prior to the event, we will offer a credit for any future Virtual Experience.

Image by MustangJoe from Pixabay