Tuscany Culinary Escape for Two
Provider’s estimated retail value: $6,890.00
This Experience Includes:
- 2-night stay in a superior room at the Hotel Ponte Sisto, Rome
- 5-night stay in a deluxe room at the Renaissance Tuscany Il Ciocco Resort & Spa (Barga, Lucca)
- Daily breakfast for 2
- Lunch, wine cellar and olive oil mill tour and tasting for 2 at Fattoria Colleverde (Lucca)
- Winspire booking & concierge service
Gourmets and wine buffs descend on this hidden Tuscan Valley to enjoy local specialties. The Garfagnana Valley is famous for its prosciutto, pork, pecorino cheese and honey. Fortunately, the area also boasts beautiful areas for walking, hiking and biking, so you can work up an appetite in between meals.
Pisa, Florence and Cinque Terra are reachable by car or train – day trips not to be missed. Cinque Terra, a 5-mile stretch of a breathtaking beautiful rocky coast at the border of Tuscany and Liguria, was declared a National Park in 1999 and has been protected by UNESCO as a unique natural environment since 1997. Walk along the winding paths overlooking enchanting beaches and bays, and admire the hundreds of miles of walls and terraces built by man to cultivate vineyards that cling steeply to the cliffs, making this region a true masterpiece where the work of man and natural beauty found an ideal balance.
Hotel Ponte Sisto, Rome
Enjoy a 2-night stay in a superior double room (one queen bed or two twin beds) including daily buffet breakfast for two, subject to availability. Guest rooms overlook either the charming courtyard or the garden of the historic Palazzo Spada. The 4-star Hotel Ponte Sisto is a gorgeously renovated palazzo and just steps from Trastevere and Campo de’ Fiori. Located in the heart of Rome on a quiet downtown street, you are within walking distance to the Piazza Navona, Campo de’ Fiori, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, Via Giulia and the Trastevere district. A wonderful choice of trattorias awaits just across the Ponte Sisto in Trastevere.
For your convenience, you may wish to split your stay so you have one night at the beginning of your trip and one night at the end in Rome.
Renaissance® Tuscany Il Ciocco Resort & Spa (Barga, Lucca)
Enjoy a 5-night stay in a deluxe room (one king or two twin beds) including daily breakfast for two at the #8 Resort in Europe according to 2017 Conde Nast Traveler Readers’ Awards and #4 Best Hotel in Tuscany according to 2018 U.S. News Ranking.
Nestled on the hill of an expansive, two-mile estate in the heart of one Italy’s most beloved regions, this luxury Tuscan resort offers an off-the-radar, authentic Tuscan experience inspired by local traditions. The Renaissance overlooks the magnificent Serchio Valley, and is a stone’s throw from medieval villages like Barga and Castelnuovo di Garfagnana. The resort was featured on ABC’s “The Bachelor” in February 2018, with the town of Barga and the Renaissance Tuscany as the home base for the show’s cast. The hotel’s romantic setting, the region’s beauty and the town’s culture made the perfect location for this episode.
Renaissance Tuscany Il Ciocco Resort & Spa overlooks the mountainous Serchio Valley, one of the most unexplored areas of Italy. Here guests can discover nearby quaint medieval villages, Barga and Lucca, or travel within one or two hours to well-known city favorites, like Florence, Pisa, and Cinque Terre. The property also offers a full-service spa, two restaurants and a bar serving local cuisine, two swimming pools, a health club, and varied excursions within the surrounding area.
NOTE: Tuscany is 200 miles north of Rome, approximately 4 hours by car or 3 hours by train.
“La Cucina Italiana”, Fattoria Colleverde (Lucca)
Enjoy lunch, tour of the wine cellar and olive oil mill and tasting for two at Fattoria Colleverde, an organic/biodynamic vineyard producing some of the most distinctive wines and olive oil in Tuscany. Owners Francesca and Piero welcome you to Fattoria, where you will cook with Chef Rodolfo as he shares the secrets of Tuscan cuisine with you — including how to make fresh homemade pasta!
Located in the beautiful rolling hills just minutes from the medieval walled city of Lucca, Fattoria Colleverde is a half-hour drive from Pisa and an hour drive from Florence and Cinque Terre. Beautiful vineyards and olive groves lie within a wide, south-facing valley. This natural amphitheater of terraces creates an extremely well-balanced and unique agricultural ecosystem that produces flavors that are full and rich.
Available April through early November (Mon, Tues, Wed, Fri, excluding Easter Monday). During winter months, an alternate culinary experience or cooking class at the Renaissance can be arranged for you.
Winspire Booking & Concierge Service
Winspire provides a team of seasoned travel professionals who will help you redeem your experience. All travel-related details and reservations are handled for every part of your Winspire experience. Operating as a full-service travel agency, Winspire can assist with extra hotel nights, airfare, and additional guests. This service also provides you with an established network of onsite contacts who can help you book additional experiences, activities and tours.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Travel must be completed within two years from the date of purchase. Reservations are subject to availability and must be booked a minimum of 60 days prior to travel. Ground transportation is the responsibility of the winner unless otherwise stated. Certificates cannot be replaced if lost, stolen or destroyed. Purchases through charity fundraisers are non-refundable and packages cannot be resold.
RNRA is a tax-exempt, 501(c)(3) non-profit neighborhood advocacy organization working to make a great neighborhood even better, with emphasis on public safety, responsible development and land use, improved infrastructure and green spaces, a well-managed hospitality sector, and family programs and other public events. As the only pure resident advocacy organization serving River North, RNRA works closely with homeowners associations and other residential properties, elected representatives, public safety officials, local businesses, and other stakeholders to effect positive change.
