The Culinary Ride

Full program of Tuscan highlights. Combine your stay in one of the most fashionable SPA of Tuscany with sightseeing to some very well known places like Montalcino, Pienza and Sorano, citchen courses with a professional and passionated chef and owner of your accomodation and horseback riding in the area of the Mount Cetona with breathtaking views on the landscape below.

You take accomodation in a wonderful, romantic (Laura Ashley stile) villa in San Casciano dei Bagni with private pool.
From here you go for 3 half days of riding in the area;

You get on 3 half days cooking courses directly in your accomodation from the owner who is a professional chef and

you do on 3 half days sightseeing to Pienza, Montepulciano and Sorano;

further on you will have the possibility to go every afternoon in the local SPA (www.fonteverde.it) to relax or to get some massage or beauty treatment.

Minimum number is 6 clients

Riding level: from beginners on

Pace: mostly sightseeing by walk, some trott and if wanted canters.

Language: Italian and English 

Program includes breakfast and dinner.
The price is Euro 1.750

Single supplement Euro 175

Dates: 1.-08.04., 08.-15.04., 15.-22.04., 22.-29.04. 

Exclusive and unique!!!!

Group Luxus - Version

For groups of minimum eight clients

We have the possibility to rent a wonderfull, very comfortable country villa just 50 mt. from the SPA with 6 rooms and bathrooms, private pool with hot water, very individual furnishing, and common room with fire place. The house is just restored now with all comfort that clients may want to have.

Clients have all their privacy, there is no other house attached. This is a perfect solution for a complete group.

Program like riding and cooking costs f.e. Euro 2.000. per person.  

Please contact us in case to get more information and to built an individual program

Photographic composition and the awareness of how light affects the subject and expresses the mood of time and place will be the main focus of this workshop. This class will teach participants ways in which to capture the indigenous Tuscan landscapes / architecture, enabling them to document and visually express themselves in an eloquent manner using the photographic medium. Photographic outings to nearby medieval towns and short hikes into the local countryside will be the manner in which classes will be facilitated. This workshop is recommended for those looking to broaden their creative horizons and find new ways to develop and interpret their personal vision. Classes will run approximately three to four hours a session.

Digital imaging is the recommended medium and classes will also include tips and further instructions’ as to how to get the best out of your digital camera.  Printing the image and basic photo shop applications are also open to students who are interested in this aspect of digital photography.

This unique area of the Italian countryside where my home/studio is situated is strategically located between Rome and Florence and populated with many ancient Etruscan towns and many mid-evil castles. The terrain is undulating rolling hills, valleys and forests offset by mountains that are home to many small Italian villages and towns. Life in this particular area has remained relatively unchanged throughout the ages. The local foods, wines and restaurants maintain the charm of an unspoiled Italian culture. This is a unique experience for those who have been searching to discover and photograph in Italy where few tourists find their way.

I have been a commercial and fine art photographer for more than twenty-three years, most of that time was spent living and photographing in Santa Fe N.M. and the Southwest United State. I have specialized in architectural and interior photography as well landscapes and portraiture. Recently I have been teaching digital and experimental photography in Florence Italy at the University Lorenzo De Medici

Etruscan castle tour

This ride leads through parts of Tuscany and Lazio – an area that shows rich culture and historic background - the settlement area of the first Etruscan population and the border area of the former Vatican state. Coincidence?

You take accomodation in two different medieval castles and a fortress. The castle of Proceno, the Castle Santa Cristina close to Onano and the Fortress of Sorano. The first castle is located in the little village, creating in parts the protection wall; has its rooms in different levels along the only passage through the village. The pool is on the bottom of the walls in the middle of the castles park area. The second castle is a country castle out of the village in the middle of agricultural terrain. The main house is still habitated from the owner who owns also some horses. You take accomodation in the romantic dependence, fully covered with green edera and the pool in front with its nice green around. The fortress of Sorano is located above this unique Etruscan town. From your rooms with a good meter of wall around you see down on the town and further in the canyon that protects the village. There are just few steps downhill to have a walk though the center with all its up and down, passages gates, arches and small steps.

Come and take a breath of medieval live stile – with actual comfort of course.

1. Day: Arriving in Orvieto and shared transfer for the group from Orvieto station to Proceno and settlement in the local castle. Dinner in the local restaurant – the only indipendent restaurant in the town. A local lady cooks in the traditional stile and creates also sometimes new, very tasty filled pasta – called Tortelli. The deserts are very special and always fresh prepared.
2. Day: Daily ride in the area of the medieval town Proceno, through clay hills down in the valley of the river Palia - with marvelous view on the mountains of Amiata and Cetona. Lunch in the former boarder places from the Vatican state to Italy – called Dogana – also on hot days a fire lits in the dinning room to cook on. The way back leads uphill in the afternoon sun with warm view on soft rolling wheet fields or pasture for sheep herds. Dinner in a local farmhouse out in the countryside – the oldest real agriturismo - with all kinds of animals around and from them many kind of homeproduced and homecooked foodstuff.
3. Day: Travel on horseback from Proceno to Onano. The area changes completely – after you passed the private wood property of Montorio with its books, you ride over hugh plateau fields with various agricultural business built on tuff (a vulcanic soft stone) ground. Farmers settled here with their sheeps already in the past and started a good traditional cheese production. Lunch in a restaured restaurant with handpainted fresso in San Quirico. Thanks to the Tuff rocks on the ground the terrain remain always well drained and ready for nice trotts and canters. In the afternoon you arrive directly in the stables of the Castello di Cristina where a local cook prepares a tasty dinner in the former stable below the rooms – the ceiling helt up from several archbowes.
4. Day: Daily round in the area of Onano until the unique national park Selva di Lamone. This is an undescribable wood area, created from the now cold Vulcan in the Lago di Bolsena. Stones all over like crumbs on a cake. The leaves and the trees create shade and light in a fantastic, unreal mix on the inhospitable ground beside the dirt road. Lunch in a lonely farmhouse attached on a private little lake, that was also once a Vulcan and that remained a deep of 200 mt. You get tasty homeproduced starters and barbecued meet outside in the green in front of the house with view down on the lake. After the afternoon ride back you will have dinner today in the former stable part of the castle in front of a nice green garden and a centenary tree.
5. Day: Travel on horseback from Onano to Sorano. Romantic wood, steep ditches, narrow canyons and old Etruscan roads are on your way today. All the area is breathing culture and history the closer you get to Sorano. You stop for another lunchstop in San Quirico with different menue. Take accomodation in the medieval fortress high above the old Etruscan town. Dinner in a restaurant down in the center.
6. Day: Daily round in the unique area of Sorano with its deep and narrow cutted roads in the tuff rock and with its uncountable tumbs allover in the hills. Lunchstop in Sovana – one of the most famous villages of the Etruscan civilasation – with its hugh overground tumbs. Back in Sorano dinner in a restaurant in the village.
7. Day: Travel back from Sorano to Proceno with lunchstop in a different lonely farmhouse with family business and homecooked food. Dinner in the castles restaurant.
8. Day: Shared transfer in the morning from Proceno to Orvieto station.

Pace:  Mix of walk, trott and canter.

Siena's wine trail

Enjoy the unique experience to do a real journey on horseback. Like in the past you start in one point to finish in another. On this journey you pass the most scenic and famous places and spots of  Tuscany – like Pienza, Bagno Vignoni, Montalcino, Abazia Sant Antimo and Siena. And you don’t travel just pass this places – on horseback you are in the middle, you feel, smell and tough them, you become a part of them.

One travel goes from the little medieval town of Proceno to Siena, the other travel starts in Siena and ends up in Proceno. See the description for the journey from Proceno to Siena:

1. day: Arriving in Orvieto station; shared transfer in the afternoon to the accomodation in the castle of Proceno. Dinner in the local trattoria with phantastic, homecooked noodledishes.

2. day: Proceno – Radicofani

The whole morning you have the valley of the river Palia in front of your eyes with the fortress of Radicofani, your end of the day target,  high up on the other side. Passing the old boarder village from the former Vatican state to Italy - called Centeno. Ride along the old via Francigena that run in the medieval from France to Rome. Long uphill in the afternoon on  top of  a hillchain with breathtaking view down on both sides in two valleys. Accomodation in a little simple hotel in the medieval town. Possibility for a walk through the town or a walk up to the fortress. Wonderfull homecooked dinner, eventually with mushroom soup and wildboar?

3. day: Radicofani – Bagno Vignoni

Continue in the val d´Orcia, passing the famous country house of la Foce (residence of Iris Origo, nobel lady that wrote books of this part of Tuscany). Riding along cypress roads and the most classical Tuscan countryside to Bagno Vignoni. This old Roman SPA is the unique with a hot water pool in the middle of the square (nowerdays its not anymore allowed to take a bath in this antique place). You take your accomodation just in front of this pool in the hotel Therme.

4 day: Bagno Vignoni - Montalcino

From the bath we continue uphill to Vignoni alto, passing in front of the castle La Ripa, entering in the Montalcino territory arriving in front of one of the most famous curches in Italy – Abazia di Sant Antimo. Lunch in Sant Angelo in Colle. Wine yards on our road untill we reach the city of Montalcino, where one of the most successful red wine of  Italy is produced, the Brunello di Montalcino.

5. day: Montalcino - Buonconvento

Dirt road across farming area – hugh hills with wine production for the famous Brunello;  passing this we continue into one of the most classical corners of this part of Tuscany with beautifull view. Downhill to the end of val d´Orcia in direction of  the very original village of Buonconvento, where we take accomodation for this night.

6 day: Buonconvento - Siena

Ride through fields, wood and wine yards downhill with wide view in front of you in the direction of Siena. In the afternoon we pass some of the most nice country villas in the Siena district. We arrive in a stable just 5 km out of the city, where a jokey from the famous Siena Palio has his horses. The riders get a transfer for their accomodation directly in the city. Last dinner all together.

7 day: Siena free time for sightseeing in Siena

8 day: departure everybody by himself

Travel dates 2007:

1st april: Siena to Proceno

1^st July: Proceno to Siena

8^th July: Siena to Proceno

^4th November: Siena to Proceno

Prices: Euro 2.150

Single-room supplement:Euro 200

Transfers: for the 1^st week arriving point is Siena; departure is Orvieto (transfer from Proceno to Orvieto is included in the price)

For the 2^nd week arriving point is Orvieto (transfer from Orvieto to Proceno is included in the price); departure is Siena

Combine your ITALIAN POLO HOLIDAY WITH A RIDING HOLIDAY!

For more information about playing polo in Italy, please Contact Us.