ACTIVITIES INCLUDED IN THE RENTAL PRICE

Welcome dinner
On the arrival day our cook Grace will prepare you the dinner, so you don't have to bother cooking or looking for a restaurant. Our dinner includes an aperitivo with bruschette and our wine, pasta alla puttantesca with olives, veal with porcini or chicken with white wine and rosmary, roasted potatoes, salad and ice cream with fruit salad.

Tour of the cellar and wine tasting
You can tour our vineyards and learn everything about our wines with Marco Ferretti, the wine maker of our company. At the end of the tour you'll visit our cellar and taste our wines which have won a great number of prizes.

EXTRA ACTIVITIES

Guided visits of Firenze and Siena
Visit Firenze and Siena with a very special guide, art historian Cecilia Martelli, former teacher of the art history program of John Hopkins University in Florence. You will step into the Renaissance and walk thru the beauty of the city and its monuments, museums and churches.
Some example of itineraries:
The Medici family and the arts – visit to Palazzo Medici Riccardi (with the famous Benozzo Gozzoli chapel), San Lorenzo church and Medici Chapels
Brunelleschi Renaissance architecture in Florence – walking tour of Ospedale degli Innocenti, San Lorenzo Church, visit of the Duomo and the “cupola”.
Introduction to florentine Renaissance art – walking tour of San Lorenzo church, piazza Duomo, Battistero, Orsanmichele church, piazza Signoria, visit of the Uffizi Gallery (this is an whole day itinerary).
Michelangelo in Florence – visit of the Accademia museum, Medici Chapel, Laurentian library. Lorenzo Ghiberti and the Baptistery doors – visit to the Battistero and the Opera del Duomo museum.
Our guide is an expert on Renaissance art and she can organize tours also in Siena (which is only 50 km away from the villa).

Visit of the pottery factory Antica Fornace “Ugo Poggi”
Located very near villa La Querce the terra-cotta factory Ugo Poggi is famous for its beautiful terracotta pots, jars, tiles and art works. Impruneta is the town of “cotto”, the tiles of the Florence Duomo were made in Impruneta and the factories which produce terra-cotta are many. But the Poggi furnace is unique, because it has a long tradition in this manufacturing art. The Poggi furnace creates gorgeous flower pots, both traditional and modern which are exported in the whole world. Recently the italian artist Mauro Staccioli created his art work for Poggi, a gigantic terra-cotta ring which has become a landmark for Impruneta. Visiting the factory you'll discover the secrets of “cotto” as we call it and the process of making it.

Learn italian at the villa
Do want to take advantage of your trip to Italy to learn the basic italian? You and your children can enjoy your italian lessons right at the villa. A qualified teacher will be at your disposal, for how many lessons you want, and you'll go home after this trip bringing with you something special.

Chianti by bike
Why not visit Chianti by bicycle? You can book the bikes and the guide at the villa, pick up your favorite tours and see the country in a new, exciting way. Our guides from the shop “Florence by bike” will propose a different range of tours, right for a family ride or for a more “professional” challenge. In any case, there is no better way to really enjoy the beauty of Chianti, with its extensive vineyards and olive groves. The famous towns of Greve and Panzano are within reach, a must of Chianti touring. If you don't think you need a guided tour, but you want to rent your bikes nevertheless, we offer you the possibility of having them delivered right at the villa.

Cooking lessons
Learn the real tuscan cuisine with someone who has a true insight into the tuscan food culture. You'll learn how to make the real “pappa al pomodoro”, “zuppa di farro”, “rosticciana”, “fagioli all'uccelleto”, and other dishes that make the tuscan cuisine so unique. Our very good friend Elisa Poggetti is a fantastic cook, she is born in Siena but lives in Firenze and her menus includes dishes from these two important traditions. In the homely atmosphere of villa La Querce learning to cook italian food will be a pleasure!

Trekking on the Apuane mountains
The Apuane are the Dolomites (Alps) of Tuscany. They are very near the coast and are famous for their marbles (Michelangelo used the Apuane's marble for his sculptures). They offer the beauty of a walk in the mountains with the breath-taking view of the sea. Our expert guide and friend Cinzia Sarti will come with a van to pick up your group at the villa and lead it through an easy but fascinating trekking. The day can end with a visit of nearby Lucca or with a stop on the beaches of the tuscan riviera, Versilia.