One of the best ways to embrace la dolce vita is indulging in Tuscan food. From truffles and hearty soups to gelato and Tuscan wine, there’s an abundance of Tuscan delicacies to savor on our Ultimate Italy tour. Get acquainted with the essential guide to Italy for foodies and dive into our seven favorite Tuscan culinary experiences. 

Meet Marchese Mazzei for a private lunch and wine tasting 

Should you travel on a Founder’s Collection of our Ultimate Italy tour, you’re treated to an exclusive lunch and wine tasting with Marchese Mazzei at his centuries-old Tuscan estate, Fonterutoli Winery. Revered for its Chianti Classico, the winery’s Mazzei family has been evolving its winemaking through tradition and innovations to support a low environmental impact since 1435. Begin with a tour of the estate highlighting the history of the Chianti Classico appellation and a visit to the underground Author’s Cellar. You’ll then sit down to sip their complex wine and enjoy a light lunch while you gaze out upon the villa and homes dating back to the 1500s.  

Francesco Mazzei and Fonterutoli Winery

Visit Guardastelle winery for a wine tasting and lunch 

Delve into Tuscan wine on a private tour of the 15th century Guardastelle estate. Your personal oenophile will guide you through the ancient cellars and share their insights on their grape varieties and family-owned estate. Tenuta Guardastelle is one of the smallest wineries in San Gimignano and is the ideal place to sample Tuscan wine. Paired with a lunch of Tuscan specialties, your lunch among rolling green hills and vineyards makes for an idyllic dining experience. 

Related Content: Wines of the world 

Taste award-winning ice cream in San Gimignano   

What better way to embrace Tuscan delicacies than by tasting gelato with World Champion Gelato maestro, Sergio Dondoli? Tucked within winding alleyways is the world-renowned artisan ice cream parlor, Gelateria Dondoli. Within this small shop filled with tempting tastes you’ll hear master Dondoli’s story of developing his craft since 1984. All his ice creams feature highly selected, top-quality ingredients of local regions. For example, the saffron and hazelnut have protected designations.

Dondoli also won the prestigious MAM (Master of Art and Craft) award in 2016, the Italian equivalent of the “Living National Treasure” Japanese Prize and the French “Maître d’Art” Award. Only 75 Artistic Masters were awarded this honor in Italy and Sergio is the only Gelato Master to have received this important award. Some of his notable flavors include Crema di Santa Fina® (cream with saffron and pine nuts), Champelmo® (pink grapefruit and sparkling wine), Dolceamaro® (cream with aromatic herbs) and Vernaccia Sorbet. 

@gelateriadondoli_official

 Forage for aromatic truffles guided by an expert truffle dog 

Known as the “golden mushroom,” the truffle captures the elegance and sumptuous flavors of Tuscan food. Truffles in Tuscany grow around the roots of oak, hazelnut and pine trees across the hilly landscape. Your tour will take you on a fascinating foraging trip through these very regions guided by an expert truffle dog. After your excursion, use a truffle (or gift it along) as soon as you can. Truffles lose both their aroma and weight as time passes. White truffles pair well with simple ingredients such as fresh egg pasta or polenta. Or, dishes with butter, eggs, potatoes or cheese.  

Explore Florence on a culinary walk with a local foodie 

Visit the lively Mercato Centrale to learn about Florentine specialties with a local foodie. This market opened in 2014 in a historic cast iron and glass structure dating back to 1874. The aim was to make local artisans and their produce the heart of the food scene. Sample Florence’s culinary delights in the tucked away market shops offering a selection of gourmet highlights. Try local bread and baked goods, fresh fish, vegetarian and vegan dishes, meat and charcuterie, buffalo mozzarella, cheese, chocolate, gelato, fresh pasta, wine, lampredotto and truffles. 

@mercatocentralefirenze

Enjoy dinner in an elegant Florentine villa 

A highlight of your Tuscan culinary journey will surely be dinner in Florence feasting on regional dishes, including the famous local specialty ‘bistecca fiorentina.’ This traditional dish is a Tuscan steak made from the region’s Chianina breed of cattle which are prized for their tenderness and flavor. This simple recipe seasons the steak with little more than olive oil, rosemary and salt. It is then grilled it to perfection to highlight the rich flavor of the meat. Savor every bite over this authentic dining experience.    

Tuscan Lunch and Cooking Class with Italian Chef 

What better way to immerse yourself in the culture of Tuscan food than with a hands-on cooking class? We’ll take you inside the former hunting lodge built in the 1200s by the Medici family. Begin by taking a stroll through the olive groves, vineyards and villas before sourcing fresh ingredients from the garden. Then partner with a professional Italian chef to learn how to roll your own fresh tagliatelle and pappardelle pasta.  

With so many decadent and authentic culinary experiences in Tuscany alone, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to fill your plate with Tuscan food and enrich your travels. 

Where will your taste buds take you? 

Head Chef of The Werf at Boschendal, Allistaire Lawrence offers guests an exceptional soil-to-fork dining experience. Showcasing the spectacular produce of the Cape, he champions simple cuisine starring ethically sourced ingredients and served with unpretentious gourmet flair.

Exclusively for Luxury Gold, we asked Allistaire what our guests can expect when they dine at The Werf. And we also took the opportunity to learn more about South African cuisine.

Discover this on: Spectacular South Africa

Meet Allistaire Lawrence

Allistaire with fellow chef Todd English @delicious_al

Trained at the Institute of Culinary Arts (ICA) in Stellenbosch, one of the top three chef training schools in the world, Allistaire Lawrence boast an impressive pedigree. He has led the kitchens at some of the Cape’s most iconic restaurants and is now Executive chef of The Werf at Boschendal. Known for embracing and enhancing the simplicity in foods and letting the ingredients shine, he makes use of the freshest ingredients on his doorstep.

On the food philosophy at The Werf Allistaire says, “We are dictated to by the seasons, and the availability of produce from our farm and surroundings. The healthy rich soil for which Boschendal is famous translates into flavor profiles that are earthy and intense, as a result the dishes speak for themselves. I want guests to take away something special from our authentic farm-to-table experience, for it’s a process that continues to teach me so much.”

For inspiration: South Africa destination guide

The Boschendal Wine Estate

@boschendal

The Werf Restaurant is part of the Wine Farm Franschhoek, situated in the attractively revamped original cellar of the Manor House. All sited on the Boschendal Wine Estate, one of South Africa’s oldest wine estates, where the overriding philosophy is of family, food and reconnection. With sustainable at its core, the farm employs practices that ensure the soil is left better than found and to deliver quality produce and products.

@boschendal

With a vast organic vegetable garden and orchards on the doorstep of his kitchen, as Chef of the Werf, Allistaire always has a bounty of fresh ingredients available. In addition, other ingredients are sourced from small producers and farms from the surrounding Winelands, Stellenbosch and Cape Town.

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Dining at The Werf

@boschendal

 With such mouth-watering soil-to-fork dining on offer at The Werf Restaurant, we asked Allistaire Lawrence what Luxury Gold guests will gain from this dining experience. “Dining at the Werf restaurant gives guests an opportunity to make a visual connection with a taste and flavor experience” he tells us.

“Being able to sit and eat food produced on the farm and being able to see a working farm doing what it does, gives you a better appreciation for the food. It allows us to showcase the amazing produce the farm has to offer, while giving the guests an opportunity to sample it, as well as an opportunity to take some of it home, when shopping at our retail store.”

The seasonal menu features treats such as; aged black Angus steak with parsley butter and beef jus served with crispy potatoes with garlic emulsion; cured local trout with charred cucumber, fresh turnip, lemon sauce and foraged sorrels; and broad beans and ricotta, poached boschendal egg with chilli oil, white bean hummus, burnt lemon and hazelnuts.

For the ultimate souvenir of your visit, you can take away a recipe card to recreate one of Allistaire’s dishes at home.

Allistaire Lawrence on South African cuisine

@boschendal

“South African cuisine has many external influences” Allistaire goes on to explain. “There is no one type of South African cuisine. We all have a version of it based on where we come from.”

We asked him what he feels is so special and distinctive and he proudly told us: “The one thing that makes South African cuisine a magical experience is the extension of hospitality that you feel when you share a South African meal and experience. You are made to feel welcome and like family. We are very proud of what we cook, and we are very eager to share our food and hospitality culture with people.”

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His favorite South African dish?

@delicious_al

When asked his favorite dish Allistaire again reinforces: “Every South African has a different context when it comes to South African cuisine. Our food has been inspired by so many international influences and, due to how things were in the past, your family would have different food experiences to another based on social influences.”

“The one language all South Africans speak is “Braai”” he says, “so anything from a snoek with apricot jam, to wors (sausage) and a skaaptjoppie (lamb chop), to a Skope and pap (sheep’s head and maize meal). Anything over the coals would be a proudly South African meal.” However, to conclude the question without a doubt he tells us: “My favorite South African dish is my mother’s tripe, trotter and sugar beans curry.”

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His favorite ingredient?

@delicious_al

As Chef of the Werf, there are many fresh ingredients for Allistaire to choose from when we ask his favorite. “South Africa and especially Cape town has an amazing selection of fish to work with. Nothing beats fresh fish, cooked well,” he says. “I’m also a big fan of eggs. Such a simple, yet versatile ingredient.”

Home comfort food

@boschendal

To conclude our chat, we couldn’t resist the opportunity to ask what an acclaimed chef cooks at home with his family. “Because of the hours I work, cooking at home doesn’t happen too often,” he shares. “When I do cook it will be something hearty like a stew or curry, or something over the coals. I enjoy meals that bring back nostalgia of my family life when I was younger. I’m a sucker for an oven roast chicken, as my mom makes a killer one. My ultimate favorite comfort spoil is my wife’s spaghetti Bolognese – its like a bowl of delicious love.”

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Allistaire Lawrence’s exceptional cuisine as chef of The Werf Restaurant is one of the culinary highlights on our Spectacular South Africa luxury guided tour. A showcase of beautiful wilderness, eclectic cultures, warm hospitality and rich heritage, journey from Cape Town into the heart of Big Five territory. Discover Robben Island, Table Mountain, the finest wineries and view iconic wildlife on a luxury safari. And why not extend your tour aboard the luxurious Rovos Rail to the mighty Victoria Falls?

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