43.7711° N — 11.2486° E
Tuscany Through the Senses
From the cobblestones of Florence to the farms of Tuscany
October 29 – November 5, 2026
In Florence and Tuscany, the Renaissance may have ended historically centuries ago, but its cultural legacy remains as vibrant as ever. Through Life & Thyme, we will explore that living legacy by tracing trade routes through guilds and medieval markets, harvesting olives from centuries-old groves, meeting the chefs and artisans reshaping the region’s culinary identity, and learning from local voices who work to keep that tradition alive.
This eight-day journey moves from the workshops and trattorias of Florence into the olive groves, wine cellars, and farm kitchens of the Tuscan countryside, shaped through food, wine, craft, coffee, and culture, guided by journalists and local experts who know this place as insiders.
Produced in collaboration with our friends, La Marzocco, Florence’s legendary espresso machine maker and the world’s great stewards of specialty coffee culture.
Destination Card
Italy
Florence
EUR
3.6 M
CEST
10-12
8 days
7 nights
Moderate
October 29, 2026
November 5, 2026
The Journey
Each journey is shaped by journalism: deep reporting, local voices, and stories that reveal the soul of a place.
01 — Day One
Thursday, October 29, 2026
Touchdown Florence
- Private transfer and check-in at The Hoxton Florence, a restored Renaissance palazzo in the heart of the city.
- An aperitivo hour to meet your fellow travelers and hosts, followed by dinner at The Hoxton Florence.
The Hoxton Florence sits near the Piazza della Libertà, ten minutes on foot from the Duomo. Postmodern design meets Renaissance architecture across two buildings, with a garden terrace, wine bar, and coastal-inspired restaurant to come home to each evening.
Florence’s bakers have been pressing olive oil-drenched dough flat and pulling it hot from the oven since at least the 14th century, when it was considered workers’ bread. Not focaccia but schiacciata, which means “crushed” in Italian. At La Nicchietta, it becomes the vessel for a classic Florentine sandwich worth standing in an alley for.
02 — Day Two
Friday, October 30, 2026
The City as Workshop
- A morning walking tour through Florence, strolling to the Duomo with stops for espresso and gelato along the way.
- Guided tour of Florence’s institutional museums, including Orsanmichele. Originally a grain market and later a guild church, Orsanmichele is commerce, religion, and political power fused into stone. We’ll unpack the guild system that made the Renaissance possible: bread guilds regulating the city’s daily sustenance, silk merchants funding cathedrals, wool wealth reshaping entire neighborhoods, apothecaries and spice traders as influential as any nobleman.
- Lunch at La Nicchietta: classic Florentine sandwiches in the alley. A working-class ritual that predates the tourist economy by centuries.
- Afternoon sensory journey combining wine and perfume with Maître Parfumeur Sileno Cheloni, who opens the doors of his laboratory to reveal the ancient art and science of perfumery. Discover the wines of Castiglion del Bosco, guided by both a fragrance expert and a sommelier, before crafting your own bespoke scent to take home, chosen from thousands of carefully selected notes.
- Dinner at one of Florence’s most celebrated modern (and punk rock) trattorias.
The Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, known simply as the Duomo, has defined Florence’s skyline since the 15th century. Brunelleschi’s dome, still the largest brick dome ever constructed, remains one of the great engineering feats of the Renaissance and the most recognizable symbol of a city built on craft.
03 — Day Three
Saturday, October 31, 2026
Market, Paper & the Aperitivo Hour
- Morning at the Mercato di Sant’Ambrogio with Chef Tommaso Fontanella, Florence’s most authentic daily market, far from the tourist circuit. Tommaso guides us through the stalls, unpacking the history of the ingredients, the trade networks that brought them here, and the market’s role in daily Florentine life across the centuries.
- Lunch at Tommaso’s Tosco Tacos, Florence’s first taqueria using local Italian ingredients.
- Afternoon spent discovering the world of paper marbling, Florence’s tradition of carta marmorizzata dates to the Renaissance, when artisans developed the technique for bookbinding and correspondence.
- Aperitivo at one of Florence’s most iconic establishments for negronis, spritzes, and aperitivo snacks, the ritual that every Florentine evening deserves before dinner.
The Mercato di Sant’Ambrogio has been feeding Florence since 1873, making it the oldest standing market in the city. When Florence briefly became the capital of a newly unified Italy, the old market was demolished to make way for the Piazza della Repubblica, and the city needed somewhere for its people to eat. Architect Giuseppe Poggi modeled it on Paris’s Les Halles, using cast iron and glass.
Legend has it that the Negroni was invented by a gentleman named Count Camillo Negroni, who was a regular at Café Casoni in Florence. The Count asked the bartender to stiffen his Americano cocktail with gin instead of soda water. The bartender obliged, and the Negroni was born. Equal parts gin, Campari, and sweet vermouth.
04 — Day Four
Sunday, November 1, 2026
Into the Countryside
- Coffee at one of the leading pioneers of the specialty coffee movement in Florence, a fitting final ritual before we leave the city.
- Depart Florence for the Tuscan countryside. First stop: a visit with the makers behind a small-batch gin distillery crafting their spirits from local Tuscan botanicals, a contemporary expression of the same botanical tradition that shaped the region’s apothecaries centuries ago.
- Arrive at the historical Villa le Corti, a working estate in the Chianti Classico wine region and home to the Corsini family for generations. This is where we’ll be based for the remainder of the journey. Settle in, breathe the air, and let the pace of the countryside take over.
05 — Day Five
Monday, November 2, 2026
Oil, Pasta & the Land
- It’s olive harvest season. Join the team at Villa le Corti in the groves for a hands-on harvest, from tree to bottle, understanding the process that has sustained this landscape for millennia.
- A guided tour of the estate grounds with the Corsini family, the history of the villa, its centuries of agricultural life, and a visit to the estate’s private archive, considered one of the five most important private archives in Italy.
- Pasta making workshop with Chef Gaetano Arnone in Villa le Corti’s four hundred year old medieval kitchen, followed by dinner together at the estate.
The Corsini family acquired the first plots of land at Le Corti in 1363. After seven centuries of ownership by the same family, the estate represents a complex of extraordinary historical, architectural, and landscape value, recognized and protected by the Italian state. The Corsini lineage includes Saint Andrew Corsini, Pope Clement XII, a Viceroy of Sicily, and a Senator of the Kingdom of Italy. Today, the Corsini family continues a tradition of cultivation that has outlasted every empire, war, and government that has passed through this valley. This is where we will spend four days.
06 — Day Six
Tuesday, November 3, 2026
The Art of Espresso
- Depart for a full day with La Marzocco at their Accademia del Caffè Espresso, a deep immersion into the history, craft, and culture of espresso. We’ll visit the museum, tour the legendary Officine Fratelli Bambi—where bespoke machines are dreamed up—and make an exclusive visit to La Marzocco’s factory in Scarperia, today’s home to a hand-built espresso machine tradition dating back to 1927.
- Dinner at a traditional Tuscan trattoria for bistecca fiorentina, the definitive expression of Tuscan cooking, simply done and impossibly good.
La Marzocco was founded in 1927 by brothers Giuseppe and Bruno Bambi, originally under the name Officine Fratelli Bambi, for the purpose of building their own brand of espresso machines. Nearly a century later, every machine is still handmade in Florence, a commitment to craft that places La Marzocco squarely in the tradition of Florentine artisanship that built this city.
07 — Day Seven
Wednesday, November 4, 2026
Craft, Cured Meat & a Final Table
- Morning visit to a historic foundry in the Chianti countryside, a multi-generational family workshop where traditional metal casting techniques passed down over centuries are still practiced daily.
- Visit Terra di Siena’s pig farm for an encounter with one of Tuscany’s oldest and most celebrated preservation traditions.
- Spend the afternoon in San Gimignano, the medieval tower city rising from the Tuscan hills. We’ll wander the local markets, sourcing ingredients for the evening ahead.
- Final dinner at Chef Tommaso Fontanella’s home in San Gimignano, where Tommaso and Gaetano prepare a dinner together the garden. The last meal of a journey carries its own weight. This one is grown, gathered, and cooked by the people we’ve met throughout this journey.
08 — Day Eight
Thursday, November 5, 2026
Arrivederci!
- Breakfast at the villa. A slow morning to decompress the adventure alongside reluctant goodbyes.
- Private transfers for the journey home.
- We’ll reveal the next destination on the Passport journey.
Meet the Hosts
Guided by a team of storytellers, filmmakers, and local voices.
Antonio Diaz
Founder, Life & Thyme
Antonio Diaz is the founder of Life & Thyme and an Emmy Award–winning filmmaker whose work explores culture through the lens of food. As a storyteller and documentarian, he has spent over a decade traveling the world to uncover the human stories behind what we eat—directing and producing acclaimed series like The Migrant Kitchen, Broken Bread with Roy Choi, and Rebel Kitchens for PBS.
Maite Gomez-Rejón
Educator & Researcher
Maite Gomez-Rejón is an educator, writer, and cook who explores the intersection of art, history, and cuisine. Founder of ArtBites, she has collaborated with leading museums and curated exhibitions on the cultural history of food. She is the recent recipient of the 2024 Latino Spirit Award. Maite co-hosts the Hungry for History podcast with Eva Longoria.
Gaetano Arnone
Chef & Culinary Guide
Gaetano Arnone spent nine years at Babbo Ristorante in New York City, rising from Garde Manger to Chef de Cuisine before taking over as Executive Chef of sister restaurant Otto. In 2020, he and his wife Meigan left New York for Tuscany, spending four years cooking in a 400-year-old private kitchen at Villa le Corti for the Corsini family. In 2024 they returned stateside to open Via Cassia in Hudson, New York, a trattoria shaped by everything they absorbed in Italy. Gaetano doesn’t just know Tuscany, he cooked in its oldest kitchens, harvested its olives, and built relationships with its farmers, winemakers, and artisans.
Our Commitment to Thoughtful Travel
Life & Thyme Passport was created for those who travel with curiosity and intention. Each journey is crafted by journalists, documentarians, and local experts who believe travel should deepen understanding, not simply check boxes. We partner with trusted guides, chefs, and cultural stewards to ensure every experience is meaningful, ethical, and beautifully told. When you travel with us, you’re not just seeing the world, you’re engaging with it thoughtfully.
In Their Words
“Beyond the expertly curated food experiences, the community and camaraderie of the group was truly magical. Our L&T hosts thought of every detail and made it extra special.”
— Sen S.
“Life & Thyme Passport crafted an extraordinary experience where every meal, farm visit, cultural encounter, and time-honored culinary ritual built upon the last, creating a deeper understanding of the history, people, and traditions. Every experience felt intentionally designed to deepen our connection to the culture, the people, and the stories behind the food.”
— Nichole D.
“L&T’s inaugural Passport adventure fully exceeded my expectations! Our group had great synergy, and it was so cool. Each day we were truly immersed in the sights, tastes, art, culture, and sounds of the city through the thoughtful curation.”
— Kathy H.
FAQ
Everything you need to know before joining the journey.
This trip is for anyone looking to experience an amazing, world-class city through the lens of Life & Thyme’s culinary journalism. We’ll use food as a gateway to better understand a place, its people, culture, art and history. We’ve spent months putting together a superb itinerary that covers a great deal of cultural ground. Many of the stops on our trip have been arranged via our network of relationships and cannot be simply booked online.
While airfare is not included, once you touch down in Florence, you are in our care and can leave your wallet behind. All meals, drinks, activities, transportation (including private transportation to and from the airport) are included in the cost of the trip. Any activities that are extracurricular to the set itinerary would be at your expense.
We’ll make every effort to accommodate the most common dietary restrictions (vegetarian, vegan, gluten free). If you require other accommodations, please let us know ahead of time and we’ll see if we can arrange.
In order to maintain the kind of host-to-guest-ratio that allows for the utmost care, we’re keeping the group size to 10-12 people.
The listed cost of the trip is for solo travelers. All guests will have their own room while in Florence. During our stay in Tuscany, a guest may be bunking with another guest. Should couples want to do double occupancy while in Florence, we will reduce their total rate by $500.
Travel insurance is strongly recommended. These policies step-in to protect you in the event of cancelled flights, medical emergencies, lost luggage, etc.
To officially reserve your place on the journey, we ask for a 50% deposit, payable by credit card. The remaining balance will be due 45 days before the trip begins.
We completely understand that life happens and plans change. Here’s how we handle cancellations:
- More than 45 days out: We’ll refund your deposit, less a $500 cancellation fee.
- 45 days or fewer: The deposit becomes non-refundable.
- 30 days or fewer: The full trip cost is non-refundable.
That said, our goal is always to take care of you. If we are able to fill your spot from our waitlist, we’ll happily refund everything except the $500 fee — no matter when you cancel.
In the unlikely event that we must cancel the trip, you will receive a full refund — no stress, no fine print.
Once you fill out the form on the Reserve link, we’ll reach out to set up a quick virtual meeting. This will allow us to get to know each other; we can share a little more about the trip and get a better understanding of you as a traveler and how we can maximize your trip experience. From there, we’ll send a deposit link and we’ll be in regular communication with additional trip details until arrival day.
We’ll make every effort to accommodate accessibility needs. Note that some portions of the trip might be impossible to accommodate. Should you have any needs/concerns, please feel free to discuss them with us ahead of time.
The trip will primarily take place in English. If some of our local guides are more comfortable in Italian, we’ll have translation support to facilitate all communications.
In short, yes. The itinerary is subject to change without formal notice, but rest assured that should anything fall out we will replace it with a comparable experience that we are equally excited to share with you.
Have more questions?
We’re here to help to answer any questions you have about booking or about the trip itself. Email us at passport@lifeandthyme.com.