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| Q: |
What are the meeting times? |
| A: |
Unless otherwise agreed:
9:20 am for the Wine tour and all full day tours;
12:20 for the cooking class
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| Q: |
If I pay my membership fee of 10€, then my travelling plans change and I have to cancel my tour reservation, will I get my 10€ back? |
| A: |
Absolutely! Just make sure you cancel your reservation by e-mail at least 48 hours before the tour date. |
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| Q: |
I am not staying in a hotel in Florence, and will be renting a car. Can I drive to meet you at the winery or at the cooking class location? |
| A: |
We also we have an optional meeting point outside of the city center, more convenient if you are driving your own vehicle.
From there, we would still ask that you park your car and ride with us, for several reasons:
1) VIEWS: we go through about 50km of winding, narrow roads, and there are gorgeous views that you will enjoy best if you are not busy driving/navigating;
2) SAFETY: there will be a lot of wine drinking available! Also, our drive goes from meeting point in Florence to scenic road to winery, to windy dirt road to farmhouse, then back to Florence. That is 52 km of challenging driving. Safety first!
3) LOCATION: our cooking class location is a little farmhouse lost in the hilly back roads of Chianti. It is only marked on very local maps, no road sing to help you find it… Even GPS would be no use….That is part of the charm in being taken there! As good as your navigator may be, the chances of you finding the place are slim! The most common comment of our guests on the van getting there, is "We would never have found this place! Does the mailman making here?"
All of the above make it necessary to use our vehicles for your transportation. That is why, unfortunately, we are unable to offer a discount for those who will drive to meet us…
When you book, tell us you will be driving to meet us, and that you need directions.
If you let us know which way you will be coming from, we can send you specific directions.
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| Q: |
I am looking for a really intensive, hands-on cooking day. Will your class fit the description? |
| A: |
Our cooking class is 100% hands-on, and it lasts between one and a half to two hours.
However the day is not ALL about cooking: there is wine, there is food, there is conversation and scenery, as well.
So if you are hoping to spend the whole time cooking, we are not the right choice...
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| Q: |
I am a vegeterian: will I find enough to eat on your tour? |
| A: |
Our menu is in fact mostly vegetarian! Only on rare occasions, our chef may be in the mood for a sausage and soft cheese crostini as one of the three appetizers.. There will still be plenty to eat for non meat eaters. |
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| Q: |
I have some food allergies. (peanuts, seafood, strawberries, peaches etc). Can you cater to that? |
| A: |
Yes we’d love to, provided you inform us in due time. (at least 48 hours ahead) |
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| Q: |
Are your cooking lessons taught by professional chefs? |
| A: |
About our instructors credentials: they all are native English speakers or bilingual, and we are proud to say none of them is a professional chef at the moment, although all of them have worked in restaurants.
This the whole spirit of the Accidental Tourist:
- we do not hire catering for the meal: we have you over for dinner;
- we don't have a professional chef come in and show you how it's done: we share our lifetime knowledge around the kitchen table, and that of our grandma.. We have done so for over 10 years, and our knowledge is enriched by yours.
We have had 8 year-old children, reluctant husbands, successful businessmen, as well as professional chefs take our cooking class; all with equal satisfaction, and a good amount of learning and laughter.
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| Q: |
I will be checking out of my hotel the morning of the tour: can I bring my luggage with me? |
| A: |
Of course! Just let us know the day before… |
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| Q: |
On the WINE TOUR will we be visiting only one winery? Why? |
| A: |
Old established wineries in Tuscany occupy quite a large acreage, as they used to be self sufficient estates with olive groves, wine yards, forests, furnaces, farms. So is our Fattoria di Grignano: 600 acres of history, nature and agriculture.
Visiting its working wine-making operation, tasting generous amounts of 5 different wines as well as their olive oil, and touring the grounds of this beautiful estate takes all the time we have!
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| Q: |
What is served during the meal? |
| A: |
Our chef cooks everything fresh from scratch each day, and picks what is freshest at the market and prepares what appeals to her that day, as all artists do… But she sticks to this structure:
- 3 appetizers
- 2 pasta courses (which are prepared during the class
- dessert
- coffee
- unlimited wine
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| Q: |
I am intertested in both the wine tour and the cooking class. Can I take them together? |
| A: |
That is in fact our most popular combination: Wine tour in the morning, cooking class in the afternoon.
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| Q: |
I am interested in both the Wine and cook tour but my travelling plan (museum reservations etc) does not allow me a full day, only half days. How can I do that? |
| A: |
you can take them in different days: they take place at different locations, so there would be no repetition, and there is no price surplus. |
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| Q: |
I'd like to take the wine and cook, but my only full day available is a Saturday/Sunday, and I see that your winery is closed on week ends. Any solution? |
| A: |
Yes! You can take the wine tour on a week day and the cooking class any day you wish. |
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| Q: |
Is tipping expected? Is it customary? Is it offensive? |
| A: |
Though tipping is not expected as it would be - for example - in the USA, it has become a much appreciated way to say "thank you, you have done a great job and made my day really special!". So if that is how you feel at the end of your experience with us, feel free to tip our staff. The amount is absolutely up to you, your possibilities and your enthusiasm. |
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