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Accidental Tourist
To treat strangers as guests...
...to turn guests into friends
Why Choose Accidental Tourist?
The privilege of small numbers… without the price of luxury:
- We run any activity with as few as 2 guests and a MAXIMUM of 8 (unless you book a private party with more guests).
The homey atmosphere of a real Tuscan home…without the language barrier:
- Friendly, knowledgeable, English speaking hosts.
The competence of over 1/4 century experience…without the academic feel:
- We host our guests in our historical family homes; we work in our kitchens, we eat in our dining rooms.
What is the Accidental Tourist, really?
What To Expect
- A relaxing day in the Chianti region, just outside of Florence
- Traditional Tuscan wine and food, prepared together in an intimate setting, with “body & soul health” in mind
- A fully hands-on class, followed by a plentiful meal including wine and dessert
- Transportation included with pick up and drop off in the heart of Florence (discount applied if you drive to location)
- Upon request, we are happy to work around food restrictions
- In the spring of 1998, ours was the first pasta class in Florence – that’s 26 years experience..
- We open our own historical homes to you:
- a 900 year old villa in our family for 6 generations, a 17th century farmhouse with its own chicken-coop, and more
- Max 8 people in each group, so we can give you all the attention you deserve
- Custom classes for families traveling with children and groups
- Unlimited local headache-free Chianti wine for our guests!
- The ingredients we use in our class are organic, non GMO, farm-to-table
- Over the years, we have researched and developed our own secret low-gluten pasta recipe.
- If you’d like to stay after cooking, eating and drinking, you can BOOK A NIGHT at the villa and save
- If you are a digital nomad, looking for a place to work in a homey environment, or simply a magical place to find inspiration, BOOK A STAY at the villa
LAST MINUTE REQUEST? DOES YOUR DESIRED DATE SHOW UNAVAILABLE?
TRYING TO SQUEEZE ONE MORE PERSON IN YOUR PARTY?
THERE IS STILL HOPE!
CONTACT US DIRECTLY AND WE’LL DO OUR BEST TO ACCOMMODATE YOUR REQUEST.
Whatsapp: (+39) 3486020257
From our home to yours and yours…
You can now order our House Wine and Extra Virgin Olive Oil online! Available to ship to the USA and beyond!
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PRIMAVERA Tuscan Rescue Box
€69,00 Read more -
1,2,3 CHIANTI! Tuscan Rescue Box
€69,00 Add to cart -
BACIAMI Tuscan Rescue Box
€84,00 Read more -
LIQUID GOLD Tuscan Rescue Box
€90,00 Read more -
BRAVO!
€132,00 Read more
Tuscan Rescue Box -
Sale!
FAVORITA
Original price was: €79,00.€75,00Current price is: €75,00. Read more
Tuscan Rescue Box -
ANDIAMO
€66,00 Read more
Tuscan Rescue Box
OUR PROJECTS
€625,00
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THE EMERGENCY ROOM
This home has a century-long history of OPENING TO STRANGERS in hardship:
It was an ORPHANAGE in the 16th century;
It offered SHELTER to men and women from different nationalities, during WWII.
Since 1998, the Accidental Tourist have hosted over 30,000 guests in this villa, for a cooking class or to spend the night.
So it was natural to honor this legacy by creating a room that is available to stranded travelers.
HELP US KEEP IT OPEN!
It can sleep a family of 4. If you need to use it, CONTACT US
CLICK PICTURE TO READ MORE AND VISIT THE EMERGENCY ROOM!
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- A seriously fun group
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- Ready for guests…
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- Who can boast a shirt-matching pasta?
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- Making ravioli filling turns into eating ravioli filling…..
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- Homemade bread, headache-free wine, our own olive oil: Our favorite lunch
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- Celebrating our new private wine label.
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- Who says you shouldn’t play with food?
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- ….and that’s how it turns out!
FAQ
Here is a list of the most Frequently Asked Questions about our activities.
Please read through and do not hesitate to contact us if you do not find a satisfactory answer to your questions
The class:
Our cooking class is 100% hands-on pasta-making. The Family & Friends class is about 1 hour. The Evening Cooking class is about 90 minutes.
Our mission is to offer a full immersion experience in our home: cooking, chatting, drinking, eating. So if you are looking to spend the whole time cooking, we may not be the right choice for you.
We take a maximum of 8 participants, unless a group of friends/family/fellow students decide to come as a larger group. In this case we offer a private event for the group.
YES! When you come as a group of of friends/family/fellow students, we can take up to 12 for the pasta class and 10 for the pasta and ravioli class.
For more than 12, we divide the group into 2 groups and work In two different kitchens, on the same location, so everyone gets all the attention needed.
Please note: no transportation included for groups over 8. Price discounted accordingly.
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.
The food:
Our cooks prepare everything fresh from scratch each day, and pick what is freshest and in season at the market and prepare what appeals to them that day, as all artists do… But they stick to this structure:
– 3 appetizers
– 2 pasta courses (which are prepared during the class)
– dessert
– unlimited wine
YES! Our menu is in fact mostly vegetarian! Only on rare occasions, and only if there are no vegetarians in the group, our chef may be in the mood for sausage in one of the sauces or in one of the three appetisers..
Our pasta recipe calls for egg, and our classic ravioli stuffing involves ricotta and parmigiano….. If you can handle egg and dairy during the class, we will be sure to have vegan options for you to eat. Just make sure to inform us when you book.
We will definitely make sure to have enough food for you if you make sure to inform us when you book. If you are intolerant to dairy and not specifically allergic, however, you will find that Italian dairy is much less allergenic, due to the lower amount of chemicals fed to livestock.
While we can make gluten free appetisers and dessert, natural wheat – the main ingredient in homemade pasta, contains gluten.
However, if you are intolerant to gluten and not specifically allergic, you will find that Italian gluten is soooo much more digestible that any other. We have a long list of guests who eat a gluten-free diet back home, that can really indulge with no reaction, when in Italy.
We will definitely make sure you have enough food for you, just make sure to inform us when you book.
Logistics:
UNFORTUNATELY….Florence has a very strict LIMITED TRAFFIC AREA.
Only public transport, taxi, emergency vehicles or residents are allowed.
Most hotels are within this Limited Traffic Area.
Our meeting point is the closest possible outside of that restricted area, on the south side, towards our destination, to reduce travel time.
A leisurely walk or a quick taxi ride is all it takes to reach it!
We are happy to stop on the way, if your accommodation is en-route.
Thanks for your understanding.
Of course! Just let us know in advance.
We have an optional meeting point outside of the city center, more convenient if you are driving your own vehicle.
You can also drive directly to our location. There is a discount for that!
Guests From Around the Globe
Our very favorite letters from guests
“Thank you, Thank you, Thank you. What a wonderful day! We enjoyed ourselves thoroughly. It was the highlight of our trip to Florence...
What you didn't know, was my sister, Nancy, has terminal cancer. Her dream was to go to Italy, so Kathy & I made it happen. She said that day was one of the best days of her life. Thank you again for making our trip so special.”
— Mary Jane
Majla,
I hope this note finds you well. As I look through old photos & reflect on this year, I realize that our day with you may have been our best. It was beyond doubt the most meaningful to our daughter, Helen, about to leave for university. In a summer of tumult, she was so calm in your kitchen. So present, so taken by the kindness. She loved working with her hands. I think something shifted in her brain, or maybe her heart. When we left, she said to me on the walk home, “Steve is the happiest person I’ve ever met.” She realized: he had designed his life. Lived as he wanted to live: fully, with richness, beauty, and kindness. She saw a carpet of options unrolling before her. Her life would no longer be a box.
Finally, thank you for all you do to make this world a more beautiful place. If you ever feel it goes unnoticed, it does not. Your fingerprints are all over my child.
Fondly,
– Holley C
