Abbondanza Toscana - Italian cooking courses and wine tours in Tuscany, Italy

Brett Poirier and unique coastal rock formations Hike the marble mountains
where Michelangelo selected stone
for his masterpieces
Enjoy a cultural tour of Lucca and panoramic views of the city Your hike of Tenuta di Forci
includes visiting the local shepherdess for a taste of her cheese Wander the estate's olive groves
chestnut forests and vineyards Mountain meadows abloom
with wild poppies

WalkingTuscany
with Brett Poirier
Dates: May 9 - 16, 2010

Brett Poirier takes you to the wondrous mountains of Tuscany, amid valley streams, marble cliffs and views of the central ridges of Italy to the east and the Mediterranean Sea to the west .

Brett has been guiding outdoor tours for thirty years – walking, bicycling, and canoeing – in the U.S., Central America, southern Europe and Britain. An avid outdoorsman from his teens, with a passion for outdoor recreation and natural history, Brett invites fellow enthusiasts to join him on an exploration of parts of Tuscany unseen by all but a few tourists.

Twenty minutes from the jewel town of Lucca in northeast Tuscany is your home for the week, the farmhouse Selva. Located on a thousand-acre wine and olive oil estate, Selva provides easy access to the Garfagnana and the unspoiled mountainous areas of the Alpi Apuane, the home of grottoes, springs, flower-strewn meadows, cinghiale (wild boar), Michelangelo’s marble mountains and panoramic views of the Mediterranean.

Exploring a corner of Tuscany . . .

Hikes each day are around four to eight miles, and the group is limited to only 12 people. Here's just some of what you'll see and do:

A guided tour of the romantic city of Lucca, a medieval center surrounded by intact Renaissance walls, filled with Romanesque churches and small alleys and home to the very best cappuccino in the world! You can wander the cobblestone streets and tree-lined pathways, shop to your heart's content or just watch the Tuscan life go by from a sidewalk cafe. Bikes are available for rent with a ride atop the surrounding walls providing an ideal way to enjoy a rooftop perspective of the fortified city.

Explore the Tenuta di Forci Estate where the farmhouse Selva is located. Wander the forested trails and along spring-running creeks to the estate winery and the shepherdess' home to watch her make exquisite ricotta and pecorino from the morning's milking of her sheep.

Walk the Garfagnana, home to Michelangelo's marble mountains. The Brucciano/Hermitage walk of the southern end of the area takes you along a scenic ridge with views of the Mediterranean.

Hike the Orrido di Botri Natural Reserve where the Rio Pelago has cut a dramatic gorge through walls of limestone. The narrow gorge floor never takes you far from the rushing waters of the river.

Other Activities

Your meals "at home" are prepared in the Tuscan style, and you will enjoy a cooking class with our own Italian chef Emanuela who will introduce you to some of her family's secrets of Tuscan cuisine. You’ll tour the estate winery and taste both its wine and olive oil. The antique wine press dates back to 1759 and was only recently replaced with modern equipment. Eduardo, our local baker and pizza maker, will guide you through the process of designing your own pizza and cooking it in Selva's wood-fired bread oven. Return to Lucca one evening for a Puccini concert in a Romanesque church with you can see excavated Roman ruins

Brett also leads tours for Wonder Walks. To learn more about Wonder Walks walking, hiking and snowshoeing tours in the U.S., please visit www.wonderwalks.com.