Lucca and Tuscany offer perhaps the richest garden experiences in Italy, traceable through the centuries: Medieval, Renaissance, Mannerist, Baroque, English and the 20th century neo-Renaissance. Let’s not forget the orto (Italian vegetable garden) and the humble farmhouse herb garden, redolent of all those wonderful aromas that mean Italy to everyone. In the very beginning was the campo, the fields, nature’s bounty, giving us the wild herbs and greens that were the historic staple of the cucina povera and are the current basis of innovative dishes in top restaurants.

Which leads us, of course, to the kitchen. After feeding your souls with beautiful and even amusing formal gardens, you are led by our chef Emanuela Dini into the orto for vegetables and herbs, and then settle into the kitchen to prepare dishes based on your day’s gleaning.

Just as every week in a garden is different, every Abbondanza Toscana garden tour is different. We’ll take advantage of the changes in seasons and the festivals honoring flowers and gardens, for instance, azaleas in May and the huge flower and plant show on the Lucca walls in the September.

You begin the week with a historic overview of tuscan gardens through the centuries and the wealth of gardens and plants you will see during the week, presented by Franca Severini. Later in the week, Franca welcomes you to her villa and a tour of a ‘typical villa garden’ and lunch on her terrazzo.

A typical week’s activities will include a selection of the following activities, as well as two days of cooking instruction:

• A walk through the olive groves and vineyards to the shepherd’s house for ricotta and pecorino cheese. During the walk you gather wildflowers for your vases and herbs and wild greens for your evening menu. On this day, Emanuela leads you through a menu featuring dishes based on the campo, perhaps nettle pie in the spring or cavolonero and ricotta in the fall.

• Surrounding Lucca are gardens and villas that are fantastic in the true sense of the word. In the 18th and 19th centuries, villa owners attempted to outdo each other in a plethora of mazes, follies, grottoes, labyrinths, water staircases and water tricks. Many of these are the only remaining of their type in Italy. Beautiful as well as diverting, the gardens also include lemonaia, exotic plants, formal gardens, herb gardens and ponds.

• You’ll explore Lucca, its markets and specialty shops, perhaps pick up some seeds to try at home or purchase that Italian kitchen item you always wanted; contemplate the Tintoretto painting in the Duomo; taste-test a few gelatos; or simply sit and sip a cappuccino and watch Italians stroll by. A walk along Lucca’s famous walls takes you to the Palazzo Pfanner Renaissance garden and the Botanical Garden. Gardens within the city were designed by the Renaissance "grand talent", Buontalenti, a Medici favorite and by Juvarra, during the subsequent Baroque period.

• You'll visit Villa Massei, the home of Paul Gervais, author of “A Garden In Lucca", where you are also invited to taste the villa's wines. Villa Massei is an excellent example of a contemporary garden that incorporates the best of Tuscan gardens’ historic eras.

• During an excursion to Florence you experience the splendor of the Renaissance gardens, famous for their celebration of classicism. The major works of the formal English gardens of the 19th century are also in Florence, as well as gardens updated and restored to their former beauty by innovators like Cecil Pinsent. Lunch this day will be in Fiesole, with its splendid view of Florence, and the site of a Roman amphitheater and Etruscan ruins.

• Chianti offers the bonus of gardens paired with wine tasting. One stop is a renovated Renaissance villa and gardens, the site of the movie “Much Ado About Nothing” and producer of an excellent Chianti. A restored farmhouse features rows and rows of vines each planted with roses at the end and also the source of a range of marvelous wines.

• A guided tour of a local vivaio (nursery) gives you the opportunity to consult the charming owner about trying some Tuscan plants in your garden.

• Italian terra cotta manufacturing reaches its zenith in Tuscany. During a sidetrip to Impruneta, you will see the manufacture and painting of pots ranging from plain ceramic geranium pots, to huge "statements" in a garden, to true works of art worth thousands of dollars.