We had never travelled to Europe before and were looking for a special way to celebrate 30 years of…read moremarriage. When we found the Wine & Cooking in the Heart of Chianti and Florence, Tuscany trip on the CDV website, it seemed like everything we were looking for. Now that we are home, we look back fondly on a perfect vacation, and know we can't wait another 30 years to do it again. From the initial planning, CDV was super responsive and helpful in answering all our questions, and they sent detailed information about what to expect. When we departed for our trip, we felt comfortable that we were in good hands. Then, from the moment we arrived at the Florence airport, our host Lorenzo took over led us on the trip of a lifetime. The entire week was very well planned and organized, and we went to so many fabulous places, but whenever we discuss our trip, the thing that stands out most is the people we got to meet and spend time with: Lorenzo is an amazing host - fun, passionate, patient and knowledgeable. He did a great job transforming our group from strangers to close friends by dinner on the first day. He is a great person and we feel so fortunate to have met him. We still keep in touch with Lorenzo on WhatsApp. Gianfranco was not just our bus driver. He is part of our CDV family. Yes he got us safely from point A to points B, C and D comfortably and safely every day, but he also cooked with us, dined with us, and had fun with us. Unfortunately for Gianfranco, his job did not allow him to drink wine with us. Simonetta - our amazing chef and cooking teacher. We had two cooking classes with Simonetta and she prepared two of our dinners. I could talk about Simonetta for hours, but for this review I will just say that we love her. The cooking classes were so much fun and she is very special. CDV has close relationships with all the people we visited, and we especially enjoyed our time with Mourizio at Piombia; Enrico at De Rici - what a fun guy he is; Patrizia our cooking teacher in the Cortona countryside; Piero at Poggerino; and especially Simone and Chris at Castellinuzza e Piuca - I don't remember having a more fun evening than our time with Simone and Chris. There are too many others to list them all here, but every host was gracious and engaging. Grazie Mille CDV for a trip we will never forget!

VACATION OF A LIFETIME - ABSOLUTELY AMAZING…read more My lifelong dream has always been to go to Tuscany. After considering all options, I chose the Culture Discovery "Wine and Cooking Under the Tuscan and Umbrian Sun" vacation. I wanted to see the countryside, the small towns, the history and how the people really live. CDV gave me exactly what I was hoping for, and so much more. Italy was everything I had ever imagined it would be - the people; the food; the ancient, interesting small, hill towns; the spectacular scenery. I cannot say enough about how friendly, warm and welcoming every single person was. They truly made us feel like we were one of the family - family I would love to visit often. The other guests on the tour were a wide range of ages and from all walks of life. They were interesting and fun and everyone came together to have and make the best possible experience they possibly could. The small group size also contributed to that feeling of family. Our accommodation was absolutely gorgeous and CDV had thought of every possible comfort and welcoming kindness. The sightseeing trips were wonderfully selected, the cooking classes were more interesting and fun than one could hope for and the food and drink were just plain amazing. I would never consider traveling with another company after the incredible time I had with CDV.

The owner and winemaker, Paolo Montioni, and his wife met us upon our arrival with warm welcomes…read moreand gave us a quick tour of their olive harvesting and olive oil production. We lucked out to be here during their olive oil season. We then started a private wine tasting with Paolo to taste 5 of his wines and 2 olive oils on toasted breads (bruschetta). It was only €10! He was such a great host! Nothing beats having the owner and winemaker lead these wine tastings. It was informal and fun. He even made lunch reservations for us at a nearby restaurant. And lunch at the restaurant he booked us in was fantastic too! We all loved his wines and ended up ordering 6 cases to be shipped home.

We visited Montioni Frantoio e Cantina with family members on our last pre-COVID trip to Italy…read more Here we enjoyed a fabulous food and wine tasting -- our pranzo (mid-day meal that day). Paolo Montioni is an excellent host! Their Umbrian wines and olive oils are excellent. I have also ordered wine by email from Montioni for delivery at home. The process was easy, invoiced and paid through PayPal, and shipped to my front door. As Paolo last wrote to me: "We are safe and we are working very hard ......the Nature is outstanding in this moment." We look forward to our next visit to Montefalco and Montioni!

Davide is simply the best! My husband and I spent 2 days with Davide during our wedding/honeymoon…read more We would highly recommend Davide to anyone who is interested in seeing the Italian wine country!

From the owner: When visiting Tuscany, wine lovers like to have someone with local in-depth knowledge to share with…read morethem. I can give you an experience that will be refreshing, knowledgeable and fun in a way only a local sommelier can to give. I promise your time spent with me will truly be an unforgettable experience. Your adventure begins the minute you reach out to contact me; your friendly, English speaking, private guide. While with me you will learn all, you would ever want to know about wines from the Tuscan region with a deep understanding and feel for this beautiful land and for the people who live here and for those who dedicate their whole lives to wine making!