Tuscany and the Val d'Orcia, privately
Restored estates with real land around them, a good region for a multi-family summer and straightforward to provision.
Why Tuscany
The point of Tuscany is not the sights. It is the long table under the loggia, the market at eight, the afternoon nobody scheduled. Italy rewards a private house more than almost anywhere else, and Tuscany is where many families begin. It is also where Kosher Culinary Travel began: our first trip, in 2010, was to Tuscany.
How a stay is produced
- Restored farmhouse estates with outbuildings that can become a second kitchen
- Working wine and olive estates taken privately
- Estate kitchen kashered, with a second prep kitchen installed where the property allows
- Kosher meat and wine sourced through Rome and Milan, or shipped in and consolidated
- Produce, fish, bread and dairy sourced locally within the agreed standard
- Market mornings in Siena and Florence built into the week
- Mashgiach in residence for the duration where required
Florence and Pisa are both practical gateways, and drivers and vehicles are on site throughout, because estates are rarely walkable to anything.
When to go
May and June are green, warm and uncrowded, and summer brings long days and evenings at the table outside. September and October bring harvest and soft autumn light, and a natural month for Sukkot in the countryside. See when to go for all destinations.
Read more on Italy, the journal guide to choosing a private villa in Italy, the kitchen in an old house, and kosher wine. Also see Lake Como and the Amalfi Coast.
Begin a conversation
Tell Avicam where you would like to go and who is traveling. We discuss honestly whether KCT is the right team, and how an engagement would be structured. We reply as soon as we can.