very tuscany

If your looking for a really cool experience look no farther. When ever I go away I like to try to get a locals perspective/point of view about the food/history/culture. I always loved the travel shows (no reservations, parts unknown etc) where the host experiences the culture from a local or inside perspective rather then just pointing out the main touristy highlight type stuff. Very Tuscany can definitely provide you with that type of experience.Our guide was Andrea who was extremely proud of his heritage, history and culture. On our way to our first stop he gave us a history lesson about Italy which was really interesting (were I come from we never really learned about Italy, outside of the Romans, until the Renaissance). Andrea is super laid back, easy to talk to and from our interactions, you could tell he loves what he does.Our fist stop was at Pienza. We got an espresso and walked around the town. Andrea gave talked about the significance of Pienza and explained the architecture of the town and the churches which was really cool to see.Our second stop was to a farm called Podere Il Casale which is a working farm that grows and makes everything on the Farm. We got a tour, hung out with some animals and had an amazing lunch (salads, cheeses, spelt pasta and wine).Our last stop was at a winery. I forget the name, but we toured the winery and cellar and then sampled all the different types which were all great. The country side In Val D'Orcia is really just like the pictures. It was the perfect ending to the day drinking great wines, catching a little buzz and looking at the beautiful scenery.One thing Andrea did was really cool (I'm pretty positive he did this on purpose). So we stopped at the town Montepilchino before we went to the winery. He told us to walk through the town and meet us on the other side. As we were walking, there was a parade of little school kids all dressed up as different types of food walking down the main road. The road was packed with the parents taking pictures and waving to there kids and older people hanging out their windows waving and cheering. It was such a cool scene. Turns out it was Fat Tuesday (i'm not sure what its called in Italy) and the kids were having the parade for Lent.If you want to get away from the tourists and experience Tuscany, this is the way to do it.

Sara and Andrea make this private company shine! My wife and I recently traveled to Italy, where we had planned (only) one night is Tuscany, near Arezzo. Looking for a fun activity that included some wine touring, I came across Very Tuscany on TripAdvisor. The reviews sounded great, so I wrote an email to Sara and Andrea. Now that I have worked with them and met Andrea, it is clear that they both invest so much of their time to personally outline trips that can be tailored to each group or individual. The booking process was filled with choices, which Sara outlined very clearly for me to choose. She also offered additional tack-ons to extend the day's travel. We were picked up at the train station to start our tour, and then we were dropped off at our hotel at the end of the day (which they had also recommended to us!) --- all of this made the entire experience so personal and engaging.We chose to do a wine tour, which brought us through the surrounding area of Montepulciano and then into the heart of the old city - seeing some amazing landscapes and history while tasting some delicious wine. The scenery is incredible, as you might expect with sharp hills and rolling valleys, and we were visiting during the rainy/cooler season! Being a quiet time of year, we were personally greeted at each location, and we had a wonderful lunch at our second wine tour. Throughout the day, Andrea informed us about so much local Etruscan history that helped grow an appreciation for the area, and of course for the wine. At each of the wineries, Andrea would step aside and allow the hosts of the vineyards to spend the time touring and demonstrating the wines to us. In Montepulciano, we also had a chance to walk around that amazing hill city. We added a stop in Cortona, which I would highly recommend if your travel plan can fit it. Andrea showed us through some of the incredible sections, and then allowed us some time on our own to explore. While we were leaving the next day, Andrea insisted to meet us in Arezzo to at least show us some parts of his home town --- to make sure we were able to experience the full picture! We were lucky that this was a slow time of year and that we had such an amazing day prior, but I thank all of this to the time and effort that Sara and Andrea have put into their small company. I understand that they can accommodate couples, groups, families, even business trips. I would highly recommend spending time with Very Tuscany - plan and book early!! And, thanks again to Sara and Andrea for showing us so much of their beautiful culture and country. We can't wait to return!

My family and I stayed overnight in Arezzo for 2 nights upon our arrival in Italy. After day 1 of feeling like lost puppies, I reached out to Sarah to she if she would be able to accommodate us last minute with a couple hours of touring in Arezzo. Even at the last minute, she was able to fit us in! Sarah was absolutely wonderful- showing us the highlights of this quaint town in just a couple of hours and keeping us intrigued and engaged in what she had to say. I would absolutely recommend her to anyone looking for a guided tour!

If you'd like a private, intimate tour of the villages and towns of Tuscany, you must reach out to Sara Sguerri at Very Tuscany tours. She's amazing! Informative, charming, warm, entertaining - and thoroughly knowledgeable about the towns of this very special section of Italy. You will enjoy every minute with her, and not want the day to end. Highly recommended for everyone--- can't want to return and meet up with her again.

great location, smaller city with great history, shopping, historic district, not too touristy. Less than an hour to Florence, two hours to Rome, and many small hamlets within an hour. Great train service to many Italian locations.

Very good Brunello wine tour. At the first winery we had a fantastic Tuscan lunch after we tasted several wines and toured the seller. We also bought 12 bottles of wine and had them shipped back to Canada with no issues. It was a beautiful drive through the Tuscany country side.

Our tour included a stop at the Arno river, the tiny village of Il Borro, lovely Loro Ciuffena with its ancient (and still working mill) and two different organic wineries. We traveled in a comfortable van, with Andrea narrating our trip.We were there during the grape harvest, so we got to see workers cutting the grapes, crushing them, and putting the juice in tanks. We had a delicious multi-course lunch made from scratch by Sarah at an organic winery that also produces olive oil (they were even able to provide gluten-free options for two of our number). The wine was quite good.The second winery was perched on the top of a hill outside Arezzo, with incredible views. There we visited the vineyard and got its history from Marco, then had wonderful treats while sampling several types of organic wine and learned tricks of the sommelier.It was a leisurely, relaxed tour with plenty to eat and drink while we learned abou the area. Andrea picked us up and dropped us off at our B&B which was very convenient. Sara was very helpful in setting up our tour. We would heartily recommend their service, and if we return to the area we will certainly use their services again.

We went with Very Tuscany after reading some of the reviews here on TripAdvisor.If I try to put this in some words Personal, Relaxed, Fun would be the first words in mind. Sara and Andrea are very professional regarding everything. After going first to the town Angihari where we got to know some of the history we went to a local butcher were we met up with three generations of butcher, with passion they explained how they processed the meat, we where under the impression that we would get some meat tasting, it turned out to be a full meal with red wine and local shots, sitting in the dining area of the family we felt like one of them, Sara and Andrea never stopped translating everything that went on plus adding some good info regarding the region, meat wine, etc. Finally we went to a winery, again great personal service with great tasting of good wine. Sara and Andrea helped us out regarding what to see and where to go in the rest of our vacation. I would go with them again for sure, five stars six if I could.

From start to finish, Andrea was accommodating, knowledgeable and flexible. Our GPS led us to parking that was not where we were supposed to meet. Not to worry, Andrea came and found us! We visited some very special spots! Seeing the bridge that was most likely Leonardo's inspiration for the landscape behind the Mona Lisa and other very personal touches off-the-beaten path added considerably to the day. We visited two wonderful vineyards with very in-depth tours not just into the wine making tradition, but into the lives of these warm and passionate wine makers. We left feeling that we had found new life friends and we gained a wonderful insight into vineyards, wine making and life! As we fell into deep discussion, Andrea was careful not to rush any schedule and allowed our wonderful afternoon to simply unfold even though we ended considerably later than planned! This was most welcome! Andrea has taken the time to create relationships with people and the fact that we visited his "friends" allowed us to warm to the occasion and feel even more welcome in the homes and businesses that we visited. A remarkable highlight was a happenstance meeting and conversation with a man who operated an ancient mill in Arezzo complete with an impromptu tour! A wonderful day which exceeded our expectations. If you want a small group or personal experience at a relaxed pace, if you want to meet and spend time with people rather than be lectured to in a more industrial setting...this tour is for you!

We had a great wine tour of the Chianti district with Very Tuscany. Our guide was really good and knew a lot about the region and wine making. The wine tastings themselves were fantastic, with friendly, knowledgable people. We also had a really good meal with the first wine tasting. All in all a great day with a great guide!

Easy to book and very flexible, able and willing to accommodate last-minute changes to the numbers in our group. We went on two wine tours through the Chianti and Montalcino regions. Andrea chose small vineyards with very hands on tours and tastings. Our first day with Andrea in the Chianti area, we requested two additional stops that guide books had dictated as "must-sees". Andrea accommodated our requests, and both stops were disappointing. We learned from our mistake. Our last day was spent touring Montalcino, and we left all decisions on itinerary to Andrea. We had the most informative wine tour we had through our two weeks in Tuscany at Il Cocco, at the hands of a very entertaining and passionate owner. Lunch was simple and home-cooked, fresh and delicious. The second wine tasting was at a bigger, more "high tech" vineyard boasting some award-winning vintages. The contrast was interesting and an education in itself. So if you want a tour that's not going to be found in all the guide books, far from the beaten path, Very Tuscany is the way to do it. Andrea was also a wealth of information regarding the night life/music scene around the area, which our boys took full advantage of!

I don't remember this guest in beetwen our tours, in any case if you have problems with some wine shipment from the wineries we visited during the tour do not hesitate to contact us at info@verytuscany.com and we will be glad to help you! Thanks. Andrea Ciri

This tour exceeded our expectations. It was customized for us factoring in that we had 3 children with us age 5, 9 and 11. After having many private guides in Europe and Italy over the last few years, I can tell you that this is the best guide we have ever had! It was an authentic day, perfectly planned for what we wanted to see and there was no part of it that was "canned" or ordinary. We absolutely loved this day and when we come back to Tuscany again we will definitely call Very Tuscany.

7 of us (4 adults and 3 children) did the private tour with Andrea and it was spectacular. Booking was easy and Andrea was able to find the home we rented and was right on time (the house is extremely hard to find). We first visited Pienza, a beautiful hill top town, were we had a chance to walk around. Andrea provided great historical background and just enough commentary, to have a nice relaxing morning. Beautiful town. He even lets us explore a little on our own and shop or let the kids play in the square. We then traveled to a small working farm close by that overlooked the rolling hills of Valdorcia valley. There, the owners gave us a private tour of the farm, showed us how they make the cheese and a little lesson on why the mold is good :). The farm is full of goats, donkeys, boars, dogs, chickens and farmlands for the kids to see, pet and enjoy (Brun the dog is great, just don’t wake him if he’s sleeping in the shower!). While there we had a wonderful lunch out on the terrace, overlooking the valley. The food was all from the farm, fresh, great tasting and family style. Setting was very nice, clean and comfortable. Homemade wine was great! We then traveled from the farm to Montepulciano, toured the city a bit, then did some wine tasting and a tour of the underground cellars. Originally we didn’t know what to expect or if the tour was going to be any good but it was fantastic. The day flew by. We started at 9am and didn’t get back till 6pm (I was exhausted by the end of the day, even fell asleep in the van on the way home!). Andrea was great and easy to spend the day with. I would recommend this to anyone staying in the area, thats wants a day off from driving and using your iphone maps app to get around. It was a safe, professional, stress free day exploring and eating great food. I would also ask for the expanded list of tours. The online options are just the popular ones, given enough time it seems they can set up anything.

We were staying near Anghiari for a week, and booked Andrea to take my family on a tour of two wineries and Brolio Castle. It was our last day in Tuscany and we were all exhausted from a late evening, plus my sister and niece decided to stay home at the very last minute. Despite all this, we had an amazing day and highly recommend spending a day with Very Tuscany if you get the opportunity.My parents purchased a case of wine and then some, but there certainly isn't any pressure to do so. The wine, lunch, and scenery and unmatched - and I would repeat the expereince (maybe without my son and parents) in a heartbeat.