Travel & Accommodation
In this section you will see our recommended travel options to Tuscany as well as the accommodations offered for the workshop period
Travel to Spannocchia
Students are responsible for their own air travel to Italy. The closest airport to Spannocchia is Florence but it is sometimes more cost-effective to fly into Rome and then take a train or bus to Florence or Siena. The workshop will be offering pick-ups from either Florence or Siena on Friday, June 14th.
Accomodations at Spannocchia
The workshop will have the majority of the rooms at the villa and you can select a single room, double room, or farmhouse big enough to bring your family, and many do! Communal breakfast, lunch, dinner, and Spannocchia wine are all provided as part of the room fee. All fees listed below are for the entire seven-night workshop.
Please note all prices listed on this page may change slightly depending on the exchange rate at the time of purchase
Single Room
$1,290
Double Room
$1,025 per person
If you choose to share a room we will make sure that you are placed with another student at the workshop.
City Tax
$6 per person total
Non-Participant Guest
$500
We do hope you will bring your husband, wife, domestic partner, child, friend, or whoever you are considering sharing your time in Tuscany with. As Spannocchia charges room and board on a per-person basis, we ask that you pay for your guest's room & board AND an additional $500 to cover their share of airport transit, excursions, after-dinner wine, etc.
Farm Houses
Farm Houses may or may not be available while we are at Spannocchia! They generally sleep 3 - 6 people and you would be responsible for arranging this with other students. In addition to the rental fee, there is a $92 charge per person per night paid to Spannocchia to cover meals, wine, and cleaning.
Spannocchia Membership
$60 per person or $100 for a family.
All guests at Spannocchia must become members of the villa. This is a one-time fee that gets you a year of membership, exclusive access to their olive oil to purchase and bring home, and other perks. Their educational programs and the preservation of their historic property and nature preserve are possible through the efforts of their American-based nonprofit, Friends of Spannocchia. Also, that fee is tax deductible for US citizens.
Other Fun Activities
There are a wide variety of additional activities you can take part in, both on site and in the surrounding areas. See below for some of the options on offer at Spannocchia!
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Cinta Sinese Tour & Tasting
$25
Spannocchia’s most popular residents would have to be our heritage breed Cinta Senese pigs. On this tour, you’ll learn about the history of this rare breed named for their distinctive white and black belted (cintura) appearance.
We’ll take a walk to see the pigs in their free-range (semi-brado) pastures. Afterwards, you’ll get an in-depth explanation of our organic artisanal cured meat production process, and finish with a guided tasting of some of our award-winning salumi.
Castello Tour
$10
Discover the history of the Castello and Tenuta di Spannocchia on this tour. Learn about this architectural history of the buildings on the property, the story of the Spannocchi and Cinelli familes, the land management under the mezzadria sharecropping system, and the current activities that take place at the Tenuta.
The tour also includes a visit to our chapel, library, cantina, and (weather permitting) a beautiful view of the area and our 1100 acres of forested hills and farmland from the top of our medieval tower.
We recommend this tour at the start of your visit, to give a better understanding of the history of this area and our philosophy for sustainable living.
Traditional Cooking Class
$120
For this farm-to-table class you’ll start in Spannocchia’s vegetable garden, getting an overview of our production systems before heading into the kitchen to cook a traditional, multi-course lunch! While you’re cooking, you’ll learn about the history of Spannocchia as a working farm and the types of food typical to the Tuscan kitchen. Together with our cook, you will create a three-course meal using many products from our estate.
Your first course might be a handmade pasta, like potato gnocchi, hand-rolled pici, or fresh tagliatelle. Your second course may be a hearty vegetarian dish or a Tuscan recipe utilizing our farm-raised heritage breed beef or pork. To finish, a delicious dessert, like our famous chocolate “salame”, cantucci and vin santo, or tiramisù.
We will try to fulfill specific requests as long as they fall within the culinary traditions of this region. Please communicate any allergies or dietary restrictions in advance. (Unfortunately, this class cannot be fully adapted for a celiac/gluten-free diet.)
Each cooking class culminates with a convivial lunch, sharing the dishes we have created paired with Spannocchia’s organic wine.
Wine Tour & Tasting
$25
Visit Spannocchia’s small cantina and learn about our viticulture and vinification process to understand the basics of our wine production, from vineyard to bottle.
We’ll also enjoy a guided tasting of your choice to learn more about the wonders of wine!
Olives & Olive Oil
$20
Looking for more information about one of Italy’s most famous products? Our olive and olive oil tour will take you to one of our olive groves to cover the cultivation of olives in Tuscany, the milling process, and the different grades of oil.
Learn what makes an extra virgin olive oil such a prized product, and learn the correct way to taste and evaluate oils. You’ll be led through a guided tasting of different olive oils, including Spannocchia’s own!
Sustainable Harvest Tour
$30
Have limited time, but want to experience all our agritourism has to offer? This guided tour is for you!
You’ll get a brief overview of Spannocchia’s sustainable farming techniques, including our connection to Slow Food ideals and projects, in addition to a sampling of what our organic farm has to offer. You’ll learn a little about the history of Spannocchia, and how we got started raising heritage breed livestock, about our vineyards, our gardening projects, beehives and more.
The tour ends with a tasting of some of our organic products, including salumi, wines, olive oil, honey.
Vegetable Garden Tour
$7
Learn more about Spannocchia’s organic gardening techniques with this guided visit to our vegetable gardens.
This tour will bring you into our gardens to get a glimpse of our greenhouses, composting systems, permaculture beds and more.
You’ll also get to visit Spannocchia’s flock of chickens and ducks, and learn how these animals help out in our gardens as well!