Study ofthe landscape and of the garden
Thanks to the Centre for the study of the landscape and of the garden - Alessandro Tagliolini Foundation, of recently formation, today it is possible to intensify the themes related to the history and the aesthetics of the garden and of the landscape. The Centre, that has photographic archives completely in digital form of about seven thousand images of Orcia Valley and a library specialized on the garden with about 1.200 books, arranges workshop on these themes, putting to disposal teachers greatly specialized about the matter. The courses include visits at the discovery of gardens and landscapes in the area of Siena among the most charming of the world.

Sensorial excursions
I’m a licensed Tuscan trekking guide. Enjoy the magic of Tuscany with me. This enchanted land has charmed visitors since time immemorial as they step into a dream of woodlands inhabited by falcons, jays, and woodpeckers, wild boar, roe deer and porcupines. Throughout Tuscany rocky outcrops are crowned with ancient fortified villages and towns, each a jewel in its own right and all waiting to share their wealth of art and culture with you. Tuscany will embrace all your senses and, as it has done so often for so many visitors before, will draw you to its very soul and call you back time and time again.

Guided photographic courses
Val d’Orcia is extended on a small territory but crossed by a network of small local and country roads that reveal wonderful landscapes. In order to take pictures with the best atmosphere, a good knowledge of the roads and the conditions of the light is useful. We offer you some guided courses that became the icons of our land, and we also wish to let you discover different settings, background of very famous films, unknown by the common tours.

Ravazzi’s Chianti
In the charming burg of Palazzone, nearby the thermae of San Casciano dei Bagni, a modern wine cellar where important Tuscan wines are produced. With pleasure we will escort you to the vineyards where the grapes of our Chianti and its Riserva grow, of the multi prize winners Vigne Rosse and Unguercio, from the homonym vineyard.
In the wine cellar we will understand the wine-making techniques and of ageing of the different barrels, and discover the little barrels, loving guardians of the prestigious Vinsanto Occhio di Pernice. Anecdotes and curiosities will enrich the stay of our guests in the tasting room.

The extravergine olives-oil of Poggio Grande
From many generations our family grows up oil, in the area nearby the Castle of Ripa d’Orcia.
Today the culture of our Extravergine olives oil is developed on thousand plants of various qualities. Extracted with cold pressing and not filtrated, delicious to be enjoyed crude. Together we will taste different kinds of oil accompanied with bruschettas and with a lot of warmness.

Cinta and salami of “Lo Spicchio”
The “Cinta Senese”, an antique ancestry of pigs, was probably known by the times of the Romans. Certainly in the XIV century it was present in the Siennese area, as it is shown in a famous painting by Lorenzetti (“Buon Governo”), which is kept in the Palazzo Pubblico in Siena. The biological farm company Lo Spicchio, in 2008 rewarded as best Italian company producer of biological delicatessen, offers an absolutely unique experience: visiting the free stock-farm of Cinta Senese and the farm laboratory to know the transformation techniques. Then it will be offered a tasting of the delicatessen and it will be organised a class to learn to distinguish the good and genuine products from the industrial ones.

Lorenza’s cooking classes
I’ve always loved cooking and I have always been fascinated by the great many different recipes that we can create from simple ingredients such as flour, water, eggs and not much more. A lot of people consider particularly difficult the preparation of pasta and the base mixtures for sweets: my desire is to show them they are wrong. My philosophy is always the same: simple and in season ingredients, and a lot of passion. The rules of the good cooking are not on recipes, we need to use our senses, nose, eyes and hands. The local products are a precious resource. With the respect of the seasons and with the help of tradition, a lot of questions will find their answer by themselves.

Tuscan soups and single dishes
I learned from my mother and my grandmother to cook, and more time goes by and more I like to spend time for researching. We will prepare together the bread soup, the broad bean soup, the onion soup and the beans soup. I will teach you also to make two single and extraordinary dishes with the original recipes, that only few know: the scottiglia and the cacciucco of Piombino.

Homemade pastas
Tradition and simplicity respectfully keeping the original tastes of the local products. Eliana will lead you to know and appreciate often forgotten tastes. We will learn together to make “pici”, “gnocchi”, “ravioli”, “tagliatelle” using locally produced flours. At lunch, we will taste the output of our lesson.

Season’s cooking
Today everything has changed, but in the past the cooking was seasonal. Emmer, vegetables and bread for cold soups and bruschettas in Summer. Mushrooms and chestnuts in Autumn. Polenta and warm soups in Winter.
We will learn how to avoid wasting, and at the same time how to regenerate and reuse the leftover like the grandmothers used to make in the past.

Let’s learn to make Pizza
Pizza is considered one of the most famous dishes in the world. Pizza has the merit to be simple and appetizing.
But don’t let us think that a good pizza hasn’t its secrets. We will learn to knead it, flavour it in the most different ways and bake it in the wood oven.

Contignano’s Pecorino cheese
The archaeological discovery of big boilers in pottery proved that the pecorino cheese was produced in Tuscany still in the prehistoric age.
Its peculiar, unmistakable characteristic is still the same as ever: the unique mix of herbs growing in Spring in the herbages of Val d’Orcia.
We will visit the cheese factory, we will follow the cycles of production and at last we will taste the different kinds of pecorino according to the different consistencies and to the seasoning.