Mastrojanni Relais

Join a chef in a countryside kitchen and work through a selection of Tuscan recipes using seasonal ingredients sourced from the surrounding farms and gardens. The session covers the fundamentals of the regional kitchen, fresh pasta by hand, slow-braised meat, vegetable preparations that follow what the season offers, with the chef guiding each stage as you go. The focus stays on technique and ingredient quality rather than speed.

You'll sit down to eat what you've made at the end of the session, paired with local wines. Classes run for around three hours and are available on request, with the menu adjusted based on the season and group size.

Pick up an e-bike before dawn and you'll head out into the Val d'Orcia as the light begins to lift across the landscape. The roads through this part of Tuscany are largely empty at this hour, cypress-lined avenues, gravel tracks between vineyards and open ridge roads with the valley visible on both sides as you move.

The UNESCO World Heritage landscape reads differently in the first hour of daylight than at any other point in the day. You'll cover ground at your own pace, with the route adjustable in length depending on how far you want to go.

Saddle up and you'll head out through the vineyards and open countryside surrounding Montalcino, where the terrain rolls gently between vine rows, olive groves and cypress-lined tracks that stretch toward the valley below. The landscape is well-suited to riding — the gradients stay manageable, the views open wide across Val d'Orcia, and the pace of a horse matches the rhythm of the countryside in a way that nothing faster does.

You'll cover ground across the estate and surrounding farmland over two to three hours, with rides available for all experience levels before returning to the stables.