How to find the best food in Tuscany

Tuscany is a region with cuisine to die for, a true paradise for food-lovers looking for the highest quality products and most delicious mouthfuls. But on a short trip, it can be hard to leave without feeling that your taste buds have maybe missed out on something. Here are our top tips for ensuring that you go home knowing that you truly experienced the best of what the region has to offer.

1. Let the experts guide you

With such a huge variety of mouth-watering produce to choose from, it can be quite a task to decide where to start when visiting gourmet Tuscany.

That’s why choosing to spend all or part of your holiday with a guide can really help you discover the region.

The combination of insider knowledge and local contacts means that companies specialising in gourmet tours can open your eyes to places and flavours you would never have even dreamed of experiencing.

There are lots of companies offering this type of tour, since Tuscany is rightly world-famous for its cuisine. Make sure you take the time to research several options, and if possible go for a company which is based in Tuscany and will let you tailor-make either all or part of the trip.

That way, you won’t leave a stone unturned in the hunt for the absolute best Tuscan delights!

2. Get your hands dirty!

Why let the Tuscan gourmet experience end when you head home to face reality? With a combined gourmet cooking course and tour of Tuscany you’ll learn the skills and tips to be able to enjoy the cuisine long after you go home.

Cooking holidays generally involve part of the day learning the tricks of the trade with experts in the kitchen, and the rest of the time travelling to markets and suppliers to source top quality ingredients, or exploring the cities and countryside of the region.

Learning about the traditional ingredients and techniques of cooking and choosing wine will really help you appreciate everything that Tuscany has to offer, and offers a real insight into the Tuscan way of life.

3. Head out on two wheels for a tasting tour

Love exploring on two wheels as much as sampling gourmet cuisine? Then a combined bike and gourmet tour of the region is the perfect option.

Cycling through the beautiful Tuscan landscape will let you really experience the region and the environment where all that delicious food comes from, and after a long ride, you’ll be more than ready for the feast prepared at the end of the day.

There are several companies which organise bike tours of Tuscany, and you can choose from either a fixed itinerary or a flexible option to make sure you hit all the highlights.

4. Stay at a vineyard

One of Tuscany’s most famous exports is the fabulous wine produced from vineyards on those beautiful, rolling hills.

What better way to experience the world of Tuscan wine than by staying at one of the many vineyards which offers hotel accommodation?

Staying on site gives you a glimpse of the ins and outs of the complex world of winemaking, while the gourmet restaurant of the hotel will serve up the perfect combination of food and wine for you to sample.

Plus, since the vineyards are located far from the bustle of the Tuscan cities, you can be sure to enjoy a perfectly relaxing holiday amid some spectacular scenery.