Tuscany Undiscovered. Farm and food tour.

Join us in Italy! We’re excited to announce our very first travel adventure next spring in Tuscany. From April 10-14, 2025 we’ll be hosting a food and wine-centered workshop at Tenuta di Spannocchia outside the city of Siena.

We’ll spend the weekend getting to know some of the lesser known food and wine innovators in Tuscany who are building upon the gastronomic and agriculture traditions of the region, from tasting natural wines made from indigenous grapes to visiting a rice farm along the Mediterranean coastline. In-between, we’ll also have plenty of time to soak in the natural beauty of Spannocchia, our home during our trip, complete with cyprus-dotted Tuscan landscapes and all. We’ll discover the magic of this working organic farm and learn about its active sustainability and conservation efforts while sipping wine on the terrace and indulging in family-style Italian feasts that make the most of what’s fresh from the garden and locally produced.

Whether this is your first time in Tuscany or your tenth, this workshop will offer the chance to connect directly with producers and learn more about the region’s evolving cultural relationship with food and agriculture.

Cost: $2,600

Pricing includes a four-night stay at Spannocchia, all meals and drinks, programming and excursions, plus transportation from Florence airport.

To register or get in touch with any questions, please email tuscanfarmandfood2025@gmail.com. Registration closes December 13, 2024. Please wait to book flights until your registration is confirmed.

Sample Itinerary

Day 1

Arrive to Spannocchia via transfer from Florence airport and get settled in before gathering for aperitivo a fuori — outside — to catch your first Tuscan sunset. Then dig into your first dinner at the farm, full of seasonal produce and of course, pasta.

Day 2

Sleep in before slipping downstairs from your room to enjoy a breakfast spread of fruit, yogurt, pastries, homemade jams, and more. After breakfast, we’ll head out on our first excursion, to visit an organic rice producer in the Maremma, the agricultural-rich coastal corner of Tuscany that’s all too often overlooked. We’ll return to Spannocchia for a leisurely riposo — rest — before wine on the terrace and dinner family-style.

Day 3

Take it easy after breakfast before we take a quick drive to the medieval town of Colle di Val d’Elsa, where you’ll visit a very special biodynamic wine producer and sit down to a tasting amid the vineyards. The afternoon is yours to explore the over 1000 acres of natural reserve that surround Spannocchia’s property or simply find a sunny corner to snooze or read a book. The day will end with a cooking demonstration followed by dinner.

Day 4

Get ready for another day of exploring. After breakfast, we’ll spend the day traversing the Tuscan hillsides, and visit with an intimate family-owned cheese producer for a tour and tasting to continue to learn about the terroir that makes both this region’s culinary landscape so distinct. We’ll cap off the day with one last aperitivo and family-style feast.

Day 5

Buon viaggio! Enjoy one last Tuscan breakfast before packing up and getting picked up to be transported back to Florence airport (or wherever your next adventure takes you).

**Please note that this itinerary is tentative and subject to change. We’re adjusting the schedule and adding more fun as we get closer, so this is just a sampling of what you’re in store for.

About Us

Sheela Prakash is cookbook author, recipe developer, and food and wine writer. She’s currently working on her third cookbook, which focuses on Italian pantry cooking, and is the author of Salad Seasons and Mediterranean Every Day. She’s a contributor to New York Times Cooking, Bon Appétit, Simply Recipes, Food & Wine, and more, and was previously on staff at Kitchn, Epicurious, and Food52. She also works extensively behind the scenes of cookbooks, including collaborating with Tuscany-based Giulia Scarpaleggia and New York City’s popular Italian cocktail bar, Dante. Sheela received her master’s degree from the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Italy, holds Level 2 and Level 3 Awards in Wines from the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET), and is also a Registered Dietitian. She was an intern in the orto (vegetable garden) at Spannocchia in 2010 and is now an Alumni Engagement Volunteer. She currently splits her time between North Carolina and New York City, with frequent stops in-between to Italy whenever she’s able.

Lila Wilmerding’s deep interest in food and sustainable agriculture was rooted during her farm internship at Spannocchia on a gap year between high school and college. During undergrad, she spent two semesters in France, deepening her appreciation for the role of food systems in community and culture. Since those formative experiences, Lila has worked for food businesses of all sizes – from leading product development for Maine-based Gelato Fiasco to developing environmental and social impact strategy at The Hershey Company. While getting her MBA at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business, Lila designed an independent study to support the launch of global nonprofit Women in Olive Oil. Lila lives in Portland, Maine, and works as an independent consultant with a focus on food and sustainability. She joined the Friends of Spannocchia board in January 2023.

Lydia O’Brien is a cookbook editor, writer, and recipe tester based in Italy. She has lived in Rome, Siena, and Florence and works primarily with cookbook authors on books about Italian regional cuisines and wine, including with Katie Parla and her independent publishing company, Parla Publishing. Lydia also contributes to Italy-based magazines and online travel sites such as Italy Segreta and Untold Italy. Previously, as an editor at Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Penguin Random House in New York, Lydia worked with authors and brands such as Melissa Clark, Alison Roman, Martha Stewart, Bobby Flay, Yotam Ottolenghi, Toni Tipton-Martin, Yasmin Fahr, and more. Originally from Washington, DC, her first time living in Italy was during a university semester in Rome, where she studied art history and the history of Italian gastronomic culture, followed by a summer working as the culinary apprentice at Spannocchia.