This is
the best aspect of our job: consolidating
our friendship with you.
Here are some of the testimonials we collected
from our guests who stayed with us ...
This is an email we received on 21st December
2011 from Alan, who spent his holidays with
his wife in Tuscany and enjoyed a cooking
class, a vespa tour and a visit to the Vespa
Museum in Pontedera.
Merry Christmas
We took 6
days Holidays in Tuscany with a cooking
class and Vaspa tour
and we enjoyed it very much. Many thanks
for making the arrangement.
We wish to share the attached picture show
with you.
This is an email we received on 16th November
2011 from Roxanne, who booked a private
chocolate experience and a tour to Vinci
with us.
Good afternoon
We booked 2 days of tours with you last
November and I'm not sure if I ever let
you know how much we enjoyed the tours-especially
Mossimo's company. We did a day trip to
the chocolate making in San Miniato and
then Vinci. The next day we toured Pisa
and Lucca. The kids really enjoyed the chocolate
making. I have pictures I can send if you
are interested in seeing them. Thanks again
and any time I hear of someone traveling
your way, I recommend your company.
Roxanne
This is an email we received on 15th November
2011 from Susan, who experienced our pizza
class at the chef's house.
Dear Consuelo,
I just wanted to write a note to tell you
what a wonderful time we all had at Aldo's
home. He was such a wonderful host and Luca
was very charming, delightful and informative.
We were delighted with all the wonderful
food and the beautiful home. Thank you very
much. We send our best to Aldo and Luca.
I also wanted to ask about my cousins camera
(...).
This is an email we received on 7th November
2011 from Maureen, who visited several wineries
and an organic cheese farm with Arianna.
Hello Arianna,
I want to thank you for arranging such a
wonderful day for us on our recent trip
to Tuscany. Everyone in our group enjoyed
it, and loved the choices of wineries and
the olive oil farm for lunch.
Everything was perfect, and I look forward
to recommending your company for any of
our clients traveling to Italy.
This is a message from Werner that we received
on 05th November 2011. He took a package
for a short break in Tuscan with cooking
class and tasting tours:
Ciao Arianna!
Nun ist es
schon drei Wochen her und wir denken immer
noch gerne an Ester, Alessandro, Guiseppe
und Sie zurück. Es war ein wunderschönes
verlängertes Wochenende und wir sind
uns jetzt schon sicher, dass wir wiederkommen.
Das Oliven-Öl von Giuseppe ist leider
schon aufgebraucht und die Kekse von Alessandro's
Mutter waren leider schon nach zwei Tagen
aufgegessen. Wir hätten gerne das Rezept,
bitte, bitte!
Mit Ester und Ihnen zu kochen war fast schon
wie zuhause bei Mama zu kochen, sehr persönlich
und ungezwungen - einfach schöööööööön.
Einen Brief
an Alessandro wegen seiner Probleme mit
Alice haben wir geschickt und hoffen, dass
er hilfreich ist.
Jetzt wünschen
wir Ihnen allen eine wunderschöne Zeit
und freuen uns schon auf ein Wiedersehen.
This is an email we received on 16th October
2011 from Theresa, who spent half a day
in Lajatico at our chef's house.
Dear Ariana,
We had a wonderful evening with Licia and
Massimo on on September 27, 2011. Massimo
first showed us The Theater of Silence in
Lajatico and then led us to Licia's wonderful
home. The lesson, dinner, wine and company
were excellent - we truly enjoyed ourselves.
Massimo told me that I could receive the
recipes for our meal and I would love for
you to send them to me. I did take notes
but in rereading them, I'm missing quite
a bit since I was involved in the preparing
and the cooking. I am also going to send
you some photos - please share with Licia
and Massimo.
Thank you,
theresa
Vegetables
fried in a light batter
Ravioli with Tuscan meat sauce
Pork filet in bread crust
Tiramisu
This is an email we received on 22nd September
2011 from Jaqueline and Beda after one of
our cooking classes with Arianna.
Liebe Arianna
Nochmals herzlichen Dank für die Organisation
und Durchführung unseres Kochkurses
in der Toscana. Wir haben die Zeit mit dir
und Carla wirklich genossen, genau so wie
das Resultat unser "Arbeit". Danke
auch noch für das Geschenk, das uns
Tiziana heute morgen von dir überreicht
hat.
Es würde
uns freuen, wenn wir die Rezepte auch noch
in schriftlicher Form erhalten (kann auch
in Italienisch sein), dass wir für
unsere Freunde in Zukunft richtig Toskanisch
kochen können!
Wir werden beim Trinken des Chianti auf
dich und die schöne Zeit hier in der
Fattoria anstossen.
Herzliche Grüsse
Jacqueline & Beda
This is an email we received on 19th September
2011 from Barbara, who took our half-day
tour including a visit to an organic cheese
farm and an oil mill.
Hi Arianna,
Jay and I just wanted to thank you so much
for arranging our tour with Massimo. We
had a great time and thought that Massimo
was a fantastic and very informative guide!.
The Olive Mill and Cheese tour was wonderful.
We really enjoyed it.
This is an email we got on 16th September
2011 from Kelly and her friends, who spent
half a day in Lari with Massimo visiting
a pasta factory and the medieval castle
of the town.
Hi Consuelo,
I just want
to thank all of you on behalf of our whole
group! The tour was AMAZING and we enjoyed
it so much! Massimo was a great guide and
had so much good info on all the places
we visited. Everyone was so kind and generous,
we could not have had a better time! I live
here in Italy and will for sure be returning
in the future next time I have visitors.
Exceptional service!
This is an email we got on 16th September
2011 from Anthea, who spent a day with Arianna
visiting a medieval castle and a small pasta
factory in Lari before getting to an olive
farm for a lunch based on local specialities.
Come stai,
Arianna? It was very nice meeting you -
and thanks much for a wonderful day exactly
a week ago. It's hard to believe that it
was only 7 days ago when we were in your
beautiful country. Our hearts are still
there....
Per your request, here are the photos from
my camera for your keepsake. Good luck with
the business and keep that beautiful smile
of yours shining. Mostly, keep Tuscany the
way it is.... and keep Lucca the hunter
in check! :)
This is an email we got on 5th September
2011 from Ian, who booked a day tour to
Lucca, Pisa and a winery in San Miniato
while staying in Tuscany.
Hi Consuelo
I wanted to
drop you a note of thanks for arranging
such a wonderful day for our family.
To begin with,
the tour of Lucca with Wanda was fantastic.
Her historical knowledge made for a very
interesting morning and her enthusiasm throughout
the tour brought the town to life! Please
pass on our thanks and appreciation to Wanda.
And just when
we thought things couldn't get any better,
we had an absolutely wonderful afternoon
during our wine tasting tour at Cosmo's
estate.
Laura (from
Ireland!) was a perfect hostess. She took
us on a relaxing tour of the gorgeous grounds
(with lots of grapes to sample), explained
the wine making process and finished with
a casual and very enjoyable hour of outdoor
wine and olive oil tastings in the family
gardens. What a perfect way to spend an
afternoon. We purchased some wine and olive
oil and both were a big hit with family
and friends back here in Canada.
Thanks again,
Consuelo, for organizing our day, (suggesting
that we see Pisa on our own) and allowing
us to meet such wonderful people like Wanda
and Laura. Our memories of our day in Tuscany
are fond indeed and we would highly recommend
our tour experiences to others.
Hopefully
we will come to visit once again. If so,
we will be sure to contact you.
This is an email arrived on 3rd September
2011
from Lana,
who met Massimo for a one-day shore excursion
starting from the port of Livorno.
Bonjourno
Massimo,
I have to say that our day with you at Aldo's
house making pizza was one of the highlights
of our trip! It was truly a magical day!
The cruise was very nice but a little large
for our liking. The other trip that we enjoyed
was to Naples, Pompeii & the Amalfi
coast. We had lunch at a beautiful restaurant
in Positano. Bellisima!
Thanks so much for making our trip so special.
Russell and I may be traveling back to Tuscany
next September as he will be having his
50th birthday. I will definitely be in touch
if we make the trip back.
This is an email we got from KerenOr and
her family from Tel Aviv on 25th August
2011 after a very intense cooking experience
at their villa near Arezzo a few days before.
Dear
Arianna and Friends,
we would like to thank you for a great afternoon
& dinner !
the cooking class was definitely one of
the highlights of our visit to Tuscany.
Ester showed us how to cook wonderful food
and Massimo explained and hosted the evening
with great interest. its been fun and tasty!
could you please send us the recipes so
we can try it at home??
till next
time,
best regards,
kerenOr
Hi Massimo
I didn't have the chance to thank you for
the great evening we had together. So I
do it now, thank you and your campanions
for the great and happy birthday you gave
me, It was absolutely a beautifull evening,
full of joy and happy,
I must admit that I am not a recipe follower,
which mean that I have to add my twist,
but I tried some of your recipes (with changes)
like the rice with regular rice which came
out great.
For the mazno (the beef), sorry to say,
I made some changes like use Merlot wine(I
didn't have Chianti), and added some garlic
tooth and mashrooms. It came out great.
So, as you can see, I like to do my version
of dishes, don't take it personally, I loved
you dish, but that is how I am.
Again, you and your companion gave us the
best time and I'm going to tell everyone
who plan to stay in Tuscany to use your
services.
Massino, say thanks to Ester and (sorry,
I don't remember her name) a big thanks
and give them a big hag in my name.
Hope to meet you again very soon.
Kisses and love
Moshe
This is some correspondence we had until
28th July 2011 with Anne, who experienced
a winery tour in the area of Siena with
our guide Silvia.
We
have not stopped talking about our wonderful
day in Tuscany. Sylvia was a delight! We
will definitely use your services again
and will be sure to pass your information
on to any friends that are travelling to
Italy. We are now back in the U.S. Tired
but so happy with our trip.
[...]
You
are certainly welcome to use anything I
have said on your website. I immediately
gave you a glowing review on TripAdvisor
as well! I have talked and talked about
the wonderful time we had in Tuscany. My
husband and I have celebrated our 10, 15,
20, and now 25 year anniversaries in Italy
and we've been fortunate enough to take
two additional trips to Italy as well. Just
last night he said he is not waiting another
5 years to go back. We want to come back
and have Sylvia take on a tour south of
Siena! You will be one of my first contacts
when we plan our next trip!!!
I'll be sure
to post something on Facebook very soon.
This is an email we received on 27th July
2011 from Andreas & Nazanin, who spent
some days in Tuscany on the occasion of
the concert of Andrea Bocelli at Teatro
del Silenzio and booked a speciality tasting
tour and a horse riding excursion with us.
Hi
Arianna & Massimo
We just want
to say thank you for a great trip, which
we will remember for the rest of our lives.
Thank you for the restaurant and the arrangement
with the flowers it was perfect. We also
had a wonderful trip with Massimo!
I really wish we could have had a good trip
with the horses and I am very sad that we
missed the cooking class, maybe we will
come back another time. Thank you for the
great service of offering the dinner, we
also enjoyed that a lot.
Although Nazanin had some problems with
her wrist and her back we managed to walk
a little around in pisa and florence before
we went back.
Again
Thank you for all your help.
This is an email we received on 27th July
2011 from Lilian. She booked a special package
in Volterra with a "New Moon Tour".
Dear
Consuelo,
The "New Moon" tour was wonderful.
We were very well attended by his entire
team. See our comment on Facebook (use google
translator if you need - Portuguese). Send
us other links to post our comments (as
Tripadvisor).
If they come to Rio de Janeiro, do not forget
to visit us. It will also be glad to assist
them with information and road maps or anything
that need in Brazil. Please pass this invitation
to everyone on the team.
Best regards, Lilian and Luiza
This is an email we received on 15th July
2011 from Mel. We arranged a private chef
service at ther accommodation facility.
Dear
Ariann,
I'm so sorry
I didn't get the opportunity to thank you
in person on Tuesday night for creating
such a wonderful evening for my husband's
birthday dinner. The food was amazing and
the beautifully laid table etc just added
to the ambience. We all had a wonderful
time. Thank you again.
I will be
sure to pass on your details to any of my
friends that holiday in this area.
This is an email we received on 29th June
2011 from Kate, who took a cooking experience
at her villa with her whole family:
Dear
Arianna and Friends
We have all now returned from our magical
holiday in Italy and are adjusting to being
back in the real world.
We would all like to thank you so much for
a fantastic afternoon and evening of cooking,
eating and drinking. It was absolutely wonderful
- we all enjoyed it so much and I think
all came back with new tips on cooking.
A huge thank you to Massimo and Esta who
were so warm, kind and fun - especially
to the bambinis!
Massimo mentioned sending us the recipes
- we would love to have them if possible!
Thanks again
Kate
P.S. We left your pamphlets in the villa
and told the owner about your amazing services.
This is an email we received on 13th June
2011 from Nella from the US, who experienced
a cooking class and a dinner with Arianna
and our cook:
Hi
Arianna,
[...].
I would like to thank you once again for
being a part of my 50th birthday celebrations
and making it an enjoyable day for everyone.
Could you please email me the recipes for
all the items on the menu we had on the
18th of May. It would be most appreciated.
I hope all is well in bella Toscana and
I look forward to my next visit.
This is an email we received on 22nd May
2011 from Ruth, who booked a cooking experience
and some tasting tours with us:
Liebe
Arianna und Team!
Leider hat
und der Alltag in Mainz wieder fest im Griff,
aber die wunderschönen Tage in Siena
wirken noch nach und halten uns bei Laune.
Wir möchten uns noch einmal ganz herzlich
bedanken für den herzlichen Empfang
in Siena und die wunderschönen events.
Ganz besonders begeistert sind wir nach
wie vor von dem Kochkurs, der uns allen
sehr viel Spaß bereitet hat. Ein ganz
großes Lob an Licia für Ihre
Geduld und die guten Vorschläge. Dies
war der Höhepunkt unseres Urlaubes.
Wir möchten ein Kochbuch gestalten,
von dem Ihr sicherlich ein Exemplar bekommen
werdet - zumindest als Datei per mail!-
Die Tour mit Silvia war auch wunderschön,
insbesondere die Weinprobe. Allerdings waren
wir von der Olivenölprobe etwas enttäuscht.
Wir hatten uns mehr Öle zum Verproben
erhofft. Vor allem waren wir überrascht,
dass wir das Öl aus dem Glas "trinken"
sollten. Das hat uns allen ein wenig auf
den Magen geschlagen und ein wenig Brot
hätte dann nicht geschadet. Vielleicht
könnt Ihr das beim nächsten mal
berücksichtigen. Allerdings hat uns
dann die Weinprobe in Rocca die Castagnoli,
die sich später auch noch auf Grappa
ausgeweitet hatte, vollauf entschädigt.
Unsere Stimmung stieg zusehends und dazu
hat nicht nur das sagenhafte alte Gemäuer
beigetragen sondern auch die äußert
nette und kompetente Führung durch
den Weinkeller. Richtet bitte bei Eurem
nächsten Besuch dort unserer spanischen
Betreuerin ganz herzliche Grüße
von den Mainzer Frauen aus! Da konnten wir
uns dann auch nicht zurückhalten und
haben eine große Bestellung aufgegeben,
die wir allerdings noch sehnlichst erwarten.
Auch Silvia an dieser Stelle noch ein ganz
herzliches Dankeschön für Ihre
tollen Fahrkünste und Erläuterungen
über das Chianti-Gebiet (auch für
die Übersetzungehilfen z.B. für
Wechseljahre : ). Wir haben leider versäumt
ganz laut "Stop" zu rufen, als
wir an der wunderschönen 400-jährigen
alten Eiche vorbeigefahren sind. Es hat
uns bei ihrem Anblick schier die Sprache
verschlagen. Falls Ihr ein Foto von diesem
wunderschönen Baum habt oder eines
für uns machen könnt bei der nächsten
Tour, sind wir Euch sehr dankbar, wenn Ihr
uns ein Bild schicken könntet.
Im Anhang habe ich Euch als Erinnerung ein
paar Bilder geschickt, viel Spaß beim
Anschauen.
Beim nächsten
Besuch in der Toskana werden wir sicherlich
wieder voneinander hören.
In diesem
Sinne, ganz herzliche Grüße aus
dem sonnigen Mainz, ganz besonders an Licia!!!!
This is an email we received on 19th May
2011 from Carolina from Canada, who arranged
her holidays at one of our farms and experienced
our activities:
Hello
Consuelo and Adrianna,
I would like
to thank you for organizing my cooking lessons
and wine tasting, it was a wonderful experience
and Ester is such a good cook and so warm
and Massimo is so lovely and a fantastic
interpreter, his knowledge in Italian cooking
and Italian history really add to the experience.
It was exactly what I was looking for and
more!!
I would love
to have the recipes, Massimo did take notes
for me but I would love to add mine too,
especially that it is still fresh in my
memory. Hopefully he can send them to me
very soon.
You can be
sure I left with my very own mezzaluna,
I am ready to do some serious Tuscany cooking!!
Thank you very much for the wonderful experience,
Carolina
PS( I will recommend your agency on trip
adviser very soon) =
This is an email we received on 24th April
2011 from Petra and Frank, who experienced
one of our cooking classes at our agriturismo,
followed by a very tasty dinner:
Liebe
Arianna,
wir sind gut wieder in Pieve Emanuele (MI)
gelandet und sind voller schöner Erinnerungen
an
die wundervolle Zeit mit Dir und Deinen
Aktivitäten.
Wir können nur sagen "Kompliment"
an diese Arbeit und die Struktur, die Du
da geschaffen hast.
Das Weingut Giuseppes ist ein Vorzeigeobjekt
in einem hervorragenden Zustand und sehr
nette Leute.
Der Kochkurs war einfach toll, wir haben
sehr viel gelernt und werden es auch anwenden,
zur Erinnerung
sende ich Dir ein paar Fotos.
Wir danken
Dir sehr und hoffen, Du hattest ein ruhiges
Osterfest, bis auf bald,
This is an email we received on 21st March
2011 from Laura, who took her friends to
a private tour in the Tuscany area visiting
a pasta factory and a wine farm:
Arianna,
Sorry I missed this email, but we were already
in Italy!
Thank
you again so much for the tour. It was absolutely
lovely.
Everyone really had a great time.
I completely
envy your job!
Let
me know if you need anything!
Thanks,
This is an email we received on 21st March
2011 from Jack, who spent a holiday in Tuscany
with his family doing many of our activities:
Dear
Arianna:
A quick note as we are back in the USA and
reading emails. You and your friends, Consuelo,
Christina, Massimo, Vespa folks, Josee,
and Isabella were wonderful to my family
and the trip was a complete success. Thanks
so much for making this a wonderful vacation.
Our family will forever remember the tours
and events your friends brought to life
for us….The Borgo de Colleoli was a
great choice for us and we will happily
encourage all of our friends who are visiting
your area to contact you for tour accommodations.
Please share our thanks with your friends.
Grazie!!!! Jack
This is an email we received on 3rd January
2011 from Sylvie and Mario, who booked a
package in our agriturismo with our activities:
Dear
Arianna & Massimo !
Mario and I would like to thank you for
our fabulous toscany trip we had.
We appreciated a lot all activities organized
by you. The hospitality from Alessandro,
we felt like home.
Special thanks again to Massimo's gift of
olive oil from his family.
I can hardly wait to taste it.
Yesterday night, I spoke with my daughter
and she is eager to eat the toscany specialties
that we had cooked with you and Ester.
As soon as the pictures ready, we will let
you know where to get them.
This
is an email we received on 8th December
2010 from Suzanne, who took our family cooking
class in one day of her holidays in Tuscany:
Hi
Arianna,
My husband and 2 boys joined you and Esther
for a cooking class in late October. I wanted
to thank you for a most amazing memory and
to forward a few photos. We have told many
of our friends about you.
I would also like to extend a warm welcome
to Canada to stay with us if you ever make
it to Vancouver. We would love the opportunity
to cook you dinner! please send an email
so i can send photos.
ciao! suzanne
This is an email we received on 24th November
2010 from Andrea, who spent a weekend in
San Miniato with her boyfriend on the occasion
of the yearly National Truffle Festival
and visited a winery for a wine tour:
Hallo
Massimo,
wir wollen uns noch einmal bei dir bedanken.
Die Führungen und besonders der nachmittag
auf dem weingut waren sehr schön und
absolut interessant für uns.
Meinem Freund hat es sehr begeistert. Auch
waren wir heut morgen noch zum Trüffel
kaufen und es gab heut abend gleich Risotto
mit weißem Trüffel. Ein großes
Danke noch einmal an dich, für die
Adresse.
Wenn du mal wieder in der Nähe von
München bist, kannst du gern auf einen
Besuch vorbei kommen, Garmisch hat sehr
interessante Berge zu besteigen.
Wir wünschen
dir noch eine schöne Vor-Weihnachtszeit
und besinnliche Tage mit deiner Familie.
Die fotos schicken wir diese Tage.
This is an email we received on 12th November
2010 from Michelle, who took our cooking
class at her villa while staying in Tuscany:
Dear
Arianna & Veronica,
I absolutely enjoyed the cooking class I
had with your company and Veronica was wonderful!!
I had so much fun learning from her and
tasting the lovely food that was out of
this world. I am a personal chef and always
look forward to educating myself and tasting
food. I am half Italian and so is my husband
even though from different regions and our
families get to share different preparations
of food which is nice. I learned a lot and
hope to do it again in the future and would
highly recommend your company to anyone
who travels to Tuscany. I would love to
get Veronica's email address so that we
could share recipes together. I have a lot
of recipes that I could share in exchange
if you all are willing. Again, Thank you
so much for the experience and hope to keep
in contact sharing recipes. If anyone has
a website on how to get Veronica's clay
pot that she cooked the beans in that would
be wonderful.
Thank you,
Michelle
This is an email we received on 16th October
2010 from Ilene & Gary, from the Arizona.
They spent a day with us in the area of
Volterra for an olive oil and cheese tasting
tour:
Greetings
from back in Phoenix, Arizona. Karen, we
just wanted to take a quick moment to thank
you from the bottom of our hearts for the
most wonderful day of our entire vacation.
You were so kind and generous with your
information, we will never forget what a
great time we had. I hope Massimo has recovered
but thank you for filling in for him. I
will get on trip adviser this week and give
you guys rave reviews.
Also, the organic farm outside of Volterra.
Was that part of "town" considered
part of Volterra or another name?
Again, we could not have asked for anything
better (except for weather perhaps) but
I will send you a picture of that quilt
once I get it done. I have a few other projects
ahead of it but will make sure I send you
a picture. Hope everything went well at
your son's school and things worked out.
If you don't mind, we might be back in touch
for some real estate advice!! You never
know... our dreams might come true.
Hope all is well and again, thank you. Keep
in touch!
Best Regards,
Ilene & Gary
This is an email sent to us on 14th October
2010 from Paulette, a very nice Australian
lady who spent her holidays with us on the
occasion of the yearly concert of Andrea
Bocelli in Lajatico in July 2010:
Dear
Corine and Adrianna -
Please forgive me for taking so long to
contact you after my most wonderful stay
in your beautiful Tuscany. It was a dream
come true and truely the most joyous experience
of my entire life! My afternoon and evening
in your company going to Lajatico and the
Bocelli winery and then the beautiful farmhouse
meal was an evening to always remember,
and then the next couple of days in Lajatico
and seeing my hero Andrea in his home village.
Oh my goodness, words can not explain the
joy I felt in experiencing this. I thank
you from the bottom of my heart for helping
me to make this happen. I met Mama Bocelli
several times and as you know, Alberto and
his family. My only regret was not meeting
Andrea, I was just never in the right place
at the right time. But I did have many wonderful
moments. I will be back and next time for
a much longer stay. Of course I will want
my next visit to coincide with a Bocelli
concert some where there, so if you hear
of anything coming up, please let me know.
On the 4th of September my City (Christchurch)
was hit by a 7.1 earthquake. Since then
we have had over 1700!! My home has been
spared, but there was signifcant damage
throughout the city. Nerves have been stretched
to their limit - Thank goodness I have Andrea's
music and my wonderful photos and memories
to get me through this harrowing time.
Once again thanks to all of you for helping
me make some beautiful memories to live
with. You will here from me again.
Love Paulette
This is an email sent to us on 6th October
2010 from Anina and her 5 friends, who spent
an evening at our chef's house for an interesting
and tasty cooking class:
Dear
Massimo,
Just a short
note to say thank you very much for a most
fantastic and unforgettable evening of cooking
! We mostly enjoyed it, and it was one of
our highlights of the trip ! It is mostly
recommendable !
Marielize and Monica
Marianne and Massimo
Anina, Lizelle and Marielize
The Group
This is an email we received on
4th October 2010 from Colin and Darlene,
who enjoyed a cooking class with Arianna:
Hi
Arianna
Thank-you again for a wonderful evening
of learning to cook! Can you forward to
me the recipes that we used for that night
please and thanks.
Kind regards Colin & Darlene
This is an email we received on
26th September 2010 from Sallie and Karen,
who spent 10 days in Tuscany in our farm
and enjoyed our pastry shop experience,
our painting class and our cooking class:
Hi
Arianna,
Just a quick
note to thank you and the team very much
for the incredible job you all did during
our recent trip to Tuscany. Special thanks
to Massimo and Consuelo for helping solve
the GPS problem, the replacement Tom Tom
worked extremely well and was a definite
"must have" for foreigners trying
to navigate their way around Italy. Also,
to Massimo and Veronica for joining us and
translating during our Cooking and Painting
classes, their knowledge and experience,
without a doubt, enhanced our experience
during each of them.
With regard
to the Pastry & Pizza Cooking Class
we did with Massimo, he mentioned that copies
of each of the recipes will be emailed to
us, can I also remind you about that please,
as we haven't received them yet?
Thanks again.
Sallie &
Karen
This is an email sent to us on 27th September
2010 by Brenda, who visited our farm and
took 3 cooking classes:
Dear
Arianna, Massimo and Consuelo,
Ciao! We just
had to send you a note to express our thanks
on assisting with our plans while we were
in Tuscany. All the arrangements that you
made for us went very smoothly. We loved
the 2 bedroom apartment at the farm. Alessandro
was a delightful host. The cooking classes
were too much fun. Many thanks to Massimo
and Esther for teaching us the regional
(and delicious!) recipes. Massimo's information
and guidance about the surrounding towns
was invaluable. We were able to really get
a feel for Tuscany even though we were only
there a week. We will highly recommend you
to anyone who mentions that they are planning
a trip to Italy. We wouldn't hesitate to
enlist your services again. Many, many thanks!
Brenda and Mark Riely
Mary Ann
PS. Attached are some pictures from the
trip. Feel free to use them as you see fit.
:)
This is an email we received on
24th September 2010 from Regina, who experienced
a cooking class at our farm:
Dear
Arianna,
I want to extend a "mille gracie"
to you and your staff for making our cooking
school, experience a fun event. From the
very beginning your prompt response encouraged
us to use your school over others. You were
warm and very helpful. Massimo and Ester
were a delight....their energy, enthusiasm,
patience and passion for food and cooking
was evident. And Consuelo came to the rescue
when someone filled the sugar bowl with
salt!!!
The grounds of La Quericole were beautiful
and we were fortunate to meet the owner
who talked to us with pride about his wine
and olive groves. The food and wine were
delicious under Ester's and Massimo's guidance.
Our only disappointment was that we did
not get to meet you.
Again, thank you and we hope to encounter
Arianna & Friends again.
Massimo said he would be sending the recipe's
to me, when he does I will forward to the
rest of the class.
Where can we get a mezzaluna just like the
one we used in class?
Sincerely,
Regina & Friends
This is an email we received on
20th September 2010 from Monica, who experienced
a cooking class at our chef's:
Dear
Masimo and Arianna
We had a lovely evening with Lisa in her
kitchen !!! Thank you so much - have already
found some great South African Olive oil
and will be baking the Cantucinni soon !!!
Monica and family
This is an email we received on
13th September 2010 from Gary, who spent
a week in Tuscany with his family and booked
a series of day tours with us:
Massimo,
We just wanted to let you know how much
we enjoyed the chocolate experience, the
cheese making experience and the cooking
at our villa. The kids are still talking
about how much fun it was and this past
weekend we tried to replicate several of
the recipes we learned with you. They may
not remember all of the churches and art
we saw, but they will definitely remember
the things we did with ariannandfriends.
I wanted to post a review on TripAdvisor
but didn't see you guys on there. Let me
know if I just missed it. Hope are you well
and staying busy in September. Drop us a
line when you make it to NY.
Gary
This is an email we received on
6th September 2010 from the Wiesendangers,
who booked a series of chef services in
her villa during their Tuscan stay:
Dear Arianna,
We are back
in Paris, but we think about our two weeks
at the villa Fagnano often. We had a wonderful
vacation. And Veronica and Paolo did a wonderful
job. They were not just competent and smart,
they were terribly attentive and kind.
Thank you.
The Wiesendangers, all 13 of them.
This is an email we received on
30th August 2010 from Cecilia, who booked
a series of chef service in her villa during
her Tuscan stay:
Dear Arianna,
Back in Mexico..after our nice stay in Villa
Fagnano..
We were so happy in Tuscany that we are
thinkiing to go back but this time with
ALL my extended family, we are 85 !!
so I am thinking that you know a lot of
this area.
We are looking for a hotel with 40 rooms,
just All for the family, 4 or 5 stars, in
a little village not city, and very child
friendly!
I would appreciate you great help.. thank
you very much, Cecilia
This is an email we received on
23rd August 2010 from Heike, who looked
for a last minute accommodation in Tuscany
during her last holidays:
Liebe Arianna,
heute ist mein erster Tag wieder im Büro
und ich möchte mich noch einmal ganz
herzlich für Ihre Unterstützung
bei meiner Rundreise durch die Toskana bedanken.
Ich komme bestimmt bald wieder und werde
das nächste Mal bereits im voraus planen.
Die Gegend um Suvereto hat mir auch sehr
gut gefallen. Vielleicht gibt es dort auch
eine Unterkunft mit Pferden, am liebsten
Westernpferden.
Wir sind bei unserer Reise noch bis Pomorance
gekommen und dann über das Voltera
Tal wieder zurück ans Meer.
Also liebe Arianna nochmals vielen Dank
für Ihre Hilfe und bis bald
Heike
This is an email we received on
7th July 2010 from Laurie, a teacher who
took her class to Tuscany for a weekly cultural
tour to all historical towns:
Hi Massimo,
Just a quick note to let you know how much
we all loved our trip.
Mainly thanks to you. When anyone asks Paul
how the trip was all he talks about is "Massimo"!
Everything was GREAT, Tatiana's, Angy's,
the tours, the food, the cooking lesson,
the bus. I will have to write this on Arianna
and Friends facebook page!
The trip home went smoothly and we returned
to a heat wave here. So between jet lag
and the heat it's been a hard adjustment
being back home. I've been going through
my photos and will send some to you soon.
Of course I wish I had taken al lot more....It
was a trip the kids and I will never forget.
Hope all is well in Peccioli!
Talk soon, Laurie
This is an email we received on
15th June 2010 from Ellen and Lex, who spent
a relaxing week in Tuscany learning Italian
with Massimo:
Buena sera Massimo,
Come va?
This time
in English as I've been that busy as well.
I also
have been too busy to realise time is flying
indeed, but so it is.
Thank you for the invoices.
Furthermore : we had an interesting time
with you and are glad to have met with you.
Our training has been a success and we are
now in the proces of self studying based
upon NL-IT and vica versa. We have been
talking about a follow up course with you
next year and will come back in due time.
Well Ellen
and me wanted to thank you once again, we
wish you all the best and we'll be in touch
Cordiali saluti
della Olandese
Lex &
Ellen
PS: Next time
(not tomorrow but soon!!) my email will
be in Italian
This is an email we received on
7th June 2010 from Elisa, who took 50
girls
on a school trip to one of our farms for
an exciting cooking class with focus on
pasta making:
Dear Arianna,
Thank you so much for the fantastic day
you provided for the girls last week. It
really was the highlight of their trip,
one girl texted home that day and said 'this
is the best day of my life'. You can't ask
for more praise than that.
Lots of the girls were saying that as soon
as they got home they were going to make
pasta and tiramasu! They were impressed!
If I can do anything for you in terms of
reccommendations please let me know. When
we return in two years I will be asking
you to provide the same if that is ok.
Thank you again. Everything about the day
was so professional and so fantastic.
This is an email we received on
1st June 2010 from Gianna, who spent a week
in Tuscany with her beautiful family:
Dear Arianna, Massimo, and friends!
You were a
great help in making our trip a success!
We really appreciated the last minute accommodation
arrangements. And the whole group had a
great time with the olive oil and dairy
tour and then the market tour and cooking
class. We learned a lot about tuscan food
and wine, had great fun, and ate wonderful,
local food. Rafael already made the mushroom
bruschetta are we are looking forward to
trying to replicate the carciofi risotto
and veal in chianti.
This
is an email sent to us on 28th May 2010
by Stefanie and Thorsten, a nice German
couple who experienced our cooking class
with Arianna:
Liebe
Arianna,
unser Aufenthalt
bei euch hat uns sehr gut gefallen! Leider
gingen die paar Tage wieder viel zu schnell
vorbei…
Im Anhang - wie versprochen - die Fotos
von unserem gemeinsamen Kochabend.
This
is an email sent to us on 25th May 2010
by Thomas from Germany, die who did 2 cooking
classes and a cheese tasting tour with Massimo
in Spring:
Hallo
Massimo,
endlich komme
ich mal dazu Dir ein paar Zeilen zu schreiben.
Nochmals vielen
Dank für die schönen Tage in der
Toskana!
Ihr habt das wirklich sehr gut organisiert!
Inzwischen habe ich auch ein paar Bilder
bei Facebook eingestellt.
Zum Wochenende habe ich den Dinkelsalat
mit Gambas und das kaffeefreie Tiramisu
nachgekocht. Die Schüsseln waren wie
ausgeleckt, es muß also gut geschmeckt
haben! Mal sehen was ich als nächstes
versuche...
This is an email sent to
us on 27th April 2010 by Davide, who spent
a weekend in Tuscany and booked a breathtaking
quad excursion in the woods:
Buongiorno,
devo ringraziarla perl lo splendido week
end che mi ha fatto passare.
L'agriturismo era confortevole, la camera
molto spaziosa e confortevole e le indicazioni
per raggiungerlo molto precise.
Le terme a villa borri sono state molto
rilassanti e suggestive.
Del tour in quad che dire... SPETTACOLO!
Ci siamo divertiti come due bambini al parco
giochi, Marco è una persona squisita,
gentilissimo e molto competente, torneremo
sicuramente.
L'unica cosa, se posso darvi un consiglio,
nelle indicazioni per raggiungere il quad
tour potreste precisare che quando si trova
sulla sinistra un cartello con indicato
quad tours ecc... si è giunti a destinazione,
bisogna quindi parcheggiare a bordo strada
ed entrare dal cancello a piedi. Lo dico
perchè io prima di chiamere Marco
e farmelo spiegare mi sono infilato un po'
in tutte le case del vicinato...
Grazie ancora e speriamo di risentirci presto
per un nuovo week end di relax ed avventura.
Davide
This is
an email sent to us on 19th April 2010 by
Sapnoti and her husband, a very nice young
couple from India who shared two cooking
lessons with Massimo:
Dear
Massimo,
Karthik and
I want to thank you and the whole family
at Giuseppe's for the wonderful time we
had in Italy. We cant stop talking about
the trip to all our friends. We have already
started trying to cook some simple pasta
and later we hope to cook gnocchi and ravioli.
Thanks to you and Carla for making the classes
so enjoyable. It was a pleasure spending
time with both of you.
Please thank
Giuseppe for letting us stay at the farmhouse.
We felt quite pampered during our stay there.
And a big thanks to Pedro for being such
a lovely escort. We enjoyed travelling around
Tuscany on the vespa. You told us so much
about the history and culture of Tuscany
that we almost felt like locals. After your
recommendations and directions from Giuseppe
we successfully made it to many more towns
than we had planned. Karthik and I agree
that San Gimignano is our favourite town
in Tuscany. Of course, the fantastic ice-cream
may be affecting our judgement :-)
I attach a
few pictures that we had taken during our
trip. The first few are of the cooking classes.
The next is of Karthik with his new love,
the vespa. The second last is of Pedro trying
to chew Karthik's shoes. And the last one
of me in Volterra.
Although we
dont have any immediate plans, but we do
know that this was not our last trip to
Italy. Thanks again
This is an email sent to
us on 15th April 2010 by Alessandra, who
spent a lovely weekend in one of our farmstays
near Volterra:
Salve
Consuelo
scuse per il ritardo nella risposta.
Siamo stati molto bene, l'accoglienza fantastica,
persone gentili, educate e allo stesso tempo
'alla mano'. CI siamo sentiti subito a casa.
Il cibo di 'personalità forte' era
di primissima qualità, porzioni abbondanti
- io ho dovuto chiedere di diminuire le
mie porzioni poiché non riuscivo
proprio a finire tutte le portate e volevo
assaggiare tutto.
Noi abbiamo scelto il vino della casa, che
dire scende come succo di frutta e non lascia
traccia il giorno dopo *meraviglioso*
L'azienda agricola dov'è situato
il palazzo che ospita le stanze è
molto bella, viene da ripetere ancora accogliente.
Per ciò che volevamo io ed il mio
compagno il fatto di essere sotto scarsa
copertura di telefono e internet era un
vantaggio, una situazione voluta.
La camera a noi assegnata, daltronde come
tutto il resto, molto curata nei particolari.
Il fatto di essere strutturata per poter
accogliere le persone con necesssità
particolari ci ha un po spiazzati con gli
spazi (tipo non siamo più abituati
a doccia aperta o ad alcuni spazi tanto
vuoti), ma questo non ci ha rovinato il
soggiorno.
Il meteo non è stato molto gentile,
e neanche questo è riuscito a rovinare
il nostro soggiorno.
Io spero di tornarci presto, sempre in bassa
stagione quando si può avere tante
chiacchiere con i gestori, veramente simpatici.
This is an email sent to
us on 4th April 2010 by Massimo and Roberta,
who spent their Easter holidays in our property
Maria Teresa:
Buonasera,vorremmo
ringraziarvi per averci fatto trascorrere
una pasqua bellissima all'agriturismo di
Maria Teresa. Un posto meraviglioso e un
atmosfera molto romantica.
Grazie ancora e a presto.Massimo e Roberta
This is an email sent to
us on 22nd February 2010 by Romina, who
spent a romantic weekend in one of our agriturismos
with her boyfriend:
COMPLIMENTI
PER LA SCELTA DELL'AGRITURISMO. MOLTO BELLO
IL POSTO E LORO SONO MOLTO ACCOGLIENTI ED
IL MANGIARE E' SPETTACOLARE! :) SIAMO STATI
MOLTO BENE!
This is an email we received on
1st February 2010 from Sarah and Steven,
who spent a day with us in a truffle hunting
excursion and in a cooking class:
Hi Arianna and Massimo,
We came to
Italy in December and did a cooking class
with Licia at her home and also did the
truffle hunting too.
We have arrived home and I just wanted to
say a HUGE thank you for the experience.
It truly was fabulous. We had a great time
and have told everyone about it.
I was wondering if you would be able to
send us some pictures of our cooking class?
We love to have some for our album.
Also, I seem to have missed a note in our
cooking class - do you know how much water
you are supposed to put in to make your
own pasta? It's 200g of flour etc etc…
but how much water?
Thank you again and we hope you use your
services again in the future if we travel
to Italy again.
This is an email we received on
10th January 2010 from Peter and Samantha,
who booked a day excursion on Vespa scooter
throughout Tuscany on their cruiseship stop
at Livorno port:
Arianna,
I wanted to
thank you again for the wonderful experience
my wife and I had in Tuscany in October
2009. The tour you and your fantastic staff
arranged for us during our brief stay in
tuscany was memorable and unforgettable.
We were
picked up and driven to Pontadera (Home
of Vespa) for a tour of the Vespa Museum
and then jumped on our vespa to tour the
countryside of Tuscany on our own (with
a little help from your laminated directions).
I want
you to know that that day was the absolute
highlight of our entire Mediteranean cruise
and one day which will be with us both forever.
I look
forward to our next visit to your beautiful
part of the world and I guarentee that I
will be in contact with you and your staff
as soon as arrangements are made to travel.
I will
not hesitate to recommend you and your tours
to all of my friends and work collegues
as it was a wonderful experience for us
both.
Regards
and best wishes,
Peter and
Samantha
Sydney
Australia
These are two emails we received on
7th and 14th January 2010 from Stacey and
Marty, who booked an olive oil, cheese &
salami tasting tour in Tuscany with us:
Hello and Happy New Year!
This note is to thank Massimo for a WONDERFUL
morning and afternoon at the olive oil factory
and organic cheese fam near Volterra! We
had a great time and I cannot stop thinking
about what a wonderful experience it was.
We enjoyed every minute of it and feel like
we got a true slice of Tuscany while we
were with you. I hope you will call us if
you are ever visiting Philadelphia!
Best Regards for a Happy & Prosperous
New Year!
Stacey & Marty
Bristol, PA, USA
-----
Hi!
Thanks for your note.
We keep telling stories of our experience
on the farm! It was so memorable. And the
olive oil we purchased as gifts for friends
is receiving rave reviews!
We'd love to take you to dinner in Philadelphia,
so do let us know when you plan to be in
the US.
This is an email we received on
5th November 2009 from Leslie, who stayed
in our agriturismo Elisa and experienced
a half-day cooking class at the farm with
us:
Hello Conseulo.
We had a wonderful time at the Agriturismo
Elisa. Our apartment was amazing and very
roomy for four people. It was the most comfortable
place we stayed in Europe. We enjoyed visiting
the hill towns of Volterra, San Gimignano
and Lucca. The highlight of our trip was
the cooking class with Chef Carla and translator
Massimo. They were both very warm and welcoming,
and the dinner we made was wonderful. I
will recommend your services to my friends,
family.... and anyone I know who plans to
visit Italy!
Massimo promised
to send us recipes of the dishes we made,
if we contacted him through Arianna and
Friends. Could you please forward my email
address to him, so that we can receive the
recipes? Thank you so much.
This is a letter sent to Arianna on 19th
October 2009 from Merete and Johan from
Norway, who organized a student exchange
program of a month in Tuscany with us. The
project was part of the Leonardo da Vinci
European
Program. The
best students of a Norwegian culinary school
were invited to practice in excellent restaurants
of Tuscany.
GRAZIE
TUSEN TAKK
- THANK YOU VERY MUCH
Thank you
very much for taking part in this project.
Would not have been possible without you!
Your way of
"thinking ahead" and finding solutions
before things become a problem - makes everything
seem so easy - BUT just want you to know
that we know it takes experience and skills
and the right attitude to work like you
do.
Your friendliness
- your working capacity - your organizing
skills - YOU - made this a wonderful experience
for both us and the students!
Looking forward
to working with you in the future - and
seeing you in Norway in 2010
Kind regards
The Norwegian project team
Merete &
Johan
International coordinator Head of Department
Restaurant Trades
This is an email we received on
17th October 2009 from Signe and Anders,
who stayed in Pisa and took a half-day wine
tasting tour to the Pisan hills with us:
Hi Arianna and friends,
We want to thank you for a fantastic wine
tour last week! Massimo was a excellent
guide with a lot of knowledge about the
vineyards we were visiting, and very pleasant
to speak with:)
You will definately be recommended to everyone
we know who wants to go to Tuscany, and
we ourselves is concidering a holiday on
a vineyard for the next time we are going.
We hope to keep in touch.
Best regards,
Signe & Anders from Denmark
This is an email we received on
17th October 2009 from Lynne, who booked
accommodation in Tuscany trough us:
Hi Arianna,
We enjoyed
our stay at Il Seminario very much, Paolo
was an excellent host and did everything
he could to make our stay comfortable. Our
room was exceptionally clean and comfortable
Kind
Regards
Lynne
This is an email we received on
17th October 2009 from Nicoletta, who took
a holiday package with us for her father
and his lover:
Ciao a tutte, sono Nicoletta e volevo ringraziarVi
per la gentile collaborazione con il viaggio
organizzato a mio padre e la sua compagna.
Sono stati davvero molto bene e gli è
piaciuto tutto. Mi hanno fatto tanti complimenti
che giro ovviamente a voi.
Vi ringrazio molto per l'attenzione cordiali
saluti.
Nicoletta
This is a comment on TRIP ADVISOR that we
received on 12th
October 2009:
We booked a tour with Arianna and Friends
to do a cooking class with our teenage son
and my wife and stayed at Il Selvino. The
entire experience was exceptional, the room
was clean and spacious, the large pool amongst
the pine trees was exceptional as was the
overall setting. However more than that
the family that runs Il Selvino were the
wonderful. The cooking experience with Esther
and Arianna was a tremendous experience.
Our son wants to be a chef so this was a
part of the holiday he was really looking
forward to but we all had a wonder ful time,
learned lots and shared a wonderful experience
with people who genuinely cared about your
trip.
The
farm house served as a good base for exploring
the area - Volterra, Lucca, wineries, and
even the highly anticlimactic Piza. Great
mornings of exploring and then afternoons
in the pool with some local wine.
if you
are going to Tuscany take the time and stay
at Il Selvino
This is an email we received on
1st October 2009 from Judy, who booked a
holiday all over Italy through us:
Dear Consuelo,
We had a wonderful time. The accommodations
were great. It was a trip of a lifetime.
Thank you so much for all your help. I hope
we can come back again soon.
Thanks again,
Judy
This is an email we received on
1st September 2009 from Tracy, after doing
a cooking class with her friends in our
kitchen
Hello Arianna,
Here are the photos we promised. Thanks
again for everything and let us know if
you are ever in Stuttgart!
Tracy and Friends
This is an email we received on
25th August 2009 from Laurie and John, who
booked a cooking holiday in Tuscany with
us
Hi
Arianna!
It was a wonderful surprise to see your
name in my email inbox!
We just finished a 5 day river float through
a wilderness area! Now it's back to regular
life and work!
Hello Carla!
We would love to come to Tuscany again,
I still have all the brochures on my desk.
Hope that all is well, and be sure that
we will be in touch the next time we come
- and hopefully soon!
Laurie and John
This is an email we received on
19th August 2009 from Cindy and Kristian,
who spent their holidays in one of our B&Bs
Thank
You, we are well and had a great time in
Tuscany. We definitely like to try to come
again, hopefully easter next year and we'll
definetly book via you. As said before,
you saved our vacation! I have recommended
both You and susanne and Massimo to others,
so you might get some more Norwegian or
Dutch custumers....
Thanx again!
Cindy and Kristian
This is an email we received on
30th July 2009 from Mike from the US: we
organized a dinner with our cook at his
private villa:
Massimo
- Thanks again for all your help during
our stay in Tuscany. The trip was fabulous
and we appreciated your guidance throughout
the visit. We enjoyed the tour of the cheese
farm, the lunch afterwards, and exploring
Volterra.
Now, if only we could emulate the crostini
with tomatoes, red onion, celery, etc. back
here in the U.S!! If not, I guess we'll
have to return to Italy soon.
-Mike
This is an email we received on
28th July 2009 from Sharon from the US,
who spent a week in Giuseppe's agriturismo
doing a lot of our activities:
Arianna,
thank you! I hope, by now, that you and
the team have recovered from the Bocelli
concert!
I'm sorry
not to have written back before now, but
we have been very busy putting life and
the businesses back in order upon our return.
We had the
best, best time, and I have already begun
giving out your business cards to friends
and acquaintances who have inquired. We
all feel that we got to know the area of
Tuscany rather well during our stay, and
could not have thought of a way to make
the trip better.
No vacation
will ever quite be the same, as my standards
have now changed because of Arianna and
Friend's great offering of activities.
Although the
family cannot agree on any ONE activity
we felt was our favorite, we all agree that
the San Minato day of chocolate, Lee's bio-dynamic
winery, and the truffle-hunting was probably
our most memorable day as a whole.
Thank you,
again, for helping me to be a hero within
the family. If you or your team are ever
in Southern California, you'll always have
a place to stay.
Please give
our heartfelt greeting to Massimo and the
rest!
XO
Sharon
This is an email we received on
28th July 2009 from Jane from USA, who met
us after the concert of Andrea Bocelli in
Lajatico:
Max,
Thank you
for helping us last week. The stay at Grotta
Giusti was very nice and restful. . Beautiful
grounds and house.
I am thinking about coming back next year
to Teatro del Silzenio. There was a small
hotel just down the street from Mandriola
that has a restaurant it was on the road
to Volterra. I had dinner there too. the
name of the hotel restaurant was something
like ..........darra. That might be a good
place for me to stay next year. I want to
stay in that area for a week at least. I
want to spend more time in Volterra. I am
interested in Etruscan art.
I would stay at Mandriola too if the price
was right for just one person . I would
stay there for one week.
Thank you
again you were a big help to me and very
friendly.
Jane
This is an email we received on
24th July 2009 from Laurence from Canada,
who did a 10 day holiday in Italy with our
organization:
Sorry
for the delay. I have not had Internet access
until now. I just want to say THANK YOU
for everything from reselling the tickets
to making last minute arrangements for our
ride from Rome to Florence and accommodations
here in Florence. We are having a great
time in Florence. And thank you for making
the reservations for Uffizi and Dell'Accademia
for us. It was a real time saver not having
to queue up.
In regards to the credit of 81 Euro, would
you be able to credit my credit card? If
not, then just keep it as credit until we
return to Italy. Thanks again for everything!
Cheers,
Laurence
This is an email we received on
14th July 2009 from Elena from Moscow, who
spent 2 months in one of our villas and
arranged a pizza class with us:
Hello,
Massimo!
Thanks a lot for wonderful photos and words.
We miss all of you too. I'm going to write
a letter to Franko, it's a pity that he
can not use the computer...we could communicate
easier and more often. We will be happy
to meet you in Moscow if you will have an
occasion to come here. Please let us know
in advance about your arrival and we will
think where to go together and what places
to show. 2 months has passed very quickly,
but we've got used to your perfect food,
beautiful nature and wonderful people. We've
printed some photos and look at them regulary,
and when I go to the supermarket i look
for everything Italian - today I've found
Italian flour tipo 00 and Mozzarella di
buffalo. Unfortunately the assortment is
not much various here, me and Julia really
miss Coop and Conad. Even when we follow
the original recipy while cooking something
Italian here - it's not as tasty as it was
in Villa Amalia. Next weekend we will meet
with Julia and her family for a barbeque
in their summer house, we will drink Franciacorta
Ca' del Bosco Brut, watch the photos and
listen to Italian music, bought during the
vacation. Unfortunately I can not continue
my language study right now because most
of Italian teachers have a vacation until
september, but I hope to improve my knowledge
and next summer I'll be able to speak and
to write in Italian fluently. Thanks a lot
for everything!!!
This is an email we received on
13th July 2009 from Frank and Inge who arranged
a baby sitter service with us:
Dear
Arianna and Friends,
I would like to thank you for arranging
the babysitter Ciara (I am not sure how
to spell her name) for our Annabel.
We are very happy it was possible in such
short notice!
This is an email we received on
3rd July 2009 from Jana and Roddrick on
their honeymoon in Tuscany and doing a truffle
hunting tour and a pastry class with us:
Massimo,
Here are the
pictures we promised! We had the most amazing
time on this whole-day tour with you. We
thank you for custom-making this tour to
fit all the things we wanted to do! It was
simply amazing and we had more fun than
we knew what to do with! I know we went
to bed smiling and talking about it for
many days afterwards. Every part of it was
memorable, fun and perfect! If we are ever
fortunate enough to come back to Italy,
we are certainly booking with you guys and
spending more time in that region. I have
recommended you guys to my friends who are
planning their trip to Italy in March. I
know you will give them the same spectacular
treatment that you did us! Thank you from
the bottom of our hearts for making our
honeymoon memorable and exciting! Hugs to
Massimo and all our Italian friends we met
along the way!
This is an email we received on
24th June 2009 from Andrea, who spent a
cooking holiday with her family at Alessandro's
farm:
Hi
Arianna,
Thank you
again for a wonderful evening! My family
and I agree that your class was one of the
highlight of our trip. Both you and Ester
were so good with the children (and the
adults). Once I get over my jetlag we're
going to get going on making some pizzas
and pastries.
Thanks again,
Andrea
Hugh
Harry
Linda
Cameron
And Colin
This is an email we received on
24th June 2009 from Petra and Margitta,
who took Italian lessons and tasted delicious
wines while staying at Giuseppe's farm:
Hallo
Ihr Zwei,
alles Liebe aus Deutschland und ein dickes
Dankeschön für die herrlichen
Tage in der Toskana.
Wir sind gut erholt wieder zu Hause gelandet
und kommen gern wieder.
Die ganze Organisation war super, Ihr seit
toll und das Kochen mit Carla Klasse.
Liebe Grüße an das herrliche
Landhaus und Tizianna und Guiseppe.
Wir bleiben in Kontakt und wenn Ihr mal
ein Bett zum schlafen braucht, ruft einfach
an.
Wir freuen uns auf ein nächstes Treffen
und versuchen bis dahin der Sprache mächtig
zu werden.
Gruß Petra und Margitta
This is an email we received on
8th June 2009 from Beatrice from Italy,
who booked a quad excursion with us in Tuscany:
Ciao
Consuelo,
a nome mio e di tutti i miei amici ti ringrazio
per il bellissimo week-end che ci hai organizzato!Veramente
complimenti per l'efficienza, nonostante
l'imprevisto del tempo!Abbiamo poi visitato
S.Gimignano la sera stessa e martedì
Volterra, dove abbiamo assistito alle manifestazioni
del Palio del Cero, bellissimo!Siamo stati
proprio fortunati!Quad promossi al 200%:
ci siamo divertiti come pazzi e sicuramente
ripeteremo l'esperienza! Visto che per arrivare
a Lucca ci abbiamo impiegato poco più
di un'ora magari ci torneremo anche in giornata.
[...]
GRAZIE ANCORA DI TUTTO!
Beatrice
This is an email we received on 1st June
09 from Ernesto, experiencing a cooking
holiday with us:
Dear
Massimo
I would like
to thank you and Carla for your patience
and for your good instructions on preparing
real Tuscany meals. As soon as I try to
execute at home what I learned with you
both, I will report the results to you.
We had a nice trip back home and now is
time to go back to work.
This is an email we received on 22nd May
09 from Jennifer and Kris who met us for
a truffle hunting tour:
Dear
Massimo,
Thank you for what was definitely the highlight
of our trip to Florence. Kris and I had
such a fantastic time truffle hunting with
you, Riccardo, Stella and Nebbia. It was
such an unforgettable, unique experience,
and Monica and Riccardo couldn't have been
nicer.
I told my travel agent what a fantastic
experience it was using Arianna & Friends
and that I absolutely recommend your trips.
Kris and I have already decided that when
we go back to Italy, we want to spend the
entire time just taking your tours! Not
only did we have a fantastic time in San
Miniato, but we truly enjoyed talking with
you in the car on the way there and back
- we learned so much from you and had so
much fun!
As promised, here are some of the pictures
we took that day.
Again, thank you for your amazing hospitality
and kindness. We'll definitely call you
before our next trip and can't wait to use
Arianna and Friends again.
This is an email we received on
12th May 2009 from Anja, who booked her
cooking holiday package with us:
Hallo
liebe Ariana,
leider sind
wir zurück in Deutschland! Das Wetter
ist gar nicht schön....
Wir haben uns sehr wohl gefühlt und
Ihre aufmerksame und liebenswerte Art sehr
zu schätzen gewusst.
Besonders haben wir "unsere" Köchin
Ester ins Herz geschlossen!
Es waren wunderbare Tage in der schönen
Toscana und wir kommen sicher noch einmal
wieder.
Vielen Dank, ciao
Anja
This is an email we received on 5th May
09 from Roberto, coming to Tuscany for the
1st May Long Break:
Bunogiorno
karine,
se non avessi avuto la linea guasta le avrei
già scritto io per ringraziarla del
week-end che ha programmato per noi: davvero
tutto puntuale, rilassante e ben organizzato.
Non ci sembra di poter muovere delle critiche
negative riguardo a nessuno dei servizi
da voi prenotati per noi...davvero tutto
molto confortevole.
Non mancherò
di ricontattarvi qualora dovessi decidere
di ritornare nella magnifica Toscana!!
A presto e
grazie di tutto,
Roberto
This is an email we received on
7th May 2009 from Gabi and Helmut from Berlin,
who spent a day with Massimo in a wine tour:
Hallo
Arianna + Massimo,
auf diesem
Weg herzlichen Dank für die sehr gute
Vorbereitung und sachkundige und individuelle
Begleitung bei unserer eintägigen Tour
durch die Toskana. Die informationen auf
den beiden Weingütern waren für
uns sehr interessant, besonders haben uns
aber das Engagement und Energie der Winzuer
beindruckt, das Erbe zu pflegen und leckere
Weine so zu produzieren, dass sie ihre Herkunft
nicht verleugnen.
Es war eine Kurzreise, die aber auch dem
Gaumen, den Augen und Sinnen sehr viel bot
und uns rundrum gefallen hat. Da auch noch
das Wetter sehr gut mitspielte, war es perfekt
und für meine Frau und mich ein unvergesslicher
Tag.
This is an email we received on 3rd May
09 from Chuck, spending a week in our Maurizio
farm and doing a cooking class and a truffle
hunting tour with Massimo:
Massimo:
Great to hear from you, we meant to write
back earlier but got caught up with work
and 2 days turned into 2 weeks before we
knew it. We wanted to thanks you for a great
time, and hope to see you when you come
up this way, or next year if we get back
to Tuscany. Thanks much for the pictures
from the cooking class, it really helped
our pasta skills.
Lucca was very nice, but we did have the
worst Pizza in Italy there, however the
town was really nice, and no problems parking
outside the walls. Your plan for Florence
was perfect, we had no problems using the
train, and it let up out right near everything
we wanted to see. We didn't know that you
had to stamp your ticket before you get
in the train, but the conductor who checked
our ticket was very nice and did not give
us a fine.
I have included some pictures from the Truffle
hunt, not the best but a good memory. Our
visit to San Gimigano was also very nice,
we bought an entire Pizza and had a picnic
after walking through the town for several
hours.
Again, thanks
much for making our visit to Tuscany very
enjoyable and we hope to see you again,
either in Tuscany or here in Germany.
Chuck
Brigitte & Chuck doing a cooking class
and a truffle hunting tour with us in
April 2009
This is an email we received on 21st April
09 from Karin, spending one day with us
at the organic cheese farm:
Hi
Arianna,
Hope
the sun is shining in Tuscany, and that
you are fine!
We all have had a nice program at the farm.
Again I would like to thank you for your
kind welcome.
And the lunch with the beautiful table presenting
all the delicious
cheese, I liked very much. (long tables,
nice people and nice food!!!!)
Whatmore do we need?
So, I hope you are able to send me the recipy
of the "spelt" salade.
I hope you like the foto which I have attached.
Here in Holland, the weather is nice and
we are enjoying spring-
time. Although I always want to go to Italy.
Next time, when we are in the neighbourhood,
I let will you know.
with
kind regards,
Karin
Karin and her family visiting our farm
in Spring 2009
This
is an email we received on 15th April 09
from Cindy and Kristian
after staying at Massimo's for their Easter
Break:
We like to
thank you so much for all your efforts and
work you did for making our vacation a succes!
It's good that someone that knows the country
can take care of you! Not everybody at the
canceled flight was that lucky!
We had a great time in Tuscany and all the
problems we had the first day where quickly
forgotten after we smelled the Tuscan air!
Massimo is a nice place to stay and explore
Tuscany and they are very nice. We will
definitely reccomend both you as the B&B
to our Tuscany loving friends and we might
see you next year!
This
is an email we received on
14th April 09 from Laurie and Chris who
took part in our cooking class with Arianna
at Elisa's:
Hi Arianna!
It was wonderful to meet you, and THANK
YOU arranging an incredible time for us
in Italy. Everything was wonderful, the
cooking lesson so much fun and so informative.
I have eaten mushroom crostini about 5 times
since I have been home, and just bought
semolina flour for pasta. Now I just need
Carla.
I included a few pictures, and there are
a couple more coming next email.
We heard about the earthquake a couple days
after we returned from Italy, I realize
that it didn't strike Tuscany. But I do
hope that your family and friends are safe
and not in harms way.
Arianna, thank you again. We will be back!
Probably not for a year, but I will be in
touch again.
This is an
email we received on 14th April 09 from
Veronica
after staying at Alessio's for their Easter
Break:
Gent.ma Arianna&friends
la presente solo per fare a voi i complimenti
per il servizio efficiente e per la vostra
disponibilità e serietà! Appena
tornata da Chianni, splendida struttura
con splendida gente!!
Continuate cosi', spero di poter usufruire
presto dei vostri servizi..grazie ancora,
Veronica
This is an
email we received on 14th April 09 from
Silvia
after staying at Maurizio's for their Easter
Break:
Grazie infinite
è stato davvero un bel fine settimana
l'agriturismo era carino e la Signora che
ci ha ospitato a dir poco squisita, il pranzo
di Pasqua era eccellente e la struttura
tutta per noi...che dire...Perfetto.
Grazie e a presto!
This is an
email we received on 14th April 09 from
Claudia
after staying at Alessio for their Easter
Break:
buongiorno,
il nostro week end è andato benissimo,
ci siamo trattenuti anche per la pasquetta.
Il servizio è stato ottimo e l'hotel
veramente molto bello. Grazie e complimenti
per il servizio svolto con grande efficienza
e puntualità. A presto e auguri anche
a voi.
cordiali
saluti Claudia
This is an email we received on
24th March 09 from Marla, spendig her spring
holidays with her friend Jan:
Hi Arianna!
I have to
thank you again for the wonderful trip you
arranged for Jan and I! It was perfect in
every way! We enjoyed the cooking class
so much and Carla was such a joy to meet.
I'll write more later, but just wanted you
to know the rest of our trip was great;
the hotels in Fiorenze and Pisa were very
nice also.
Love,
Marla
This is an email we received
on 26nd
February 09 from Claudia, spendig her Valentine's
day with her boy at the property Nicola:
Gentile
Consuelo,
abbiamo trascorso un piacevolissimo fine
settimana immersi nella meravigliosa campagna
toscana; il sig.Nicola ci ha accolti cordialmente
e con la più assoluta disponibilità.
Ottima cena e bella atmosfera. Indimenticabile
la passeggiata a cavallo e la simpatia della
guida Michele.
Grazie a voi.
Saluti Claudia
This is an email we received on
16th February 09 from Valentina & Franco
from Italy, spending their Valentine's day
at Alessio:
Buonasera,
volevo cominciare inanzitutto con il ringraziarVi
veramente tanto per il pacchetto che ho
acquisito da Voi per san valentino a chianni
presso le vecchie cantine. E' veramente
un posto bellissimo,accogliente, ed elegante
ma allo stesso tempo semplice. E' stato
molto rilassante il centro benessere e cena
e colazione erano favolose con cibo e vino
buono e in grande quantità e la camera
era molto molto carina e spaziosa.
This is an email we received on 3rd January
09 from Roberta, who spent the New Year
Holidays at Clara's:
Ciao
Massimo,auguri per il uovo anno,
volevo ringraziarti siamo stati davvero
bene ad Alica, la casa era perfetta,
grazie ancora per la precisione e la disponibilità
sperando di poter beneficare della vostra
agenzia.
Roberta
This is
an email we received on
20th December 09 from Masao and Atsuko from
Japan, joining Massimo in a full day olive
oil tour through the best Tuscan mills:
Hi
Mashimo,
I hope you are well.
It was a great pleasure to meet you on 10th.
Atsuko and I really enjoyed the tour in
Tuscany becasue of your perfect guidance.
Grazie di cuore!
Atsuko and I have just come back to Japan
last night. Since we left Tuscany, we went
to Sicily(We rent a car and visited a olive
mill and a olive grove in Trapani.. It was
informative.),Paris, Chicago, and San Francisco.
Thank you again, and I look forward to seeing
you again soon!
Masao - Japan
This is an email we received
on 16th
February 09 from Marco from Florence, spending
his Valentine's day with his girlfriend
in Tuscany with us:
Buongiorno,
vorrei ringraziarvi per il bellissimo soggiorno
che ho passato per san valentino.
la struttura è bellissima e super
accogliente grazie ancora anche a nome della
mia ragazza
Marco - Firenze
- Italy
This is an email we received
on 29th
October 08 from Robert from the USA:
Arianna
We wanted to thank your staff for organizing
a terrific day out visiting two wineries
and lunch on Monday 13 October.
We had a great time and Karine in particular
was wonderful with information about the
region, buildings and the wineries.
I can't remember the drivers name, but please
extend our thanks, he was smooth and careful.
A great day for me and my family
Regards
Robert and family
This is an email we received on
22nd September 08 from Udo and Grudun from
Germany:
Liebe Arianne,
wir möchten
uns für den tollen Kochkurs bei Il
Selvino ganz herzlich bedanken. Das war
unser Urlaubshighlight. Danke auch für
die Flasche Olivenöl. Wir haben uns
insgesamt sehr wohl gefühlt und freuen
uns darüber. Unser Familie und unseren
Freunden haben wir von dem Kochen, Essen
und Wein, von der Landschaft, den Menschen
und der Lebensart viel vorgeschwärmt.
Bitte grüßen Sie auch Marisa
ganz herzlich von uns.
Unsere Einladung an Sie gilt, wir würden
uns sehr über Ihren Besuch bei uns
in Bremen freuen. Bei uns im Haus bieten
wir Ihnen eine kostenlose Unterkunft für
ein Wochenende und wir nehmen uns Zeit,
Ihnen Bremen und Umgebung zu zeigen.
This
is an email we received on
26th August 08 from Zoe and Zack from the
USA:
Hi Arianna
& Massimo,
Zach and I wanted to send you an extremely
belated thank you for all of your help during
our stay in Tuscany. Although we travelled
throughout Northern Italy during our trip,
we agree that Tuscany and Fattoria Fibbiano
were the best part! We enjoyed meeting and
getting to know both of you and we adored
Carla and had great fun partaking in the
cooking classes. You are both so knowledgeable
about the area and directed us to many small
towns and unique places, enabling us to
feel kind of like locals (although our Italian
was limited!)
Of course
it doesn't hurt that we got engaged in Tuscany
as well!
Besides our memories of the amazing trip,
we will always be able to tell the story
of how we got engaged in a Tuscan vineyard.
Everyone thinks Zach was very romantic!
We have a few pictures that we I will be
sending shortly--if I can figure out Zach's
computer. Please let us know that you received
them and thank you, thank you, THANK YOU
again for helping to make our trip memorable
beyond belief. Although we do not have any
immediate plans, it was definitely not our
last trip to Italia and we cannot wait to
return!'
This is an email we received
on 21st August 08 from Nadia from Italy:
Gent.ma
sign. Karine
La ringrazio per l' invio della prima fattura
e mi spiace di non averla incontrata lì
al Borgo.
La informo che abbiamo trascorso una meravigliosa
settimana al Borgo Colleoli. Il tempo è
stato clemente e le passeggiate a cavallo
ci hanno rigenerato.
Spero di poter ripetere la stessa esperienza
con le nostre bimbe la prossima settimana
da sabato 23 agosto a sabato 30 agosto.
Ci hanno già confermato la prenotazione
per lo stesso appartamento.
Devo pero' ammettere una piccola delusione
per l'inaspettata chiusura dell'
enoteca all'interno del borgo.
La cordialità ,la professionalità
e l' ottima cucina del personale del ristorante
" I secoli" hanno sicuramente
compensato questa carenza.
This is an email we received
on 21st August 08 from Jen and Bob from
the USA:
Dear
Massimo & Arianna,
No worries
about the gifts!
I'm
sorry we did not get to see you one last
time Massimo and I'm even more sorry that
we were not able to come to your party!
We were really honored that you invited
us and would have really loved to come!
We just
want to make sure that you know we really
enjoyed our 7 Night Dinner is Ready Package
- it really exceeded our expectations! Our
trip to Italy would have felt superfificial
without this part of the trip. The location
of Selvino was lovely and a perfect place
to relax in between our trips to Rome and
Forence. It was also centrally located,
which made it perfect for exploring Tuscany.
We also learned so much about the Tuscan
cuisine and culture during the cooking lessons,
they were perfect! Marissa & Esther
are just perfect and so much fun. One of
the best parts was meeting the both of you
- it was fun and interesting to learn about
life in Italy from your perspectives. We
are amazed that you have put together this
company at a young age and are reccommending
you whenever we can!
Honestly,
if you ever need a place to stay in Chicago,
please contact us through e-mail or phone.
Take
Care,
This is an email we received
on 4th August 08 from Herbert from the UK:
Hello
Arianna & Massimo,
On behalf of Joanna and myself I would like
to thank you very much for all your help
in organising the Bocelli concert &
trip. Allow me to say it went like clockwork
and we had a great time.
In case
there is another concert next year please
let us know.
Regards and
thank you
Herbert
This is an email we received on 4th August
08 from Julie from the UK:
Thank
you for arranging an excellent visit for
us when we came to see Andrea Bocelli.
The Vecchie Cantine hotel was truely beautiful
and you service was excellent.
Thank you
again, we will definately be back!!!!
Julie
This is an email we received
on 2nd August 08 from Patrik and Dawne from
the UK:
Arianna
a very special thank you for all the effort
you and your team put in to make our short
break in Tuscany it was so enjoyable and
memorable. We will certainly be returning
possibly even sooner, as, on our return
to England some friends gave us a present
of 50 vines in a not too distant vine yard
and we are discussing whether to return
for the harvest in October
Plase put
on on you mailing list for promotions etc
and if planning to visit England please
let us know aswe would love you to stay
with us
Arivedeci
Patrick &
Dawne
This is an email we received on 28th July
08 from Rafael from the Dominican Republic:
Estimado
Massimo,
Muchas gracias
por todo, la estadia en Terriciola fue excelente,
el concierto estuvo espectacular,los asientos
no pudieron estar mejor.De verdad quiero
felicitarlos por su servicio,quedamos encantados
y esperamos volver el año siguiente
pero con mas amigos que quieren unirse a
nosotros.
Nuevamente
gracias por todo, quedamos enamorados de
Toscana, nos vemos el proximo año!!!!
Saludos,
Rafael
This
is an email we received on 27th July 08
from Judy and Jeff from the UK:
Dear
Arianna & Mossimo
I just wanted to say what a fantastic time
we had in Tuscany everything was wonderful
accomodation, people, and what an exceptional
night we had at the concert the memory will
stay with me forever.
You all did a great job the organisation
was brillant, thank you for all the information
you sent us and also maps etc waiting for
us when we arrived.
Well done to all your team, we have recommended
you to several people we spoke to during
our stay and also at the airport, hope you
get lots more enquiries.
We will definately be back to a beautiful
part of the world.
This is an email we received on 26th July
08 from Pauline from France:
Bonjour
Karine,
c'est plutot moi qui vous remercie pour
votre patience et je suis sincèrement
navrée pour le désagrement
du paiement...
je suis contente que vous l'aillez reçu
le plutot possible...et je vous remercie
ainsi que Arianne et Massimo pour l'accueil
chaleureux. Et promis dès que je
pourrais revenir en toscane je n'hésiterai
pas à contacter votre agence ou à
le recommander à des proches...
En tous les cas, merci et passer le coucou
et le merci à vos collègues.
Et bien de bonnes choses à votre
agence...
A bientot.
This is an email we received
on 22nd July 08 from Doris and Wolfgang
from Austria:
Liebe
Arianna,
lieber Massimo
schwer begeistert
sehen wir uns gerade die Fotos von unserem
Traumurlaub bei Euch
in der Toscana an. Das es etwas gedauert
hat, um Euch zu schreiben, hat leider in
der
vielen Arbeit seinen Grund. Sie hat uns
schon erwartet.
Wir
möchten uns bei Euch beiden noch einmal
für diesen wunderschönen Urlaub
bedanken.
(Danke auch für Euer Abschiedgeschenk.
Wein bereits getrunken, Olivenöl bereits
in Einsatz)
Wir
sind mit so vielen positiven Eindrücken
nach Hause gekommen, dass wir bereits einigen
Freunden Euere Adresse mitteilen mussten.
Wenn
wir uns als Referenzkunden zur Verfügung
stehen dürfen, machen wir das gerne.
Ich
hoffe, wir sehen uns bald wieder und wünschen
Euch noch viel Spaß (der Erfolg kommt
bei Euch sowieso) und Leidenschaft für
Euere super Geschäftsidee.
Liebe Grüße
aus Salzburg wünschen Euch
Doris und
Wolfgang (Austria)
From
the top:
Doris during a painting class in the Fibbiano
olive grove with Marina, the artist, and
Massimo
Wolfgang
with Arianna and the cook Carla during the
cooking class in Fibbiano
This is an email we received
on 22nd July 08 from Dean and Wendy from
the UK:
Buonesera
Massimo & Arianna,
Having now
safely returned home - I thought I'd send
you a brief note just to say that it was
a pleasure dealing with you over the last
few weeks and also very briefly, with Arianna
on Sunday night. The wine went down perfectly
at our meal in the hotel and the welcome
pack was a really nice touch. With your
help, this turned out to be the perfect
birthday surprise for Wendy - she was actually
crying with happiness at the concert (I
was also crying but at the thought of my
bank balance!!). Our 'luck' with the trains
and buses continued until we left!! We also
met Dave and Christine at the Le Torri hotel
and spent ages swapping Italian stories
/ experiences. You will be pleased to hear
that they spoke very highly of you. As we
know many people and also enjoy tourism
websites, we'll be recommending you to all
the 'Tuscanites' out there.
This is an email we received
on 22nd July 08 from Samantha from the UK:
Massimo,
Just a little note to thank you and tell
you how much we enjoyed our trip to Tuscany.
The organisation was spot on, the transfers
were all on time, the drivers were very
friendly. We really liked the Hotel Grand
San Marco, the staff were very helpful and
the resort was a welcome break from the
faster pace in the city. The tickets for
the concert were perfect and we had a great
view of Andrea. My only very small point
in terms of feedback was that the Astoria
Hotel was really a little tired, I think
they are undergoing renovation too, probably
more of a three star but the room was very
clean and the location central, I booked
the trip in a bit of a rush and probably
should have considered a higher grade hotel
but that is probably just my preference.
Thank you so much for your help in organizing,
I have already recommended your services
to others and would not hesitate to contact
you again for my next trip to Tuscany.
Very best regards,
This is an email we received
on 7th July 08 from Mary from the UK:
Good
Morning Massimo,
[...]
I have attached the photograph of the day
you took us to the Martelli pasta factory.
We are all still talking about our day with
you ...... it was very enjoyable!
Mary and all her friends from the UK with
Massimo having a drink outside the pasta
factory in Lari.
This is an email we received
on 18th June 08 from Mario from Australia:
Arianna
Just a quick
note to say thanks, we really enjoyed our
stay at Selvino and my wife thoroughly enjoyed
the cooking classes.
We got back yesterday and already she is
talking about trying some of the dishes
out.
We enjoyed Tuscany and thought it was a
beautiful place and will certainly be returning
there again
Best
wishes for you business, i think you are
off to a great start and we will certainly
be recommending you to friends
This is an email we received
on 11th June 08 from Josephine from the
USA:
Arianna,
This is to thank you for the wonderful service
you provided us during our stay in Montelopio.
You and the
drivers were a delight to work with. You
and they were so patient with our often
changed plans. The drivers frequently went
out of the way to show us special sites
and panoramic views during the excursions.
They were excellent drivers, very polite
and considerate.
We will
certainly recommend your services to any
friends travelling in the area.
Sincerely,
Josephine (USA)
This is an email we received
on 9th June 08 from Renae from the UK:
Hi
Arianna,
I wanted [...]
to thank you again for a wonderful evening.
Everyone had a great time and we all agreed
it was educational as well as enjoyable.
Paolo was great and very generous in opening
his home to us. Alessandra was lovely and
a gracious host. And a special thanks to
you for your kind hospitality and professionalism.
I look
forward to being able to recommend your
services, and will look forward to being
in touch in the future. Nicola has promised
to send some photos to you by email when
she returns home, as I didn't have my camera
at the villa.
Many thanks
again and best of luck.
Kind regards,
Renae (UK)
This
is an email we received on
1st June 08 from Birgit:
-- Hallo Massimo,
nochmals ganz
ganz herzlichen Dank für die Organisation
des Kochkurses.
Es hat mir viel Spaß gemacht es war
interessant und aufregend. Und alles hat
so wunderbar geschmeckt und war auch liebevoll
angerichtet.
Heute haben wir meine Eltern eingeladen
und gleich einen Teil des Menüs zubereitet.
Es ist gut gelungen und hat allen geschmeckt.
Eine gute Zeit,
herzliche Grüße aus Bayern und
im Anhang ein paar Bilder
This is an email we received
on 28th
May 08 from Rasha, after having a tour with
Arianna:
Hi Arianna
i miss you so much we always talk about
you and how sweet you are, we cant forget
the tour you arrange it for us,it was really
nice and you are really friendly.
I send picture for you maybe you will need
it.
every body say hi to you,please be in tuch..
Rasha from Kuwait
This is an email we received on
28th May 08 from Anu and Harry, after having
our dinner service in their private villa:
Hi Massimo,
Thank you for a lovely evening. It was the
best way to start our holiday. My parents
were thrilled and talked about the evening
many times during our stay. We will recommend
you to our friends who decide to come to
Tuscany! We voted for the best food we had
in Italy and you won by a mile.
We were going to come and visit you at your
office a few times, but the office was closed.
Thanks for all your tips. We drove around
a lot and saw many beatiful places. The
rain didn´t bother us in such lovely
sceneries.
I will send you pictures as soon as I´ll
get them on to my computer.
We would love to stay in touch.
Yours, Anu&Harri
From
the top:
Massimo explaining a recipe.
The
cook Carla and Massimo preparing the dinner.
The family of Anu listening to the features
of the wines
This is an email we received
on 27th
May 08 from Emma and her family:
Hello Massimo!
...
Many
thanks again for our wonderful Tuscan holiday.
We all had a fantastic time enjoying delicious
food and wine amid some of the most beautiful
scenery. Our cooking classes with Carla
served as a delightful highlight to our
short brake and we have enjoyed showing
off our newly learnt skills to all our friends.
It was a pleasure to meet and get to know
so many of the local characters sipping
wine under the Tuscan stars!
Each
of us has recommended La Mia Toscana to
our friends and family and we all very much
hope to return. Thanks again for making
my Dad's 60th Birthday gift such a meorable
and happy time.
I have
attached some of the pictures which you
are welcome to use. My Dad will be in contact
shortly with some more.
This
is an email we received on
25th May 08 from Petra and Michael:
Hallo Arianna,
Massimo, Marisa, Alessandro und Silvana,
viele Liebe Grüße aus Bonn und
nochmals vielen Dank für die gute Betreuung
und den tollen Service. Es war für
uns ein wirklich unvergeßliches Erlebnis,
der direkte Kontakt mit der toskanischen
Kultur durch das gelungene Kocherlebnis
wie die selbstgemachten traditionellen Pasta,
gegrilltes oder auch fritiertes Gemüse
und viele weitere Rezepte. Aber das beste
daran ist, dass die Pasta und auch die Crostinis
jetzt zu Hause genau so gut schmecken wie
bei Euch. Ganz herzliches Dankeschön
geht an die Küchenfee: Marisa, ohne
die wir die speziellen Tipps und Tricks
nie kennen gelernt hätten.
Gerne könnt Ihr dieses Lob auf Eurer
Hompage veröffentlichen.
This
is an email we received on 22nd May 2008
from Pete:
Hi Arianna,
I'm sorry it has taken a little time to
get back to you. Things back at work have
been a little crazy. The trip was absolutely
magical. Although it rained a little during
our horseback riding excursion, it couldnt
damper our experience. The villa at Pieve-de-Pitti
was gorgeous, and everything worked out
perfectly. Thank you so much for making
this such a wonderful experience.
This is an email we received
on 2nd January 2008 from Jacob:
Arianna,
I wanted to
pass on a thanks for everything that was
put together. We had an excellent time.
I've already passed along the info about
you to some others who were considering
visiting Italy within the next year or so.
In addition, I've included some of the pics
that I took while I was down there. You're
welcome to use them however you like. Once
again, thanks.
Jacob (USA)
Jacob
and Annie visiting Tuscany from 18th to
23rd December 2007. On the right, the delicious
dinner after the cooking class. At the top,
the visit to the cheese farm with a stop
in the sheepfold to see the newborn lambs
This is an email we received
on 25th November 07 from Sandy, Andi, Lin
and Ann:
Massimo- We
wanted to share with you how much we enjoyed
the cooking class with you and Luana. It
was one of the highlights of our trip. I
haven't even begun to put my pictures together,
but once I do (probably after the holidays
are over), I will sent you copies of what
I took). May your holidays be the best.
Thanks again for making our Italy trip so
very memorable. Always,
Sandy and
Andi (Rita and Lin too) (USA).
Sandy,
Andi, Lin and Rita toasting with the cook
Luana (on the right at her sink!) on 18th
October 2007. The cooking class and the
fantastic dinner with some excellent Morellino
di Scansano red wine.
This in
an email we received on 1st December 2007
from Jill:
Dear Tatiana
Thank you so much for the recipes we are
very excited to be able to try our hand
at Tuscan cooking! Especially with our Italian
friends who have a restaurant. We so enjoyed
learning about it and thought you were excellent.
We wish you well with your Florence studies
and wondered if you would like to come and
visit us in Oxfordshire next year? We would
love to have you to stay and show you around
Oxford, Warwick and Stratford where Shakespeare
our famous playwriter/poet comes from. We
won't be able to visit Tuscany again until
November but hope to extend our cookery
skills again and also our Italian!
Do let us know if you can fit us into your
busy schedule
Best wishes
Jill (UK)
This
is an email we received in November 07 from
Virginia & Franco:
Dear Arianna,
Tatiana e Massimo,
I am sending this message in English so
that I do not run the risk of expressing
myself poorly with my limited Italian.
Thank you so much for arranging our stay
at Montalto and for the tours to Vinci and
Peccioli. We got a better insight on the
area and it's
history than if we had tried
it on our own. Rest assured that we will
reccomend your organization to friends that
plan to visit your area. Attached are photos
we took and we hope that you enjoy them
as much as we do. They will always be reminders
of a great visit to Toscana. Until
our next visit ciao and mille grazie.
Franco e Virginia
(Canada e Italia)
Franco
and Virginia in front of the huge wine
containers at the winery Cantine Leonardo
in Vinci - October 2007
These
are two emails we received in August 2007
from Steve and Tina and from Annette and
Xavier who took a cooking class together:
Hello Tatiana,
We will
keep good memories of our stay in Italy,
and honestly what we prefered the most was
that evening at the kitchen with you and
the cook. We already advised all our friends
that if one day they go to Tuscany they
should send you an email first. We will
write our review on most popular travelers
websites as soon as we are finished with
the new house, and we will also send you
all our pictures from the cooking class.
Best
regards.
Steve and
Tina (Canada)
Chère
Tatiana,
Le cours
de cuisine et le repas lors de la soirée
partagée avec nos amis canadiens
furent des moments très agréables,
sympathiques et très conviviaux.
Encore
un grand merci.
Annette et
Xavier (Belgium)
Annette and Steve toasting with Zeiro
chianti wine
July 2007
The two families all together in the kitchen
of Agriturismo La Mandriola - July 2007
This
is an email we received on 18th August 2007
from Anne and Charlotte:
Bonjour Tatiana,
Charlotte et moi avait beaucoup aimée
notre semaine à Fibbiano.
Votre organisation était parfaite
et l'accueil très chaleureux et
personnalisé. L'endroit est parfait
pour se reposer mais aussi comme
base pour visiter les villes et les sites
historique.
Le cours de cuisine était super et
le resultat delicieux. J'ai
déjà fait quelques recettes
depuis je suis rentrée ! Ce que nous
avons particulairement aimer c'était
vraiment typique de la Toscane.
Merci pour tout !
Anne et Charlotte (Suisse)
This is an email we received
on 14th August 2007 from Lisa:
Arianna and
Massimo,
I just wanted
to write and let you know how much we enjoyed
our tour with your
company. It was wonderful. We really enjoyed
Massimo's company and his information
about the area. We loved our time in Tuscany
and hope to return again soon. We'll
be sure to recommend your services to others
who are traveling your way.
Thank you
again and keep up the good work!
All my best,
Lisa (USA)
Lisa and her family visiting the cheese
farm
near to Volterra - August 2007
This
is an email we received on 4th August 2007
from Donna:
Hi Arianna!
We just arrived
home a couple of days ago - to Connecticut,
and to Montreal. We can't thank you enough
for arranging our fabulous stay in Tuscany
at the Casolare Luggiano! It was so beautiful
there and the Lippi family was very warm
and friendly! Katyusha was so helpful -
everything was "non problema!".
We had
such a fine time with you and Carla during
the cooking class! I can still taste the
homemade pasta and that wonderful chicken.
I will send some pictures for you, when
I can find the ones I'm looking for.
My daughter
and I LOVED the pool! She chose one day
to skip our trip to Sienna and stay at the
pool with her book. She was happy!
We will
recommend your service to others traveling
to Italy, and if I can ever get my husband
to go, I would love to return to Casolare
Luggiano. (I've been enjoying my bottle
of wine from there the last two evenings!).
Thank
you again for such a fine time!
Warmest regards,
Donna (Canada)
This is an email we received
on 21st June 2007 from Icy:
Hello Arianna
and Massimo,
Both Florence and I had an extremely great
time at the lovely wineries and
wooking class. I've been to several countries
before where I've had guides
but I think Massimo is the best one I've
ever met. He escorted us back to
Florence from the last winery on our itinerary
even when it took him a much
longer time to get home! He is genuinely
a really really nice person and
took time to explain to us all our questions.
He also has a great knowledge of Italy.
We both really enjoyed spending a memorable
day with him. I looked into several other
Tuscan winery/cooking tours and I am really
glad that I went wth Arianna and Friends.
:)
- Icy (NYC)
and Florence (Hong Kong)
Florence
(left) and Icy (right) in Dalle Vigne Wine
Loft
Florence - April 2007
This is an email we received
on 28th May 2007 from Enn & Rita:
Hello Massimo,
first of all, we would like to thank you
for interesting evening, we really enjoyed
it. (..)
we were very satisfied with our visit to
Tuscany and we might travel again next year.
I send you some photos from our visit and
it's no problem for us, if you would like
to post them on your website.
(..) Thank
you again and also please forward our regards
to Arianna.
Enn &
Rita (Esthonia)
Rita holding
the leaning tower in Pisa
Agriturismo Alessandro - May 2007
This is an email we received
on 29th April 2007 from Siegi and Volker:
Guten Tag
Arianna,
wir hatten
einen tollen Urlaub und sind gut zurückgefahren.
Es hat
uns so gut gefallen, dass wir spontan im
September wieder kommen werden.
Heute
haben wir mit Freunden gesprochen und diese
werden mit in die Toscana kommen!!
Viele,
viele Grüße an Alessandro, Ester
und Marissa.
Siegi und
Volker (Germany)
Siegi and
Volker at Fattoria Lischeto
This is an email we received
on 28th April 07 from Corinne:
Ciao Adrianna!
I've just
gone through my pictures from my camera
and I think I've finally
organized all of them! It's still unbeleiveable
how picturesque our entire
stay was with you. I especially loved the
ceramics class! Please tell
Valentina that I've recieved many complements
on my necklace! I really hope
that I'll have the opportunity to do that
again someday.We
have been telling everyone how informative
you were and interesting to
listen to. It was a nice educational change
from my architectural schooling
in Rome, and I wish that my teachers could
hold my attention as well as you
did! Bravo! We have decided that another
trip to Tuscany is a must, and
this time we will bring my dad and my sister.
I can't wait to show them
around to all of the interesting little
towns we discovered. Good Luck to
you and "your Friends" with your
new business! Hope to see you again!
This is an email we received on 21st December
2011 from Alan, who spent his holidays with
his wife in Tuscany and enjoyed a cooking
class, a vespa tour and a visit to the Vespa
Museum in Pontedera.
This is a message from Werner that we received
on 05th November 2011. He took a package
for a short break in Tuscan with cooking
class and tasting tours:
This is an email sent to
us on 27th April 2010 by Davide, who spent
a weekend in Tuscany and booked a breathtaking
quad excursion in the woods:
This is an email we received on
13th August 2009 from Michelle from France,
who spent her holidays in our property Gervasio
This is an email we received on 28th July
08 from Rafael from the Dominican Republic:
