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This is
the best aspect of our job: keeping
our friendship with you.
Here are some of the testimonials we collected
from our guests who joined us
during their stay in Tuscany ...
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This is a message we received on 29th May
2013 from Christy who took her family to
an oil mill and an organic cheese farm with
the guidance of Massimo:
Hi,
We loved our tour with Massimo back in April
to the olive mill and cheese farm. It was
the highlight of our trip! Massimo was so
informative! We loved learning about extra
virgin olive oil and peccorino cheese. He
was so much fun and we had a wonderful day.
I wrote about
our experience on my blog at
http://luxadventure.blogspot.com/2013/05/an-authentic-taste-of-italy.html
It was a great day and we will always treasure
the time we had in Tuscany! Thanks again
for a wonderful tour! Our kids still talk
about going to the olive mill and seeing
the baby lambs at the sheep farm. Massimo
was the best!
Thanks again,
Christy
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This is an email we received on 13th May
2013 from Linda, who took a group of Canadian
friends to one of our cooking classes:
Ciao Arianna!
Come va?
Ho finalmente trovato un momento libero
per scriverti. Le mie amiche sono partite
ieri per il Canada.
Volevamo dirti che ci siamo divertiti un
mondo durante il corso. Licia è davvero
brava e dolce e ci ha fatto molto piacere
vedere come si vive
in Toscana. Casa sua è una favola,
pieno di cose interessanti :)
Poi tu sei stata fantastica e hai spiegato
molto bene i segreti e trucchi della cucina
toscana, oltre alla storia della zona. Tornerò
di sicuro con la famiglia!
Sai che le mie amiche hanno comprato delle
confezioni di Pavesini da portare in Canada.
Sono rimaste entusaste della tiramisù
alle fragole. Speriamo che i biscotti arrivino
interi ;)
Nel frattempo, potresti inviarmi le ricette
che abbiamo preparato quel giorno? Così
le inoltro alle mie amiche.
grazie ancora e a presto!
Linda
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This is an email we received from Nancy
on 10th May 2013 after a specialty food
tour with Luca:
Luca
We are on our way to Pisa now, our last
stop before heading home. We loved the tour!
It was definitely a highlight of our trip.
Once I'm home and have uploaded my pictures,
I'll send you some. If you're ever in Southern
California, please let us know.
Nancy
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This is a message we received on 22nd April
2013 from Judy, who took her group from
a Cruiseship in Livorno to our private pizza
class with Aldo.
Hello Luca,
We are fine and we are in Rome now! We've
been so busy since our day together that
I haven't had a chance to email and thank
you for the wonderful day we had. Everyone
in our group was so pleased and happy with
the experience. We loved you and your excellent
commentary about Tuscany and the things
we saw, and we also enjoyed Chef Aldo and
his beautiful villa (and the great cooking
lessons!) so very much. Even the bus was
so comfortable and pleasant. We all learned
a lot and had lots of fun as well. It was
a day we will never forget!
I must tell you....when we arrived back
to the ship, we heard many of our fellow
passengers complaining about the activities
they had done that day. They complained
about uncomfortable buses and big crowds
and not being able to hear or understand
their guides. We all just smiled and said....WE
HAD A GREAT DAY!...There were no crowds,
we had a comfortable bus, and our guide
was the best. Please let Arianna know how
much we enjoyed our day. And THANK YOU for
the lovely gifts of Tuscan wine - we are
all enjoying that very much too!
Judy
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This is a message we received on 10th April
2013 from Valerie, who took her young children
to one of our ceramic classes while visiting
Tuscany:
Veronica,
The kids had a great time and talked about
their arts all day long. My husband and
I were blown away at all you guys did. It
really wasn't what we were expecting! It
was so much more. You guys went above and
beyond.
We will be singing your praises on Trip
Advisor and the like as soon as we get home
and I get on my computer. These iPads are
so frustrating to type on!
Have a great rest of the week and thanks
again,
Valerie
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This is a message we received on 27th March
2013 from Betty, who visited Siena and Florence
and met Arianna for one of our cookery lessons.
Dear Arianna,
I cannot thank
you enough for the wonderful experiences
we had on our Italy trip. Isabelle is a
fantastic guide and she enabled us to get
the most out of a short journey to such
historic sites. Our entire family will not
ever forget our cooking class with you and
Ester. I will be sure to write the reviews
for Trip Advisor since that is how I found
you myself.
Thank you for your patience with our bad
driving. I am so very glad that we eventually
found you!!
Happy
Easter! Best regards, Betty
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This is a message we received on 18th March
2013 from Vicky, who took her class to Volterra
on a school trip and experienced our day
tour with truffle hunting experience, visit
to the medieval village of Peccioli and
visit to a winery with wine sampling:
Dear Arianna,
I wanted to thank you again for all the
wonderful suggestions and organization of
our study trip with the students.
We thoroughly enjoyed our trip, met wonderful
people, ate delicious food and we look forward
to organize similar future events.
The students absolutely enjoyed Massimo's
tours and experience and were particularly
happy to have met professionals and locals
of the culinary topography of Tuscany.
I am
positive we can have many more fruitful
experiences in Tuscany with your agency
in the future.
All best wishes and a presto!
Vicky
Dr. Vicky
K.
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This is a message we received from Rebecca
on 26th February 2013 on our Tripadvisor
profile, after she visited the Piaggio Museum
with Massimo
Although I
was in Italy on a group tour, I was able
to take off on the odd couple of days and
do my own thing. An absolute highlight was
being taken throught the Vespa Museum by
Massimo of Arianna and Friends. Massimo
was waiting at Pontedera Station, and had
given me excellent instructions on how to
get there. We spent nearly 3 hours at the
museum. Massimo translated what the guide
was saying, and , being from the area for
so many generations, was also able to share
his family stories too - which were fascinating!
I own a vespa, so was delighted to be able
to see this iconic plant. But there were
4 other people on my tour who wish they
had known about the museum as well. Thank
you Massimo for an unforgettable day!
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This is a quick message which we got on
2nd January 2013 from
Julian,
who took our cooking class last year.
Thoroughly
enjoyed the cooking lessons with the students
from Canada last May 2012.
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This is an email we received on 12th December
from David, a chef who joined us for a truffle
hunting and tasting tour.
Dear Arianna,
I hope this
finds you well. First of all, I would like
to thank you for all your kindness and professionalism
during our visit to the truffle hunting
site. We really enjoyed getting to know
this interesting and ancient process, as
well the guide's anecdotes and sense of
humor.
I'd like to take this opportunity to give
you my best wishes for this upcoming festive
season.
Once again,
thanks!
Sincerely,
Chef David
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This is an email we received on 7th December
2012 from Mirko and Stephan, who spent some
days with Arianna on wine tours:
Hallo
Arianna,
dieses Mal wollten wir es nicht versäumen
uns zu bedanken, für unserem gemeinsamen
Ausflug in die italienische Weinwelt,
mit zwei reizenden Chauffeusen.
Wir haben wieder so wundervolle Menschen
kennenlernen dürfen und gleichzeitig
einzigartige Weine verköstigt.
Die Zeit war wunderbar und wir haben beschlossen
auch nächstes Jahr mit Dir ein Event
zu planen und
durchzuführen. Sicherlich gibt es noch
einige unbekannte Ecken mit tollen Weinen.
Molte garzie
a tutti coloro che hanno collaborato.
Buon Natale e felice anno Nuovo.
A presto
Mirko
e Stephan
P.S.
einige Bilder im Anhang
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This is an email arrived on 6th December
2012 from Julie, who spent a day with Veronica
for a private cooking class.
Veronica,
I must apologize that I did not write sooner
[...]
The Tuscan cooking class that Tom, Carol
and I took with you at your Tuscany location
was all we had hoped for and more!
Tom and I cannot wait to make the risotto
and you can be sure that the Tiramisu will
be on our Holiday Menus this upcoming Christmas
season. I have also already purchased a
mezzaluna and enjoyed using it to chop the
celery and onion for my stuffing for the
Thanksgiving turkey. Certainly was better
than putting the celery and onions through
the Cuisinart as I usually do. It only took
a few minutes more. We are also giving each
of our 3 children a mezzaluna for Christmas.
We just loved the style in which you taught,
the techniques you demonstrated and the
"to many to mention" traditions
and hints that you included in our time
with you. As I said, this day more than
met our expectations. We are still telling
our friends and family about our Tuscan
cooking adventure: It was truly one of the
highlights of our holiday.
I have emailed our travel agent with information
about your establishment so that if he ever
has a request from any of his clients for
a Tuscan cooking class he has all of your
information on file. I also told my friend
who writes an Italian food blog about your
course offering and our wonderful experience
with you and the Arianna and Friends Organization.
I believe that Tom has emailed you the pictures
we took that day. If you ever need a reference
or recommendation, please do not hesitate
to ask.
Again, I am so sorry that I did not write
sooner. I hope most sincerely that our paths
cross another day and another class. May
God bless you and your family this special
season of the year and may the New Year
bring you and yours much happiness and many
blessings.
Julie and Tom
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This is an email arrived on 27th November
2012 from Adrianne, who joined Massimo for
a wine & food day trip.
Hello,
I just wanted to thank Massimo again for
the wonderful day he provided our family
while we were visiting a couple of weeks
ago. He was very engaging and personable
and made our time with him seem as if we
were with a comfortable friend! His knowledge
of the olive and wine industry was extensive
and we felt very comfortable asking any
question. We felt we really learned about
the culture of the people in Italy and just
wanted you to know how much we enjoyed our
time with him.
thank you,
Adrianne
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This is an email we got on 25th November
from Marco from Brazil, who visited Italy
through us during the Summer 2012.
Ciao Consuelo.
Altough we
have now almost six months from Bocelli's
show show, I need to compliment you for
the organization for the show. It was a
great time and Tuscany is wonderful. The
landscapes, the people, the small cities
we normally only see in films and found
they really exists, this will never be forgotten.
The
remaining of the trip to Firenze and Milan
was fine. I loved Firenze.
For
sure will try in the future be back in Tuscany.
Please
congratulate all in Arianna & Friends
and hoe see you again in Italy or Brazil,
who knows?
Grazie per
tutti,
Marco
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This is an email we received on 9th November
2013 from Patricia, who had Arianna and
Licia for a private cooking class at their
villa!
Arianne, What
a fabulous cooking class and dinner, we
will never forget it! We just fell in love
with Tuscan cooking and your infectgious
passion for the food and lifestyle in Tuscany
. I am attaching a few photos, maybe one
will find itself in an ad !! Ciao and GRACIE!
Pat and all of us.
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This is an email we got on 24th October
2012 from Mari , who joined us for a cookery
lesson at our chef's.
The cooking
class was an absolute highlight to our trip.
Massimo and Litia are excellent teachers
and we learned so much from them about cooking,
Italy and life in general. We are so grateful
for this service and the memories!
On a later
reply on 11th November 2012 she wrote:
It is so good
to hear from you! We are so grateful for
the recipes. Saturday we made the bruschetti,
the ragu and the 'salami' and we were successful.
Our friends asked us to do it again! I tried
to send you a text last week but my phone
wouldn't cooperate. I had a couple of questions
- is semola flour the same as semolina?
(we didn't do the tagliatelle Saturday since
we wanted to practice on ourselves first).
And we couldn't find stracchini cheese in
our area. We used cream cheese and it was
good (not the same!) What kind of cheese
is stracchini? The very first thing we did
when we got home was to order a mezzaluna!)
The rest of our trip was amazing and wonderful,
but I have to say, when people ask us what
was the most memorable part, Tom and I both
answer "our cooking class!" This
week I will post our a.ppreciation to you
and Litia on Trip Advisor. Thank you for
being such a vital part of our adventure!
Always,
Mari and Tom
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This is an email from Mari, who joined us
for a cookery lesson at our chef's.
The cooking
class was an absolute highlight to our trip.
Massimo and Litia are excellent teachers
and we learned so much from them about cooking,
Italy and life in general. We are so grateful
for this service and the memories!
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This is an email arrived on 16th October
2012 from Arlene, who enjoyed one of our
private cooking classes held by Luca and
our chef and
a wine tour!
Dear Luca
I have now just gotten the time to thank
you so very much for your very professional
and cordial assistance. You were truly a
bright spot in our vacation and we enjoyed
the cooking class and the wine tour. We
have already told our friends about Arianna
& Friends and your expert service in
the Tuscany area. Please keep our e-mail
and if you ever have the chance to come
to the states, please e-mail us and we will
be sure to show you our lovely city of Philadelphia
and our home in the country and at the beach.
Please tell Arianna that you are what we
Americans say "a keeper" and her
business will flourish with an employee
like you.
Thank you again with all the help you gave
us and all the courtesy you showed.
Sincerely,
Arlene
P. S. If possible, you said you could e-mail
us the recipes from our cooking class!!!
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This is an email arrived on 14th October
2012 from Lynn and her friends, who enjoyed
a cooking class on our farm with the teaching
of Ester and the assistance of Luca:
Last week
myself and 2 friends took a cooking class
near Peccoli that was arranged by your company.
It was WONDERFUL! Ester and Luca were great.
Luca said he would send recipes to my email
but I have not gotten them yet. Could you
please send the recipes for the fabulous
meal that we made? I am anxious to get cooking
now that I am home.
Thank You,
Lynn
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Boungiorno,
Luca!
Thanks for
the fast reply to my email! I am going to
try the veal ragu tonight! If it is not
too much trouble we would also love the
recipe for the chocolate salami we made.
I am attaching
some pictures for you. I will also be happy
to recommend
Arianna and Friends on trip advisor!
I think our cooking class was the highlight
of my 2 weeks in Tuscany!
Ciao!
Lynn
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This is an email arrived on 27th September
2012 from Carol, who spent an afternoon
and an evening at Aldo's, our pizza maker,
with her all family to make and taste delicious
pizzas and cecina chickpea pie!
Buongiorno
Massimo
I just wanted
to thank you and Aldo for such a wonderful
experience yesterday. Everyone had a thoroughly
wonderful time in such beautiful surroundings!
Ben, Lucy and Callum are still enjoying
the cake!
Our
only regret was that Colin and I could not
fully participate. However, we are now convinced
that we must have a very strong resolve
since the temptation was so great!
Colin
was also very impressed with your general
knowledge of everything that came up in
conversation and we both felt envious of
your lifestyle in Italy!
When
we come back (as we surely will) we will
contact you to discuss any other experiences
that you could assist with and we will definitely
recommend your services to friends and family.
Thank
you once again!
Carol
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This is an email we got on 15th September
2012 from Denyse, who took a cooking lesson
with Luca and stayed in one of our farms.
Luca
Nous avons
passes une merveilleuse semaine dans votre
belle région que tu as su si bien
nous raconter.
Merci de ta grande generosite et ton proffessionalisme.
Nous n'aurions pas pu être mieux satisfaits.
Bonne journée de la part de nous
trois.
Aussi un merci special pour Carla
Je t'envoye
les photos a ton adresse hotmail.
denyse
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This is an email arrived on 30th August
2012 from Angela, who experienced one of
our cooking classes during her stay in Tuscany.
Hi Arianna
Buongiorno!
We are now back in Zimbabwe. What a wonderful
time we had in Italy!!
Please could you send us the recipes from
the cooking day. We are so keen to prcatice
what we learnt!
Thank
you again for such a wonderful day. We will
remember it for ever!
Best
Angela
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This is an email we got on 30th July 2012
from Sharon and her friends. They took a
private cooking class at their villa near
Siena and then they joined us at Aldo's,
for a pizza lesson.
Dear Massimo,
Leisha, Luca and Aldo
Thank you
so much for sharing some of your wonderful
recipes, cooking tips and culture with us!
Both classes were far beyond what we were
expecting and hoped for - fantastico!!
And the food….absolutely delicious!!!
We will definitely be passing your information
on to all of our friends near and far so
that they may also enjoy this wonderful
experience on their travels to Italy! And
no doubt about I will be back for more!!
Thank you
again! I ask only that you please remember
to send us the recipes that you showed us
for both classes so that we might share
the cooking food of Italy with our friend
and family. :
Very best
regards, I can't say thank you enough,
Sharon
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This is an email we got on 27th July 2012
from AJoEllen, who attended the concert
of Andrea Bocelli in Lajatico through us.
Consuelo,
Mom and I have returned from our vacation
in Italy. We want to thank you again for
all of your help in coordinating our package.
The trip to the rehearsal could not have
gone more smoothly! We were delighted with
the seat assignments on our tickets and
very grateful that we got there early, as
we didn't know that it was open seating.
We enjoyed our great seats for the entire
rehearsal.
We really had a wonderful vacation, which
was made even more special by the opportunity
to attend the Andrea Bocelli rehearsal!
JoEllen
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This is an email we received on 27th July
2012 from Jeremy, who went to the yearly
show of Andrea Bocelli at Teatro del Silenzio
and took part to our group cooking class
on a local farm.
Dear Arianna
& Friends,
Just a short
note to thank you and your team for the
wonderful time we had in Tuscany - your
organisation was perfect and we enjoyed
every moment. The accommodation was excellent
and both the rehearsal and the concert exceeded
our expectations. We also enjoyed the cooking
experience and the photograph below shows
that Massimo did also! His passion for food
and extra virgin olive oil was very evident!
Once again
many thanks - we will have no hesitation
in recommending you to our friends and colleagues.
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This is an email we received on 9th July
2012 from Nicole. She spent her Summer in
Pietrasanta and referred to us for her tours
and cooking experiences.
I recently
was on an Arianna & Friends experience
with the Tuscan Cooking Class last Friday.
Our chef was Licia and our translator was
Luca--the people in our group were named
Carolyn, Jared, Steve, and Nicole. I\'m
Nicole, and I was so excited about that
class that when my father and brother arrived
here in Italy yesterday, I urged them to
pick another Arianna & Friends experience!
So, I\'d like to book an Olive Oil &
Cheese Experience day with Arianna &
Friends. There will be four people (me,
Steve, my brother, and my father) attending
this experience.
We are currently residing in Pietrasanta
and we have no car. We are interested in
this experience for this Wednesday, 11 July.
If this day doesn\'t work, we might be able
to schedule on another day.
It is better to get in touch with me via
email than phone.
Also, I\'d like to request Luca as a translator
again, if he\'s available and interested
in this experience. He was wonderful company
during the previous experience!
Thanks so much! Looking forward to hearing
from you!
-Nicole
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This is an email we received on 18th May
2012 from Beatrice, who arranged a group
trip to Tuscany through our organization:
Ciao Consuelo!!!
Volevo farti i miei complimenti per il pacchetto
e le soluzioni che hai proposto a me e alle
mie amiche.. semplicemente TUTTO FANTASTICOOOO!!
Complice una giornata di sole esagerata,
al Calidario è andato tutto per il
meglio:
location mozzafiato, atmosfera indimenticabile
e personale professionalissimo...un incanto!
Lo stesso per l'agriturismo Maria Teresa:
carinissimi anche per la disponibilità
che ci hanno riservato nonostante arrivassimo
in
tarda serata...
Nell'aria Toscana dev'esserci proprio qualcosa
di speciale, perchè tra te e tutte
le persone che sto incontrando nelle mie
scorribande ho trovato ogni volta persone
speciali, che accolgono sempre con calore
e simpatia!
Che dire...ad Arianna & Friends e tutto
lo staff...GRAZIE!!!
Spero a presto, con altre richieste impossibili
;-)
Buon lavoro
Beatrice
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This is an email we received on 27th April
2012 from Peter and his friends, who booked
a package with excursions and cooking classes
with us:
Hallo Arianna
sind wieder
in Deutschland angekommen und ich habe heute
meinen ersten Arbeitstag:-(
War eine schöne Zeit und wir werden
euch lange in Erinnerung behalten. Vielen
Dank für den reibungslosen Ablauf.
Übrigens, der Wein von Fibbiano schmeckt
zu Hause genau so gut wie in der Toskana.
Mal sehn was ich mache wenn die 6 Flaschen
alle sind.
Ich mache
eine DVD (Film) von den gemachten Bildern
und Videos. Diese werde ich euch dann schicken.
Also, nochmal
vielen Dank an alle (auch Carla).....
Gruß Peter
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This is an email we received on 24th April
2012 from Laura, who took a day tour with
us in the area of the Pisan hills visiting
a pasta factory, a medieval castle, an olive
oil farm and a winery
Thank you
for everything! We had such a wonderful
time on our tour. We can't wait to come
back to Italy and see you guys again for
another adventure!
Laura
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This is an email we received on 21st April
2012 from Katie, who experienced our truffle
hunting tour followed by a truffle-based
lunch in the area of San Miniato.
Caio Massimo!
We just wanted
to send an email letting you know what a
wonderful experience this was. It was far
more than we even expected and are so great
ful we decided to do it.
Ricardo was
wonderful, informative, and so nice as well
as Monica. The lunch after was unforgettable!
Everything was so great and will be one
of our favorite memories from this trip.
Thank you
so much for your help and service.
Katie and Micah
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This is an email we received on 13th April
2012 from Trillium. Her family on the whole
took part to a Tuscan cooking lesson at
our farm near Pisa.
Hi Arianna
and Consuelo,
I wanted to write and thank you both and
your staff for all of your help on our trip.
I have actually always done all of my own
booking and arranging, but was drawn to
your website and all of your subsequent
follow up. I am very happy with the experience
(despite the weather:) and I will absolutely
recommend you to our friends here in Milan.
My parents had a fantastic time too and
I was so glad to share it with them!
Thanks for all of your hard work,
Trillium and Michael
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This is an email we received on 13th April
from Pat, who took a one-day shore excursion
from the port of Livorno and enjoyed one
of our private cooking classes.
Arianna:
It was a pleasure
to meet you. It was a great day. Claudia
and Her family were very gracious. I learned
many things from her.
Luca was also
a great guide. He was very helpfully with
information about a region he obviously
cares for. He is a great representative
for the "new chianti". Please
thank everyone for me.
I hope that
some day are paths will cross again.
Ciao
Pat
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This is an email we received on 13th February
2012 from Kate, who took one of our private
cooking classes provided at the apartment
in Lucca she rented with her two friends.
Dear Arianna,
I just wanted to pass on our highest praise
and thanks for a simply wonderful class
on Friday. We had the best time! Massimo
and Esther were so wonderful. We loved the
class and will be certain to review favourably
on tripadvisor.
Massimo mentioned you could email us the
recipes we made? Would that be ok? We are
planning a Tuscan feast for our friends
now!
Kind regards and thanks again.
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This is an email we received on 8th February
2012 from Vicky. Despite the terrible weather
conditions in Italy in early February, Vicky
managed to bring a group of college students
from an exceptionally snowy Rome to
Pisa in order to
experience our chocolate tour!
Dear Arianna,
I wanted to share with you my students'
great enthusiasm and excitement for the
chocolate tour that we had. Everything was
greatly organized and it was indeed a pleasure
to meet personally Mr. de Bondt and to taste
his dreamy chocolate delicacies! We have
all bought so much chocolate to last for
the entire year! I do hope we can do this
again in the future and explore many more
opportunities with your company. My students
and myself personally, are great advocates
of your services at our university.
All best wishes
Vicky
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This is an email we received on 29th December
2011 from Bill, who met Arianna for one
of our winter private cookery lessons in
Casciana Terme, near Pisa.
Hello Arianna
and Friends
Hoping you have a great new year. Thank
you so very much for arranging our cooking
class in late November. It was amazing.
I would like to bring a small group next
October to stay at the farm for about 3-4
days what types of accommodations are there
and what prices per night with breakfast
each morning?
Thanks again for everything
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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.
Alan and Esther
of Hong Kong
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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
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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
(...).
Best regards,
Susan
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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.
Thank you again!
Maureen
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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.
Ganz liebe
Grüße
Barbara +
Werner
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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
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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
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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.
All the best -
Barbara
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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!
Thank you!
Kelly, Erin,
Misty and Christy :-)
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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! :)
Big hugs
Anthea
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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.
Yours truly,
Ian
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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.
Please give our thanks again to Aldo.
Best regards, Lana
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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
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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.
Anne
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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.
Kind regards,
Andreas &
Nazanin
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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
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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.
Kind regards
Mel
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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.
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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.
Regards,
Nella
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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!!!!
Ruth und der
Rest der "Hobbyköchinnen"
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Ruth
and her friends enjoyed
Ruth
and her friends enjoyed
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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) =
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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,
herzliche
Grüße
Petra und Frank
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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,
Laura
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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
PS Are the
few extra charges resolved?
Jack
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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.
Sincerely,
Sylvie e Mario
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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
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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.
ci sentiamo
Andrea & Thomas / germania
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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
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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
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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
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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
Best Regards
Anina
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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
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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
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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.
:)
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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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
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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
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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
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