Quintessential Tuscany: Wine Tasting and Hilltowns from Rome

575 reviews

13 hours

Max 18

Why take this tour?

Highlights

  • Soak up the sights and sounds of the splendid Pienza
  • Explore a local farm and immerse yourself in your surroundings
  • Indulge in a farm-to-table lunch with locally-sourced Tuscan ingredients
  • Visit the Montalcino Fortress
  • Savor each sip of Tuscany's most famous export—wine!
  • Sites Visited
  • Pienza Town
  • Farm in Val d’Orcia (for lunch)
  • Montalcino Fortress
  • Renowned vineyard in the Montalcino region
  • Tour Includes
  • Round-trip transport from Rome
  • Farm-to-table lunch
  • Wine tastings at a Montalcino vineyard
  • Local cheese tasting
  • Special access ticket to climb Montalcino Fortress walls
  • Expert English-speaking tour leader

Take some time to explore Italy beyond Rome

Book Now

Total Customer Reviews: 575

Verified Ratings
4.9 /5
based on 559 Walks' reviews
Rating summary by category
Guide
4.9/5
Guest Support
4.8/5
Latest reviews
Good
This was the poorest experience we have had with Walks. Generally our experiences have been very good to excellent and we have referred many friends after multiple good experiences in 2016 and 2018 in Venice, Florence, Rome, Amalfi, and Tuscany. But this tour was our first disappointment. We had a small group of 6 on day trip to Tuscany. There were several issues. Julio our host spoke poor English. Don’t expect perfect, but his scripted comments were limited and hard to understand. He was pleasant but disengaged. Had difficulty having an unscripted conversation, didn’t understand numerous questions, and generally seemed detached and just along for the ride. We have done this tour previously from Florence and had a much better guide and experience. At times I felt I k ew more about the towns and wine than he did. And he slept for much of the return trip. The other guests from Australia had the same general reactions. I would not take this tour again with Julio as host. Other issues: Rest breaks were far too long. I dont want to spend big chunk of our day at a roadside rests. Too much time in Pienza. Not really much to see there. A couple hours is way too much. Would have expected more time in Montalcino. We were matched in and out of Fortezza but given no time to walk the town or taste wine in the home of Brunello. Instead we were ushered off to an inferior winery called Innocenti. Clearly a tourist trap. It was loud, crowded, had a hostess with even poorer English skills than Julio, and were served very unappetizing bread and spreads with subpar wines. It made me want to cry after devoting a whole day to this tour that we only sampled wine from this one, very mediocre winery. Tuscany is great. But I would not recommend this tour in its current format. It is vastly inferior to the Walks experience we had in 2016 from Florence and while Julio was not rude in any way, he does not seem well-suited fit this tour. Overall the poorest Walks experience we have had. And we have done about a dozen. This itinerary needs some refining and better disclosure of what the Montalcino and tasting experience will be. Could have been salvaged if we had just stayed in Montalcino for our own tastings rather than wasting time to travel to and from Innocenti. That is simply not a worthy place to take people in my opinion. We expected better based on past experience. Overall a disappointing day.
Verified · Timothy · Sep 25, 2023 · USA · Male · 55 to 64 years
Excellent
Quintessential Tuscany tour was fantastic. Eileen was our guide and she was a doll, filled with excellent information. Absolutely recommend this tour. We didn’t even realize it was like 13 hours. It flew by and we had a blast. Gorgeous day trip from Rome. My favorite tour.
Verified · Julie · Sep 24, 2023 · USA · Female · 45 to 54 years
Excellent
We got the best group probably because of our tour guide who helped us mingle with each other and not be strangers. The place was wonderful, the food exceeded expectations, Chiara was very informative and kind. I wish to do other tours like this, I enjoyed it very much.
Verified · Rhahezza · Sep 21, 2023 · Philippines · Male · 35 to 44 years
Excellent
Our tour guide Chiara was incredible. Her English was so clear and she engaged so well with the guests. This was better than we expected. Walks Tours are so organized. It made our experience of Tuscany memorable. I highly recommend this company for any of your tours in Italy! Each of our Walks tours had experienced guides and drivers.
Verified · Heather · Sep 08, 2023 · USA · Female · 45 to 54 years
Excellent
Fun experience! We had a great time with Andy and all the other guests. Andy stopped a couple times to show us things he had found and enjoyed along the way. The small cheese shop was the highlight of the food portion of the day. The wine was great throughout the day. The day was LONG though so be prepared for that.
Viator customer · Sep 03, 2023

Meeting Point

Meeting Point Map ⟶

Meeting Point 

Piazzale Flaminio 15, 00196 Rome. Please meet in front of the McDonald's Restaurant. Your guide will be holding a green Walks sign. 

Piazzale Flaminio is a centrally located square (just outside the arches of Piazza del Popolo), served by the Metro A. The closest Metro / Underground stop is Flaminio - Piazza del Popolo.

Please meet 15 minutes prior to the tour start time.

FAQs

Does this tour accommodate vegetarians & people with food allergies?
Yes, but please contact our customer service team after you book ([email protected]) so that your guide will be aware on the day of the tour. Also, not all of the tastings on the tour can be substituted for others, but we will do our very best to make sure that you always have something to eat.
What if the weather is bad (rain, snow, hail, etc.) on the day of my tour?
Our tours run rain or shine so please dress for the elements. We also ask you to please remember hats and sunscreen if you are taking this tour in the summer as it might be very hot.
Can I bring my child's stroller on this tour?
Although the places we visit on this tour accomodate strollers we don't always have enough room in our transport vans to accomodate them. Please notify us after booking if you are traveling with an infant. Also contact us after booking if you require a car seat.
Does this tour include lunch?
Yes! Please email us beforehand and let us know if you have any dietary restrictions or food allergies.
Can I use this tour as a transfer from Rome to Tuscany?
Unfortunately, this tour cannot be used as a transfer from Rome to Tuscany.
Can I take this tour if I use a wheelchair?
Unfortunately, our vehicles cannot accomodate wheelchairs and some of the sights, like the farm, farm, are not wheelchair accessible.

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