As our international culinary tours are mostly centered around food, we strive to present the most iconic foods and preparations available in whatever region we visit.
When we begin developing any new itinerary, we start by asking our regional partners and guides what are the 5 most iconic and popular foods, dishes and preparations according to the locals (not those popularized by outside visitors). How they respond become the basis for our exclusive, custom itineraries.
On our Tuscan tour, we focus on sheep’s milk cheeses, Chianti wines, olive oil, regional pasta recipes and gelato! During our visit, we stay in a spectacular villa near the small walled medieval village of San Gimignano. This is where I discovered master gelato maker, Sergio Dondoli at his world-famous shop, Gelateria Dondoli, located on San Gimignano’s central Piazza della Cicterna. Sergio, a master ice cream maker, is known all over the world! There are a few gelato shop in San Gimignano, but Gelateria Dondoli consistently has a line out the door and snaking out into the piazza. The first time I saw this, I knew this apparently must be the place to order the best gelato!
According to their website, “Sergio’s ice cream parlour is mentioned in the most important world guides and is continuously visited by national and international televisions. Due to his experience and inclination to experiment he has created original and unusual flavours. By now his early creations have become famous: Crema di Santa Fina® (cream with saffron and pine nuts), Champelmo® (pink grapefruit and sparkling wine), Dolceamaro® (cream with aromatic herbs) and Vernaccia Sorbet enhance his already highly extensive menu. All his ice creams are the result of highly selected, top quality ingredients, particularly typical regional products like DOP Saffron with protected designation of origin from San Gimignano and Vinsanto; also worth mentioning are the “Tonda Gentile” hazelnuts from the Langhe region and the Bronte Pistachio. Sergio is also the only one to offer ice cream with Amedei chocolate, awarded the Oscar in London for being the best chocolate in the world from 2005 to 2009.”
In addition to actually enjoying his gelato on our many visits to San Gimignano during our weeklong tour, our groups are also fortunate enough to take part in a private gelato-making class at Sergio’s classroom located just a short distance from his shop. In his unique, highly-exuberant way, he leads our classes through the step-by-step process using the freshest ingredients (cream, fruits and chocolate) and his unique method to build air into the final product. His keys to success are these, plus never serving gelato from one day to the next. According to Sergio, “gelato should be made in small batches and enjoyed the day it is made, and never stored.” So, when you see gelaterias with foot-high mounds of product (see photo), move on to another shop. This was the best lesson of the class. During my first visit to Siena, I entered a shop with dozens of huge mounds of different flavored gelato covered with fruits and nuts and other ingredients to indicate the flavor of each. I was very impressed, and took photos to share. Little did I know this is for the tourists and should be avoided. Look for smaller shops with the product in small metal containers to ensure freshness and quality.
