A Week on an Agritourismo in Tuscany

We spent a wonderful week in Tuscany three years ago on an Agritourismo, Al Gelso Bianco, with our daughters and their grandparents. We loved the cooking classes, the daily drives to small towns in Tuscany, and the view from our balcony while drinking the Chianti grown on the property. I am looking to book another week in Tuscany with an agritourismo so thought it was the perfect time to get this blog post written!

What we did

We visited Al Gelso Bianco in April, a bit early for pool weather, but the perfect time for absolutely everything else. We hired a private tour guide for a few hours in Florence (See the girls loving our tour guide in the pictures below. It always helps to have a family friendly tour guide.) as well as Siena. It was fantastic to get some history as we wandered each city for the best gelato. Other wonderful towns we visited were Greve (a must when in Tuscany with an impressive market and amazing cured meat shop) and San Gimignano (such an amazing hilltop town with breathtaking views and even better gelato.

Where we stayed

We stayed in a large stone house with enough room for our girls, my husband and I, my father, and my mother in law. We had a large kitchen and would cook dinner most nights at our house after our daily excursions to neighboring towns. There was a large grocery store outside of town where we loaded up on lots of food for the week. There were a few bedrooms and a large terrace with outdoor furniture. We would eat dinner outside and watch the sun set. It was absolutely magical.  I still remember that first night, outside on the terrace with our first bottle of Chianti, watching the sunset. It felt like a moment from a movie.

Cooking classes

The cooking classes at Al Gelso Bianco were amazing and family friendly. We have now done cooking classes in Positano, Venice, and Tuscany. We all remember our first time frying zucchini flowers and eating them straight out of the pan at our class. The chef took us to the market that morning and we picked out all our food.

Isn’t that the best when you buy the ingredients from an Italian market and cook it yourself? Is there anything more Italian than cooking and enjoying time together? The cooking classes were located right next to our gorgeous house. So we wandered over, passing the resident cats, and prepared such a good meal. And when the girls were done cooking, they could easily run around the property as our house was only steps away. When we finished our class, we ate our meal in the dining room.

Wine Tastings

Wine tastings were also fun here. We sat outside on a terrace and tried different wines from the farm and the Chianti region. We also tried the olive oil they make on the farm. There was a little shop behind our house that was open during the day to buy the house wines and olive oils. So nice to just grab a bottle and eat dinner on our terrace as the sun set.

I was thinking about staying in an agritourismo closer to the coast in Tuscany. But the more I look through our old photos and remember all the fun things we did that week, I may book Al Gelso Bianco again. I would like to go in the summer when the pool is filled and the girls can play all day on the beautiful property. This was a truly relaxing and wonderful holiday.

Getting There

We flew into Pisa and rented a car. We drove to the Leaning Tower of Pisa for a walk around and lunch. Then we drove the rest of the way to our Agritourismo Al Gelso Bianco. Renting a car is necessary to get around Tuscany.

Have you stayed somewhere amazing and family friendly in Tuscany? Do you have a favorite Agritourismo? I would love to hear any recommendations. I absolutely love Italy and will use any excuse to go again.