Gourmet Ride in Tuscany

You’ll stay on a beautiful estate that has regained its ancient splendor after the restoration that has transformed it into an elegant and refined hotel with restaurant. Ride each day through gentle hills, along meandering rivers, and through small forests. In the afternoon we take you sightseeing into the real Tuscany with its vineyards, ancient ports, hot springs, etc.
Very few people know that the famous French cuisine had developed from the Tuscan cuisine: Caterina de Medici, unhappy spouse of the French king Henry II., brought several experienced cooks from Florence with her when she got married; their cuisine laid the foundation stone of the later “Haute Cuisine”.
The wine that is served here comes from local vineyards and has already been awarded several prizes.
And the riding stables convince even the most discriminating rider that their owner is a horse-lover.
Altogether a very pleasant atmosphere where everybody likes to be spoiled for the week.
Non riders can come along and take part in cooking classes or relax in the modern spa while their friends are out riding.

IT-ITSR01
Rates: incl. all meals, 6 riding days, 3-4 hrs per day, guided afternoon sightseeing excursions, transfer from Grosseto
8 days/7 nights $ 2,075   Single: $ 195
-- based on € 1,625 / € 150
Room upgrades per week/ per room:
room with balcony  + $ 195  (€150)
superior room /balcony + $ 280  (€290)
deluxe suite /balcony  +$375  (€290)  
2007 Dates:  
04/14-04/21   05/12-05/19   06/09-06/16
07/07-07/14   09/08-09/15   10/13-10/20

Meeting: Scansano
Airport:  Pisa or Rome
Transfer: Group transfer is included from Grosseto at 4:00 PM;
for individual transfers $60 (€ 50) per person with  minimum of 2
Level:    Good Novice+
Tack:     English, some Western
Horses:  Maremmano, Arab cross,
               Lipizzan
Pace: Slow with some trots and short canters
Min/Max Riders: 6-8
Note: This beautiful estate has 20 rooms with private bath, mini bar, telephone and TV, an indoor and outdoor swimming pool and  Spa facilities.

See also:
Relaxed Tuscan (no sightseeing)
Cooking Classes

Itinerary
Saturday: check in, dinner and overnight.
Sunday: Ride to the small medieval village of Poggioterro through woods and meadows on the North-East side of Scansano. Stop for a rest for riders and horses, then back to the hotel for lunch (approx. 3 hrs of riding). 3:30 pm departure by van to visit Sovana and Pitigliano, ancient villages built in tufa stone. Return to the hotel for dinner and overnight.
Monday: After breakfast panoramic ride on the South-East side of Scansano called "La Civitella". Already known in the Roman Age (remains are held in the antiquarium of the town hall), it overlooks the seaside and the Mediterranean undergrowth. On the way back, stop for a rest in a typical osteria. If possible we will visit the "Morellino di Scansano" wine producer's cooperative.
Tuesday: Breakfast and departure for another beautiful excursion of Maremma countryside. We ride along old car-roads, going down hill slopes and across torrents where we can see the typical plantation of this area and , if we are lucky, meet a wild boar or a fallow-deer searching for food. We then stop for a rest before returning to the hotel for lunch ( 3 to 4 hrs of riding. 3:30 pm we depart by van to visit Saturnia, famous for its spa. Here it is possible to have a bath in sulphurous water at a temperature of 37 degrees centigrade, followed by a visit in the town of Saturnia. Return to the hotel for dinner and overnight.
Wednesday: After breakfast depart for a long ride on the south side of Scansano, we are in a nature pure and wild. After a nice long canter we reach the old village of Pereta with its city gate and its tower built in the XVI century. Stop for lunch in a typical "osteria" or picnic (approx. 4 to 5 hrs of riding). Return to the hotel in the late afternoon. Dinner and overnight.
Thursday: In the morning ride to "Il Marcereto" farm where we produce red (Morelino di Scansano) and white wine, grappa and olive oil. From the horse stables we go along the old road of "Il Salalolo" to reach an old salt mine and then go on hill-slopes, through vineyards and olive groves and up across an old torrent. Stop in the farm to visit the cellar and taste our products. In the afternoon back to the hotel (approx 5 to 6 hrs of riding).
Friday: Morning ride to the Roman "Villa" situated in a place called "Campo della Chiesa". We will ride through the old area of the sulfur-mines and reach the archeological site surrounded by woods. On the way back visit Scansano and the local market. We then enjoy a picnic in a typical "Cantina" with cheese and ham. In the afternoon we depart by van to visit Argentario with its two ports Porto Santo Stefano and Porto Ercole. Return to the hotel for dinner and overnight.
Saturday: after breakfast … good-bye to everybody.

Saturnia Spa

The Wellness Center
Welcoming light colors and wood in the oasis of wellbeing. The Spa philosophy is based on the oriental ideal of harmony between body and mind as a source of health and beauty. The hotel's world of wellbeing thus responds to the contemporary desire to find peace and serenity in an increasingly stress-ridden society blanketed in smog and pollution. You will leave this space dedicated to total care of the body and soul feeling perfectly fit. The area includes a covered pool, a hydrotherapy tub with Dead Sea salts; and the "Sensual Paradise", a space dedicated to health with relaxing music and delightful perfumes, where bioclimatology and the right quantity of heat in different temperatures and rooms will bring surprising health benefits and a general state of wellbeing and relaxation. A series of paid treatments for clients who care about their wellbeing. With the "cloud tub", an emotional trip back into the womb floating in a warm embrace or with the "wooden tub" for treatments in water. For those who prefer the outdoor life, there is the beautiful VITAE route, by mountain bike or on foot.
... ask for Spa program rates