Kitchen Gardeners International: Join KGI in Tuscany this October!

"Dell’orto: A Hands-on Discovery Tour of Tuscan Farms, Gardens, and Food"

KGI is pleased to announce details of its first educational excursion this fall.

While most people aspire to heaven as their life goal, gardeners and food lovers aspire to Tuscany. Dell’orto – which translates as “of the kitchen garden” - is a culinary pilgrimage for gardening gastronomes. We will be staying at the picturesqe Castello di Spannocchia located 20 minutes outside of Sienna. Last year, Spannocchia was added to Conde Nast's prestigious "Green List", so participants are in for a real treat.

We will divide our time together between food, cooking and gardening activities on-site and short excursions within the region with blocks of time built into our schedule for relaxing and enjoying the Italian countryside. The duration and timing of the trip will allow participants who want to combine it with other self-organized sightseeing in Italy (for example, a weekend in Rome or Florence) to do so.

Unlike most culinary tours, this one is specifically designed for people for who enjoy the process of good food as much as the product. Through cooking courses, farm visits, garden tours, and hands-on learning opportunities, we will watch and actively participate in delicious meals as they travel from plot to plate and field to fork.Together, we will learn how to bring a bit of Italy’s “dolce vita” back to our own gardens and kitchens.

Dates: October 1-6, 2007
We chose these dates over a full week slot in early September after consulting with some prospective participants and with Spannocchia's staff. While we'll have a little less time on-site, temperatures will be more comfortable, airfares will be cheaper, and Spannocchia's edible and ornamental gardens will still be going full tilt. Our hope is that participants will extend their trip to Italy on their own either by arriving a few days or staying a few days later.

Price: $2000 (double occupancy), $2200 (single occupancy)
This price INCLUDES five nights lodging, all meals and wine, two cooking classes, educational and cultural tours on-site and off, membership dues in Spannocchia's educational foundation (required by Spannocchia), membership dues in KGI (required by KGI), ground transport from Florence to Spannocchia on October 1st and back to Florence on the 6th, and a trip-related carbon offset for each participant.

This price DOES NOT INCLUDE air travel to/from Italy, medical and health insurance (required), or trip cancellation insurance (recommended), or any personal expenses.

Trip leader:
Roger Doiron is a writer, consultant, and activist specializing in local and sustainable food systems and is founder of Kitchen Gardeners International. His writing on food, agriculture and gardening has appeared in many places including Organic Gardening, Mother Earth News, the Chicago Tribune, the Christian Science Monitor and Saveur.

Roger has led and co-led numerous tours of Americans in Europe and Europeans in America and has traveled several times to Italy, including to Spannocchia. He lives, gardens, and cooks on Maine’s southern coast with his Belgian wife and three Belgo-American sons.

Trip-related documents and forms are available for download here:
-draft program
-registration form
-participant info pack

Deposits are due by April 27th.

Posted by KGI on March 7, 2007 12:14 PM to Kitchen Gardeners International
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Kitchen Gardeners International is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that relies on the financial support of individuals to fund its educational and outreach activities. If you found this information useful, please consider becoming a KGI member. Thank you.