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Tuscany Through Food and Wine: My Cosmos Gourmet Tuscany Tour Review

Tuscany tour

Every year, I host a trip, and this time, I decided to take our adventure to Tuscany. For our adventure, we partnered with Cosmos on their Gourmet Tuscany tour. We brought 10 of our favorite people along for eight days of wine, food, and the kind of slow, soul-filling travel that Italy just does better than everyone else. In fact, it's easy to see why Italy was recently named the happiest destination for American travelers in 2026. We can’t disagree! 


Marvin and I started our trip with a couple of nights in Florence (you’ll find all of that in our Florence travel guide). Over the following eight days, we based ourselves in Montecatini Terme – a charming spa town known for its thermal waters, grand Belle Époque architecture, and UNESCO World Heritage status. 


So, is the Cosmos Gourmet Tuscany tour worth it? Here’s our honest, day-by-day take with tips to make the most of your experience.


Accommodation


Our home base for the week was Hotel Settentrionale Esplanade – a traditional 3-star hotel right in the center of Montecatini Terme. One of the biggest advantages of this accommodation is its location – you’ll be just a short stroll from all the shops and restaurants. However, keep in mind that Cosmos groups are housed in a separate sister building just across the street from the main hotel.


Hotel Settentrionale Esplanade is quite simple – don’t expect luxurious amenities or grand rooms. Nevertheless, we had a lovely time here. The staff is genuinely friendly, the hotel has a swimming pool that’s perfect for cooling off in the summer heat, and there’s a beautiful terrace where you can enjoy delicious cocktails and food.


Breakfast is included, and while it had a good variety, the quality left a little to be desired.


Our Tip: Find Simon at the bar. He made some of the best cocktails of the whole trip!


Montecatini Terme 

When planning Tuscany getaways, most travelers decide to visit Siena, Pisa, or San Gimignano. Montecatini Terme is lesser known, but we found it to be the perfect base for the tour – walkable, welcoming, and calm. As one of the Great Spa Towns of Europe, Montecatini Terme has a unique old-world charm. Here, you’ll find stunning Art Nouveau architecture, plenty of delicious restaurants, and an overall vibe of not being in any hurry, exactly what you’d expect from Italy!


What should you see and do while staying in Montecatini Terme? From the hotel, you can wander through the beautiful thermal park and its historic spas, such as Terme Excelsior and Terme Tettuccio; walk the ‘Walk of Fame’ along Viale Giuseppe Verdi (honoring icons like Audrey Hepburn and Coco Chanel); browse Corso Matteotti and the Grocco Market; and track down cialde di Montecatini – thin, crisp wafer cookies that you’ll most likely end up bringing home (they’re that good!).


Where to Eat

Restaurants in Montecatini Terme

Hemingway described Paris as a ‘movable feast’, but Tuscany can easily be called that as well. Montecatini Terme may be small, but it has plenty of excellent restaurants, including some with Michelin stars. Here are some of our favorite places where we ate in town:


Centrale: Come here for delicious pizza, comforting lasagna, and fresh cocktails.


Il Bistro Tro Del Maialetto: If you only order one thing, make it the Tartaburger. 


Antica Osteria Toscana: A cozy trattoria known for handmade pasta and Tuscan steaks.


Riciarelli: A local favorite for thin-crust pizza and light bites.


Restaurants in Montecatini Alto 

Craving a bit of action? Take the Funicular (or a taxi) to Montecatini Alto – the medieval hilltop village above town. Riding it up to Montecatini Alto was one of the simple pleasures of the week, and the views over Tuscany on the way up are ridiculous.


Our Tip: Get there 15-20 minutes early since it runs every half hour, and if you can, stand outside for the full view. The last ride is at midnight, so there's no rush to cut a good dinner short.


Up top, we loved Caffè Giusti for food, Apogeo for the views, and Flypizza for something casual. Our favorite, however, was Ristorante La Torre – truly exceptional food! Order the gnocchi and the steak with truffle sauce, then move to the attached bar afterward for a cocktail. You won't want to leave.


Cosmos Gourmet Tuscany Tour Highlights

Day 1: Welcome to Tuscany

The week opened with our arrival in Montecatini and a first meeting with our Tour Director, who walked us through the itinerary and fielded every question we threw at her. I have to take a moment to mention Anita, because she was the best Tour Director we've had. Italian roots, a background in art and history, and a sharp sense of humor. She was knowledgeable, warm, genuinely funny, and made the whole trip feel special for our entire group.


Day 2: Leonardo da Vinci & a Farmhouse Feast

Vinci trip

Our first official day of the tour began in the rolling Montalbano Hills. Terraced vineyards, olive groves, chestnut trees everywhere – just as you’d expect! We then arrived at the quaint village of Vinci, birthplace of Leonardo himself. With one ticket, you get access to the Technology Museum, the Biography Museum, and the Painting Replicas Museum.



Afterward, our group enjoyed a light lunch at Casa Desideri bakery, where we watched how the bread is made and sampled focaccia, sandwiches, wine, cheese, and other delicious treats.

In the evening, we had one of the best experiences of the entire trip – an optional farmhouse dinner at Fattoria il Poggio. Between the four courses, we learned the full story of olive oil – how it’s produced, what actually makes an oil extra virgin, and plenty of other fascinating details.


Day 3: Chianti Valley Wine Country

Tuscany trip

You can't come to Tuscany without spending at least a day in Chianti. The Chianti region looks exactly like what you see on Tuscany postcards. Cradled between Florence and Siena, the Chianti Valley has been celebrated for its wines since the 13th century. 


Tuscany wine tour

On day 3, we began with lunch in Greve, followed by a tour and tasting at Tenuta di Nozzole, where we wandered through enormous barrel rooms and historic cellars. Sipping pure Sangiovese while looking out over the vineyards was the kind of afternoon that makes you contemplate moving to Italy.


Fun Fact: That Black Rooster – the Gallo Nero – you see on Chianti Classico bottles is the mark of the region's historic wine consortium. Once you notice it, you'll spot it everywhere.


Day 4: Tuscan Cooking


Sure, nothing beats feasting on Italian food, but there’s something special about learning the craft behind those delicious recipes, too. During the trip, our group had a fantastic opportunity to bake almond biscotti, apple cake, and Crostata di Ricotta together with the hotel’s chefs.


Tuscany food tour

Later on, we made our way to Antico Casale Tosano – a family-run farmhouse in Montecarlo. This was another highlight of the trip! Exploring the breathtaking vineyards and gardens, picking the fresh ingredients straight from the orchard, then going into the kitchen to make fresh pasta and tiramisu from scratch – it felt like we were a part of an Italian movie!


Day 5: Lucca


Prefer medieval architecture over Art Nouveau? In this case, you’ll fall in love with Lucca. Known as the city of music, Lucca was once the capital of Tuscany. 


Our local guide Anna took us through the cobblestone streets of Old Town and café-lined piazzas, into historic churches and past Lucca's designer shopping (the city has amazing shoe shops). 


Compared to other cities, Lucca is much more peaceful. Since few cars are allowed inside its walls, most locals just bike everywhere.


Tuscany travel

As for food, it didn’t disappoint either. Our group enjoyed a delicious lunch at Vecchia Trattoria Buralli – a restaurant that’s been serving traditional Lucchese dishes for more than 40 years. We then had a chance to visit the Baroque Palazzo Pfanner, one of Lucca's most beautiful historic palaces.


Since we had no plans for the evening, I arranged dinner for our group of 10 – up the funicular to Montecatini Alto at the Ristorante La Torre. 


Day 6: Bolgheri & Coastal Tuscany

Bolgheri travel

On day 6, we traded the hills for the coast, driving through vineyard-dotted countryside and down the cypress-lined Viale dei Cipressi for a genuinely storybook arrival into Bolgheri. This is Super Tuscan country – bold reds first created in the 1970s that plenty of experts now rank alongside French Bordeaux. 


Our group visited La Regola, a family winery run by two brothers across 27 hectares, where they make both wine and olive oil, keep a ‘secret’ wine room, and still hold onto the very first bottle they ever sold.


Tuscany trip

For lunch, we stopped at Ristorante da Ugo. Here, we tried local liqueurs made from old medieval recipes using herbs and botanicals (which are supposedly good for you). To top it all off, there was the visit to the nearby Castagneto Carducci – a romantic little village named for the chestnut trees around it.


Day 7: A Free Day & Farewell Dinner


Our last full day was ours to spend however we liked – enjoying cafés, long lunches, or relaxing at the thermal spas. In the evening, we had a last farewell dinner with Anita and our travel companions. 


So, Is It Worth It?


Absolutely! If you love great food and good wine and don't want the hassle of planning every detail yourself, the Cosmos Gourmet Tuscany tour will be a wonderful adventure. The farmhouse experiences, cooking classes, winery visits, and slower pace made it feel much more immersive than many guided tours we’ve taken.


Final Thoughts

Cosmos Gourmet Tuscany tour

Tuscany isn’t really about the wine, as wonderful as it is. It’s about learning how to slow down – and fall in love with that slower pace. Pasta made by hand, a shared farmhouse table, the guide who feels like an old friend by day two – the Cosmos Gourmet Tuscany tour is the best way to experience Italian culture. Our group of 10 returned home feeling fuller in every sense of the word.



Dreaming of your own Tuscan escape? Reach out to the expert planners at Travel Queen LLC! As experts in all things Italy, we know exactly what it takes to create your most magical adventure yet. Sit back, pour a glass of Chianti, and let us turn your dream trip into reality.


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