join the renowned food stylist Nicola Sinclair for exclusive trips to discover food, art and noble residences in piedmont and tuscany
Hidden locations for close friends. Having lunch at an osteria with locals, participating in the traditional truffle hunt, searching through trinkets in local markets and learning how to make traditional recipes through cooking classes. Italian cuisine is renowned all over the world for its excellence and high quality ingredients but very few people have the key to open the secret doors that lead to more authentic dining experiences. One of these people is without a doubt Australian food stylist Nicola Sinclair. Cook, aesthete, gourmand and professional with a passion for everything that revolves around a dish, thanks to the contacts collected throughout her love story with Italy, invites her guests today to follow her in exclusive, experiential 4 or 5 day trips with a maximum of 12 participants to discover the flavours and the knowledge of the two regions that she has learnt to love: Tuscany and Piedmont.
From the 4th – 9th September 2023, the Tuscany tour has Florence and its rolling hills as its fulcrum, deeply engraved in the heart of Nicola since she, at the age of 18, spent a year as an au pair at Palazzo Wilson Gattai, the magnificent 19th century villa of the Screti family. From her close friendship with the family and the eldest daughter, Countess Nina Giusti de Marle, a passionate art historian, a carefully curated and “tailored” cultural itinerary has been drawn up to the smallest detail for those who want to experience the best of Tuscan savoir vivre.
From aperitifs on the rooftop overlooking the Duomo di Firenze to a guided tour of personal collections of art, antiques and craft workshops where jewellery, embroidery, perfumes, ceramics, mosaics and crystals are worked to the regional cooking courses and the wine and oil tastings conducted by Countess Eleonora: every moment is special. Just like a visit in the footsteps of the Medici with Nina or a dinner accompanied by an intimate music concert sharing the stories of noble families.
Between 14th – 20th and 23rd – 29th September 2023, two tours are dedicated to Piedmont. It was during the filming of a television programme on international lifestyle in Bra, home of “Slow Food”, Nicola fell in love with this not-so-known region. The tour came to life when Nicola met with Francesca and Andrea Galleani d’Agliano and his cousin Andreina d’Agliano, an art consultant and expert in Italian porcelain, who generously opened to her guests Tenuta il Palazzasso, a 16th century palace in Caraglio, near Cuneo.
With her unique guided insight and personal connections Nicola shares with us the hidden gems of Piedmont : the established historic cafés, aperitifs, refined traditional cuisines, wines and cheeses, the white truffle of Alba and porcini mushrooms, hazelnuts and gianduja chocolate, between Turin and the hills painted by autumn colours. And then the art, always present and exclusive, with castles, sanctuaries, the Baroque and an exclusive visit to the oldest silk museum of Europe, the spinning mill of the Galleani family.
