Testimonials & Reviews

★★★★★

“Beautiful experience, incredible opportunity - well organized, skillfully executed, and warmly welcoming.”

★★★★★

“The truffle-hunting experience was the highlight of our Italian trip. Francesca welcomed us warmly and made the day feel genuinely personal, sharing her knowledge and passion throughout. Between the search in the countryside and the delicious food and wine afterward, every part was memorable. We would happily return and recommend it to anyone visiting the area.”

★★★★★

“Vittorio, Francesca and the whole staff at the winery were great! Vittorio picked us up by the train station in Florence and took us truffle hunting first, followed by a great lunch. Levante the truffle hunting dog was the star of the show getting us some white and black truffles in this off-peak season. Thank you all!”

★★★★★

“We had the best time! Francesca was the best host. The property and house is stunning. She was very knowledgeable and we learned so much about truffles. We found quite a few black truffles. After hunting on their family's beautiful property we had an amazing truffle inspired meal her family prepared. Levante was our truffle hunting dog. He is very young, but has been trained well and he did an amazing job. We sampled the family wine and olive oil, enjoyed the food, and did a little shopping in their gift shop. I would highly recommend this tour. The tour started with Vittorio picking us up in Florence and driving us to the family farm.”

★★★★★

“Dear Francesca, last season, the truffle hunt with Chocolat was a wonderful experience. I will never forget the wine and truffle dishes at the San Miniato villa, so I hope to visit again this year.”

★★★★★

“Such a wonderful experience! When we booked our 3-week trip to Italy, we realized October was mushroom season. We found Francesca's tour online, and booked the truffle hunt experience with lunch/tasting menu. This family-run business provides boots and rain jackets for the woodland walk portion of the experience - much appreciated as it was lightly raining the day of our tour, and rather muddy. Almost immediately, Francesca's dog, Levante, located several truffles, and Francesca showed how she gently retrieves them.”

★★★★★

“A sensational experience from start to finish. Francesca was a wonderful host explaining about truffles, truffle hunting, the dogs, her land and history. Loved the walk on her land to find the truffles of which we found handfuls. And the meal and wine back at her villa was extraordinary. And her puppy Lunar was delightful. A must do!!!”

★★★★★

“Niccolo was our guide for our morning of truffle hunting and then the afternoon wine tour. We are so glad that we booked this version as it came with van Transporation. This was much easier. During the ride Niccolo taught us much about the region and Italian life. We spoke about education, music, and wine. On our truffle tour we found a black truffle and two white truffles. The lunch prepared with the truffles was wonderful. We highly recommend this tour and Niccolo as he is kind, passionate, and a wonderful conversationalist.”

★★★★★

“The truffle hunting and wine tasting were a great experience for the whole family. Francesca, Matteo and the dog, Levante, were amazing to meet and spend time with. Francesca was very knowledgeable about the truffles and Matteo was a great sommelier, pairing the meals with great wine. After the truffle hunting and meal, Matteo took us to a vineyard and showed us how the wine was made. Truly a memorable and delicious experience for all 6 of us. Would do again!”

★★★★★

“Niccolo was a great guide. We had so much fun at the Collebrunacchi farm finding truffles with Chocko, tasting the strawberry grapes wines and truffle products. Thanks to our hosts for the hospitality and delicious lunch.”

★★★★★

“We did the truffle hunting experience as a group of 40 the day after our wedding. Vittorio was very helpful in making sure that we had a bus big enough for the group and gave clear instructions on where to meet him in Florence for our pickup. Our group loved learning about truffles, meeting the dogs, and exploring the woods. We even found 4 truffles that day, though Luna ate one. The lunch is absolutely delightful. Each course is paired with wine and you get to try fresh bread with all of the different truffle oils.”

★★★★★

“The truffle hunt with Francesca and Choco was great, the estate was beautiful and the food after was delicious! Would highly recommend and hope to come back next time I am in Italy.”

★★★★★

“Wonderful truffle hunt tour followed by truffle lunch! Our family all had a fun time in this tour. This is a shared tour with other families but it was fun getting to know other families from around the globe. We were served coffee at the beautiful farm house before the tours started. We then went into the forest to look for truffles, we got around 200+ grams of truffles! Although we did not get to eat or bring our truffles home, the truffle lunch immediately followed the tour was really yummy and home cooked by the family. It was a really fun experience!”

★★★★★

“We had the Luxury Truffle Experience. It was a surprise celebration of my wife's 70th Birthday. From the moment Antonio met us at Fucecchio San Miniato Station, during the intense collaboration between the delightful Francesca and her dog, finding several white and black truffles along her secret forest path, to the exquisite multi-course truffle lunch in her family mansion, everything was perfect.”

★★★★★

“This was an excellent trip. Vittorio was a superb host for the day. We so enjoyed the truffle hunting in the woods of San Miniato with Francesca and her dog, Chocco. Chocco was the star and found the white winter truffles which we then ate in a superb 4 course lunch accompanied by wines made by Francesca's husband - just superb! Thank you so much”

★★★★★

“Francesca and Hilary were both amazing guides! The estate was beautiful and it was a really fun adventure. The food was a bonus and delicious, definetly worth the money!”

★★★★★

“My group did a private truffle hunt with Francesca and one of her dogs, Choco! Afterward we had probably the BEST four-course lunch at her family's beautiful estate and I have to say that was the best meal we had eaten during our week spent in Rome and Florence. Choco found three truffles and it was incredible watching dog and handler working as a team to find these delicacies.”

★★★★★

“I'd give this truffle hunt and cooking class six stars and two thumbs up! Informative and fun, the truffle hunt with Francesca was a great walk in the woods with Coco showing his penchant for finding both white and black truffles. The cooking class truly felt like an inclusive family experience with Francesca's mom teaching us the finer points of making gnocchi and stuffed zucchini with truffle sauce, of course! The meal was yummy, the wine flowed, and a good time was had by all!”

★★★★★

“We had a fantastic walk through the woods with Choco and it was eye opening to chat with Francesca about and see the process for truffle hunting. The walk was followed by an amazing truffle meal paired with delicious wines from their own winery. Amazing experience all around.”

★★★★★

“My husband and I booked this experience as part of our honeymoon and it was 100% worth it! We're from the US and have been road tripping down Italy and this was definitely a huge highlight of our trip. Hillary is AMAZING! She's so personable and hilarious, and gave us invaluable tips for the rest of our trip. She is also incredibly knowledgeable about wines, and was able to recommend things we had never thought to try before. We learned a ton, and had so much fun! It was also great to see what a good relationship she has with everyone we met on our trip from Franchesca to the waiters. The food we received with lunch was delicious, and we couldn't leave without purchasing truffle items to take home. We both recommend this for anyone interested in truffles. It was a day of great vibes, great food, and great laughs.”

★★★★★

“Hilary was our guide and she was so personable, entertaining, and knowledgeable! She knew some people in our group were celebrating their honeymoon (including us) and went above and beyond to make it special! I highly recommend this experience, it was so great!”

★★★★★

“Francesca and her team were absolutely wonderful. She was easy to communicate with, and she helped us organize all transport and timing. The launch point for the hunt is her lovely mansion dating from the 1400s that has been in her family for many generations. The truffle hunt itself was great - a nice walk through the woods while Francesca gave us the history of truffles, how to find them, and their seasons and answered our many questions with good humor and charisma. Then we returned to the home for a delicious meal - one we all agreed was the top three of our 10-day trip in Italy - that not only had truffles from her property, but estate olive oil and wine produced there as well. All delicious. Totally worth it for my two 78-year-old parents, myself (50), and my 10-year-old boys. Thanks, Francesca!”

★★★★★

“Wonderful! I can't say enough about the beautiful place, the hunt and the dog that helped us finding truffles. It was an experience I won't ever forget! I can thank enough Francesca and her mom and all the great people that makes the all experience amazing!”

★★★★★

“We were picked up by Hilary on time, and she gave us a brief history of Italy and why all the foods are different everywhere one travel in Italy! On the way out to meet Francesca and Choco (our truffle hunting guides), Hilary, who is a sommelier, gave us background on the different varieties of truffles and the characteristics of the Chianti Classico. Francesca's family home is beautiful, and we spent time meeting Choco and doing some searching for truffles. Truffles found, we went back and had a lovely meal with truffles in every course. In the afternoon, we went to a Chianti wine estate and tasted differing ages of Chianti and a Supertuscan. Hilary showed us how to taste the wines and experience their best qualities. The wines were very good, and some were purchased! On the way back to Florence, Hilary gave us tips on the San Giovanni festival the next day in Florence and where to get some excellent gelato - very good gelato! It was a wonderful day, and I would highly recommend this trip.”

★★★★★

“This went above and beyond my expectations. We went hiking through the woods with the dog and it was fun finding all the truffles. Then we went back to the house and had an excellent three-course meal centered around truffles. A few glasses of wine were included too. I really liked the social aspect of it. Would highly recommend it!”

★★★★★

“This was an excellent tour. Hilary is an AMAZING guide, very personable, and such a great source of information. She is very knowledgeable about Italian history, wine, and truffles and is full of lots of fun facts. I learned tons during the tour and the conversation was fun and flowing. The truffle hunt was a fun adventure. Francesca has been truffle hunting since she was 6 years old. She explains a lot as you go along and pointed out other interesting things on the walk such as fossils and poisonous mushrooms. Choco is very friendly and well-trained and sniffed out some great truffles for us to try. Would recommend wearing some pants that can withstand getting snagged here and there on some prickly plants/bushes as you're really getting in the woods to follow Choco and find the truffles. The villa for lunch is a gorgeous setting. Francesca and her mother were very welcoming. The truffle-based lunch with wine was delicious. We had truffle bruschetta, fried egg with truffle, truffle pasta, and sweet wine with cookies for dessert. Wine tasting had a great selection of wines and meats for pairing. It was very informative and in a beautiful setting. Hilary taught me a lot about how to pick and order good wines as well as tips and tricks for tastings. Would recommend this tour to anyone who loves truffles, wine, and beautiful scenery!”

★★★★★

“My fiancé and I went on an early January 2023 Truffle Hunt in San Miniato with Francesca and her adorable chocolate Lagoto followed by a cooking class with her mother and mother-in-law at their lovely home/villa! What an incredible day with the warm and knowledgeable family. This was most definitely a highlight after spending 2 weeks in Italy. Any truffle lover/foodie/dog enthusiast should definitely experience this adventure. ... such an authentic experience. Thanks!!!”