Tenuta Chiudendone, the Dream Tuscany escape you’ll love – honest review

The many reasons we love Tenuta Chiudendone, a stunning, authentic country estate in Tuscany where you can enjoy the best of Italy with welcoming and friendly hosts.

Tuscany is one of the most beautiful, charming and easy to enjoy regions of Italy and a place that has a very special place in my heart.

My family from my dad’s side is from Florence and while I personally grew up in Rome, I used to spend most of my summers in this beautiful region and some of my fondest childhood memories are from here – oh the taste of that schiacciata as you come out from swimming in the sea! The trips to the olive mill to stock up for the season! The days at our friend’s pool!

The memories I have of our summer vacation in Tuscany are what travel dreams are made of and today, I want to share with you a place that offers experiences so beautiful, you can get a piece of that dream yourself! This place is Tenuta Chiudendone.

Tenuta Chiudendone is a fantastic country estate in the north of Tuscany, a hamlet of peace perched on top of a beautiful Tuscan hill, nestled between Florence and the coast.

The owners Isabella and Francesco are a wonderful couple with adorable kids (and impeccable taste, the place is stunning!) and they open their house to guests, so they can share with you their love and passion for their land, territory and hospitality.

You can be their guests in several ways.

You can stay with them, by booking one of their self contained apartments

You can spend a day with them by booking their farm to table experience: this is a full day at the estate and it is a wonderful way to experience Tuscany.

You can enjoy their wine and oil at home, not just while in Tuscany, but back home, as they are able to arrange shipping!

I first came across Tenuta Chiudendone via my Facebook Group Travel Italy with kids (which you are very welcome to join! It’s free >>> Facebook Travel Italy with kids <<<

Since then, we have become close friends and now I want to give you all the info I can so you can get to meet them too!

On this page, you find all you need to learn and book their experiences: for any additional info you may need, feel free to contact me and or them directly via the links below (quote on demand)

Farm to table experience at Tenuta Chiudendone – review (summer)

I booked the farm to table experience with Isabella and Francesco as a special treat for my family on my son’s 12th birthday.

We were spending five days in Tuscany and I wanted to do something a little different from him, something that allowed us to be together, have fun but also have some down time at the pool, since nothing beats time in a pool with a view, on a hot summer day in Tuscany!

Arrival and welcome

We had a car and so we made our way to Tenuta Chiudendone to be there mid morning.

The Tenuta is high up on a hilltop (the road is steep but ok, no need for any special car) and I challenge anyone not not have a wow moment as you get there – the place is absolutely stunning!

Isabella and Francesco live here with their kids and the place is impeccable: gorgeous lawns, two beautifully designed houses and the unmistakable feel of a place curated by people who have an eye for all things beauty and design (indeed, they work in fashion!)

Isabella greeted us first and welcomed us in their porch with a refreshing cold drink.

Their house has an indoor-outdoor feel and we stayed on the porch a while, chatting with her and with the other guests for the day, who arrived at the same time as us.

Since is their home, you truly feel you are welcome into the house of friends, there is nothing commercial about the feel of the place and the experience.

Estate visit

Once properly refreshed, we met Francesco, who led us to a visit to the estate.

Francesco is passionate about his home and land and very hands on with anything to do with the Tenuta, which he shows off beautifully.

With him, we visited their vines, took a walk through the forested area (in season, they do truffle hunts here!) and the olive grove.

Unless you have already visited an extra virgin olive oil grove, prepare to be amazed by the facts you’ll learn here! Incidentally, Francesco and Isabella’s English is outstanding.

After the grove, we started the hand-on part of the day and we went to the vegetable patch to pick our lunch! The kids helped (Francesco and Isabella have young kids and are super with them)

Cooking and lunch

Well equipped with fresh veggies, we moved onto the kitchen. Francesco and Isabella just finishes setting up a stunning, stand alone kitchen and meals area, which is perfect for communal cooking and eating.

The room is spacious, has stunning windows overlooking the countryside and done up with state of the art facilities. We were all assigned different ‘jobs’ (cutting the prosicutto, mixing the sauce, making the dessert) and we were given clear instructions and help every step of the way.

The cooking is hands on but it is fun, nothing like the tiring everyday cooking we do at home, it’s a real pleasure!

Then, we all sat down to eat!

Isabella has impeccable taste and the table is set up beautifully. The meal consists of all we cooked beforehand and more, it is abundant and come with copious amounts of olive oil and wine for the estate.

Kids have plenty to choose from and since the overall atmosphere is relaxed and informal, it is not a problem to have them get up, pet the dog or use the toys in the garden.

Please note that the toys are in a shaded area on the other side of the house so if they are little and want to supervise them, you’ll need to go with them (my two were old enough and I let them go alone – it’s a private home so I had no safety concerns in that sense)

Pool time

After the meal, we all lounged around the pool. If you felt like a walk, however, there are walks in the estate, you can just ask Francesco and Isabella and they’ll show you.

We ended up leaving the estate late in the afternoon. It was, genuinely, a fantastic day and an experience I highly recommend to anyone.

Good to know: when I first saw the cost for the experience, it seemed steep but after spending a day here I can say it is really not much for all you are getting. This is a full day with two local hosts, full meal and drinks, use of the pool, a proper tour of the estate and (if needed) pick up service. When comparing with other places, please do not think of this as just a meal or a cooking class, it is so much more! It’s basically the best of the Tuscany countryside and food condensed in a day experience!

How you can enjoy Tenuta Chiudendone yourself

You can enjoy the Tenuta yourself in several ways

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