This is an email we received
on 24th April 2011 from Petra and Frank, who
enjoyed a cooking class with Arianna and Carla
at our house Giuseppe:
Liebe Arianna,
wir sind gut wieder in Pieve Emanuele (MI) gelandet
und sind voller schöner Erinnerungen an
die wundervolle Zeit mit Dir und Deinen Aktivitäten.
Wir können nur sagen "Kompliment"
an diese Arbeit und die Struktur, die Du da geschaffen
hast.
Das Weingut Giuseppes ist ein Vorzeigeobjekt in
einem hervorragenden Zustand und sehr nette Leute.
Der Kochkurs war einfach toll, wir haben sehr
viel gelernt und werden es auch anwenden, zur
Erinnerung
sende ich Dir ein paar Fotos.
Wir danken Dir sehr und hoffen, Du hattest ein
ruhiges Osterfest, bis auf bald,
herzliche Grüße
Petra und Frank
This is an email we received
on 15th June 2010 from Ellen and Lex, who
spent a relaxing week in Tuscany learning Italian
with Massimo:
Buena sera Massimo,
Come va?
This time in English as I've been that busy as
well.
I also have been too busy to realise time is flying
indeed, but so it is.
Thank you for the invoices.
Furthermore : we had an interesting time with
you and are glad to have met with you.
Our training has been a success and we are now
in the proces of self studying based upon NL-IT
and vica versa. We have been talking about a follow
up course with you next year and will come back
in due time.
Well Ellen and me wanted to thank you once again,
we wish you all the best and we'll be in touch
Cordiali saluti della Olandese
Lex & Ellen
PS: Next time (not tomorrow but soon!!) my email
will be in Italian
This is an email
sent to us on 28th May 2010 by Stefanie and Thorsten,
a nice German couple who experienced our cooking
class with Arianna:
Liebe Arianna,
unser Aufenthalt bei euch hat uns sehr gut gefallen!
Leider gingen die paar Tage wieder viel zu schnell
vorbei…
Im Anhang - wie versprochen - die Fotos von unserem
gemeinsamen Kochabend.
Viele Grüße - auch an Ester,
Steffi und Thorsten
This is an email sent to
us on 19th April 2010 by Sapnoti and her husband,
a very nice young couple from India who shared
two cooking lessons with Massimo:
Dear Massimo,
Karthik and I want to thank you and the whole
family at Giuseppe's for the wonderful time we
had in Italy. We cant stop talking about the trip
to all our friends. We have already started trying
to cook some simple pasta and later we hope to
cook gnocchi and ravioli. Thanks to you and Carla
for making the classes so enjoyable. It was a
pleasure spending time with both of you.
Please thank Giuseppe for letting us stay at
the farmhouse. We felt quite pampered during our
stay there. And a big thanks to Pedro for being
such a lovely escort. We enjoyed travelling around
Tuscany on the vespa. You told us so much about
the history and culture of Tuscany that we almost
felt like locals. After your recommendations and
directions from Giuseppe we successfully made
it to many more towns than we had planned. Karthik
and I agree that San Gimignano is our favourite
town in Tuscany. Of course, the fantastic ice-cream
may be affecting our judgement :-)
I attach a few pictures that we had taken during
our trip. The first few are of the cooking classes.
The next is of Karthik with his new love, the
vespa. The second last is of Pedro trying to chew
Karthik's shoes. And the last one of me in Volterra.
Although we dont have any immediate plans, but
we do know that this was not our last trip to
Italy. Thanks again
Ciao,
Sapnoti & Karthik
This is an email we received
on 1st September 2009 from Tracy, after doing
a cooking class with her friends in our kitchen
Hello Arianna,
Here are the photos we promised. Thanks again
for everything and let us know if you are ever
in Stuttgart!
Tracy and Friends
This is a comment on TRIP
ADVISOR that we received on 12th October 2009:
We booked a tour with Arianna and Friends to do
a cooking class with our teenage son and my wife
and stayed at Il Selvino. The entire experience
was exceptional, the room was clean and spacious,
the large pool amongst the pine trees was exceptional
as was the overall setting. However more than
that the family that runs Il Selvino were the
wonderful. The cooking experience with Esther
and Arianna was a tremendous experience. Our son
wants to be a chef so this was a part of the holiday
he was really looking forward to but we all had
a wonder ful time, learned lots and shared a wonderful
experience with people who genuinely cared about
your trip.
The farm house served as a good base for exploring
the area - Volterra, Lucca, wineries, and even
the highly anticlimactic Piza. Great mornings
of exploring and then afternoons in the pool with
some local wine.
if you are going to Tuscany take the time and
stay at Il Selvino
This is an email we received
on 28th July 2009 from Sharon from the US, who
spent a week in Giuseppe's agriturismo doing a
lot of our activities:
Arianna, thank you! I hope, by now, that you
and the team have recovered from the Bocelli concert!
I'm sorry not to have written back before now,
but we have been very busy putting life and the
businesses back in order upon our return.
We had the best, best time, and I have already
begun giving out your business cards to friends
and acquaintances who have inquired. We all feel
that we got to know the area of Tuscany rather
well during our stay, and could not have thought
of a way to make the trip better.
No vacation will ever quite be the same, as my
standards have now changed because of Arianna
and Friend's great offering of activities.
Although the family cannot agree on any ONE activity
we felt was our favorite, we all agree that the
San Minato day of chocolate, Lee's bio-dynamic
winery, and the truffle-hunting was probably our
most memorable day as a whole.
Thank you, again, for helping me to be a hero
within the family. If you or your team are ever
in Southern California, you'll always have a place
to stay.
Please give our heartfelt greeting to Massimo
and the rest!
XO
Sharon
This is an email we received
on 24th June 2009 from Andrea, who spent a cooking
holiday with her family at Alessandro's farm:
Hi Arianna,
Thank you again for a wonderful evening! My family
and I agree that your class was one of the highlight
of our trip. Both you and Ester were so good with
the children (and the adults). Once I get over
my jetlag we're going to get going on making some
pizzas and pastries.
Thanks again,
Andrea
Hugh
Harry
Linda
Cameron
And Colin
This is an email we received
on 24th June 2009 from Petra and Margitta, who
took Italian lessons and tasted delicious wines
while staying at Giuseppe's farm:
Hallo Ihr Zwei,
alles Liebe aus Deutschland und ein dickes Dankeschön
für die herrlichen Tage in der Toskana.
Wir sind gut erholt wieder zu Hause gelandet und
kommen gern wieder.
Die ganze Organisation war super, Ihr seit toll
und das Kochen mit Carla Klasse.
Liebe Grüße an das herrliche Landhaus
und Tizianna und Guiseppe.
Wir bleiben in Kontakt und wenn Ihr mal ein Bett
zum schlafen braucht, ruft einfach an.
Wir freuen uns auf ein nächstes Treffen und
versuchen bis dahin der Sprache mächtig zu
werden.
Gruß Petra und Margitta
This is an email we received
on 1st June 09 from Ernesto, experiencing a cooking
holiday with us:
Dear Massimo
I would like to thank you and Carla for your
patience and for your good instructions on preparing
real Tuscany meals. As soon as I try to execute
at home what I learned with you both, I will report
the results to you.
We had a nice trip back home and now is time to
go back to work.
Obrigado e saudações desde o Brasil
Ernesto
This is an email we received
on 12th May 2009 from Anja, who booked her cooking
holiday package with us:
Hallo liebe Ariana,
leider sind wir zurück in Deutschland! Das
Wetter ist gar nicht schön....
Wir haben uns sehr wohl gefühlt und Ihre
aufmerksame und liebenswerte Art sehr zu schätzen
gewusst.
Besonders haben wir "unsere" Köchin
Ester ins Herz geschlossen!
Es waren wunderbare Tage in der schönen Toscana
und wir kommen sicher noch einmal wieder.
Vielen Dank, ciao
Anja
This is an email we received
on 24th March 09 from Marla, spendig her spring
holidays with her friend Jan:
Hi Arianna!
I have to thank you again for the wonderful trip
you arranged for Jan and I! It was perfect in
every way! We enjoyed the cooking class so much
and Carla was such a joy to meet. I'll write more
later, but just wanted you to know the rest of
our trip was great; the hotels in Fiorenze and
Pisa were very nice also.
Love,
Marla
This is an email we received on
22nd September 08 from Jen and Bob from the USA:
Liebe Arianne,
wir möchten uns für den tollen Kochkurs
bei Il Selvino ganz herzlich bedanken. Das war
unser Urlaubshighlight. Danke auch für die
Flasche Olivenöl. Wir haben uns insgesamt
sehr wohl gefühlt und freuen uns darüber.
Unser Familie und unseren Freunden haben wir von
dem Kochen, Essen und Wein, von der Landschaft,
den Menschen und der Lebensart viel vorgeschwärmt.
Bitte grüßen Sie auch Marisa ganz herzlich
von uns.
Unsere Einladung an Sie gilt, wir würden
uns sehr über Ihren Besuch bei uns in Bremen
freuen. Bei uns im Haus bieten wir Ihnen eine
kostenlose Unterkunft für ein Wochenende
und wir nehmen uns Zeit, Ihnen Bremen und Umgebung
zu zeigen.
Wir hoffen sehr auf ein Wiedersehen.
liebe Grüße
Udo und Gudrun
This is an email we received
on 26th August 08 from Zoe and Zack from the USA:
Hi Arianna & Massimo,
Zach and I wanted to send you an extremely belated
thank you for all of your help during our stay
in Tuscany. Although we travelled throughout Northern
Italy during our trip, we agree that Tuscany and
Fattoria Fibbiano were the best part! We enjoyed
meeting and getting to know both of you and we
adored Carla and had great fun partaking in the
cooking classes. You are both so knowledgeable
about the area and directed us to many small towns
and unique places, enabling us to feel kind of
like locals (although our Italian was limited!)
Of course it doesn't hurt that we got engaged
in Tuscany as well!
Besides our memories of the amazing trip, we will
always be able to tell the story of how we got
engaged in a Tuscan vineyard. Everyone thinks
Zach was very romantic! We have a few pictures
that we I will be sending shortly--if I can figure
out Zach's computer. Please let us know that you
received them and thank you, thank you, THANK
YOU again for helping to make our trip memorable
beyond belief. Although we do not have any immediate
plans, it was definitely not our last trip to
Italia and we cannot wait to return!'
Zach & Zoe
From the top:
The cooking class
Romantic (and successful) walk in the vineyard
Leaving from Fibbiano on a rented moped
This is an email we received
on 21st August 08 from Jen and Bob from the USA:
Dear Massimo & Arianna,
No worries about the gifts!
I'm sorry we did not get to see you one last
time Massimo and I'm even more sorry that we were
not able to come to your party! We were really
honored that you invited us and would have really
loved to come!
We just want to make sure that you know we really
enjoyed our 7 Night Dinner is Ready Package -
it really exceeded our expectations! Our trip
to Italy would have felt superfificial without
this part of the trip. The location of Selvino
was lovely and a perfect place to relax in between
our trips to Rome and Forence. It was also centrally
located, which made it perfect for exploring Tuscany.
We also learned so much about the Tuscan cuisine
and culture during the cooking lessons, they were
perfect! Marissa & Esther are just perfect
and so much fun. One of the best parts was meeting
the both of you - it was fun and interesting to
learn about life in Italy from your perspectives.
We are amazed that you have put together this
company at a young age and are reccommending you
whenever we can!
Honestly, if you ever need a place to stay in
Chicago, please contact us through e-mail or phone.
Take Care,
Jen and Bob
This is an email we received
on 22nd July 08 from Doris and Wolfgang from Austria:
Liebe Arianna,
lieber Massimo
schwer begeistert sehen wir uns gerade die Fotos
von unserem Traumurlaub bei Euch
in der Toscana an. Das es etwas gedauert hat,
um Euch zu schreiben, hat leider in der
vielen Arbeit seinen Grund. Sie hat uns schon
erwartet.
Wir möchten uns bei Euch beiden noch einmal
für diesen wunderschönen Urlaub bedanken.
(Danke auch für Euer Abschiedgeschenk. Wein
bereits getrunken, Olivenöl bereits in Einsatz)
Wir sind mit so vielen positiven Eindrücken
nach Hause gekommen, dass wir bereits einigen
Freunden Euere Adresse mitteilen mussten.
Wenn wir uns als Referenzkunden zur Verfügung
stehen dürfen, machen wir das gerne.
Ich hoffe, wir sehen uns bald wieder und wünschen
Euch noch viel Spaß (der Erfolg kommt bei
Euch sowieso) und Leidenschaft für Euere
super Geschäftsidee.
Liebe Grüße aus Salzburg wünschen
Euch
Doris und Wolfgang (Austria)
From the top:
Doris during a painting class in the Fibbiano
olive grove with Marina, the artist, and Massimo
Wolfgang with Arianna and the cook Carla during
the cooking class in Fibbiano
Dinner at Selvino farm all together
This is an email we received on
18th June 08 from Mario from Australia:
Arianna
Just a quick note to say thanks, we really enjoyed
our stay at Selvino and my wife thoroughly enjoyed
the cooking classes.
We got back yesterday and already she is talking
about trying some of the dishes out.
We enjoyed Tuscany and thought it was a beautiful
place and will certainly be returning there again
Best wishes for you business, i think you are
off to a great start and we will certainly be
recommending you to friends
kind regards
Mario
This is an email we received
on 27th May 08 from Emma and her family:
Hello Massimo!
...
Many thanks again for our wonderful Tuscan holiday.
We all had a fantastic time enjoying delicious
food and wine amid some of the most beautiful
scenery. Our cooking classes with Carla served
as a delightful highlight to our short brake and
we have enjoyed showing off our newly learnt skills
to all our friends. It was a pleasure to meet
and get to know so many of the local characters
sipping wine under the Tuscan stars!
Each of us has recommended La Mia Toscana to our
friends and family and we all very much hope to
return. Thanks again for making my Dad's 60th
Birthday gift such a meorable and happy time.
I have attached some of the pictures which you
are welcome to use. My Dad will be in contact
shortly with some more.
This is an email we received
on 25th May 08 from Petra and Michael:
Hallo Arianna, Massimo, Marisa, Alessandro und
Silvana,
viele Liebe Grüße aus Bonn und nochmals
vielen Dank für die gute Betreuung und den
tollen Service. Es war für uns ein wirklich
unvergeßliches Erlebnis, der direkte Kontakt
mit der toskanischen Kultur durch das gelungene
Kocherlebnis wie die selbstgemachten traditionellen
Pasta, gegrilltes oder auch fritiertes Gemüse
und viele weitere Rezepte. Aber das beste daran
ist, dass die Pasta und auch die Crostinis jetzt
zu Hause genau so gut schmecken wie bei Euch.
Ganz herzliches Dankeschön geht an die Küchenfee:
Marisa, ohne die wir die speziellen Tipps und
Tricks nie kennen gelernt hätten.
Gerne könnt Ihr dieses Lob auf Eurer Hompage
veröffentlichen.
Viele Liebe Grüße
Michael &Petra (Germany)
From the top:
Marisa among vegetables
Michael and Arianna
Marisa, Massimo and Petra
Mail 2nd January 2008:
Arianna,
I wanted to pass on a thanks for everything that
was put together.
We had an excellent time. I've already passed
along the info about you to some others who were
considering visiting Italy within the next year
or so. In addition, I've included some of the
pics that I took while I was down there. You're
welcome to use them however you like. Once again,
thanks.
Jacob
Mail 24 June 2007
Dear Arianna,
Thank you so much for planning our
wonderful holiday.
We had an amazing time with all
of you. The food, wine, and olive oil were to
die for. The dinner at La Greppia was amazing
and very romantic, definitely a great spot for
the last evening in Tuscany . We learned so much
and will take that experience with us wherever
we go. Hope to see you again someday and tell
everyone thank you.
Best Regards,
Marne and Harry, London
Mail 24/may/07
Hi Arianna,
its nice to hear from you. (…)
we had an absolutely fantastic time there! Everybody
we met was really friendly and generous, everything
was just great and we really didnt' want to come
back! The food was superb too, you Italians know
how to eat nice food! You especially were great,
organising it all and being there for some of
the things we did was great and we really appreciated
all the effort you made. We particularly enjoyed
the cooking with Carla, and the quad biking with
Chris. Can you pass on our thanks to both of them,
they were great. Massimo, Guseppie and his son
that did the wine tour at Fibbiano were really
nice too and made us very welcome.
If you ever decide to come to the
UK again then let us know, we'd love to have you
stay for a bit and to show you some of the stuff
we have around here. I know you've seen London
already, but there is so much more to see here,
and outside of london things are generally much
calmer and the countryside is really beautiful
here too.
Anyway, thanks again for everything
you did for us and i hope to hear from you soon
!
Simon.
Mail 23 April 2007
Hi Arianna!
Our family had a such a memorable
time at Il Selvino. We have you to thank for your
amazing help and graciousness. We were also so
lucky to have met and spent time with Alessandro,
who is a truly great guy who loves taking care
of his gorgeous farm and the guests who come there.
We had one of our best meals ever the first night
at Il Selvino and we were so lucky to have Arianna
as our guide. We look forward to bringing friends
back to his farm! Of course we will miss our mornings
with Ester and our unforgettable cooking class
with Marisa. The farm is an undeniably beautiful
place but the people we met there make it a place
we will certainly return to!
Thank you Arianna for helping to
make it happen!
See you soon!
The Yoon Family
New York
Mail 30/01/2007
Dear Arianna
Dawn and I are very good, thank
you for asking. How are you?
We very much enjoyed our time with
you in Tuscany. We learned so much. We bought
a mezzaluna and an oil can on the way home, and
we have already made pappa al pomodoro once…
but I forgot to remove the pepperocini, and it
was very hot!! L I will try again tonight!
The winter is gone here also. There
are flowers blooming also, and it is actually
warmer here than it was in Tuscany. It rains here
a lot too! We have opened the marmalade and ate
some of it yesterday. It was delicious! Buonissimo!
Unfortunately, the bread we ate it on was slightly
flavored (we don’t have Tuscan bread here
with no salt), so that interfered slightly with
the flavor of the marmalade.
Take care, and I will write to you
soon!
Arrivderci!
Zac
Hi Arianna,
Thank you so much for your hospitality. We had
a fantastic time in Tuscany.
La Mia Toscana customized our vacation to our
exact specifications without any hassle. The meal
that we cooked in true Tuscan style was one of
the most memorable meals we have ever had in our
7 years together. We have never tasted bruschetta
like that before! The use of just-pressed olive
oil and local garden ingredients made all the
flavours come alive! Arianna, our tour guide,
was incredible.
Her knowledge of the history, culture and food
during the cooking lessons and the guided tour
of the San Miniato Truffle festival made us feel
like we received a true Italian experience. Her
enthousiasme and love of her region was nothing
but contagious. We spent most of last week just
getting back to normal!
Thanks for a priceless experience,
Mike and Ayesha
This is Tony now, I enjoyed the cooking classes
so much, and I thin I’ll take some Toscana
home in the way I look at food.
Next time I come to Italy I’m going to
practice with the mezzaluna so I perhaps can impress
a cook or two.
"Una delle vacanze più rilassanti
dell'anno, trascorse in luogo da favola, di colori
e profumi di primavera.
L'ospitalità dell'agriturismo è
stata calorosa e le persone gentilissime. Anche
i cioccolatini e i fiori freschi di giardino che
abbiamo trovato in camera sono stati molto apprezzati!
Consiglio vivamente di appoggiarsi all'agenzia
La Mia Toscana, sempre disponibile e pronta a
soddisfare anche il cliente più esigente.
Grazie ancora e a presto! Emilyn e Raffaele"
Mail 17.6.2006
Liebe Arianna,
uns geht es hervorragend. Wir haben den Urlaub
sehr genossen und auch die Hunde, insbesondere
Coco, hatten jede Menge Spaß. In der Zwischenzeit
ist auch unser Garten zu Hause fertig, und da
es sehr warm ist, können wir diesen nun auch
genießen.
Vielleicht sehen wir uns ja Ende September /
Anfang Oktober wieder. Wir hoffen, zur Weinlese
noch einmal einen Wochentrip zu Fibbiano machen
zu können. Ich habe mit einem befreundeten
Ehepaar mit einem kleinen Sohn gesprochen, und
vielleicht klappt es sogar dass sie auch mitkommen.
Wir melden uns rechtzeitig.
Liebe Grüße, auch an die Familie
von Guiseppe,
Sabine
Jill, U.S.A.
Dear Arianna
Evviva! Thank you so much for all you have done
to make our honeymoon an unforgettable experience.
We could not have asked for more.
The house where we stayed is simply beautiful-comfortable,
clean, surrounded by so much natural beauty, it
is hard to know where to look.
It was quiet, private and smelled to wonderful.
We really enjoyed swimming too!
The best part of the trip was meeting Marisa,
Carla, Giandomenico, the folks at the cheese factory,
and most of all, you! You are an extremely gracious
hostess and made us feel right at home. You are
so well-suited for your work!
Manuela, Bergamo, Italia
Complimenti per la particolare organizzazione
del pacchetto “degustazione prodotti tipici”.
Saremo sicuramente di ritorno.
Karen e Robert, UK
Arianna,
Sorry it is taken so long!
We have some great memories of our week in Tuscany,
but this day was very special! Thank you!
We have booked the same week 2007, we will be
in touch
Mail 03.5.2006
Dear Arianna,
Thank you very much for the arrangements that
you have made in order to
Make our visit to beautiful Toscana a nice one.
Boris
Wine & food trips, trekking excursions, relax and golf programmes in TUSCANY 
