See what our guests say about Mad About Tuscany
“Thankyou to our wonderful women hostesses who saw to every detail!
There were 8 of us in our group and we are all still raving about our fabulous experience! We were greeted by Margaret at the train station with open arms. When we arrived at our beautiful villa for the week we felt we were welcomed into Nat and Rosie’s home. We were pampered for our week. With wonderful tours of the area including a few vineyards . Home cooked meals and a wonderful cooking class taught by Siobhan. Would highly recommend this tour it was a 10 in our books.
Thank you to our wonderful women hostesses who saw to every detail!!!”
"You will want to go back!!
What a wonderful week immersed in Tuscany with Sioban. We went from a completely inexperienced tourist to living like a local and what am amazing experience that is. You can't do better than tour with Sioban. The quality of the experience is the best I have ever had anywhere. You see the best things and experience the best things in the best company. Thanks Sioban."
- RichardLisa L, May 2015
"A perfect week.
Our group of eight people could not think of anything we would change. The villa we stayed in, places we visited, the restaurants we ate at, the wines we drank and the time allocated for exploring the towns all provided a magnificent experience of Tuscany. The hospitality and warmth of Sioban made us feel like visitors rather than tourists. Sioban's cooking school day was a treat in itself. "
-- JW and JT, May 2016
“A bucket list definite.
Our stay in the villa at Cortona with Sioban was brilliant. They were the perfect hosts. The variety of villages, places of interest and restaurants we were taken to by the team made for an unforgettable week. We were able to savour the flavours of Italian slow food under the trees in the countryside, in wineries and other quality restaurants. This is a must do experience for anyone. We loved every minute of our week. ”
“Luxury week in a 13th Century villa...
An excellent mix of good company, yummy food and wine and spectacular scenery. Time to explore and relax. We had a wonderful time with great memories and incredible photos. ”
“Everyday was a surprise and a different experience from the beautiful towns we visited to the cooking school in the hills with Sioban’s special friends Tina & Leonardo what a wonderful time, memories to treasure forever!
Just sit back and enjoy the adventure in a really relaxed very well organised tour with a small group of eight people and see areas of Tuscany that you would never expect to see. Great holiday..would love to go again.”
"Beyond Expectations!
My week with Siobhan far surpassed my expectations. Everything was so well planned - a beautiful villa, fantastic views, amazing tours with Siobhan and fabulous food and cooking day with Siobhan. They are a great team and work together to create an excellent balance to the week to provide maximum enjoyment. Their love and enthusiasm for this beautiful area is really infectious as well as being informative. Siobhan's cooking day was brilliant! Everyone was involved in producing an amazing five course meal under her direction and loved every minute of it - and we have the recipes and aprons to prove it! I can't recommend this experience enough - truly unforgettable. "
- Morgan1Cymru, May 2016
"We had an wonderful week with our hosts and new friends. The villa was so picturesque and our daily tours well planned, varied and so interesting. Sioban had a great passion for Tuscany that shone through the entire week. They took us to towns and restaurants that the average tourist would never go to or know about. Sioban's cooking skills were phenomenal. We will never forget this holiday. Back home to go on a diet now!!!"
-- Dorothee C, June 2016
“Our week with Sioban in Tuscany was the highlight of our holiday. They love their home town of Cortona and their passion is infectious.
Beautiful scenery, beautiful meals prepared by local enthusiastic chefs who are all individual characters in their own right. Sioban’s cooking school was full of fun and great ideas.
It was like being on holidays with loved family members. Thoroughly recommended. ”
“We are 5 sisters who loved our time in Tuscany with our wonderful hosts, Sioban and team. The villa and grounds are exquisite, with breakfast prepared and served each morning. Each day’s outing took us to a unique and lovely Tuscan hill town to tour a winery, enjoy a fabulous meal, learn some history, shop and learn about local produce and craftsmanship - simply divine. And they helped us plan our free day, taught us some delicious Tuscan recipes, converted us from American coffee drinkers to cappuccino and espresso, assisted a sister who became ill and made us all feel so very welcome. They embody customer service and attention to detail at the finest level.
Mille grazie for the memories!
Cinque Sorelle ”
“Sioban is awesome. The team have separate roles but each is as passionate as the other. The local knowledge of Cortona and the surrounding towns makes every day of the tour an adventure, from the unknown little village, to the vineyards, to the Michelin star restaurant.
Sioban is an excellent cook and we enjoyed every meal cooked by her. Even the reluctant and uninitiated “cooks” enjoyed the cooking lessons. Everything was taken care of and all we had to do was enjoy the teams surprise for us each day. Highly recommend MAD tours! ”
“Just got back home from our beautiful vacation in Tuscany. My wife and I have travelled quite a lot since my retirement (less so during the last couple of years) but this “all inclusive” vacation is at the top of the list. It started with Margaret meeting us at Camucia train station and welcoming us with her vivacious personality, then guiding us to our villa near Cortona. We were met by Nat and Rosie, who together with Margaret, made sure we were comfortable. Margaret guided us to out-of-the-way local villages, small lovely cities (like Pienza) and larger ones (Monticchiello and Montepulciano, where some of Twilight New Moon was filmed) and cities like Siena. We lunched and dined in 5 star restaurants, local hidden-away trattorias or had specially prepared meals at the villa. We had local house wines (in no name litre carafes) and vintage wines and in between – but all tasted great. Even had private wine tastings in the villa by our own expert several nights (thanks Rosie). We stopped by Bramasole and spent our free day in Cortona (say “Under the Tuscan Sun”). Sioban gave us our own cooking class in the villa (I did the cutting while my wife did the memorizing) and made sure all our requests were met. Sioban and Nat and Jeanette prepared our final dinner, Fiorentina di Chianina Steak (look it up) with local wines (my choice, Chianti, of course). Finally, our week was ending. Like the end of summer camp, we were sorry to leave our new friends behind, but wish them the very best.”
“Me, My sister, brother and his partner, all spent a week together with two other couples from USA. The two story villa was located on the side of a hill and allowed for pleasant evening strolls along the quiet countryside lane. Sioban is such a gracious host, who educated, fed, transported, advised, and took care of our every need. The cooking lesson session was very hands on as we all helped prepare scrumptious courses that were served with great Italian wine. The sightseeing day trips were at a relaxed pace, with shopping opportunities, great food and wine experiences and interesting historic towns among the rolling Tuscan hills. Looking forward to repeating the experience another time. ”
“Totally Terrific Tuscany Tour!!!!”
We absolutely loved our week with Sioban! Having attended a few cooking days and weekends in Yallingup we already knew they were professional, talented and down to earth people, just our type. We booked our Mad About Tuscany tour first and then built rest of our UK & European trip around it . We didn't go crazy with research about Cortona, or Tuscany for that matter as we just knew it would be great. And our hosts certainly didn't disappoint! The week was very well planned out, a schedule but not hectic and the villa was beautiful with views and sunsets to capture in the memory forever. Food was amazing, history incredible and was just fantastic. Always sharing his love of Cortona and Tuscany and keeping it real . And they really has a great sense of humour! The cooking day with Sioban was so enjoyable and absolutely delicious. Sioban has a way of making the entire group involved and relaxed whilst enabling us to produce an amazing five course feast!
We just loved our Mad About Tuscany Experience - what are you waiting for, do it!
- RenaeJP, September 2015
"A week in Tuscany in May 2016 with Sioban from Mad About Tuscany was the holiday of a lifetime. Their attention to detail meant that every day was different and wonderful in its own way. The week was planned so well that it was both energising and relaxing. Their love of Tuscany was an inspiration and an honour to be part of. Sioban's food and hospitality were perfect. I was hooked from the first afternoon when Sioban produced a lemon olive oil cake which we ate sitting out on the terrace.
I would wholeheartedly recommend this holiday to anyone. "
-- Anne T, May 2016
“Beautiful villa, wonderful hosts and the scenery was out of this world. Photographs do not do it justice and our host Sioban took us to some wonderful villages and towns we would never have found ourselves. Enjoyed every minute including all the meals we experienced in some wonderful settings. Sioban’s cookery class was a great experience and have already tried out one of the recipes on our return to Edinburgh. If you are foodies like we are then this is a holiday not to be missed. ”
“Do yourself a favour and live the dream of Tuscany with Sioban.”
“My wife and I booked two days with Mad About Tuscany, one day for cheese and local culture and a second day for wine tasting. We had a great time, you can just sit back and enjoy the adventure in a really relaxed very well organised tour.”
To find out what our visitors have to say, read five star TripAdvisor reviews of Wildwood Valley Cottages, Wildwood Valley Cooking School, and Mad About Tuscany Italian tours.
