Admit it: after the umpteenth museum trip on a packed-to-the-gills itinerary, all the artworks start to blend together, particularly if you’ve got crying children or easily-bored-buddies in tow.

Consider that your cue to shift focus to food and wine for a few days, or perhaps even for your whole trip. Make a plan with your family’s or group’s palates at the forefront and they’ll all thank you later.

Truffles are one of the regional treasures of Tuscany: there’s no better place to taste them. Dive into this age-old territorial tradition in an immersive Truffle lovers tour for curious foodies and aspiring gourmands. 

Your guide will take you to a shop specialized in trufflemaking, founded in 1885 (see what we mean about this being a longstanding staple?) After a decadent tasting menu that features everything from truffle on pasta or eggs to truffle-topped codfish crisps, you’ll get a delicious bonus in the form of an aged balsamic vinegar tasting. Mouth watering yet? It all takes place in the heart of Florence after a morning visit to the famous market.

Perhaps a day in the countryside sipping wine is more your cup of tea, think about taking part in a half-day Taste of Chianti tour.

Although plenty of travelers are familiar with the lure of the Tuscan countryside, few realize that Florence is within a stone’s throw of the world-famous Chianti Classico wine production area, precisely where you want to be if a wine tasting is part of your plan. Like Champagne in France, Chianti is a region rather than the name of the grape used in the area’s red wines—that would be Sangiovese, straight from the Tuscan terroir.