Frequently Asked Questions

The price includes ?  

How do I get to and from the venue?

Which airport do I fly into ?

How do I book and pay?

What if I cancel?

What if the Escape is cancelled?

Who will be on each escape?

Can I bring a non-participating partner or friend?

Who are the expert tutors and how do they teach ?

Do I have to have prior experience?

What should I bring with me?

What are the meals like?

What if I have a dietary requirement?

7 nights’ accommodation

All tuition on 5 days

Tansfers to and from Firenze Santa Maria Novella train station in Florence

Day trip to Florence including a pre-paid ticket to one of the Uffizi Gallery, Basilica of Santa Croce, the Duomo or the Accademia to see Michelangelo’s David

Meals and drinks including aperitivi, a couple of glasses of red, white or rose wine or beer with dinner (except lunch is at your own expense on the day trip to Florence)

Outdoor cinema night

Art, yoga or wine appreciation equipment during classes

Bedlinen, towels, including pool towel

Hairdryer, shampoo and shower gel

Free WiFi

Not included in the price:

Flights and transfers to Firenze Santa Maria Novella train station 

Additional art materials for personal use outside classes

Additional bottles of wine that can be purchased 

Two weeks before the Escape we will provide you with details of location and time for meeting us at Firenze Santa Maria Novella train station. We offer a complimentary group transfer to the venue if you confirm you are meeting us. Check in on the first day at the venue is from 17:00. If you prefer you can take a taxi at your own expense from outside FSMN station. There is a direct bus departing from Beslan T1 Fortezza and stopping at Greti, just before Greve in Chianti, at the bottom of our white road, Via Collegalle/ Via Citille. If you miss the stop you can get off in Greve in Chianti Piazza Trento. Services depart hourly and operate every day. The journey takes approximately 57 min and is about 31 km.

Check out on the last day is at 10:00 when the group transfer leaves for Firenze Santa Maria Novella. If you have time to kill in Florence, you can stow your luggage at one of the many luggage store facilities close to the station. 

Florence, Pisa and Rome airports have easy train or tram links to Firenze Santa Maria Novella station in Florence.

Florence Peretola Airport is closest to our Escape venue. You can take the tram or a taxi from Florence Airport to Firenze Santa Maria Novella FSMN station; both take around 15-20 minutes. Taxis and the tram station are located right outside the airport. There are ticket machines at the tram station - tickets cost around €1.70. The T2 line connects the airport with the central train station FSMN. Trams normally run every 5-10 minutes, from about 05:00 through to 02:00 but check before traveling.

Pisa International Airport is also convenient. The Pisa Mover tram from the airport to Pisa Centrale train station takes about 7 minutes and costs about €6.50. From Pisa Centrale there are trains to FSMN that take around 50-75 minutes, depending on which you choose. Trenitalia and Italo ticket machines are in the train station and the ticket costs around €10 single. You can choose English at these machines and pay by card. Please be careful about accepting help with your luggage or at the machines from anyone other than official train employees in uniform.

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If you arrive at Rome Leonardo Da Vinci - Fiumicino Airport,  take the train to Roma Termini station; this takes around 30 mins and leaves every 15 mins. From here you can take the Trenitalia Frecciarossa or Italo fast trains to Florence Santa Maria Novella station (about 1 hour 35 mins) at a cost of around €55 single, although the price varies with the time and day and time of booking. 

​Please note when travelling by train: 

1) if you book in advance, you are booking a specific train, so we tend to buy at the machines at train stations when we arrive, so we don’t miss it

2) You must validate your train ticket before boarding the train, using one of the green and white stamp machines you will see on the walls at every station and on platforms

3) Train journey times vary according to the time of day and day of the week

Select the Escape and room you prefer then send an email to us with these details. We’ll confirm if the Escape and room and available and provide you with information on how to pay. We ask for a deposit on booking which is 100% refundable up to x before the Escape starts. The balance is payable x before the Escape starts. You can pay by Paypal or directly to our bank using IBAN. See our terms and conditions for full details of cancellation.

If you cancel up to x before the Escape starts, your deposit will be refunded in full. See our terms and conditions for full details of cancellation. We recommend you take out travel insurance to ensure you against unavoidable cancellation that may cause you to forfeit your deposit or balance payments

There is a minimum number of participants for each Escape. If we have to cancel because we do not reach the minimum number, we will contact you to see if you want to transfer your booking to another Escape or if you want a refund. Please note that we advise you to make your travel arrangements flexible so you can alter them in the event of a cancellation. We do not refund any losses you might sustain on your own travel bookings. Please see our terms and conditions for full details

Each Escape is for up to a maximum of 12 participants or non-participating partners. Please note that we do not permit children or animals to join you on the Escape as we wish to provide a calm, peaceful and safe environment. Unfortunately, our borgo is so ancient it is not possible to make it safely accessible for disabled people as there are many steps, gravelled areas and uneven surfaces. Please check with us if you have any doubts about whether the venue would be safe for you.

You can share your room with a partner or friend who does not wish to participate in the classes but does want to join all meals and social activities. There is a discount for the non-participant, the details of which are shown for each room.

Our tutors are international but are now all local to the Chianti. They are established experts in their field with notable experience of teaching / consulting. All tuition is in English. As the maximum group size for classes is 12, it is possible for our tutors to develop a good one-to-one understanding and rapport. 

No. Our Escapes are designed to accommodate beginners through to experienced practitioners; each of our tutors work with all levels of experience in their field.

All required equipment is provided. Amongst your personal items we suggest you pack a sun hat, sunscreen and shoes that you can walk in on white roads and in the countryside. Please advise us at booking if you have particular requirements relating to medication you are bringing.

We provide Tuscan family-style buffet breakfasts and lunches all with vegetarian options. 

Before dinner we serve a complimentary glass of either Spritz, Prosecco or a soft drink as aperitivi. Dinners are social, long table dinners where set courses are laid out down the centre of the table for you to help yourselves, but of course we are there to help. Sufficient wine, beer and soft drinks will be made available, enough for a couple of glasses each. You can purchase additional bottles from a list for consumption or to take home with you. We partner with local, esteemed Chianti wine producers. After dinner, tea, coffee and digestifs are included.

We cater to dietary requirements such as vegetarian and vegan, or for food intolerances such as gluten or lactose, providing you let us know your requirement or intolerance at the time of booking. We do try to cater for dietary needs, rather than preferences. Unfortunately, our kitchen is not suitable to guarantee safe food for celiacs or those with severe allergies so please discuss this with us before booking. We will provide allergy labelling for each meal if you choose to avoid certain food types.Escape to the Chianti is different from other holiday websites because we focus on providing unique and creative ideas for celebrating holidays and special occasions. We aim to inspire our readers to think outside the box and try new things, rather than just relying on traditional holiday activities. Additionally, our articles and resources are written by experts in the fields of holiday planning, event coordination, and DIY crafting..