There is something exciting about seeing La Chiusa come back to life. This year we are seeing amazing things happen all over the property. Who knew we had rose bushes in crazy places, wild rosemary bushes the size of cars, wild life, olive trees that are over 200 years old, secret rooms and we even have a resident ghost (maybe 2)!  It amazes us that once we started showing love for the land and caring for the property things came to life!

This new life started us thinking about ways to continue to bring La Chiusa back to its former self. We wanted everyone to experience the same excitement and feelings we were having as we watched the old olive oil farm come back to its former glory.

There are too many tasks to name them all, but we are starting with these in the hope that La Chiusa will continue to show us the way.

Olive Tree Adoption Program, renewal of fruit trees, enlarging the gardens (in its original site), restoring the old stone walls and terraces, increasing our bee population and restoring the building bit by bit.

This is not a small project but we are up to the task and we hope you can join us on this journey!

Our mission:

A place with good wine, delicious olive oil and a community kitchen full of good food to share with great friends.

Olive Tree Restoration and Adoption

The olive groves at La Chiusa have not been cared for in over 40 years and are slowly deteriorating from vines, pests and no love! The first year we were here we trimmed and care for over 100 trees (this is a very slow process) and we are slowly working towards bringing these beautiful fruit baring trees back to life and production. Some of these trees are over 200 years old!

Be a Tuscan Olive Farmer

Adopt an olive tree from the La Chiusa grove for one year. In return, we will send you some of the purest, most delicious Olive Oil produced in Italy.

And while your adoption does not mean you are purchasing (or owning) a physical tree, your contribution will be immediately put to use to restore and care for your tree.

Words to Live By:

“Essere buono come il pane”

“Be as good as Bread”

Where we have been & where we are headed

Its nice to be in Montefollonico and are waiting on the summer arrivals of family and friends.

Cook in Sicily is at the top on the list as soon as we get a minute!  While Covid has slowed us down a bit, we are still planning on visiting Sicily, France, Greece and Malta this summer! Fingers are crossed.

George and Linda Meyers own and operate Cook in Tuscany, a cooking school in Tuscany, Italy.

Cook in Tuscany is a six-night all-inclusive Tuscan experience based in the village of Montefioralle that includes daily cooking lessons with local women, daily excursions, winery tours, cheese making, gourmet dinners, and tours of local and historic sites. Cook in Tuscany is a luxury culinary vacation for the traveler who wants to be a local and not a tourist.

Slow Travel Tours is an affiliation of small-group tour operators who offer personalized trips in Italy, France, England and other European countries.