Curious Appetite Travel

Curious Appetite Travel is a food and wine tour company founded by Coral Sisk, a food writer whose team has spent more than a decade researching Italian food and drink. Florence is its home base, and its tours are designed for travellers who want to understand what they are eating and drinking rather than simply sample it. Tours are led by sommeliers, food historians and art and architecture guides, which gives them more context than a standard tasting walk.

The signature Florence experience is the Historic Florence Food Lover's Tour, a walking tour that introduces the city's traditional food culture through a series of tastings, with stories about how Florentine cooking developed. The aperitivo tour focuses on the evening ritual of drinks and small bites, and the progressive Tuscan dining crawl moves between venues for different courses. The company also runs hands-on cooking classes, including fresh pasta making, and wine tours into the Tuscan countryside. Beyond Florence, it offers food tours in Bologna and Milan.

Groups are kept small, and private tours are available for couples, families and companies, along with events for groups and gift certificates. The company has received hundreds of five-star reviews on Tripadvisor and has been covered by publications including Lonely Planet, The Guardian and Eater.

Come hungry, as tastings add up to the equivalent of a meal, and tell the company about dietary requirements when booking; vegetarian needs can often be accommodated, but tours centred on cured meats and offal may be harder for some diets. Comfortable shoes are essential, as walking tours cover a fair distance on stone streets. Meeting points vary by tour and are confirmed when you book. Booking ahead is recommended, especially for weekends and in spring and autumn.

The tours suit food lovers, couples and curious travellers who want to go beyond the main tourist restaurants, and they work well early in a trip, when tips on where to eat for the rest of your stay are most useful. Contact the company by email for private bookings and questions. Allow a few hours for most food tours and avoid planning a big meal straight afterwards.