Florence and Tuscany
Programme Overview
Duration: 8 days
An 8-day adventure through Florence and magical Tuscany region, discovering the secrets of the Italian historical treasures, local cuisine, and peaceful rural havens
Highlights: Florence, Chianti, Pievascola, San Gimignano, Volterra, Siena, Montepulciano
Arrive Florence
Upon arrival into Florence Airport, your local representative will be waiting in the arrivals hall for your private transfer to your luxurious hotel in the heart of the city on Piazza della Republica.
Overnight: Hotel Savoy Florence
The Uffizi Gallery and Florence's Lesser Visited Gems
Meet your guide in the lobby of your hotel, and enjoy a half-day walking tour of Florence (up to 6 hours) with your local English-speaking guide. This tour will include visits to the Uffizi Gallery, housing some of the world's most important art treasures, and the Church of Santa Croce, where many famous Florentines are buried such as Michelangelo and Galileo.
Enjoy a tasting of local cheeses and wines at a fantastic enoteca.
In the afternoon, explore some of Florence’s lesser visited gems (3 hours). Walk by the impressive Duomo on to the lovely Piazza Santissima Annunziata, where the Spedale degli Innocenti, Europe’s first orphanage and a masterpiece of Classical design, is fronted by Brunelleschi’s colonnade. The Convent of San Marco is a delight with its frescoed monk cells, whilst the Scalzo Cloisters with frescoes by Andrea del Sarto depict scenes from the life of John the Baptist.
Overnight: Hotel Savoy Florence
Meal Plan: B
Learn the Art of Tuscan Cuisine
It is often argued that Italy has the finest cuisine in the world, today you have the opportunity to learn the skills of the Tuscan kitchen with a private hands-on cookery lesson at an important culinary institute with English-speaking instruction.
Your morning begins at the Mercato Centrale where your chef will explain how to select the best produce before returning to the kitchen for a hands-on lesson and enjoying the fruits of your labour for lunch.
The remainder of the day is at your leisure.
Overnight: Hotel Savoy Florence
Meal Plan: B,L
Florence - Chianti - Pievascola
Depart Florence today with your driver-guide and head into the famous Chianti region of Tuscany. Visit some of the lovely hilltop towns such as Greve and Castellina, and enjoy two wine tastings at local vineyards.
Renowned for its art, history and evocative landscapes, Tuscany is a region where the past and present merge in pleasant harmony. Hill-towns gaze across the countryside from high, many encircled by Etruscan walls and slender cypress trees. In the countryside, among the vineyards and olive groves, there are hamlets and farmhouses, as well as fortified villas and castles that symbolize the violence and inter-communal strife that tore Tuscany apart in the Middle Ages. Stop for a ‘refuel’ of local Tuscan wine before heading to your beautiful hotel located in the Tuscan countryside close to Siena.
Overnight: Relais la Suvera
Meal Plan: B
South Western Tuscany
Spend the day with your driver-guide exploring the South-Western region of Tuscany. Your first visit of the day will be the beautiful medieval hill town of San Gimignano, known as Tuscan Manhattan due to the medieval towers which dominate the region’s skyline.
Also visit the Etruscan city of Volterra which dates back to Neolithic times, and in many places the Etruscan walls still stands. Visit the Museo Guarnacci, which contains one of the finest collections of Etruscan artifacts in the country. The ancient Roman theater was rediscovered in the 1950’s and today is one of the best preserved in Italy. Volterra is also famous for its artisans who create beautiful statues from locally mined alabaster. Besides the rich artistic and historical ties, the surrounding area is rich in natural beauty. You will visit the Upper Cecina Valley, an area of Tuscany which has inspired many writers, poets and painters such as Rosa, Stendhal, Lawrence, Dennis, Corot, D'Annunzio and Cassola.
Overnight: Relais la Suvera
Meal Plan: B
Tuscany - At Leisure
Today is a chance to relax and enjoy your fantastic surroundings. If you choose to be active, your hotel offers mountain biking, tennis and horse riding. Alternatively you may wish to take advantage of the hotel’s spa, private museum or take a tour of the estate’s winery.
Overnight: Relais la Suvera
Meal Plan: B
Siena and Southern Tuscany
Your driver-guide meets you once again today for exploring Tuscany’s other great city, Siena which you will tour with a local expert guide. Siena was built on three hills and is enclosed by a set of walls and gates. Visit the Piazza del Campo, one of the finest main squares in Italy. See the Palazzo Pubblico which has served as Siena's Town Hall since the 1300s and visit Siena's Duomo considered to be one of the finest Gothic cathedrals in Italy with unforgettable frescoes in the Piccolomini Library.
In the afternoon enjoy the area of Southern Tuscany, the area synonymous with typical Tuscan images of rural heaven and rolling hills. Visit Montepulciano, one of the most attractive hills towns in Tuscany, is built along a narrow limestone ridge at 605 m above sea level. A long, winding street called the Corso climbs up to the main square, which crowns the summit of the hill. Montepulciano is also notorious for its "Vino Nobile" wines and today you will have the chance to indulge in some wine tasting.
Overnight: Relais la Suvera
Meal Plan: B
Depart Tuscany
Your driver will privately transfer you to Florence airport or the railway station today.
Meal Plan: B