8 DAYS TUSCAN RENDEZVOUS

Transfer: Road Transfer

Upon arrival, be met and transfer to your accommodation in Tuscany countryside, with en route sightseeing in Pitigliano.

Pitigliano Tour

Pitigliano is a small Tuscan town located close to the border of Lazio. Explore the medieval village located within its walls and relatively unexplored by tourists. Its narrow streets hold many churches and other sights including an interesting Jewish past.

Siena, Montepulciano and Pienza Tour (Full Day)

Siena is one of Italy’s most charming medieval cities, renowned all over the world for its historic “Palio”. This morning, tour the historical center of Siena: Piazza del Campo with Palazzo Vecchio, which was decorated by the most famous painters of the Sienese school. Visit the Tower of Mangia, the Dom, and the lively and narrow streets surrounded by romantic palaces.

Next, we drive 1hour, 65km to Montepulciano, a former Roman settlement, risen on “Mons Politianus”. It owes its present appearance to the middle ages but also to the Renaissance time, as we see from many churches and palaces built by Antonio da Sangallo and by Michelozzo. Embark on a city tour and see Colonna del Marzocco, a marble column with the heraldic lion of Florence which decorates palaces such as the Palazzo Avignonesi. Some other sites include the Church of Sant’Agostino as well as the main square.

Afterwards leave for Pienza that is famous for its fine “pecorino” cheese but also known as the first renaissance town in Europe and a model of perfect illuminate architecture for Florence and Paris. Art lovers associate this small town with Enea Silvio Piccolomini, later Pope Pius II, who asked Bernardo Rossellino to transform his birthplace into an ideal city of the Renaissance. Drive 1 hour back to Siena.

Optional Activities

• Truffle Hunting with Lunch
• Gourmet Vespa Experience
• Crystal Engraver Workshop

Chianti Wine Route Discovery (Half Day)

Drive to the Chianti Region (approx. 1hr), the famous wine region in central Tuscany. Driving to the green hills of Florence, in one of the most suggestive Tuscan landscape, you will reach the heart of the area known as Chianti shire, land of one of the best worldwide wine the Chianti Classico.  Here, along the “Chiantigiana” the famous wine route, hills of vineyards and olive trees are perfect guests of the journey as the tiny hilltop towns that you will discover on the way.   Stop at Greve in Chianti, famous for had giving birth to Giovanni Da Verrazzano, the explorer known for the discovery of USA.   Visit some other tiny villages and hamlets before arriving to your hotel.

Optional Activities

• Chianti Hot Air Balloon Flight (1 h)
• Hike Tuscany’s Countryside
• Tuscany by Bike
• Vintage Car Experience
• Exclusive Renaissance Private Villa Visit
• Exclusive Private Mansion Visit

Transfer: Road Transfer

Transfer to Florence.

Florence History Walking Tour with Accademia Gallery Visit (Full Day)

Your history walking tour starts from Repubblica square – the heart of the city. Stroll through streets, alleys of the medieval quarter to Palazzo del Bargello (exterior visit only) and Piazza della Signoria, where sculptures beckon. Continue to Santa Croce Church (Basilica of the Holy Cross), famed as the “Westminster Abbey of Florence”. It is a gorgeous Florence church with frescoes by Giotto, architecture by Brunelleschi and houses the tombs of Michelangelo, Galileo and other Tuscan cultural giants.

Next, visit the Accademia Gallery, with the famous Michelangelo’s masterpiece: The David. You are able to view the museum’s other unique pieces, including a room dedicated to Michelangelo. Continue walking along the Medici Chapels and Basilica di San Lorenzo, church of the once influential Medici Family (exterior view only). Finally arrive at Piazza del Duomo and marvel at the vast Cathedral before stepping inside to admire the interior’s intricate Gothic details.

Optional Activities

• Medici Trail with Exclusive Corridoio Vasariano Visit

Florence Artwork Tour (Half Day)

Make a visit to Uffizi Gallery, one of the most beautiful and famous museums in the world boasting a hall of fame of the most important artists of all times: Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Michelangelo, Botticelli, Caravaggio and many others. Then cross the Ponte Vecchio to the opposite riverbank where Pitti Palace is located and have a glimpse of Italian royal life from the Medici times. See artwork of some of the most famous Italian painters and sculptors, as well as precious jewels.

Florence Craft Workshops Tour (Half Day)

Walk around the quaint streets and squares of the bohemian Oltrarno neighborhood and visit the many craft workshops. Visit an old atelier of art prints and engravings – a silversmith studio, a paper marbling shop where you?ll learn all about the fascinating craft. Walk through Piazza Santo Spirito, before stepping inside its main attraction – the beautiful Basilica de Santa Maria del Santo Spirito. Finally, visit the workshop of a great Florentine artist, descended from six generations of sculptors. End your day at the Mercato Nuovo (The Straw Market), home to the famous Piggy Fountain.

Optional Activities

• After-Hour Visit of Uffizi Gallery
• Fresco Workshop
• Make Your Own Perfume
• Make Your Own Gelato

Pisa Romanesque and Gothic Art Tour (Half Day)

Make a stop at Pisa and visit the world famous leaning tower. There are also some important monuments of the city such as Piazza dei Miracoli, the Dom and the Baptistery.

Lucca, the Walled Old Town Tour (Half Day)

Lucca is the only old town in Italy entirely surrounded by walls which are still very well preserved. Visit the San Frediano church with its magnificent thirteenth-century mosaic representing Christ in Majesty. Then, explore the Piazza del Anfiteatro, the most beautiful square of Lucca passing by elegant shops of Via Filungo through small medieval streets. End in the Duomo which houses the famous Volto Santo and the splendid Ilaria del Caretto sarcophagus, a masterpiece of Jacopo della Quercia. Passing Piazza Napoleone, we finally arrive at Piazza San Michele, the central civic square of Lucca since Roman times.

Cinque Terre Five Coastal Villages Excursion (Full Day)

Make a full day excursion to Cinque Terre, the 5 unique coastal villages in the region of Liguria. The coastline, five villages and the surrounding hillsides are all within a national park which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There is passenger ferry service running between the five villages: Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso, providing a different vantage point of the rugged coastline and shoreline at each village. You may try the well-laid out walking trails connecting the villages, each varying in difficulty levels.

Transfer: Hotel to Airport

Transfer to Pisa Airport for your onward journey.