13 days
Delights of Tuscany

Day 1: Florence

Upon arrival in Florence you will be transferred to your hotel. Balance of day at leisure.

Hotel: Hotel Pierre

(or similar star rating hotel)

Day 2: Florence Tour

You will be met at the hotel by your private guide. The center of Florence will be the spectacular frame for a tour dedicated to the city's glorious past and also to its stimulating present life.

A four-hour, pleasant and slowly-paced walking tour will introduce you to the most important monuments of Florence: the Cathedral with the famous Dome by Brunelleschi and the gold "Paradise" door of the Baptistry, elegant palaces, fashionable shops, and the charming narrow medieval streets.  You will also see Piazza Signoria, the political complex of Florence since the 1300's when Florence was considered the richest city in Europe, Ponte Vecchio, the bridge which attracts so much curiosity, not only to its unique charming appearance but also to the fabulous jewelry shops lining the bridge, the impressive gothic church of Santa Croce - pantheon of famous Florentines such as Michelangelo and Galileo, and then the Florence eternal masterpiece: Michelangelo's David (plus a few of his other works) in the Academy of Fine Arts Museum.

Day 3: Florentine Artisans and Tuscan Wine

You will be met at your hotel by your local English-speaking driver. In the streets between Santo Spirito and the Porta Romana gate you will discover the workshops of the local craftsman whose traditional skills are unmatched. You will see living museums of art in the areas of brass work, goldsmithing and paper making. You will have lunch at an old traditional "Trattoria".

This evening your driver will transfer you to Figline Valdarno  where you will meet with a local sommelier.

Together with the oenologist, you will discover the old-fashioned wine world like a professional. You will learn about the wine area of Tuscany, and the principal characteristics of the different wines through a guided wine tasting.

After the lesson you will enjoy dinner all together. As you enjoy the flavors of Tuscan food you will also learn how to match wines with what you are tasting.

Return to Florence for the night.

Day 4: The Wine and Cheese of the Golden Valley

After checking out of the hotel, you will depart with your driver for a full-day excursion into the Val d'Orcia: Italy's Golden Valley. A feast for the palate and the eyes all in one day!

This area's naturally beautiful landscape was sculpted during the Renaissance, not only to meet agricultural needs, but also to reflect the aesthetic sense of the period, and this concept has been maintained to the present day. The resulting landscape pleases both the eyes and the spirit of the traveler, and has in the past inspired painters and writers from around the world.

Your first stop will be the small but fascinating town of Pienza. Built almost entirely during the Renaissance, Pienza is one of the first examples of modern urban planning. While here, you will visit a local cheese laboratory to witness the traditional methods still used to produce high quality products. You will enjoy a tasting of the cheeses made here before departing with your driver for the afternoon component of your excursion.

You will arrive in Montepulciano in the afternoon, where you will have time to wander around this picturesque, walled hill town and see its Gothic and Renaissance architecture. The real reason for your visit however, is the town's famous Nobile wine, a mellow-flavored red with a mildly floral aroma that features a distinctive iridescent orange tone.

Your driver will return you to your hotel in the evening, where you will enjoy a dinner, tasting typical local dishes accompanied by a selected Nobile wine.

Continue to your accommodations in Montalcino.

Hotel: Castello di Velona (or similar star rating hotel)

Day 5: Ancient Monasteries and Brunello Wine

Your driver will pick you up after breakfast this morning to take you thorugh the Crete Senesi. These crete (clay hills)   create a surreal, moonscape effect with their rolling in serial waves all the way to the horizon in the direction of Monte Amiata.

You will stop to visit the Abbey of Monte Oliveto Maggiore, a magnificent monastic compound that features fresco cycles by Luca Signorelli and Antonio Bazzi. You will also visit the isolated Abbey of Sant'Antimo, just on the outskirts of Montalcino. An extraordinary example of Romanesque architecture in French-Lombard style, Sant'Antimo was built in the 12th and 13th centuries by Abbot Azzo dei Porcari. According to legend, it is on the site of an ancient chapel built to the orders of Charlemagne in 781. If you are lucky, you'll be in time to hear the Gregorian chanting of the resident monks.

You will then proceed to Montalcino, where you will enjoy lunch and a tasting of the town's renowned Brunello wine at a local estate. Your driver will return you to the hotel for dinner in the evening.

Day 6: Siena and the Colli Senesi

This monring afer checking out of the Castello your driver will take you to Siena.  Here you will meet your local guide for a walking tour of Siena. The walk will not be too physically challenging, and will offer a new and entertaining way to become familiar with the extraordinary beauty of this medieval town. Your route will take you away from the ordinary tourist routes, as your guide illustrates Siena's eventful past through tales of bankers, pilgrims, artists and Saints.

In the afternoon, you will depart with your driver to the Arno Valley to experience the Colli Senesi. You will arrive at a local winery for a truly unique 'tasting tour'. Beginning in the Enoteca, the first wine will be accompanied by an oil tasting and an explanation of the peculiarities of the area that combine to make the wine's distinctive flavor.

The second wine will be sampled in the estate's chapel, in an atmosphere of ancient and sacred stillness. The final wine will be sampled in the cellars themselves, paired with salami and goat cheese, as your guide explains the importance of the different types of earth on which the vineyard is cultivated.

With your driver you will continue to your hotel where you will enjoy a gala dinner with accompanying wines of the five Chianti demonminations.

Hotel:Villa La Borghetta (or similar star rating hotel)