Itinerary

DAY 1

Arrive in FLORENCE AND TRANSFER TO CASTEL MONASTERO FOR HOTEL CHECK-IN

A hosted welcome dinner in the “La Cantina”  - A Gordon Ramsay restaurant that is actually in a medieval wine cellar

DAY 2

Full Day Tour - SAN GIMIGNANO, LUNCH & WINE TASTING, MONTERIGGIONI

Buffet breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to San Gimignano, a small walled medieval town, famous for its medieval architecture, especially its towers, which may be seen from several kilometers outside the town.  In fact, San Gimignano has managed to preserve fourteen towers of various heights which have become its international symbol.

Enjoy a 2-hour walking tour with private English speaking guide. The tour continues to a Tenuta, which is a great wine producer of the area; visit followed by lunch with wine tasting. Following lunch, transfer to Monteriggioni, a perfectly preserved walled town, where you can enjoy the afternoon at your own leisure. The small, timeless town of Monteriggioni is one of the best preserved Italian medieval walled towns, where art, history and countryside work together to produce a rare example of natural beauty. The majestic fortress walls in fact stand on a gently sloping hill clad with olive groves and vineyards.

Transfer back to the hotel for dinner on your own.

DAY 3

Full Day Tour - GREVE; VISIT TO A BUTCHER IN PANZANO; WINES OF A TUSCAN CASTLE

Buffet breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to Greve for a visit of this typical Chianti town and its characteristic street market. Following the visit, stop for lunch at the famous “Butcher of Panzano”.   Enjoy the well-known “Solo-Ciccia” menu, an authentic Tuscan delight with meat and vegetable delicacies, homemade focaccia and bread; the all accompanied by Vittorio’s wine (a quarter liter).

In the afternoon, visit a beautiful castle in Chianti which is also an excellent wine producer: included is a guided visit of its vineyards, followed by a visit of the prestigious wine cellars, and of course a tasting of the best wines produced in the winery.

Transfer back to the hotel and dinner on your own.

DAY 4

Full Day Tour - COOKING CLASS AND LUNCH IN PIENZA; WINE TASTING IN MONTALCINO

Buffet breakfast at the hotel.  Transfer to a small organic farm just outside Pienza, dedicated to helping guests get closer to the source of their food. Upon arrival enjoy a guided tour with the owners.  Besides all the fresh from the ground vegetables, grains for making daily bread and meat from their own animals, they also offer a variety of high-value products such as extra virgin olive oil, pasta, canned vegetables, honey, sheep and goat cheese.

Then it is time to get started with a hands-on cooking lesson during which you will prepare a home-cooked Tuscan meal like a local: first course, second course, side dish and the typical Tuscan dessert: Tiramisu. Enjoy the lunch you have prepared accompanied by local wines and an espresso coffee after your meal.

After lunch transfer to a winery outside Montalcino. Enjoy a guided tour and visit of the historical palace and wine cellar. The guided visit is followed by a delicious wine tasting of 3 different wines.

In the afternoon return transfer to the hotel and time at your own leisure. Dinner on your own.

DAY 5

Full Day Tour - A VIEW OF SIENA FROM THE SKY: BALLONING OVER CHIANTI AND SIENA

Rise up gently from the ground and discover Tuscany from an alternative perspective – a hot air balloon!  Fly over the legendary Chianti landscape with its hilltop towns, castles, valleys, famous vineyards, and mixed woodlands.

After a 30-minute orientation and inflation of the balloon, enjoy one of the most panoramic flight experiences of your life. After your flight, enjoy a marvelous champagne breakfast prepared with local ingredients.

Following the ballooning experience, transfer to Siena and fall in love with the town with a 3-hour guided walking tour of the city center.

Siena, like many other Tuscan hill towns, was first settled in the time of the Etruscans and later prospered as a city-state, becoming a major center of money lending and a major hub in the wool-trade.  The period of the early 1200’s was crucial in shaping the Siena we know today and it was during this period that the majority of the construction of the Siena Cathedral was completed.  It was also during this period that the Piazza del Campo, (home of the famous Palio horse race), now regarded as one of the most beautiful civic spaces in Europe, grew in importance as the center of secular life. The picturesque city has been declared by UNESCO a World Heritage Site. You will visit the headquarters of a Contrada, with its museum and its history.

Following the tour, sit down and enjoy a traditional lunch in a local restaurant.

Transfer back to the hotel for dinner on your own.

DAY 6

Full Day Tour - CORTONA & AREZZO

Buffet breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to the town of Cortona for a 3-hour guided tour: the art, history and culture of this town are a true representation of the “classic Tuscan life. The city is enclosed by stone walls dating back to Etruscan and Roman times. Thanks to its dominant position, you can admire a spectacular view over the surrounding valley and even the Lake Trasimeno, one of Italy’s biggest lakes. Visit the Etruscan Academy Museum of the City of Cortona.

Lunch on your own in Cortona, then it’s off to Arezzo, a charming historic town, where you can stroll along small alleys and quiet streets with nice panoramic views. Guided tour through its medieval square Piazza Grande with its well preserved, characteristic gothic Palazzi and the Romanesque church of Santa Maria della Pieve with its high tower called “100 buche” and the gothic Duomo of San Donato.

Later in the afternoon, transfer back to the hotel for dinner on your own.

DAY 7

Full Day Tour – COOKING CLASS IN A TUSCAN VILLA

Enjoy a day in the splendid “Il Palagio” private property owned by Sting, with a welcome aperitif, tour of the vineyards and gardens, “Rustic Tuscan meal” cooking class and lunch accompanied by “Il Palagio” wines, ending with a visit to its farm shop.

The Villa is perched elegantly at the top of a long private drive, in a rural area surrounded by vast woodlands and offers an extraordinary panorama of vineyards and cypress trees, typical of this Tuscan hilly area.  Private estates, rustic farmhouses, and small villages of extraordinary charm overlook the distant hills and the typical Tuscan undulating countryside. The nearby medieval town of Figline Val D’Arno was known as the “Barn of Florence” for its abundant corn supplies: wine, olive oil, peaches and cherries have been growing here for centuries.

A hosted farewell dinner in the “La Cantina”  - A Gordon Ramsay restaurant that is actually in a medieval wine cellar

DAY 8

Depart for FLORENCE AIRPORT OR CONTINUE ON WITH POST-TRIP TO ROME

*The date selection for each experience will be coordinated based on the availability of the providers (wineries, cooking classes, ballooning tour etc. etc.)

The package includes the following services:

• City tax for 7 nights
• Tour leader Day 1 – Day 8 including travel expenses and expenses related to accommodation, meals and the like.
• A welcome and farewell dinner at  a La Cantina -  a Gordon Ramsay inspired restaurant.
• 6 full day tours with private bus
• Tour of a winery and lunch with wine tasting, San Gimignano
• Tour of winery with wine tasting, Chianti
• Lunch at the Butcher- Panzano
• Visit and cooking course followed by lunch, wine included, Pienza
• Tour of a winery with tastings, Montalcino
• Cooking course at “Il Palagio” – Figline Val d’Arno
• Ballooning tour in Chianti
• Guided tour of the museum of a Contrada, Siena
• English speaking guide, San Gimignano ( 2 hours )
• English speaking guide, Siena ( 3 hours )
• English speaking guide, Cortona ( 3 hours )
• English speaking guide, Arezzo ( 3 hours )
• Advanced purchase & admission fee, Etruscan Museum