Cinque Terre & North Tuscany
9 days / 8 nights From / to Florence
Florence - Lucca - Pisa - Chianti Region - San Gimignano - Siena - Viareggio
Plus: Boat trip to "Cinque Terre" & Italian Riviera
Tour limited to max 12 participants
9 days / 8 nights From / to Florence
Florence - Lucca - Pisa - Chianti Region - San Gimignano - Siena - Viareggio
Plus: Boat trip to "Cinque Terre" & Italian Riviera
Tour limited to max 12 participants
| itinerary |
ITINERARY
| Day 1 Arrival Meeting at the Florence airport (located at just few miles from the city center) in the early afternoon and transfer to your hotel, "San Luca Palace" in Lucca, where you are going to spend five nights. The hotel is located in an extraordinary centrally location within the ancient city wall. The main square, the Cathedral and the many shops and restaurants are only a footstep away. You are in a superb location perfect to enjoy the feeling of the town. Welcome dinner in a typical restaurant Day 2 Lucca Guided tour of the old town in the morning. You are going to see the best preserved city wall in Europe and other attractions like the Cathedral, the square of the amphitheater, St Michael church, the Giacomo Puccini statue and much more. Have lunch in a private villa in the middle of the Tuscan countryside, where you will taste organic extra virgin olive oil and delicious food. Visit the property and learn how olive oil is produced. Return to Lucca in the afternoon. You can have dinner in one of the many restaurants of the town center. Day 3 Florence Departure for Florence and guided tour of the capital of Tuscany. Visit the worldwide famous Academy of Fine Arts (Michelangelo's David), Ponte Vecchio, Duomo and all the many attractions of the town. Time at leisure for shopping, leather market or a stroll on the cobbled streets of the old town. Return to Lucca in the late afternoon Day 4 Cinque Terre Today you will be visiting the extraordinary Cinque Terre. You depart after breakfast for Portovenere, one of the most beautiful places on the west coast of Italy. In 1997 Portovenere and the villages of Cinque Terre were designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Enjoy a wonderful boat trip along the coast of the Cinque Terre. Your tour guide will lead you to the most beautiful spots of the coast. The boat stops in every village (except Corniglia) and you will be able to walk on the famous "Path of Love", a breathtaking path with a stunning view above the Mediterranean sea. Return to your hotel in Lucca in the late afternoon Day 5 Pisa - Viareggio - Italian riviera Guided tour of Pisa with the extraordinary Leaning Tower and the Square of Miracle, in the morning. Time for lunch in Pisa and continue to Torre del Lago, a small town located between a lake and the sea. Giacomo Puccini, the famous Italian composer, called this area "paradise". He turned an old watch tower by the lake into a villa, now a museum, and wrote many of his operas here, like Madame Butterfly, La Bohéme, Tosca. Inside you can see photos and relics from Puccini's life, his piano, period furniture, and the chapel with his tomb. Then we stop in Viareggio, which is the southernmost Italian Riviera style resort on Italy's Mediterranean coast and the largest beach town in Tuscany. Take a walk along its promenade and see the Liberty style buildings housing shops, cafes, and seafood restaurants. Return to Lucca in the afternoon and time on your own for dinner Day 6 Chianti region Departure for the Chianti region and visit the spectacular Verrazzano castle (or similar), where Giovanni da Verrazzano, who discovered the Bay of New York, was born in 1485. See the ancient wine cellar and have lunch in the middle of vineyards and olive oil trees. Continue to the tiny village of Greve in Chianti and visit the famous square the one hundred years old butcher shop. Arrival at your hotel in Colle di Val d'Elsa, which is a lovely medieval village and where you are going to spend three nights. The area was settled by man from the 4th millennium BC and it is internationally renowned for the production of crystal glassware. Day 7 San Gimignano - Wine tasting Departure for San Gimignano, famous for its tower houses dating back to medieval time and which looks like a town plucked from a fairy tale and set into the Tuscan countryside. Enjoy a stroll in this marvelous village and take your time for pictures and an Italian "gelato" in the main square. Have lunch and a wine tasting in a Tuscan farm, where you will taste some local products, like cheese, ham and much more. Return to your hotel in the afternoon and have time to walk around the lovely town of Colle di Val d'Elsa Day 8 Siena - Monteriggioni Full day visit of Siena, famous for the “Palio” race, a frenzy horse race, which is held in the main square. Guided tour of the town with the spectacular Duomo, the narrow streets and the beautiful churches. Time on your own for lunch in one of the many typical restaurants, before heading to Monteriggioni, famous for the intact defensive structure that held up against repeated Florentine attacks in the 11th century; its 30 feet high walls and 14 towers can still be seen for miles around. Monteriggioni has been featured in movies as a typical medieval village. Return to your hotel in Colle di Val d'Elsa and farewell dinner. Day 9 Departure Morning transfer to Florence airport | 9 days / 8 nights
The trip was amazing! Alex did a fantastic job of designing the trip. A few words to say how we appreciated your excellent service.. Main activities on tour:
This was our second trip to Italy. Alex was our guide the first time as well. Both trips were well planned and very informative.If you are going to visit Italy I would recommend Best Italian Vacations. |
You can add extra nights in Florence before or after the tour
and extend your stay in Italy
Please, contact us for more info
and extend your stay in Italy
Please, contact us for more info
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