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Tuscany & Florence ADVENTURE
Sunday, March 7 – Monday, April 15, 2027
Day 1: Sunday, March 7
ARRIVE FLORENCE TUSCANY
You will be met upon arrival at Florence Amerigo Vespucci Airport (code: FLR). Meet your Tour Director and transfer to our hotel, the intimate Borgo di Cortefreda, a family-owned, 55-room boutique hotel near the medieval village of Barberino Tavarnelle. This is the heart of Tuscany’s Chianti production region, filled with picturesque landscapes, rolling hills, olive groves, beautiful vineyards and charming hilltop towns. Enjoy a Welcome Dinner this evening. (D)
OVERNIGHT: BORGO DI CORTEFREDA (5 nights)
Day 2: Monday, March 8
COOKING CLASS / OLIVE OIL EXPERIENCE
Enjoy an Organic cooking & pasta making class and lunch. Enjoy a welcome drink while the chef discusses the class, recipe and food to be made. The restaurant staff will assist you with putting on your aprons and the cooking fun begins! At the end of the cooking class, you will get to eat and enjoy what you have prepared for lunch. Later this afternoon visit a local Olive Oil producing farm to learn how olive oil is produced. Sample some organic extra virgin olive oil, along with vinegar and Chianti Classico wine. (B,L,D)
Day 3: Tuesday, March 9
VOLTERRA & SAN GIMIGNANO:
Today we travel to Volterra, another ancient and beautiful hilltop Italian city. Enjoy some free time in Volterra then continue to a local winery for a tasting followed by lunch. This afternoon we visit San Gimignano, the epitome of a Tuscan hill town. During the Italian Renaissance period, nobles here built splendid towers to outdo one another and indulge their need for status. The medieval structures of this city have largely remained intact. San Gimignano, with its large number of art treasures, is truly considered an open-air museum. Enjoy a delicious gelato ice cream in one of the oldest gelateria in Italy that produces unique flavors. (B,L,D)
Day 4: Wednesday, March 10
MONTALCINO / WINERY / MONTEPULCIANO
Journey to Montalcino, famous all over the world for its Brunello wine, a 100% Sangiovese-based, long-aging red wine. Visit Castello Tricerchi Winery for a tour and tasting of their superb Brunellos, with local Pecorino cheeses. Walk the vineyards to enjoy the charming view surrounding the estate. See and hear about the estate’s vinification process and stroll through the barrel cellar. The tour ends with a wine tasting in the villa’s tasting room. Next visit Montepulciano, free time to explore this medieval hilltop town surrounded by vineyards, it’s known for its Vino Nobile red wine. The Torre di Pulcinella is a clock tower topped by a figure of the Pulcinella, a commedia dell’arte character. On the Piazza Grande is the 14th-century Palazzo Comunale, with a tower offering views of the surrounding countryside. Also here is the Duomo, with a huge triptych above its altar. Return to your hotel with the evening at leisure. (B)
Day 5: Thursday, March 11
TUSCANY AT LEISURE / LUCCA OPTIONAL TOUR
Today is a full day at leisure to relax or explore on your own. Perhaps join the optional tour to visit Lucca with a local guide including lunch. Explore the Old Town filled with quaint shops and Gothic palaces. Lucca’s great era was in the Gothic time just before the Renaissance, and the city contains stunning architecture from that period. Return to the Borgo de Cortefreda late this afternoon. (B)
Day 6: Friday, March 12
SIENA / CASTELLO DI ALBOLA / FLORENCE
This morning travel to Siena, the heart of Tuscany, where a local guide awaits you for a walking tour in the Old Town. The highlight is the Piazza del Campo, the seashell-shaped square on which the famous horse-race, the Palio, takes place each year. Enjoy lunch on your own. Travel to the lovely Castello di Albola Wine Estate and medieval village located in the Chianti Classico region of Tuscany. Enjoy a guided tour of the vineyards and historic cellars followed by a classic tasting of four wines paired with a typical Tuscan dinner prepared by the estate chef. Later, travel to Florence, a one-hour drive, and check into the lovely Hotel Kraft for a three-night stay. (B,D)
Overnight: HOTEL KRAFT (3 nights)
Day 7: Saturday, March 13
FLORENCE CITY SIGHTS
Today enjoy a Florence City Tour featuring a visit to the Academy Gallery to see Michelangelo’s original Statue of David, an incredible sight. View the Cathedral to see Giotto’s Bell Tower and Baptistery with its impressive ‘Gates of Paradise’. Buildings that demonstrate the traditions of Florentine art and architecture from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance. Also see the open-air museum of Piazza Della Signoria & Santa Croce, which houses the tombs of Michelangelo and Galileo. Dinner is at leisure. (B)
Day 8: Sunday, March 14
FLORENCE UFFIZI MUSEUM /AFTERNOON AT LEISURE
This morning enjoy an included visit the Uffizi Museum is located adjacent to the Piazza della Signoria in the historic center of Florence, considered one of the most important museums in the world by many. See famous and important Renaissance masterpieces by Leonardo Da Vinci, Sandro Botticelli, Michelangelo Buonarroti, Giotto, Caravaggio and many more. Two of the most famous paintings in the Uffizi are the Annunciazione (Leonardo Da Vinci) and the Nascita di Venere (Sandro Botticelli). The rest of the afternoon is free to explore Florence as you wish. Maybe enjoy lunch and an espresso at a local cafe or restaurant, shop the boutiques or stroll along the Ponte Vecchio. Our Farewell Dinner tonight will be at a fine local restaurant. (B,D)
Day 9: Monday, March 15
DEPART FLORENCE
Ciao! Transfer to Florence Amerigo Vespucci Airport (code: FLR) for your flight home with wonderful memories of Tuscany and Florence OR join the 3-night optional tour extension to Rome. (B)
Optional 3-Night Rome Tour
Monday, March 15 – Thursday, March 18, 2027
Day 9: Monday, March 15
DEPART FLORENCE / ASSISI / ROME
Travel south today into the Umbrian countryside to the beautiful hilltop town of Assisi, a well-preserved medieval hill town designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its art and architecture, and the hometown of St. Francis, the revered patron saint of animals and founder of the Franciscan order. Enjoy a guided walking tour to visit both the upper and lower parts of the great Basilica of St. Francis. St. Francis was born here in 1182. Later travel to the ‘Eternal City’ of Rome and the capital of Italy. Check into your hotel for a 3-night stay. This evening is at leisure. (B)
Overnight: Leon’s Place Hotel or similar (3 nights)
Day 10: Tuesday, March 16
ROME CITY TOUR / THE COLOSSEUM / FAREWELL DINNER
Enjoy a guided Rome driving and walking tour. Board the motorcoach for a relaxing, panoramic driving tour of Imperial Rome to see some of the highlights of the city such as the Roman Forum, the Arch of Constantine, Circus Maximus, Piazza Venezia, the Pantheon and more. Walk in the footsteps of ancient gladiators during an in-depth visit inside the Colosseum. Enjoy a Farewell Dinner this evening at a local restaurant. (B,D)
Day 11: Wednesday, March 17
VATICAN / ST. PETERS BASILICA
This morning visit the Vatican Museums offering a massive collection of ancient Greek sculptures, medieval tapestries and Renaissance paintings and an opportunity to see the Sistine Chapel and Michelangelo’s mural of The Last Judgement. Next, visit St. Peters Basilica, see Michelangelo’s Pieta, sculpted when he was just 24 years old, as well as Bernini’s seven story bronze canopy located above the main altar. The rest of the day is at leisure for independent sightseeing and to explore Rome as you wish. Indulge in an espresso in the Piazza Navona, shopping along Via del Corso Street or maybe walk up the Spanish Steps. (B)
Day 12: Thursday, March 18
DEPART ROME
After breakfast transfer to Leonardo da Vinci Fiumicino Airport (code: FCO) for your flight home. (B)