Tuscany and Cinque Terre
Day 1: Florence
Arrive Florence and check in to your quaint and comfortable hotel
in the heart of the old city. After lunch your guide will meet you
in your hotel's lobby and take you to visit the top sights of Florence.
Your guide will lead you through 2000 years of tumultuous history.
Your walk through this many layered city's streets will spark discussions
about the patrons and artists that created the masterpieces you will see.
Your guide will tell you about astounding events that shocked the Florentines.
Immerse yourself in history and listen
to medieval stories with a three hour stroll around Florence’s
essential sights.Your tour will touch on all the figures that make
up the fascinating fabric of Florence's history: Michelangelo, the
Medici family, DaVinci, Botticelli, Savonarola and many more!
You will see famous sculptures, frescoes and paintings in the Duomo,
Santa Trinita, and Orsanmichele. You will also see the Baptistery,
Bell Tower, Gates
of Paradise, Brunelleschi’s Dome, Vasari’s Corridor, Piazza della
Signoria, Palazzo Vecchio, Medieval towers, Ponte Vecchio, Renaissance Palaces,
famous shopping streets and other sights.
Day 2: Florence
Today, you will continue exporing Florence with your guide. You'll visit the famous Uffizi museum. With your advance reservations you will bypass the line. Your guide will help you understand the masterpieces in this world famous Museum with great stories about the artists that changed art forever. Listen to techniques that will change the way you look at art and help make sense of the Renaissance. Hear why these famous artworks and the gallery were created. All this and more when you discover the highlights of the Uffizi Gallery with our fascinating and exclusive introduction to Renaissance art and famous artists. Afterward you'll stroll over to the Accademia museum to see Michelangelo's masterpiece, The David. Once again your advance reservations will take you straight into the museum so that no time is wasted. Your guide will help you place the David in the context of everything you've learned in Florence.
Afternoon is free for you to shop and decompress or maybe stroll up to Piazza Michelangelo to take some photos of the famous Florence skyline.
Day 3: Tuscan Countryside near Florence
This morning meet your small group in Florence for your transfer to the estate of a breathtaking renaissance villa. After a wine-tasting, you will head to a century old monastery where you will start the hands-on cooking lesson and prepare homemade ravioli and tagliatelle from scratch. Then your guide-chef will set the table and serve antipasti and other local treats for your enjoyment. After lunch, relax on the lawn, chat at the table while having espresso the Italian way. In the late afternoon you will be transferred back to Florence for a final evening of shopping and dining or strolling along the Arno river.
Day 4: Cinque Terre
This morning take a taxi to the train station to catch your train to the Cinque Terre (about 3 hours). Upon arrival in one of the five tiny towns check in to your hotel. This afternoon you can hike and explore these five jewels of the Italian Riviera.
Another option is to travel by boat along the coast, and from here you can really appreciate what the fisherman have seen everyday for centuries. You can also go by sea to the islands off the Cinque Terre and then back to cruise the full coastline. Aside from swimming and soaking in the atmosphere of unspoiled fishing villages, the most popular activity in the Cinque Terre is hiking from one village to the next along centuries-old goat paths. Trails plunge through vineyards and groves of olive and lemon trees and hug seaside cliffs, affording heart-stopping views of the coast and the romantic little villages looming ahead in the distance. The well-signposted walks from village to village range in degree of difficulty and the length of time it takes to traverse them, but as a loose rule they get longer and steeper -- and more rewarding -- the farther north you go.
Day 5: Cinque Terre
Take a hike! Do part or all of the Cinque Terre hike (total hike: 10 miles). We suggest taking the train from Monterosso to the first town, Riomaggiore. Get off train and hike from Riomaggiore until you are tired. Stop for lunch and exploring along the way in the towns. You can take the train back to Monterosso from any of the towns. Trains run about every 45 minutes.
Day 6: Siena
This morning your driver will pick you up at your hotel in Monterosso. He will take you to the town of San Gimignano for a tour and lunch on the way to Siena. After checking in to your hotel the afternoon on your own to explore to relax, shop or explore Siena.
Day 7: Siena
Today, meet up with your guide and tour the sights of Siena. Siena
preserves its medieval character to a remarkable degree, and has been
largely
unspoiled by new buildings. Its beautiful Gothic buildings include
the Cathedral and Palazzo Pubblico, as well as numerous churches.
The delightful Sienese school of paint ing produced, in the First half
of the 14C, masterpieces by Duccio di Buoninsegna, Simone Martini,
and Pietro and Ambrogio Lorenzetti, all of whose work is well represented
in the Pinacoteca, Palazzo Pubblico, and Museo dell'Opera del Duomo.
The Campo is one of the most remarkable squares in Italy. The seventeen
Contrade or wards into which the town is divided still manage to play
an active part in the life of the city, culminating in the famous Palio
horserace which has survived as perhaps the most spectacular annual
festival in Italy, in which the whole city participates.Your guide will
leave you at the home of one of Siena's Grandes Dames where you will
enjoy Prosecco and antipasti on her magnificent terrace overlooking
the city. Get to know a real Sienese and see her gorgeous home in an
ancient palazzo.
Day 8: Montepulciano
Today, your driver will take you to explore the Monastery of Sant'Antimo where
you can hear the Gregorian chant at 2:45pm. After you will visit and
tour Montepulciano. Montepulciano - is a dignified and interesting
hilltop town commanding the southeast part of Tuscany
near the Umbrian border.
It is particularly well preserved and has many handsome 16th century
palaces, including some by Antonio da Sangallo il Vecchio who also
built the
Tempio di San Biagio here.
The area is noted for its red wines, the most famous being the Vino
Nobile di Montepulciano. You will stroll its steep streets stopping
to sample some wines in the local wine shops. End your tour at the
fascinating church of San Biagio and enjoy a spectacular dinner at
one of our favorite local restaurants. Afterwards your driver will
take you back to Siena and your hotel.
Day 9: Wine Touring Day: Greve, Panzano and Castellina
This morning Cartolina Tours' wine sommelier will pick you up at
your hotel and take you on a journey to the nearby villages. The drive
on
the motorway will give you the opportunity to take in the beauty of
the verdant Tuscan countryside, undulating hills, and a tapestry of
landscapes steeped in history. In Greve, the atmosphere of the
village will enchant you with its beautiful square surrounded by curious
balconies overhanging two wings of arcades converging on Santa Croce
Church. Here you will visit a famous butcher shop, where your guide
will tell you about the region's cheeses and meats.
You will continue
your drive to the next village, Panzano, where you will visit and taste
wines at a wonderful winery. After the tasting you will stop to a second
winery for the balsamic vinegar & 
vin
santo wine. Then you will drive to Castellina in Chianti for lunch.
After lunch you will visit a third winery for a guided tour and tasting.
Afterward your driver will leave you at your new hotel near Pienza.
Day 10: Pienza and Montechiello
Today, explore this very cute little town with it's artisinal cheese shop, lovely pottery, and traditional cobbler. Head to Montechiello by lunchtime for your wine pairing lunch at one of Cartolina Tours' favorite dining spots in all of Italy. Our friend and wine sommelier, has prepared your special menu.
Day 11: Cooking Class - Montalcino
Today, depart Montalcino at 9:45 a.m. Learn the culinary secrets of Authentic Southern Tuscany at a winery near Montepulciano. Your hands-on lesson begins at 10:30. With well-known local chef you'll prepare Sienese specialties that combine the season's freshest ingredients, straight from the estate. After the lesson you'll visit the wine cellars for an introduction to Tuscan wines and a demonstration of how they are bottled. Lunch with wine follows, after which you will receive a certificate of participation.
Day 12: Departure
Transfer to the airport or train station for your trip home or on to your next destination.