ItalyTourTravel

Tuscany and Umbria, Italy Tour

Book This Tour Now

Day 1:
Arrive at the Pisa airport and drive to the fairyland town of San Gimignano, exploring the ancient streets, mysterious medieval towers and beautifully restored squares, monuments and palaces.

Day 2:
We continue to tour lovely San Gimignano. Also, we will visit the hilltop town of Volterra, once a Stone Age settlement, where we can see Etruscan and Roman ruins dating back thousands of years.

Day 3:
We head south today to the hillside wine town of Montalcino, where we will taste the excellent red wine, Brunello, within the walls of a wonderfully preserved 14th century fortress. After lunch we take a drive through the Tuscan hills to our villa for the next three days - an old Tuscan palace surrounded by hills and vineyards. We will be treated to an authentic Tuscan cooking class and dine in grand style on the beautiful villa terrace.

Day 4:
On this day we visit the famous Orvieto wine region and have a tour and wine tasting. We will also visit the famous Duomo with its unusual green and white marble stripes and then explore the medieval quarter, with picturesque narrow streets and enticing restaurants and boutiques, selling the famed Orvieto ceramics. Dinner once again is at our villa.

Day 5:
Today we visit the beautiful hilltop town of Montepulciano. We sample excellent local wines, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. This walled town has much to see, including the 9th century Porta al Prato gate and the 14th century convent Sant'Agnese. After Montepulciano, we visit the tiny town of Pienza with its amazing gourmet food shops. We will take home countless samples of cheeses, breads, extra-virgin olive oil, local black Umbrian truffles, homemade pastas, anitpasti and brusetta - making the perfect spread for a picnic!

Day 6:
Today we travel to Spello, in the heart of Umbria, and arrive at a beautiful old palace, where we will be staying for the next few nights. We will visit Perugia and walk through the ancient and fascinating city with a local Italian guide.

Day 7:
Today we visit the quaint but celebrated town of Assisi with its great Basilica di San Francesco and sublime paintings by Giotto and Pietro Lorenzetti. Dinner will be accompanied with a lesson on discovering the best Umbrian wines for each course.

Book This Tour Now

Day 8:
Today we drive south through the Montefalco wine region to Spoleto with its bustling medieval streets, superb museums and Romanesque monuments. We return to our Spello palace for an Umbrian feast.

Day 9:
Our next destination brings us back to Tuscany, to the hill town of Cortona, celebrated in Frances Mayes' Under the Tuscan Sun. After lunch in this delightful medieval town, we drive to the heart of the beautiful Chianti wine region. This is where we will spend the next two nights in a lovely 18th century villa and have an opportunity to visit the wineries that produce the famous Chianti Classico wine. In the evening, we enjoy a special wine tasting dinner in an old palace, now a wonderful restaurant with a renowned chef.

Day 10:
On this day a local guide takes us on a walking tour of the ancient city of nearby Siena, which is a dazzling maze of medieval streets, churches, shops and the beautiful Piazza del Campo. Our tour takes us through the most elegant rooms, decorated with superb frescoes and priceless paintings. The Siena cathedral, a 12th century light and dark marble masterpiece, will also amaze you.

Day 11:
Our final two days are spent in Florence, birthplace of the Renaissance. Our Florentine guide takes us to the most outstanding sights - the fabulous Duomo, Campanile and Baptistry, Santa Croce church, the Piazza della Signoria, the Palazzo Vecchio and the Ponte Vecchio. Spend your time in museums or trattorias. After a wonderful farewell Tuscan dinner, we take a last stroll before retiring for the evening.

Day 12:
After breakfast, we head for the Pisa airport and the flight home.