Tuscany & the CinqueTerre A CULTURAL WALKING ADVENTURE
Your Classic Journey is carefully planned, but
it’s not carved in stone. If a fisherman offers us a boat ride, we take it. If it’s market day, we
shop it. If dragging our heels a little on a
coastal path will get us to the fishing village right at the “golden hour,” we’ll dawdle.
We’re flexible—just like the Tuscans.
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Drinking in the sunset and the Chianti at our friend Marco’s farmhouse,we decided that Tuscany couldn’t be improved upon. Since he’s a staunchTuscan, he surprised us by saying, “Then you’ve never been to the CinqueTerre.” So we went.They’re not far, these five once almost unreachable villages that grow out of rock along the Ligurian Sea. For centuries, a connecting footpath was their lifeline, but for us it’s the scenic route into a remote and vibrant coastal culture. Beforehand,we spend four nights in the parts ofTuscany we love best… complete with hilltowns that rise out of silver-green olive groves,homemade prosciutto and potato ravioli and the sunny vineyards of Chianti.Throughout,we’ll explore the art history, and savor the food and wine. But in the end, will you preferTuscany or the Cinque Terre?The good news is that because this trip gives you both, you don’t have to decide.
ITINERARY
We gather in Florence (1 night) for a glorious afternoon stroll and settle into our palazzo- turned-hotel. Our first morning, we visit an artisan who crafts terra cotta pots by hand. In the nearby countryside, a shepherd shows how he makes sheep’s-milk cheeses…and a chance to sample some of the traditional specialties. A walk leads to our hotel—a palace that once belonged to the noble Ricasoli family (3 nights).
In the lovely Chianti hills, a vineyard walk ends with a home-cooked lunch and wine-tasting in the private cellars of Castello della Paneretta. San Gimignano, fortified with more than a dozen medieval towers, shimmers in the near distance as we approach along a rural footpath.
Along the Apuane mountains, we drive to Santa Margherita (3 nights), where our hotel overlooks the Ligurian Sea. By day, we walk to the colorful, isolated villages of the Cinque Terre—Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Rio Maggiore—with time for shopping or a picnic. (Or skip the walking, and take the little coastal train that runs between the villages.) A day’s exploration includes the tiny monastery of St. Fruttuoso, reachable only by foot or boat, and after a seaside lunch, we sail to Portofino. On the final day, our time together ends in Pisa.
*Check our website as we frequently add departures.
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For information or reservations
| 800-200-3887or
ClassicJourneys.com
Tour Dates* April 10-17 May 8-15 May 22-29 June 5-12 July 3-10 August 7-14 September 4-11 September 18-25 October 2-9
Trip Length: 8 days/7 nights
Price: From $3995 (includes all breakfasts, 1 lunch and 6 dinners)
Single Supplement: $695 Begins: Florence Ends: Pisa
Other Tours in Tuscany: Family Journey pg 41. Culinary pg 48.
Milan Florence Portofino Cinque Terre
Pisa San Gimignano
Florence
Rome
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LUXURY WALKING FAVORITE
A FORBES TRAVELER
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