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LIGURIA


Vernazza


Monterosso al Mare


Cinque Terre Portovenere Lucca Florence TUSCANY ITALY Carrara Colonnata


Tuscany & Cinque Terre 8 Days / 7 Nights from $3,990 plus airfare


1. RENAISSANCE REVIVAL IN FLORENCE Tour begins: 3:00 PM at Gallery Hotel Art, Florence. Look for us at the Peretola Airport for your included transfer to the hip and hot Gallery Hotel Art, where the art of hospitality is redefined. Tuscany’s “al fresco” museum, Florence itself is a work of art, blending red-tiled rooftops with a maze of medieval alleyways that lead to buildings resplendent with Renaissance brilliance, inside and out. Freshen up for a fresh look at Florence through the eyes of our local guide; walk along the Arno, mingle with memories of the Medici in the San Lorenzo area and see the massive duomo of Santa Maria del Fiore. Cocktails and canapés follow back at the hotel – you’ll dine at a riverside restaurant across the Ponte Vecchio. The restaurant is lively, the views wonderful, the conversation fascinating... Benvenuti in Italia! Meals D


2. THE HEART OF ART Culturious insights paint an intimate portrait of master artists today. Meet a Florentine art history scholar who shares stories about the artists who used city landmarks as their palette as she provides a “tell all” on Michelangelo during an exclusive insider lecture. Then it’s off to the Uffizi, built centuries ago by the Medici as an office building and to house their private collection. Today, it’s home to works you’ve perhaps seen replicated in books and prints, depicting the genius of such


“This trip was absolutely wonderful and so much more than we ever imagined. I think I used the word ‘magical’ 100 times! Everything was


extraordinary... each day was filled with so much information, and then free time; it was the perfect way to spend a vacation. Yes, it was a vacation, but it was more of a life-changing experience!





luminaries as Raphael, Leonardo da Vinci and more; wait until you feast your eyes on the originals, including Botticelli’s Birth of Venus and Michelangelo’s Doni Tondo, nestled in a frame he also designed. The star-studded parade of head-turning art continues during your visit to the Galleria dell’Accademia, where the statue of David reigns as a study in artistic perfection. By midday you’ll understand how art and history are inextricably intertwined in Florence. Look around the city on your own – look carefully at the sculptures that stand throughout city squares, you just might catch them moving as they entertain passers-by – before joining us for a very handy lesson in some basic Italiano. Buona giornata! Meals B


Call your travel agent or Culturious at 800-788-7885 – Chris and Frank Grasso, CT


3. LIVING THE FLORENTINE LIFE Walk along the cobbled streets of the Oltrarno to the artisans’ workshops in the old San Niccolò district; here they ply trades that date back centuries. By special appointment, Culturious takes you inside two working restoration studios to meet the people behind the art. Art Restoration Specialist Bettina Schindler-Pratesi, a teacher and a talented artist, gives new life to antiques dressed in ivory, bone and mother-of-pearl. Next door, see a multitude of locals at work restoring and immortalizing art from all genres; their meticulous expertise deftly erases the ravages of time, preventing the art from fading into oblivion. A short drive to the Basilica of Santa Croce, eternal resting


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