DAY 1 - ARRIVAL IN FLORENCE You should arrive at the airport to take your flight. On arrival, a coach will take you to Florence and our hotel where we stay for three nights on a bed and breakfast basis, either at the three-star superior rated Hotel Corona D’Italia, ideally located in the San Lorenzo district of the city, ten minutes walk from the Cathedral. The hotel has a bar and breakfast room. Or at the four-star rated Grand Hotel Mediterraneo. This hotel enjoys an enviable position on the banks of the River Arno, close to the Piazza Santa Croce and well located for access into the historical centre.
DAY 2 - FLORENCE & THE UFFIZI GALLERY After breakfast you have a guided walking tour of Florence, “pearl of the Renaissance”, a superb and beautiful city and deservedly on the traveller’s map since the days of the Grand Tour. The sights are legendary and you see some of the
best of them: the Cathedral – which can house a congregation of thousands and the Baptistry – the oldest building in the city. You will also see the Ponte Vecchio – the superb bridge over the river Arno, lined with goldsmiths and a symbol of the city itself. During the afternoon you have a reserved visit to the Uffizi art gallery where superlatives are the minimum expressions you can use to describe its phenomenal collection.
DAY 3 - LUCCA & PISA After breakfast you leave for Lucca, birthplace of the great composer Puccini, a delightful city where you can wander amongst the medieval streets, tiny piazzas and along the ramparts circling the city. Its Cathedral is outstanding and famous as one of the most intricate in Tuscany. Then you take the short drive to Pisa where nothing can prepare the visitor for the almost shock-like impact of its bizarre leaning tower! We then return to our hotel.
DAY 4 - FREE DAY IN FLORENCE Florence will amaze you and there is so much to see, yet being medieval it is also so compact. Today you are free to explore this wonderful city of the Renaissance. There is the Accademia, the oldest art school in the world which houses Michelangelo’s David, one of the world’s finest sculptures; the Archaeological museum containing an outstanding collection of exhibits; the Science museum which contains many of Galileo’s telescopes together with the world’s first adding machine. Situated in the medieval heart of the city is the
magnificent Cathedral, dominating the skyline, some of which dates from the 4th century. Built from white, green and pink marble it glows in the sunshine and the richness of the interior is remarkable with beautiful frescoes and an amazingly intricate marble pavement. At the end of the day you drive to one of our carefully selected four star rated hotels in Tuscany for the next four nights on half board. The Park Hotel Le Fonti, partly converted from
an old farm, is set on the edge of the Old Town of Volterra with spectacular views over the surrounding countryside. The Palazzo San Lorenzo is set right in the heart of the town of Colle di Val d’Elsa, known as the ‘City of Crystal’. Hotel IL Piccolo Castello is situated in its own grounds close to the walled hilltop town of Monteriggioni. Built on one level around a central garden the hotel is decorated with traditional frescoes and is a lovely relaxing base.
DAY 5 - SAN GIMIGNANO & VOLTERRA After breakfast you start to explore the rural Tuscany of undulating hillsides, isolated farmhouses surrounded by tall cypress trees, biscuit and ochre coloured valleys. You soon arrive in one of Italy’s most beautiful villages, San Gimignano, with its stunning skyline of thirteen towers, built by rival
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nobles during the 13th century, it evokes images of medieval Tuscany perhaps better than any anywhere else in the province. This wondrous village is delightfully rural and it is lovely to just wander through its cobbled streets, take in the view and simply absorb its atmosphere. Volterra, is a typical Tuscan town, dramatically situated high on a hill, commanding dramatic views of the countryside
and surrounded by immense stone ramparts. The small historic centre is a maze of narrow
cobbled streets surrounded by the high buildings so typical of Italy. Street life revolves around the main Piazza, one of the finest and best preserved in Tuscany, and beautifully atmospheric, especially during the evening when the locals, often entire families, meet and seemingly argue about the day’s events. What could be finer than to sip a glass of wine as the sun goes down and absorb this wonderful ambience?
DAY 6 - SIENA After breakfast we take the short drive to Siena, one of the finest medieval cities in the world which was, during the 12th and 13th centuries one of its richest and a similar size to Paris! An unrivalled period of building took place and the palaces, grandiose townhouses and spacious piazzas you see today, were created. The main square, the Campo, is widely acknowledged as one of the world’s finest! Unusually formed in a half-moon shape, the square is surrounded by tall and centuries old buildings, all very different and yet also harmonious. With its abundance of pavement cafés, just enjoy a coffee and reflect on all the visitors who preceded you. Perhaps the finest place to
visit in Siena is its outstanding Cathedral, one of Italy’s greatest. Built from black and white marble it has some of the most intricate carvings imaginable, some of which are by the great master himself, Michelangelo. The floor is a revelation, laid with countless thousands of interlocking stones, creating a unique inlaid surface at which, one can only marvel at the sheer skill of its creators. We will have a guided tour of the city and during the afternoon you are free to explore as you wish.
DAY 7 - FREE DAY Today, you have a free day to explore as you wish. So what is it to be? A stroll around the village, a coffee in the main square watching the world go by or just catch up on some reading - the choice is yours.
DAY 8 - RETURN FLIGHT The coach will return us to the airport at the appropriate time to take our return flight.
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