Highlights |
| Escorted Package Includes |
| Inclusions |
- Round trip flights NYC-Florence.
Other departure cities available.
- All Transfers
- 4 nights at the Hotel Calzaiuoli in Florence
- 3 nights at the Jolly Hotel Excelsior in Siena
- 7 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 4 dinners, 1 reception
- Tour Manager throughout
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| Highlights |
- Small Groups
- Sit in on "Women in Tuscan Art & Architecture" lecture
- Tour Florence, including Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral
- Enjoy a tour of the Academy of Fine Arts, housing Michelangelo's David
- Visit the Uffizi Gallery
- Walk through the Palazzo Pitti, former home to Grand Dukes and Kings
- Learn the secrets of Italian cuisine in Siena
- Taste wines at a Brunello Estate
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One of the Western World's Leading Fine Arts Centers, Florence is a must for any traveler interested in the glorious architecture and rich culture of Italy. The city retains ties with the Renaissance and invites you to experience its galleries, sculptures, museums, churches, and palaces firsthand, perhaps stimulating a personal rebirth of sorts. After delighting in this cultural capital, travel to Siena where you'll learn the art of cooking in the heart of Tuscany as well as the secrets of viticulture amid the unspoiled wine-country of a Brunello Estate. And, as always, you'll share the experience with a group of fabulous Gutsy companions.
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Itinerary |
DAY 1, Saturday - Depart USA
Board your international flight to Florence. Your flight includes meals, drinks, and in-flight entertainment for the journey
DAY 2, Sunday - Florence
Arrive in Florence and transfer to the Hotel Calzaiuoli, located in the very heart of the city. This evening, enjoy a welcome drink and orientation meeting with your tour escort, followed by a welcome dinner
Overnight: Florence
Meals: Dinner
DAY 3, Monday - Florence City Tour
Begin the day with a lecture: Women in Tuscan Art & Architecture from the origins to early renaissance. Afterwards your city tour will take you to the church of Santa Croce, the Pantheon of Florence, where Michelangelo, Macchiavelli, Galileo Galilei are buried. Afterwards, we walk to Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral, Giotto’s Bell Tower and the Baptistery. Visit the Opera del Duomo Museum to view the original ”Gates of Paradise” by Ghiberti, Michelangelo’s last Pieta, and Donatello's Maria Maddalena. Continue to the famous Ponte Vecchio before some free time for shopping and browsing around on your own. This evening dine in countryside
Overnight: Florence
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
DAY 4, Tuesday - Museums of Florence
Today is dedicated to the most famous museums of Florence. Begin this morning with a tour of the Academy of Fine Arts and marvel at the original statue of David by Michelangelo. Visit the church and square of Santissima Annunziata before enjoying lunch in the tower of Brunelleschi. In the afternoon, visit Uffizi Gallery to enjoy the masterpieces of this world-renowned painting gallery
Overnight: Florence
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
DAY 5, Wednesday - Palazzo Pitti
The day starts with a lecture on Caterina de Medici, one of the most powerful and intriguing women of the Middle Ages. Afterwards, tour the Palazzo Pitti, the former residence first of the Grand Dukes of Tuscany and then of the Kings of Italy. It now houses important collections of paintings, sculptures and porcelains, besides offering a magnificently preserved historical ambience that extends to the Gardens of Boboli, one of the most famous Italian gardens
Overnight: Florence
Meals: Breakfast
DAY 6, Thursday - Cooking Lesson in Siena
This morning, depart Florence for San Gimignano. Enjoy this quaint medieval town, before reaching the gorgeous city of Siena. In the afternoon, learn to prepare authentic Italian dishes with the expertise of an Italian chef. Enjoy the fruits of your labor for dinner
Overnight: Siena
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
DAY 7, Friday Siena City Tour
Today, tour the city of Siena with its amazing Piazza del Campo, where the famous Palio horserace is run twice a year. Enjoy the history and stories that are linked to this race, a tradition that dates to the Middle Ages. Also learn about the city's people, the element that truly makes Siena unique. Visit the Doumo and the Galleria Piccolomini. This afternoon depart for dinner & wine tasting in the Castle of Verrazzano
Overnight: Siena
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
DAY 8, Saturday - Brunello Estate
Today is dedicated to Brunello di Montalcino, Tuscany's most prestigious wine, and its land. The morning begins with a contemplative mood and the sound of plain-chants sung by monks at the medieval Abbey of San’Antimo before a walk through the town of Montalcino. Enjoy lunch at a nearby family country restaurant before our visit to a Brunello Estate, with its acres and acres of vineyards in an unspoiled and much beloved part of central Tuscany. Enjoy a lecture presented by the wine experts as well as a tasting of the wines produced here after visiting the cellars and the vineyards. Tonight, enjoy a farewell cocktail with companions as you prepare to bid farewell to the land of Tuscany
Overnight: Siena
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Reception
DAY 9, Sunday - Depart
Say arriverderci to Italy and transfer to the airport for your return flight home.
Meals: Breakfast
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