Italy - Tuscany Umbria and Florence

ITALY - TUSCANY UMBRIA & FLORENCE
09 DAYS FROM $3,290 US
Details below or click here for more information INQUIRY FORM
Phone: 1-888-682-6449/1-303-670-5640
Fax: (425) 984-7676

Stroll around charming medieval hilltop towns and experience the rich cultural legacy of the great art masters on this Tuscany, Umbria, and Florence tour. Step back into the Middle Ages in villages such as Siena, Cortona, and San Gimignano. See amazing frescoes and learn the secrets of chocolate-making in Perugia, and visit the Basilica in Assisi where St. Francis is buried. Enjoy the refined sights in Florence, including Michelangelo’s sculpture of David. Tour the Uffizi Gallery with a local guide, and enjoy a cooking demonstration in Cortona, and a wine-tasting in Tuscany.

Day 1: Rome to Siena
Tour departs 10:00 a.m. from Rome's Leonardo da Vinci Airport in Fiumicino. Drive along scenic country roads and stop for lunch and a walking tour in Pienza, en route to hilltop Siena for a two-night stay in a grand hotel in the heart of town. Get to know your travel companions at the welcome reception and dinner tonight.
Meals: Lunch, dinner
Lodging: Grand Hôtel Continental, Siena, Italy

Day 2: Experience the grandeur of Siena
Like Rome, Siena was built atop seven hills. Join a local expert for a walking tour through the ancient town, visiting the historic Piazza del Campo and the Duomo, among the greatest cathedrals in Italy. Spend the rest of the day exploring Siena's maze of narrow medieval streets as you please.
Meals: Breakfast
Lodging: Grand Hôtel Continental, Siena, Italy

Day 3: San Gimignano sights and a dine-around in Florence
Travel to San Gimignano today, one of the best-preserved medieval towns in Tuscany. View its iconic towers – built as both private fortresses and as symbols of wealth – on a guided tour; after lunch, enjoy a wine-tasting at a local vineyard. Journey through the Tuscan countryside to legendary Florence for a three-night stay; experience a dine-around tonight in the "birthplace of the Renaissance."
Meals: Breakfast, dinner
Lodging: Hotel Bernini Palace, Florence, Italy

Day 4: Michelangelo's David and more in Florence
A lecture by a noted art historian enhances your guided tour of Florence's celebrated Galleria dell’Accademia, the first art school in Europe; marvel at Michelangelo’s marble statue of David, standing nearly 17 feet tall, among many other masterworks. Your Florence tour continues as you visit the city's food markets with a local guide, then spend a free afternoon and evening exploring on your own.
Meals: Breakfast
Lodging: Hotel Bernini Palace, Florence, Italy

Day 5: Discovering the Uffizi and Florence at leisure
As you tour the Uffizi Gallery – the oldest art gallery in the world – with a local guide this morning, you'll gaze in wonder at works by Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Michelangelo, Sandro Botticelli, Rembrandt and more. The rest of your day is free to spend in Florence, pursuing what interests you most.
Meals: Breakfast
Lodging: Hotel Bernini Palace, Florence, Italy

Day 6: Tuscan cooking class
Travel to the Etruscan hill town of Cortona, featured in the movie, Under the Tuscan Sun. Take a walking tour through the maze of medieval streets, and stop at the Museo Diocesano to see some fine paintings including Fra Angelico's Annunciation. Learn about the cuisine of Tuscany at a cooking demonstration and lunch at a gastronomic school in a 15th-century house. Continue on to Perugia, where your home for the next three nights is a luxury hilltop hotel overlooking the Umbrian valley below.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch
Lodging: Hotel Brufani Palace, Perugia, Italy

Day 7: The Pleasures of Perugia
Perugia is one of the oldest inhabited cities in Italy, dating back to prehistoric times. A guided walking tour of the Umbrian capital reveals the wonderful examples of medieval architecture within its city walls; see the 15th-century Oratorio di San Bernardino and the cathedral where a Renaissance painting is credited with miracles, and two popes are buried in the transepts. The town is known around the world for its chocolate; attend a demonstration this afternoon where you'll learn the secrets of making this delectable treat! Cap the day with a candlelight dinner at La Taverna, famous for both its romantic ambiance and its mouth-watering desserts.
Meals: Breakfast, dinner
Lodging: Hotel Brufani Palace, Perugia, Italy

Day 8: Discover Assisi and Perugia
Visit the medieval town of Assisi, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A highlight is a visit to the Basilica di San Francesco, the burial place of St. Francis, beloved patron saint of animals and the most famous native of this historic town. Enjoy free time in Assisi, then return to Perugia; located high on a hill, the city has been ruled by the Etruscans and the Romans, and was once under direct control of the Papal State. As your Tuscany, Umbria and Florence tour draws to a close, please join us this evening for a farewell reception and dinner.
Meals: Breakfast, dinner
Lodging: Hotel Brufani Palace, Perugia, Italy

Day 9: Ciao Italia
Your Tuscany, Umbria, and Florence tour ends at 7:30 a.m. at Rome's Leonardo da Vinci Airport in Fiumicino. If you are departing on a flight before 12:00 noon, you must depart Perugia very early (pre-dawn hours) for the airport. For those departing on later flights after 12:00 noon, an included transfer will depart the Hotel Brufani Palace in Perugia at 8:00 a.m., arriving at Leonardo da Vinci Airport at 10:30 a.m. If you are departing at other times, you must secure your own transportation to the airport.
Meals: Breakfast

Night 1 & 2: Grand Hôtel Continental
Siena, Italy

The word grand aptly describes the Grand Hôtel Continental, located in the medieval heart of Siena within walking distance of the Piazza del Campo, the Duomo and all other major sites and attractions. This 17th-century former palace retains much of its original palatial splendor, as evidenced by the magnificent frescoes you’ll see in the public rooms. Each guestroom is unique and elegant, offering air conditioning, mini-bar, direct-dial telephone, satellite TV, marble bathroom and hairdryer. The Sapordivino Italian restaurant, with its crystal ceiling covering the towering courtyard of Palazzo Gori, offers an authentic taste of Sienese lifestyle and cuisine and is a great favorite among the city’s sophisticated residents. Explore the fragrance and flavor of over 300 fine wines at the Sapordivino Wine Merchant bar set in rediscovered medieval chambers.

Night 3, 4 & 5: Hotel Bernini Palace
Florence, Italy

The hotel located in closest proximity to the Uffizi Gallery in the center of the city, the historic building that houses the Hotel Bernini Palace evokes the magic of Florence during the rule of the Medici family. The hotel occupies a 15th-century building that was the parliament of the Kingdom of Italy when Florence was the capital. The splendid ceiling fresco in the Parliament Room is intriguing, as are the portraits of the political leaders of the time who met within these walls. The Hotel Bernini Palace is a cozy hotel with a delightfully elegant yet warm and homey ambience.

Night 6, 7 & 8: Hotel Brufani Palace
Perugia, Italy

The deluxe Hotel Brufani Palace occupies a unique location on a hilltop in the historic center of Perugia, close to all the principal sites of interest. Evoking the exclusiveness of which the city of Perugia is proud, guests during the hotel's 100-year history have included the Prince of Monaco and the Queen Mother of England, as well as many famous actors and noted politicians who have prized its beauty, refinement and superb views of Umbria. Within the Sireneuse Club, there is an indoor swimming pool with a transparent bottom that reveals millennium-old Etruscan ruins, as well as a gym, sauna, steam bath and whirlpool. Guest rooms are traditionally furnished and offer all the modern amenities sought by today’s sophisticated travelers. The readers of Condé Nast Traveler have included the Hotel Brufani Palace on the 2006 Gold List.

Departures:

April - October

Prices:
From approx $3,290 US dollars, per person based on double occupancy

Many other tours of Italy available on request
To book or for more information please complete the
INQUIRY FORM