Day 1 - Arrive Florence

Upon arrival in Florence you are met and privately transferred to your hotel.

Overnight: Hotel Helvetia & Bristol

Day 2 - Artistic Masterpieces of the Renaissance

A walking tour of Florence is an excellent way to discover the city. Step out with your local guide, who takes you to the world-famous Uffizi Gallery, housed in the Palazzo degli Uffizi, a building originally designed to hold the Uffizi (administrative offices) of the Medici Grand Duke Cosimo.

Later, the Medici decided to house their art collection here and, in 1591, created what was then Europe’s first modern museum, opening it to the public. Its celebrated assembly of works includes paintings from the late Middle Ages through the early 18th-century. Here you can admire such striking works as Caravaggio’s “Medusa”, Botticelli’s “Birth of Venus”, Leonardo da Vinci’s “Annunciation” and “Madonna of the Goldfinch” by Raphael. Afterwards, continue on to the Church of Santa Croce, where many famous Florentines such as Michelangelo and Galileo are buried. (4 hours, walking guide)

Overnight: Hotel Helvetia & Bristol

Meal Plan: B

Day 3 - Medici Florence

Meet your guide today for a 4-hour walking tour of Florence, including a visit to the Pitti Palace and the Oltrano District. Once the residence of the Medici family and the Grand Duke of Tuscany, the Pitti Palace is located on the Oltrarno (the other side of the river Arno) and is one of the city’s most complete examples of Renaissance building.

Today you also visit the Brancacci Chapel in the church of Santa Maria del Carmine. The “Carmine,” as it is known locally, was built in 1268 for the Carmelite nuns and suffered a devastating fire in 1771. Though the fire destroyed most of the church (it was rebuilt in 1782 by Giuseppe Ruggieri and Giulio Mannaioni), the Cappella Brancacci (Brancacci Chapel) was untouched. The chapel contains restored early 15th-century frescoes begun by Masolino, continued by Masaccio, and completed by Filippino Lippi.

Overnight: Hotel Helvetia & Bristol

Meal Plan: B

Day 4 - Florence to Volterra through the Chianti Wine Region

Take the panoramic route through the lovely Chianti region, which lies between Florence and Siena, passing alongside vineyards and olive groves, there are hamlets and farmhouses, as well as fortified villas and castles that symbolize the violence and inter-communal strife that tore Tuscany apart in the Middle Ages. Enjoy a half-day tour (4 hours) with your driver-guide exploring pretty hill-top villages and stopping for a tasting at one of the most notable Chianti wineries. Your tour finishes at your beautiful hotel in the Tuscan countryside near Volterra.

Alternative option: For a more hands-on visit to the Chianti region, you may wish to add a little extra time to your tour for a special cooking class at a local organic farm. Enjoy a glass of the farm's own Chianti Classico while you prepare some of the most typical dishes of Tuscan and Chianti cuisine around the wood-oven. In the farmhouse’s friendly atmosphere, discover recipes and cooking methods passed down by grandmothers over the years. Knead bread and pasta or make the more traditional bread-based soups, such as pappa al pomodoro, and then learn the secrets to a wonderful Torta della Nonna cake. Alternatively, learn how to cut, season and prepare a pork carré with grapes. All your hard work culminates in an unforgettable lunch that you helped prepare, dining in the panoramic garden or inside in the historic family cellar.

Overnight: Borgo Pignano

Meal Plan: B

Day 5 - Stunning Siena

Today you are privately transferred to Siena where you meet your expert guide for a 3-hour walking tour.. This scenic Tuscan town was built on three hills and is enclosed by a set of walls and gates. Visit the Piazza del Campo, one of the finest main squares in Italy and see the Palazzo Pubblico, which has served as Siena's Town Hall since the 1300s. Siena's Duomo is one of the finest Gothic cathedrals in Italy and well worth a visit; here you can see the brilliant frescoes by Pinturicchio that adorn the Piccolomini Library.

Overnight: Borgo Pignano

Meal Plan: B

Day 6 - Medieval & Etruscan Tuscany

Spend the day with your driver-guide (5 hours) exploring the lesser visited parts of Tuscany today. The first stop is at the hamlet of Monteriggioni which is entirely enclosed within medieval walls and founded by the Sienese in 1203 as an outpost against Florence. With its intact fortifications, Monteriggioni is the most significant example of a walled village in Sienese territory.

Also visit the pretty town of Volterra whose roots are embedded in three thousand years of history and bear testimony to the Etruscan period. Besides the rich artistic and historical ties, the surrounding area is rich in natural beauty.

Overnight: Borgo Pignano

Meal Plan: B

Day 7 - Depart Siena

Private transfer to Florence Airport.

Meal Plan: B