Treasures of Tuscany
- 8 Days
- From : Pisa
- To : Pisa
- Tour
- Guide : English
- Minimum age : 12 Years Old
* This product requests separate payment. Promotion code or coupon from Ticket Here is not applicable.
Join this eight-day TUI Tour to discover the treasures of the Tuscany region, an unforgettable experience through its flavours, history and culture. Learn about Pisa’s peculiar history and its marvellous artistic attractions. Visit a family style vineyard in Chianti, which produces since 1988 a small production with high quality. Explore Florence’s unique artistic and cultural centre. Discover the small medieval towns of San Gimignano and Lucca. Marvel at Siena’s gorgeous architecture and beautiful Main Square.
TOUR HIGHLIGHTS
Pisa: one of Italy’s most visited cities, a vibrant college town, home of the world famous Leaning Tower, a unique masterpiece located in Piazza dei Miracoli, accompanied by the Cathedral and the Baptistery.
Volterra: it offers one of the most intact medieval villages of Tuscany, characterized by numerous tower houses, by splendid palaces and last but not least by the Duomo.
San Gimignano: a tiny city that has remained intact through the centuries; situated on a hilltop, it is famous for its numerous towers, frescoes and other art treasures.
Chianti Classico area: visit a family style vineyard: It is organic, eco-friendly and carbon-free. It practices sustainable agriculture. The property is certified Organic and Eco-Friendly.
Florence: a living city with an eclectic cultural life that embraces opera, classical music and contemporary art. Also known as the cradle of the Renaissance, is one of Europe’s great art cities.
Siena: one of the best preserved medieval towns in Italy, honouring the Gothic architecture with its one of a kind main square, Piazza del Campo.
Lucca: also known as ‘the city of a hundred churches’ for the large number of religious buildings in the historic centre, which is totally enclosed by walls.
What’s included?
TOUR GUIDE:
- Operated with English-speaking TUI tour-escort throughout the itinerary
- Operated with English-speaking local guide for the visits to Pisa, Florence, Siena and Lucca
ACCOMMODATION:
- 7 nights’ accommodation
MEALS:
- 7 Breakfasts
- 3 Dinners
TRANSPORT:
- Arrival and departure shared transfer in an air-conditioning bus from/to Pisa International Airport
- Shared transportation in an air-conditioning bus throughout the tour
- Return public transport tickets for the visit to Florence
ENTRANCE FEES AND ACTIVITIES:
- All activities mentioned in the itinerary: Pisa walking tour, half-day (Day 2); Alabaster workshop visit in Volterra, San Gimignano visit (Day 3); Florence city tour, full-day (4); Vineyard visit including wine tasting in Chianti; Siena city tour, half-day (Day 6); Lucca city tour, half-day (Day 7)
OTHER:
- Meet & Greet
- Welcome meeting
- Headphones during all the visits
Exclusions
- Drinks during meals (unless specified otherwise)
- All entrance fees to be paid on site for an individual visit during free time (Pisa Cathedral and Baptistery, Pisa Leaning Tower, Florence Baptistery and Giotto Bell Tower and Dome, Florence Uffizi Gallery)
- Domestic nor international flights
- City tax not included, payable on the spot
- Any visit not mentioned in the program
- Porterage and gratuities
- Expenditures of a personal nature, drinks and meals or items not stated explicitly in the program
- Any alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, mineral water, camera/video camera fee (if any)
- Travel Insurance or any loss or extra cost arising due to unforeseen circumstances such as flight delays, accidents, etc.
Please note
- We reserve the right to change itineraries and activities due to weather conditions, technical problems or security reasons
- Early check-in, late check-out, connecting or adjoining rooms in the hotel are subject to availability and not guaranteed
- No refund for unused services. Splitting of the package is not allowed
Accommodation options
ACCOMMODATION OPTIONS
Day 1, 2, 7 Pisa:
- Superior Hotel Category = Grand Hotel Duomo or similar 4*
Day 3, 4, 5, 6 Castellina in Chianti:
- Superior Hotel Category = Hotel Casafrassi or similar 4*
Cancellation policy
- Once ordered, this tour cannot be cancelled or refund or amended at any circumstances.
Day 1 : ARRIVAL PISA (17km – 30min)
Upon landing at Pisa International Airport, make your way to the arrivals hall where the driver will meet you. You will then be transferred to your hotel, where you can settle in before spending the rest of the afternoon at leisure. In the evening, join the group for a welcome meeting with the tour escort at the hotel.
Overnight in Pisa.
Day 2 : PISA
Wake up to an early morning breakfast at the hotel. Shortly after, meet the guide at the reception for the Pisa walking tour. Discover the monuments of the Piazza Dei Miracoli. Be dazzled by this marvellous square which is dominated by the Cathedral. Admire the celebrated Leaning Tower, the round-shaped Baptistery surrounded by its suggestive columned arcades. From there you head for Piazza Dei Cavalieri, the central civic square of medieval Pisa with Italy’s academic showpiece, the Scuola Normale Superiore. Passing Piazza Dante and Pisa’s State University where Galileo Galilei taught, we reach the Arno River, flanked by medieval palaces, and Piazza Garibaldi. The rest of the afternoon will be at leisure for a personal visit. Alternatively, you can book optional excursions (not included):
Tuscan Marble Trail by 4×4, half-day tour (2 pax minimum)
Visiting Carrara marble quarries by 4×4 Jeep is an unforgettable experience. The marble quarries, enormous white wounds that open themselves along wild and abrupt slopes, where small men handle gigantic stone blocks. For the last 2000 years here nature and man’s work daily embrace and reject each other in order to supply the raw material for architectural and artistic works that embellish the squares, the palaces, and the private buildings all over the world. We wish to let you know a different and fascinating reality, a combination of fatigue and brilliance, ancient sweat and modern technology. The world of marble is not just the excavation or processing of stone, but the history of a territory and its population that have been synonyms of marble itself for ages. The quarries, the techniques and the history as well as the quarrymen’s villages, their thousand-year habits and customs, their language their food and everyday life. Top-quality off-road vehicles driven by expert staff will lead you to an altitude of 900m where you will see breath-taking scenery. After that, you will have a short break during which you will taste the unique flavour of the ‘Lardo di Colonnata’.
Puccini Up Close: Villa and Museum, excursion (2 pax minimum)
Puccini lovers will have the opportunity to know the works and the places where the master lived and wrote his masterpieces. Puccini’s home and mausoleum. Built on an ancient watchtower after which the town Torre del Lago was named, Villa Puccini was the only private house by the lake, apart from the noble neighbour Villa Orlando and the Ginori Lischi on the opposite side of the shore. Visiting the Puccini museum, you get a real feel for Puccini’s life and works: his piano and the many ashtrays he used, as a hard smoker, while composing his music, memorabilia and portraits, but especially personal belongings such as his hunting boots and gear, and one of his 15 driver’s licenses (at the time, you needed to get a new license each time you changed cars!). Transfers from/to hotel are included.
Overnight in Pisa.
Day 3 : PISA – VOLTERRA – SAN GIMINGNANO – CASTELLINA IN CHIANTI (117km – 2.5hr)
Charge your batteries with breakfast at the hotel. Departure to Volterra, one of the most important city-states of Etruscan civilization. Also known for its alabaster, you will have the chance to visit an alabaster workshop. Around midday, free time lunch in Volterra (not included). Departure for San Gimignano, visit the old town centre of this medieval town, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Continuation to Castellina in Chianti, sited at 47 km from Florence and accommodation in Hotel Agriturismo Casafrassi. In the evening, enjoy a pleasant dinner at the hotel.
Overnight in Castellina in Chianti.
Day 4 : CASTELLINA IN CHANTI – FLORENCE – CASTELLINA IN CHANTI (90km – 1.5hr)
Indulge in a delicious breakfast at your hotel in before beginning today´s adventure. Morning departure to Florence. Arrival and transfer to the city centre by public transportation (included). The coach will park at Costanza Drive and Tramway and the group will take the tram to the city centre. Full day visit to the capital of the Renaissance: guided tour of the Duomo complex: Giotto’s bell tower (exterior visit), the Baptistery (exterior visit) with its bronze doors including the famous Porta del Paradiso and the visit to the Cathedral (exterior visit) with the magnificent Cupola del Brunelleschi. Around midday, free time for lunch (not included). A short walk through the historic streets of the heart of Florence brings you to the famous Piazza Signoria, where you can admire the imposing Palazzo Vecchio (exterior) and the beautiful Loggia del Lanzi. The tour continues with ‘Oltrarno’ area (left side of the river Arno), famous for the handcraft shop. The Florentine tradition of producing artisanal goods has been ongoing for centuries and today remains one of the cornerstones of Florence’s visual and social history, as it did in the times of the guilds. In the late afternoon, free time for dinner in Florence (not included). After dinner return back to the coach by public transportation and to the hotel by tour coach.
Overnight in Castellina in Chianti.
Day 5 : CASTELLINA IN CHANTI
In the morning, have a tasty breakfast at the hotel. This day is at your own leisure. Alternatively, you can book an optional excursion (not included). In the evening, enjoy dinner at the hotel.
Tuscan Culinary Masterclass (2 pax minimum)
Cooking lesson in the hotel followed by lunch with drinks. Typical dishes prepared: Crostini ai Fegatini di Pollo (typical Tuscan chicken liver canapé), Pasta Fresca, Ragu di Carne (homemade pasta and meat ragout), Tiramisu (an Italian cake with mascarpone cheese). Drinks included: 1/2 bottle of mineral water + 1 glass of wine per person. Duration of the class: 2.5hr, up to 10 attenders.
Florence at your leisure, full-day (2 pax minimum)
Round trip transfer from the hotel to Florence and back to the hotel. This is a transfer only for customers who wish to go back to Florence for free time at their leisure.
Overnight in Castellina in Chianti.
Day 6 : CASTELLINA IN CHANTI – SIENA – CASTELLINA IN CHANTI (77km – 1hr)
After a leisurely breakfast at the hotel, departure for a beautiful excursion to delightful hills of the Chianti countryside with an ever-changing scenery of vineyards and olive trees. In the morning, stop in a local farm for a visit to the vineyard, to the cellars and for a wine tasting at Fattoria di Corsignano: an Organic Chianti Classico winery and an agriturismo, it is located in the southern part of Chianti Classico area, in the municipality of Castelnuovo Berardenga, nearby Siena. Upon arrival in Siena, a guided tour of the old city centre: walking along the small medieval streets, admiring the splendid palaces and ending up at the Cathedral where you can visit the splendid interior. The guided tour will conclude in the Piazza del Campo, one of the most beautiful in the world, where you will find the Palazzo del Comune (exterior). In the evening, dinner will be served at the hotel.
Overnight in Castellina in Chianti.
Day 7 : CASTELLINA IN CHANTI – LUCCA – PISA (135km – 2hr)
Delight in a tasty breakfast at the hotel and departure to Lucca, the city that gave birth to Giacomo Puccini presents itself today at the historic centre, among the best preserved in all of Tuscany. You will start on the beautiful tree-lined walls that characterizes this charming town. The first destination of the guided tour is the Cathedral which houses the famous Volto Santo and the splendid marble funeral monument of Ilaria del Carretto created by Jacopo Della Quercia. Walking through the medieval alleys you will reach the majestic Guinigi Tower, true symbol of Lucca. A few steps from here is the famous Piazza Anfiteatro, by many considered to be the most beautiful square of Lucca. Around midday, free time for lunch (not included). In the afternoon continuation to Pisa.
Overnight in Pisa.
Day 8 : DEPARTURE PISA (17km – 30min)
Wake up to one last breakfast at the hotel. Depending on the flight schedule, pick-up and transfer to the airport to your onward destination.