Day 1

Benvenuti a casa in Italia.  Welcome home to Italy. Paolo and Carl will pick you up at the Florence airport and whisk you away to our stunning place In downtown Florence. It is just steps away from the Arno river and the Ponte Vecchio. Your esteemed hosts will prepare your first dinner as you relax and settle in.  Then we’ll take “una passeggiata” a stroll, to our first of many a gelato

Day 2

Today is a busy day with lots of walking, lots of history and with lots of sights to see. We’ll visit the Baptistry, the Duomo, (and if you’re up for it we’ll climb the 463 steps to the top), and Michelangelo’s David,  (Whew, i’m exhausted just writing about it) After dressing for dinner we’ll head out to a fabulous restaurant.. Then we’ll wander over to the Palazzo Vecchio to hear some music and bask in the Florentine nightlife.  

Day 3

Pack your bags, tutti. We’re going on a road trip.  After breakfast we head up into the beautiful Tuscan countryside to Vinci, Leonardo’s birthplace. There you will get a glimpse of life in a small town during the early renaissance for it hasn’t changed very much.  There we’ll visit a museum devoted to the life and work of the town’s most celebrated citizen. After lunch we continue on to the medieval city of Lucca. Before dinner we’ll have an apperitivo and see a concert of some of Puccini’s masterpieces. Puccini lived and composed in this lovely town and you too will feel inspired to create here. 

Day 4

The city below you on the left and the mountains above you on the right.  That is our view as we bike ride on top of the famed wall of lucca. It’s an easy ride around the city so there’s no reason to be intimidated. Or if you’d prefer, walk or just sit and people watch. You will be enthralled in any case. We’ll tour Lucca’s gothic church and climb to the top of the Giunigi Tower for the best views of the city. Tonights gourmet feast will be created by us under the expert tutelage of a local chef with recipes you’ll be able to show off once you get home.  And If you can still walk after dinner and the day’s activities, we’ll head over to Piazza Anfiteatro for a musical treat and dancing. You’re going to sleep well tonight. 

Day 5

We’re going to take it easy today.  After a leisurely breakfast we’ll take a short half hour drive to Pisa. We’ll wander the streets (espresso, cornetti and gelato is sure to be involved) and take the requisite pictures at the leaning tower. . Next destination-the Medieval town of San Gimignano.  There we will have a walking tour of the city and then dine amongst the 13 remaining towers and be transported back to the Middle Ages. 

Day 6

Garb up, amici.  This is the  Ferie delle Messi or Medieval Harvest Festival  There will be Sbandieratori,(Italian flag twirlers.)  Falconers. a crossbow competition. Paolo and Giacomo will perform parts of their knife throwing show in Italian. And it will all culminate in a medieval banquet for the whole town and we’re invited,   Parrrrrrtyyyyyyy….

 Day 7

This morning is yours to wander. Get lost within the walls of this romantic historical city. It’s a walled town so you can’t get too lost. And then we’ll meet up for lunch. After lunch we’ll head to a winery for a tasting of Tuscany’s finest wines and olive oils. The medieval festivities continue today with lots of entertainment and will be all culminated by a joust. After all the excitement of the day, we’ll dine at San Gimignano’s finest trattoria and then relax in the courtyard of our palazzo where your minstrels will regal you with music and juggling. Dorme bene tutti.  

Day 8

After breakfast we’ll say goodbye to the 13 towers and head to the campo of 

Siena, Florence’s bitter rival during the Middle Ages. We will meet Antonio who runs the best macellia (butcher shop) in Siena and he will create for us a feast which we will take with us to the campo. There we will sit and lunch as Italians have done for the last 800 years.  

Day 9

We’re heading back to Florence for our last full day. Two really fun activities await us today. We’ll take a gentle rafting trip on the majestic Arno river and then have a treasure hunt which will test your deductive and directional skills.

Day 10

After a grand breakfast Paolo and Carl bid a fond farewell to our fellow travelers.  We hope your world is enriched with our last ten days together and that you have also fallen in love with this land for we care so much.  Buon viaggio, amici. We know you’ll be back.

Included:

• Welcoming and full assistance during the tour by our quasi-bilingual tour leaders.
• 9 nights accommodation in double occupancy room, with breakfast and local taxes.
• All meals provided.
• Visits, including licensed-guide(s) and entry to the monuments.
• The activities listed in the daily programme.

Not Included:

• Airfare.
• Tips and personal expenses.
• Personal insurances (cancellation, luggage, early departure, etc).
• Optional activities not listed in the week programme, which you can book through our tour leader.
• Everything else which is not clearly specified in the “Included” list.

“All our accommodations were top-notch and we traveled in comfort on a private chauffeured mini-bus.”

 – Damaris Wilcox

“My husband and I enjoyed Italy tremendously and would never have been able to plan such a visit so well on our own.”

 – Jeanne Lynch

“Would I go on another tour with RenAdventures? Absolutely—the sooner the better!”

 – Cherie Ferro

“I’d go again every year if I could, and do plan on another trip with them!“

 – Diana Ballew