Starting at $2949
11 days • 16 mealsExplorations rewards travelers with new perspectives. These are the personal adventures that today's cultural explorers dream of. (12-28 passengers)
Itinerary
Tuscan & Umbrian Countryside
Viewing itinerary for:
September 20, 2013, $3049
featuring Italy’s Charming Hill Towns
11 days • 16 meals
Price This Tour or call 800.340.5158
| Before your Tour Options: | Add an additional night to your stay |
- Hotel: Hotel Imperiale
Day 1: Overnight Flight
Board your overnight flight to the Italian capital of Rome.
Day 2: Rome, Italy - Tour Begins
Meet your fellow travelers in Rome for a welcome dinner in a local restaurant • Join in an interactive and fun presentation on Italy’s wines given by the restaurant’s sommelier • Indulge in a traditional four-course meal, paired with some of the country’s finest wines.
View Accommodation Today dinner will be included.Day 3: Rome - Orvieto - Umbria
Depart Rome • Travel to the Etruscan hill town of Orvieto, known for its white wine and Gothic cathedral housing a Signorelli fresco • Take time for a leisurely lunch or explore this town on your own • Spend the next four nights in a palace in a pristine Umbrian hill town.
View Accommodation Today breakfast and dinner will be included.Day 4: Umbria - Spoleto - Cooking Class - Umbria
Embark on a guided walking tour of historic Spoleto • See medieval palaces, the ornate Duomo of Santa Maria Assunta, and the magnificent Ponte delle Torri, an aqueduct dating back to the 13th century • Enjoy free time to peruse the town’s shops and cafes • Pay a visit to a country restaurant housed in a 16th century farm house • The chef here provides a hands-on Umbrian cooking lesson • Indulge in an early dinner in the countryside.
View Accommodation Today breakfast and dinner will be included.Day 5: Umbria - Olive Oil Factory - Bevagna - Montefalco - Umbria
Explore Umbria’s specialty food items through a series of tastings • Start the day with a visit to a local olive oil factory in the area of Trevi • Travel to Bevagna for a guided walking tour featuring Roman and medieval archeological and architectural marvels • Stop off in Montefalco, nicknamed the “Balcony of Umbria” • Visit a local enoteca to sip some of this region’s most prized wine, the Sagrantino, and taste local sausages and cheeses.
View Accommodation Today breakfast will be included.Day 6: Umbria - Assisi - Home-Hosted Dinner - Umbria
After a leisurely morning you’ll head to Assisi, birthplace of St. Francis • Take a guided walking tour of the old city, including the Basilica of St. Francis and its medieval streets • Take time for a leisurely lunch or explore this town on your own • This evening, an Umbrian family welcomes you to their country home as they prepare a delicious home-cooked meal.
View Accommodation Today breakfast and dinner will be included.Day 7: Umbria - Winery - Tuscany
Travel from Umbria through southern Tuscany • A winery visit showcases the wine cellar, family estate, vineyards, olive groves and stunning views • The winery’s chef prepares an authentic Tuscan lunch, expertly paired with wines produced on site • Make yourself at home in Tuscany in your restored palazzo for the next four nights.
View Accommodation Today breakfast and lunch will be included.Day 8: Tuscany - Florence - Tuscany
Set out on a short journey to Florence, “cradle of the Italian Renaissance” • Begin your day with a guided walking tour of the city sights, including the cathedral of Santa Maria Del Fiore, located in the religious center of the Piazza Del Duomo and the Palazzo Vecchio • Join your local guide in exploring the unique qualities of the city • Focus on Florence’s local artisans and visit their workshops • Spend some free time shopping and investigating Florence on your own • Return to Montaione.
View Accommodation Today breakfast and dinner will be included.Day 9: Tuscany - Siena - Monteriggioni - Tuscany
Travel to the city of Siena • Enjoy a walking tour and visit the historic piazza famous for the Palio Horse Race • Continue to the walled town of Monteriggioni for a stroll along quaint streets • Take an afternoon break and try some Tuscan pastries before returning to the town of Montaione.
View Accommodation Today breakfast will be included.Day 10: Tuscany - Volterra - San Gimignano - Tuscany
Spend your morning in Volterra, a former Etruscan city which sits high above the Tuscan countryside • Visit one of the most famous Etruscan museums in Italy, the Guarnacci Museum • Travel to San Gimignano, known as the "Medieval Manhattan" • Look for the town's fourteen medieval towers that date back to the 13th century • Enjoy a stroll along Piazza del Duomo and Piazza della Cisterna • Enjoy a farewell dinner with your fellow travelers.
View Accommodation Today breakfast and dinner will be included.Day 11: Tuscany - Tour Ends
Your vacation comes to a close in Montaione.
Today breakfast will be included.- PLEASE NOTE: Single accommodations are limited and are available on a first come, first served basis.
- To complete your vacation, we include roundtrip airport-to-hotel transfers when purchasing Explorations airfare with your tour. If you have arranged for your own air, we are pleased to provide you the option of purchasing these transfers. Please note that all transfers will leave at pre-scheduled times.
- Most national museums in Florence are closed on Mondays.
- When reserving single accommodations, be advised that single rooms in Italy are often smaller in size.
- In order to fully experience the destination, some of our hotels on these programs are located in smaller towns or on country roads where access is limited to large coaches. In these cases, you will be dropped off as close as possible and there will be a short walk to access the hotel from the drop off area.
