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Hidden Treasures of Tuscany

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3.5 stars(6 reviews)
Small Group

Celebrate the rustic treasures, culinary delights and Renaissance cities of beautiful Tuscany.

You are viewing the 2023 itinerary. Select your departure year
20232024
10 days From £2,495 per person

2023 Tour code: TNS23

About the tour

Journey into the idyllic Tuscan countryside, visit medieval villages in the Chianti and Montepulciano regions, travelling by steam train to village food and wine festivals, tasting local wines and traditional cuisine, and exploring the gorgeous Renaissance cities of Florence and Siena.

Highlights

What’s included

Itinerary

Day 1 - London to Turin

We join the Eurostar at London St Pancras travelling to Paris where we continue by rail to Turin for one night. We have dinner together in Turin.

Includes
  • Dinner
  • Eurostar Meal
Day 2 - Monteriggioni

After a relaxed morning with free time in elegant Turin we take the train to Poggibousi via Florence. From Poggibousi we have a short coach transfer to Monteriggioni, a wonderful medieval fortress town and our base for the next seven nights. This evening we enjoy dinner at our hotel. Peacefully situated beneath the castle walls, our 4-star hotel has lush gardens, an attractive swimming pool and wellness centre, with panoramic views of surrounding parkland.

Includes
  • Breakfast, Dinner
Day 3 - At leisure in Monteriggioni

Today you're free to explore Monteriggioni at your own pace. Set behind an imposing fortress wall, on a gentle hill - surrounded by olive groves and vineyards - Monteriggioni's medieval buildings are remarkably well-preserved. Here you'll find the 13th century Monteriggioni Castle, and the Church of Santa Maria Assunta. You could also visit Siena, just 15-20 minutes away by car. Siena is a fabulous medieval city with a striking Palazzo Pubblico, which overlooks the vast Piazza del Campo - a shell-shaped piazza, famous as the location for Siena's Palio - a traditional horse racing event, held twice a year in summer. Dinner is served at our hotel.

Includes
  • Breakfast, Dinner
Day 4 - Montepulciano and Pienza

Today we travel to Montepulciano, an elegant and historic hill town with views of the iconic Tuscan landscape - endless rolling hills, rows of Cypress trees and vineyards. After a guided tour we have free time in the beautiful medieval village, known worldwide for its Vino Nobile, one of Tuscany's most treasured red wines. In the highest part of the town is the handsome Piazza Grande, a popular meeting place, surrounded by the cathedral, Renaissance palazzos and churches. We then visit a local farm where we enjoy a wine tasting and traditional lunch. This afternoon we visit the delightful village of Pienza for a wander around its golden medieval streets, admiring superb Renaissance architecture around the main square and magical views of the Val d'Orcia, a UNESCO listed landscape. We return to our hotel for dinner.

Includes
  • Breakfast, Dinner
Day 5 - Assisi and Perugia

This morning we visit Assisi by coach. Here we visit the famous Basilica with a Franciscan monk as our guide. We continue to Perugia, a beautiful old town, perhaps best-known as the home of 'Baci' or 'Kiss' chocolates. Here we enjoy time at a chocolate laboratory with an explanatory talk and tasting. We return to our hotel for dinner.

Includes
  • Breakfast, Dinner
Day 6 - Free Day in Monteriggioni

Today is free to enjoy at your own pace, possibly relaxing by the pool at your lovely hotel or exploring the town or nearby area independently. You could take a walk along the medieval walls, where you can enjoy beautiful views of the Chianti region, or relax in the central cobbled square, Piazza Roma. The impressive arched gateway to the town, the Porta di Ponente, faces Florence - to the right of this is a plaque with lines quoted from Dante on Monteriggioni. This is part of the historical Chianti area, so why not visit a wine cellar where you can taste full-bodied wines which pair perfectly with local cheese, olives and honey.

Includes
  • Breakfast, Dinner
Day 7 - Steam train to village festival

Today we transfer by coach to Siena station for a unique, steam-hauled excursion to a Tuscan village festival. We travel onboard the Treno Natura, on a line used exclusively by this historic train. This is a wonderful opportunity to experience the excitement and tradition of a small village festival, celebrating seasonal food and wine. You might join a truffle tour in beautiful Crete Senesi, or join in village festivities celebrating a wine harvest. Or experience the age-old village traditions of an Autumn festival to mark the chestnut season or the first batch of new olive oils. With a local tour guide to introduce you to the festival activities, you have free time for lunch and we're transferred back to our hotel in the late afternoon. Each departure date visits a different festival, so please check for details when booking.

Includes
  • Breakfast, Dinner
Day 8 - Florence

Today, after a short transfer to Poggibousi station, we take the train to the glorious Renaissance city of Florence. We enjoy a guided walking tour of the city's treasures, including the beautiful Duomo with its terracotta-tiled dome and the elegant Ponte Vecchio, a 14th century bridge. After our tour you have free time to explore. You might like to take a leisurely stroll beside the luminous green-blue waters of the Arno, passing the Palazzo Pitti and Basilica di Santo on the south bank of the city or visit the Boboli Gardens on the edge of the city. Instead, continue to discover the many examples of Renaissance art, overflowing in the city's galleries, museums or palaces. We return to Monteriggioni by rail and coach for dinner.

Includes
  • Breakfast, Dinner
Day 9 - Cote D’Azur

This morning we have transfer by coach to Livorno where we take the train to Ventimiglia, near the French border, via Genoa. In Ventimiglia we transfer to our hotel on the Cote D'Azur for one night.

Includes
  • Breakfast, Dinner
Day 10 - London

We take a coach transfer to the station in Nice and travel by rail to Paris where we join the Eurostar service to London St Pancras.

Includes
  • Breakfast
  • Eurostar Meal

Additional information

Mobility information

Due to the nature of our tours they are generally unsuitable for those with restricted mobility. If you’d like to discuss any particular holiday with us in this respect, then please don’t hesitate to call us.

Hotel

Hotel Il Piccolo Castello, Monteriggioni

Hotel Il Piccolo Castello, Monteriggioni

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Trains

Eurostar
TGV
Treno Natura

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Reviews

3.5 stars3.5 / 5 · 6 reviews

  1. 5 stars
    (0)
  2. 4 stars
    (3)
  3. 3 stars
    (3)
  4. 2 stars
    (0)
  5. 1 star
    (0)

Michael Durkan

4 stars

Submitted 25/May

Hotel nice but remote no taxi r any form of transport over weekend. No lunch provided on number of occasions. Guide excellent but was struggling at times as had not previously visited some areas. Festival outing of limited interest

Collected by Trustpilot

A Davies

4 stars

Submitted 24/May

Overall this was an excellent holiday in terms of the tours. The visits to Assisi, Montepulciano and the trip on Treno Naturo ending with the lunch with the commune of Asciano, Our tour manager, James, went the extra mile to ensure our experiences were enjoyable and my fellow travellers were wonderful. However, both the location and the hotel were not entirely suitable. The staff did their best but the hotel was not really equipped for groups. The evening meals were exceptional.

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Helen

3 stars

Submitted 24/May

Good tour unfortunately let down by the hotel. More time to explore the villages visited would have been nice.

Collected by Trustpilot

Bill Wastell

3 stars

Submitted 24/May

I have sent you a seperate email with my constructive comments.

Collected by Trustpilot

Julie Powell

3 stars

Submitted 24/May

This has the potential to be a great tour but is let down by the location of the hotel and some aspects of their accommodation and services. The nearest village of Montereggioni is approx. 2.5 miles away and difficult to reach independently. Free days are an issue due to this but our Tour Manager James was very pro-active and arranged for the coach to take us to Siena for one of those days. The excursions are all very good, especially the trip to Assisi where we had a guided tour by a Franciscan monk. The guided tour of Montepulciano was excellent but a new venue should be chosen for the lunch and wine tasting as this was disappointing. Overall an enjoyable holiday but it could be improved.

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Robin

4 stars

Submitted 13/Apr

It was the first group on a new tour. Despite Eurostar breaking down, trains cancelled at short notice, and French strikes, we got to our destination on time. The tour manager was excellent. The schedule needs a bit of tweaking.

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