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Join Amici dell’ Enotria of Ottawa on our Italian Harvest Tour To Tuscany September 3 – 17, 2010 |
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 The Wineries Your Executive Worldwide Travel itinerary |
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September 3 – Depart Ottawa for Rome via Toronto on Air Canada. September 4 Figline Valdarno Late morning arrival at the Rome Airport. Meet our local tour escort and transfer by motor coach to Figline Valdarno, an enchanting medieval village that lies at the foot of Mount Chiantia in a beautiful Tuscan valley just 25 kilometres south of Florence. Check in at the Hotel Villa Casagrande, an elegant hotel located in the old city centre of Figline Valdarno. Free time before our Welcome dinner. Overnight. D September 5 Breakfast. Morning visit to the Abbey of Vallombrosa, a Benedictine abbey in the Apennines, surrounded by forests of beech and firs. It was founded by Giovanni Gualberto, a Florentine noble, in 1038 and became the mother house of the Vallumbrosan Order. Wine tasting and lunch at Nipozzano of Frescobaldi. Afternoon at leisure in Figline Valdarno. [Perdono Festival and Palio di San Rocco (Saint Rocco Horse Race)] Overnight Figline Valdarno. BL |
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September 6 Breakfast. Full day excursion to Lucca, famous for its intact Renaissance-era city walls, and Pisa, known worldwide for its Leaning Tower, the bell tower of the city's cathedral. The four kilometers of walls with six gates and eleven bastions enclosing Lucca's historic center are some of the best preserved ramparts in Italy. In the 1800's, the top of the thick wall was planted with trees and grass turning it into a huge park and a pleasant place to walk or ride a bike. Another Lucca landmark is Piazza Anfiteatro, a city square built on an ancient Roman amphitheater situated in the heart of Lucca's historical center. Pisa, a city of over 87,500 residents contains more than 20 historic churches, several palaces, and various bridges across the Arno River. Lunch at a local restaurant. Overnight Figline Valdarno. BL |
 
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September 7
Breakfast. Full day at leisure. (market day in Figline) Overnight Figline Valdarno. B September 8 Breakfast. Full day in the Chianti area with a visit to the Castle of Brolio near Gaiole, one of the first 'Italian bastioned fortresses. The castle of Brolio has a Longobard origin, although today nothing, except the location, of the ancient original small fortress remains. Its ramparts, in stone and still today in perfect state, have an irregular pentagonal plan. Wine tasting and lunch at Castelgreve winery (Castelli del Grevepesa). Brief stop in Greve on the way back to Figline. Overnight Figline Valdarno. BL | ||
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September 9 Breakfast and check out. Wine tasting/lunch at Antinori wineries Badia a Passignano and Tignanello. After lunch go on to Monteriggioni for a brief visit. Sitting on a small natural hillock, this completely walled medieval town in the Siena Province of Tuscany was built in the 13th century by the overlords of Siena to command the Cassia Road running through the Val d'Elsa and Val Staggia just to the west of Monteriggioni. Continue to Siena, one of Italy's best preserved medieval towns, located in the heart of Tuscany. Check in at the Jolly Hotel Siena, situated in the medieval heart of the city, just a few steps from Piazza del Campo and from other important historical monuments such as the Duomo Cathedral and the Palazzo Pubblico. Dinner and overnight Siena. BLD |
 
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September 10 Breakfast. Morning private guided walking tour of Siena. Built on three hills and surrounded by well preserved walls, Siena is filled with fine examples of Gothic architecture. Some of its sights include the Piazza del Campo, the unique shell shaped piazza at the centre of the city, and twice a year the racetrack for the Palio; the Palazzo Pubblico, Siena's City Hall for almost 800 years; the Duomo, Siena's magnificent black and white Italian Romanesque cathedral; the Pinacoteca, full of Sienese painting from the city's Medieval heyday; the Palazzo Salimbeni, built in 1472, and the house where St. Catherine of Siena was born. This 14th century mystic is one of the principal patron saints of Italy. Afternoon at leisure. Overnight Siena. B |
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September 11 Breakfast. Full day excursion to Pienza and Montalcino with a private guided tour in Pienza, the "touchstone of Renaissance urbanism." Pienza was rebuilt from a village called Corsignano, which was the birthplace (1405) of Aeneas Silvius Piccolomini, a Renaissance humanist born into an exiled Sienese family, who later became Pope Pius II. Once he became Pope, Piccolomini had the entire village rebuilt as an ideal Renaissance town. Intended as a retreat from Rome, it represents the first application of humanist urban planning concepts, creating an impetus for planning that was adopted in other Italian towns and cities and eventually spread to other European centers. Free time for lunch in Pienza. Continue to Montalcino for a wine tasting / dinner at Frescobaldi’s winery CastelGiocondo. Return to Siena and overnight. BD |
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September 12 Breakfast. Depart for Montalcino for a winery visit and lunch at the Banfi winery. En route, a brief stop in San Quirico d’Orcia, a charming, walled town on the northern edge of the Val d'Orcia. In its town centre is the Collegiata dei Santi Quirico e Giulitta with its magnificent Romanesque-Gothic doorways as well as the Misericordia and Santa Maria di Vitaleta churches, the Palazzo Pretorio (town hall) and Palazzo Chigi. In the afternoon, return to Siena and time at leisure. Overnight Siena. BL |
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September 13 Breakfast. Check-out from the hotel. Depart for Montefalco for the Lungarotti winery visit and lunch. Free time in Montefalco "the balcony of Umbria." Montefalco, the birthplace of eight saints, is a majestic hilltown in the middle of Umbria's most important grape growing and wine producing country. Continue on to Malvarina Agriturismo for an aperitif and dinner. After dinner, transfer to Cortona and check in at Hotel San Michele, located in the old Baldelli Palace in the historical city centre of Cortona, near Piazza della Repubblica and Via Nazionale. Overnight Cortona. BLD |
 
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September 14 Breakfast. Full day at leisure. Wander the narrow medieval streets and shops of Cortona's historic center or enjoy the beautiful artwork in its Renaissance cathedral, churches and museums. Stroll through the public gardens, admire the 13th century town hall and clock tower on the Piazza della Republica or just relax in a nearby cafe. Overnight Cortona. B September 15 Breakfast. Departure for Magione for a wine tasting and snack at Castello di Magione. Continue to Gubbio. After lunch on your own, a private guided walking tour of Gubbio, "the most beautiful medieval city" of Europe. Gubbio, located on Mt. Ingino, part of the Apennines, is home to the second largest surviving Roman theatre. Late afternoon return to Cortona. BS |
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September 16 Breakfast. Depart for Chianciano for a visit and lunch at the Carpineto winery. After lunch continue to Castiglione del Lago. Originally an island, when the waters of Lake Trasimeno receded Castiglione del Lago was transformed into a promontory with panoramic view of the lake. The Castello del Leone, with its irregular pentagonal shape, four corner towers, and 30-meter high triangular "mastio" tower, dominates the lake and the whole of the surrounding area. Free time for some sightseeing. Return to Cortona in the late afternoon. Free time before our Farewell Dinner. Overnight Cortona. BLD September 17 Breakfast. Transfer to Fiumicino for our flight back to Ottawa. |
 
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